Fall 2015

Quarterly Newsletter

Knowledge At Your Finger Tips

Fontana Regional Library®

Fontana Regional Library 33 Fryemont Street Bryson City, NC 28713 828.488.2382 www.fontanalib.org

Inside this issue: Banned Books Week

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Thing 1 and Thing 2 Visit County Budget Meeting

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NC Storytelling Guild

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LSTA Edge Technology Grant

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Young Heroes Celebrate Reading

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FRL Board Retreat

4

Read Local Book Fair

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Check Out a Backpack at MCPL

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Small Steps Toward New Swain Library

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RFID Technology Updates

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Butterflies, Bobcats and Biographies… Coming Soon to MCPL

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September is Library Card Sign-Up Month September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a time when Fontana Regional Library joins with the American Library Association (ALA) to celebrate the value of a library card and library services. This year, Snoopy, the world-famous beagle, serves as Honorary Chair of Library Card Sign-Up Month, reminding parents, kids, and kids-at-heart that a library card offers limitless opportunities to transform lives through education and lifelong learning. With a library card, patrons can check out so much more than books. Fontana Regional Library offers cardholders access to computers and the internet, research databases, ebooks, e-magazines, and e-audiobooks, DVDs, and more. Another benefit of having a card is that because Fontana Regional Library is part of the NC Cardinal consortium of libraries, patrons in Macon, Jackson, and Swain Counties can borrow materials from across the state, and pickup and return items to their local library. To sign up for a library card, please visit your local Fontana Regional Library branch.

A buzz of excitement is in the air. The aroma of new backpacks, pencil cases, and fresh notebook paper lingers. It is the start to a new school year! The library can offer a host of resources for students of all ages no matter your school setting. Possibilities include book choices to support reading requirements, a quiet place to study, as well as access to NC LIVE offerings online at home or at the library. If you do not have a library card, now is the perfect time to sign up for one during library card sign up in September. So, come one, come all to the best kept secret in town – your local library branch!

Serving Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties since 1944

The Fontana Flyer 2015

What do the books The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison, and The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini have in common? They were all challenged or outright banned in areas of the United States in 2014. We usually think of book banning as something that happens in far flung dictatorships and not something going on down the street at your local library. But it happens right here at home in school libraries, college libraries, public libraries, and bookstores, all over the United States, every day. Each year libraries, bookstores, teachers, authors, and concerned citizens come together for a week to celebrate freedom. This year Banned Books Week will run Sept. 27 – Oct 3. Stop by your local branch to see what books have been challenged and banned across this nation, including some that have been challenged right here in Western North Carolina.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 Visit Macon County Budget Hearing

Characters from Dr. Seuss came alive in June! Thing 1 and Thing 2 stepped out of the pages of Cat in the Hat to share the needs of the Macon County Public Library. Macon County Commissioners listened to the presentation at the public hearing on the County Budget. The county appropriation to the library remained unchanged. (photo courtesy of Macon County News)

The Fontana Flyer 2015

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North Carolina Storytelling Guild Tells All! Members of the North Carolina Storytelling Guild are bringing their stories into at least one library in each of the 100 counties of North Carolina during September. This event will culminate in a two-day Heart of North Carolina Storytelling Festival in Greensboro where North Carolina tellers with national and regional acclaim will share their stories with family audiences. “We feel that children are the heart of North Carolina, and that public libraries are the heart of our communities. With all the cuts that libraries have experienced, we want to help in a tangible way.” The Guild is offering a half-hour program by an accomplished teller to all 100 libraries free of charge in the four weeks preceding the festival which runs from September 25-26, 2015. This festival is sponsored by the North Carolina Storytelling Guild, Greensboro City Arts and the Triad Storytelling Exchange as part of the Greensboro's 17 day festival. Fontana Regional Library will be hosting five events with two tellers across the region:  Thursday, Sept. 3rd 6:30pm – Jackson County Library – Charlie St. Clair  Thursday, Sept. 10th 6:00pm – Marianna Black Library – Charlie St. Clair  Tuesday, Sept. 22 3:30pm – Hudson Library – Lee Lyons  Wed., Sept. 23rd 6:00pm – Macon County Library – Charlie St. Clair  Thursday, Sept. 24th 6:00pm – Cashiers Library – Lee Lyons

Edge Technology Program 2nd Round Grant Award This past June Fontana Regional Library (FRL) was awarded a second 2014-2015 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Edge Technology grant of $5,000 by the North Carolina State Library to replace outdated technology equipment to improve public Internet access. The grant will provide a new advanced intelligent-edge network switch at the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, providing a stable and reliable internet connection; new wireless access at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City, extending the public Wi-Fi network into the meeting room; and a new high speed networked color LaserJet printer for the Macon County Public Library computer lab. This grant is made possible through funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

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The Fontana Flyer 2015

Young Heroes Celebrate Reading at Local Libraries

Children throughout the region transformed into heroes this summer at their local library. Summer reading events held in the community and FRL libraries were filled with over 1500 superheroes of all ages. Children attended over 250 events and learned about animal heroes, local community heroes, and how to draw superheroes from a Marvel comic artist. All summer, children and teens filled the library in search of the special book to spark their imagination, answer their curiosity, or to read just for the fun of it. Children and teens checked out over 23,000 books and read over 500,000 minutes! Children were rewarded for their heroic reading efforts with many fun and exciting prizes and incentives.

Fontana Regional Library Board Retreat Focuses on Community Needs Members of the Fontana Regional Library Board, along with local library board members and leadership staff, gathered August 29th for their annual board retreat. Consultant Jan Letendre led the group through activities as part of an LSTA Planning Grant to develop a new Long Range Plan. The plan will outline library services that meet the aspirations and needs of the people in Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties.

The Fontana Flyer 2015

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Read Local Book Fair Coming to Franklin and Sylva in November Mark your calendars now for the Read Local Book Fair, to be held at the Macon County Public Library on Saturday, November 7th, and at the Jackson County Public Library on Saturday, November 14th. Both events will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature local authors from each county and around the region. Last year’s inaugural event, held at the Macon County Public Library, was such a success that it has been expanded this year to include the Jackson County Public Library. Local authors will be on hand to sell and sign books (just in time for holiday gift-giving), read selections of their work, and meet their readers. The Fair is made possible by the local authors who will be participating and by local bookstores City Lights in Sylva and Books Unlimited in Franklin.

Fontana Regional Library Branch Locations AC-CCL Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library 249 Frank Allen Rd, Cashiers, NC 28717 828-743-0215 HL Hudson Library 554 Main St., Highlands, NC 28741 828-526-3031 JCPL Jackson County Public Library 310 Keener St., Sylva, NC 28779 828-586-2016 MCPL Macon County Public Library 149 Siler Farm Rd., Franklin, NC 28734 828-524-3600 MBL Marianna Black Library 33 Fryemont St., Bryson City, NC 28713 828-488-3030 NCL Nantahala Community Library 128 Nantahala School Rd., Topton, NC 28781 828-321-3020

Check Out a Backpack at the Macon County Public Library Fall is coming – a perfect time to enjoy a walk in the woods! Backpacks for your hike are available for loan at the Macon County Public Library. The packs come complete with all the essentials you’ll need for a family or solo outing, including maps, wildlife guides, compass, whistle, headlamp, and more. Just add water! These packs were made possible through the efforts of the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council (FATCC) and funding provided by Kaitlyn Sutton, a recipient of the General Hugh Shelton National Leadership Scholarship. You can check out the backpack on display at the Library before hitting the trail. The library also has books, magazines, and movies to help you enjoy your day hike. Learn more by connecting with us at www.fontanalib.org/ checkout-a-backpack-at-mcpl.

The Fontana Flyer 2015

New Swain Library - Small Steps in the Right Direction Over the summer there was progress towards building a new Marianna Black Library in Swain County. Most significantly, Swain County Commissioners allocated funds for some very important site preparation steps before the building process can begin. A land survey company has been contracted to provide a topographical land elevation map of the parcel located on Fontana Drive. This map, in turn, will be used as a tool by an architect to determine the proper location of the new library. Then, boring samples will be taken to help determine costs associated with the construction of the new building. Though they may seem small, a new library cannot be built without these incremental, yet important, steps forward. While this is going on, the Marianna Black Library Planning Committee has had the opportunity to take a live, online, virtual tour of the Calhoun County Public Library in St. Matthews, South Carolina. The populations of this South Carolina county and town are similar to Swain and Bryson City, and they have recently built a new library, making it an ideal location to visit. The virtual tour was hosted live by Kristen Simenson, the Director of the Calhoun County Library who shared the library’s successes and “lessons learned” in the building process. All in all, it was a hugely successful afternoon of learning from a library system that has just completed the process of building a new facility.

Yes, I’d like to help support the Fontana Regional Library! The Library receives less than $23 per person in state and local taxes to provide all our services. Your donation helps keep new materials on the Library's shelves, helps keep computers running and helps maintain our programming. All donations are tax-deductible. Enclosed is my gift of:

$10

$25

$50

$100

Other

Considering a major gift? Please contact your local library for details.

Here are some average cost figures, to give you an idea: Books: $30.25 Magazines: $46.67

Please use my gift for:

Books Music, movies, & recorded books Magazines Workshops & programs Computers Greatest need Reading Rover New Marianna Black Library Please make checks payable to: Fontana Regional Library 33 Fryemont Street Bryson City, NC 28713

Movies: $25 per DVD title Recorded books: $100 per CD title Computers for public access: $1625 Workshops & Public programs: $100 Reading Rover, average daily cost: $375

The Fontana Flyer 2015

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RFID Technology Coming to the Bryson City and Nantahala Libraries

In June of this year Fontana Regional Library (FRL) was awarded a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Project Access & Digitization grant of $94,825 by the North Carolina State Library. The grant will bring radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City and the Nantahala Community Library in Aquone. RFID technology, which allows patrons to utilize the self-checkout system, has already been installed in the other FRL libraries as part of a multi-year project to provide this advanced technology in all the libraries in Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties. Project and IT manager John Tyndall states, “All is going according to plan. Marianna Black Library and Nantahala Community Library will begin tagging their collections during January 2016, and everything should be in place for Marianna to use their self-checkout unit by March 2016.” This grant is made possible through funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

Be on the Lookout for Butterflies, Bobcats, and Biographies! Upcoming programs at the Macon County Public Library this fall Looking forward to Balsam Trust bringing a program on the plight of the pollinators- monarch butterflies in particular... "Wild Critter Adventures" program with Cindy & Ed Boos and the Franklin Bird Club in September... The library will be showing the biographical drama about Martin Luther King Jr.'s march for civil rights- "Selma" in September. We're teaming up with the League of Women Voters of Franklin to promote the upcoming “NC Voter’s Rights Forum” which will take place Thursday, September 10, 6:30—8:00 p.m. at the Franklin Town Hall, 95 East Main St. All are welcome.

Page 86 U.S. Postage Paid Non-Profit Org. Bryson City Permit No. 71

33 Fryemont Street Bryson City, NC 28713

Creating Community Creating Community is a series of artistic workshops hosted at the Jackson County Public Library. Local artists share their craft, giving patrons the opportunity to learn about the myriad talents tucked away in their own backyard and a chance to practice the craft themselves. Seating is limited so sign-up is required. From knitting to origami, bookmaking and beyond, these practical programs are being sponsored in the spirit of creating community by highlighting and growing the community that creates. Call JCPL at 586-2016 for more information.

Sumi-e Japanese Brush Painting with Allan Grant Arm-Knitting with Helen Pate

Papermaking with Frank Brannon