Chambers County Library System: Chambers County Library System: Among Friends, 2018

Summer Newsletter, 2018 Edition 17

Welcome to the Friends of CCLS Summer Newsletter!

This is a new format for us, and is part of the marketing process now used by the Library System itself. While we will have some print copies available, e-delivery seems to be a thing of the present, not the future, so we're riding the wave.

Our highlights of 2018 to date, and the previews of coming attractions are sure to interest you, and we hope you'll participate. Have a great summer at your Chambers County Library System.

National Library Week in Chambers County was the occasion for lunches provided to each of the Library System branches by the Friends of CCLS. Staff members were thanked for their service and commitment by President Jean Abshier Forrest, and enjoyed a break from their labors!

Library System Grows and Improves Facilities Image result for construction hard hat

2018 continues the progressive outlook by Chambers County to improve quality facilities for residents.

The administrative and technical services arms (the muscle behind the pretty face) of the library system have been housed inside the Anahuac facility since 1951. Thanks to County growth, many department offices have been relocated, and space has become available for an official Library System building. It will be located on Stowell Street, in the building which has housed Indigent Health, the local Chamber of Commerce, and several other entities over the years. With renovations nearly complete at this writing, the staff hopes to move in after Summer Reading events. The Friends' Executive Board, at their last meeting, voted to provide the new site with a refrigerator for the break room.

Once the Tech Services folks have left for good, Anahuac's branch will get a makeover. The current meeting room will connect to the main floor with doors, providing access as a new Children's Story Hour Room. The back half of the building, which was most of the original structure from the 1960's, will become the new community meeting room, with a separate entrance, restrooms, and a kitchen area.

The Juanita Hargraves Memorial Branch in Winnie will be the final capital improvement project to take place for the library system. A new library is currently in the talking phases, and if all goes as planned, construction will begin in 2019.

No More Book Sales?????

For over a decade, quarterly book sales were the fund raising staple for the Friends, and fans of our book sales were many. We have expanded our efforts however, and ongoing sales are provided at all our branches. Winnie and Anahuac have free standing book carts with items that change rapidly over the course of each week. The Goss Branch in Mont Belvieu has our wonderful Friends of CCLS Bookstore located within the facility, and volunteers provide a lot of friendly service, supervised by Vice President Elaine Byrd. So our quarterly sales may be gone, but we've replaced them with possibilities for purchase any time you visit your library branch. Pictured below are some of the volunteers at the Goss Branch, who also took time out of their busy Saturday earlier this year to promote the library and the bookstore at Thrif-Tee Grocery in Mont Belvieu.

Adult Summer Reading Program: "Libraries Rock" Events and Rules Image result for libraries rock

Summer Reading begins on Monday, June 4. Reading rules for this year’s program are easier than ever – you only need to read or listen to 2 items for each raffle ticket for weekly prizes, so your chances increase greatly! Drawings will be held at each branch, with a BIG drawing at the end of the program in mid-July.

Adult Programs this Summer (Pre-registration Required)

Chambers County Library, Anahuac

Thursday, June 14, 5:30 - Rock Your Pot!

Thursday, July 12, 5:30 - Summer on the Rocks, sponsored by Dillon's Liquor

Juanita Hargraves Memorial Branch, Winnie

Tuesday, June 26, 5:00 - Adult Movie Night - "Grease 2" Dress as your favorite character!

Tuesday, July 10, 5:00 - Book Club: "Elvis and the Grateful Dead"

Sam & Carmena Goss Memorial Branch, Mont Belvieu

Friday, June 22, 2:00 - Board game with a Beat!

Wednesday, July 11, 2:00 - Rocky Road Ice Cream Social

Raise Money for YOUR Library System with Amazon Smile!

Now is your chance to support the library through the Friends' of CCLS Amazon Smile account. Every time you buy from Amazon (and who doesn't these days?) you can dedicate a small percentage to our funding account. All you need to do is go to the Smile section on your Amazon page, pick Friends of the Chambers County Library System as your designated charity, and then every time you head for Amazon, just type in smile.amazon.com and it will provide us with that portion of your purchase. Easy-peasy!

Odds and Ends...

Have you found the Friends on Facebook? We're there, and Heather, our Queen of the Facebook page, loves getting book and library themed ideas posted. Don't forget to Share!

Giving Tuesday, the national event following Black Friday, will be held this year on November 27. It's a time to provide a donation to your favorite charity, and we hope that's the library system! Look for our donation buckets after Thanksgiving and through the holiday season at your branch.

Thanks to the many donations, book sale receipts, and fund raising, the Friends are continuing to make monthly payments to the County coffers for the furnishings at the Goss Branch. We're whittling our commitment down slowly but surely. And the beautiful library setting makes it worth it!

Friends of CCLS Executive Board

            President: Jean Abshire Forrest
            Vice President:  Elaine Byrd
            Secretary/Treasurer: A. Lynette Parsons

            Members:   Bobby Baillio - Mollie Simpson - Michelle Davis
                 Gaynell Leming - Geraldine Brown - Melanie Sullivan
                  Immediate Past President: Adaire Griffin

         Ex-Officio members (meaning, they're helping a lot!)
                   Heather Puppa, Facebook Page Queen
                        Valerie Jensen, County Librarian
                   Annie Vass, Assistant County Librarian

Library System "Wish List" Granted by the Friends

A wide variety of items are dreamed of by the library staff members to enhance their programs, or sometimes just to make their work environment a little nicer. Each branch compiles their "wish list" and the lists are presented to those attending the annual meeting of the Friends for selection and voting. Luck (and lots of financial support, thank you very much!) has allowed the Friends to purchase virtually all these extra items for our hard-working staff members. Below are featured photos of some of the items purchased.

Membership Form – Please Join Our Efforts to Support Our Libraries!

Name(s) ________________________________________________________

Mailing Address__________________________________________________

Best Phone Contact Number: _______________________________________

Email Address____________________________________________________

Dues for 2018 - $5.00 per member: Total dues: ________________________

Small Business - $25.00 ________________________

Corporate - $100.00 ________________________

(please provide both business and a contact name )

Additional donation (tax-exempt): ___________________________________

And if your company does matching donations, please consider us!

Volunteer Opportunities: the Friends have a variety of projects that serve the libraries or the Friends. Please consider giving your time and talents to any of the following:

_____ Serving on the Executive Board

_____ Working at the Bookstore (MB) or occasional book sales

_____ Mailing: stuffing envelopes, stamps, etc.

_____ Writing opportunities: grants, donor letters, flyers for Friends

_____ Fund raising: visiting potential donors, distributing materials

_____ Events: planning, providing refreshments, serving refreshments, etc.

_____ Library special projects: reading shelves, preparing crafts, whatever!