Recarpeting project starting soon!

The library will start on the recarpeting project on Monday, March 10th. Actually we may even be rearranging some things a couple of days before then. We plan to remain open as much as possible during this time. However, there may be some days when we have to close for a few hours without notice and/or services may be limited (internet computers unavailable, books inaccesible etc.) We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Adult Reading Program about to have a happy ending

The adult reading program is wrapping up this week. Please make sure you turn in all your reading by Friday, Feb. 29th in order for it to count toward the grand prize drawing. The party is next week on Wed., March 5th at 6:15. Please RSVP by Wed., March 27th - you would hate to have to sit and watch everyone else eating Sharon's yummy food... I have included some pictures below from our last get together.

Adult Reading Program off to a great start!

Butch and Bonnie - High Rollers!!!

The adult reading program is off to a great start with over 20 people attending our kick-off party. We played games, everything from chinese checkers to craps. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the food and prizes. Our next event is on Friday, Feb. 8th at 7:00 p.m. Of course there will be more fun and rumor has it that might be "pie night", the regulars know what that means - yummy yummy!!! For more information about joining the adult reading program (yes, there is still plenty of time) call or stop by the library.

Friends Membership Drive Underway

The Friends of the Library's annual membership drive is well underway. Please stop by the library between now and Feb. 9th and renew your membership. Keep an eye on thermometer in front of the library to chart our progress. Let's see if we can make it rise to a nice balmy temperature.

Milkjug Masterpiece Complete!

Remember all those empty milk jugs we were collecting? Phyllis has the igloo complete!! Come in and check-it out (well, not literally, it won't fit through the door!) The kids love it and it makes a great conversation piece. Thanks to everyone who helped us by donating jugs.

CURE FOR THOSE WINTER WEATHER BLUES

WINTER GETAWAY VII
Need a break? Want to get away? It's that time of year!!!! This year’s adult reading program begins with our kickoff party on Wednesday, January 16th at 7 p.m. here at the library and runs through Friday, February 29th. We will have our celebration party Wednesday, March 5th.

For those of you new to this program, it is designed to encourage adults to read. If you are already a reader or haven’t read in awhile, come join the fun. Please don’t confuse this with the library’s “Let’s Talk About It” discussion series. This event is designed to allow a reader to choose their own material and their own pace. A minimum of five books read during this six week period will make you eligible for the grand prize drawing.

Mark your calendars, invite a guest, make your plans and join the group. Any questions, call the Garnett Public Library at 448-3388.

Important dates to remember:

Wednesday, January 16th--Kickoff Party at 7 p.m. "Light the Night"
Wednesday, February 6th--Midway Party-dine-in-6:15 p.m.
Friday, February 29th--Program ends
Wednesday, March 5th--Celebration Party at 7 p.m.

Children's author Jane Kurtz to make guest appearance

Children's author Jane Kurtz will be at the library on Friday, Nov. 16th. at 10:00. She will present a program to preschoolers and adults It will last about 45 minutes. Jane is the author of the book "Do Kangaroos Wear Seatbelts?", one of the books chosen by Govenor Sebelius for the Kansas Reads to Preschoolers program. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Friends of the Library Annual Meeting

BAND OF SISTERS:
KANSAS
WWII NURSES

Thousands of WWII participants were Kansans, and among them were the nurses of the 77th Evacuation Hospital at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Activated in June 1942, the outfit served in England, North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium and Germany. Through letters and photographs, you’ll discover what the nurses had to say about the war.

Presented by Bill Worley on
Wed., Nov. 7th, 7:00 p.m. at the library.
FOL Annual Meeting,
refreshments will be served

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Kansas Humanities Council

Behind Barbed Wire: Midwest POWs in Nazi Germany

Hardly anyone alive today is aware that the first U.S. troops sent to fight in WWII came from the Upper Midwest, or that the region’s 34th “Red Bull” Division served the longest uninterrupted duty in U.S. military history—about 600 days. Even fewer know that, some 1,800 mostly Midwest soldiers were captured in one night in North Africa in February 1943. Until the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 the most U.S. POWs in Nazi-German camps came, per capita, from same region.
“Behind Barbed Wire”, a new exhibit that is touring the Great Plains states in fall 2007, explores the experiences of Midwest prisoners of war (POWs) who were imprisoned in Hitler’s Third Reich, and the human context in which their experiences took place. The St. Paul-based, non-profit educational organization TRACES is bringing these stories to life through the creation of its BUS-eum a 40 foot school bust converted into a mobile museum.
The exhibit consists of narrative display panels illustrated with photographs and documents, audio and DVD documentaries, artifacts and more. This exhibit will bring the stories of Midwest POWs in Nazi Germany to both large and small communities around the region. Remembering the experiences of the POWs in their communities of origin is a unique adventure in U.S. history. The BUS-eum is the only known mobile museum in the nation focused on the experiences and related historical contexts of U.S. POWs. TRACES will bring it to both Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma between Labor Day and Veterans Day, fall 2007. The BUS-eum will visit the seven other Midwestern states in the next two years.

The Bus-eum will be in Garnett from 10:00-1:00 on Saturday, Oct. 27th; it will be located in the parking lot beside the fire station. In addition tot he tour we will also be hosting a "Community Conversation" about the five primary questions that "Behind Barbed Wire" poses:

1.) Why did some Midwest POWs survive certain conditions or experiences, while others did not?
2.) What roles did art, free-time, and religion play in helping those men who did survive imprisonment by the Nazi regime?
3.) Why did some Germans or Austrians assist U.S. POWs, while others did not?
4.) How did the liberated POWs later come to terms with their own experiences, and
5.) How do nations and the individuals who constitute a nation come to reconciliation?

The "Community Conversation" will be held at 11:00 on Saturday, Oct. 27th, in the meeting room of the fire station. If there is enough interest, additional discussions will be held during the viewing time.
Admission to the BUS-eum is free and everyone is welcome to attend. The Garnett stop is made possible by the Friends of the Library and the local VFW Post 6397. For more information contact Andrea at 448-3388 or garnettlibrary@yahoo.com You may also go online at http://www.traces.org/.

Food and Drink at the Library?!?!?

That's Right!!!!

We have created a temporary "Coffee Nook" We will provide coffee from 10:00-2:00, Mon. through Fri. Patrons may also bring in their lunch and eat at our tables while they browse a magazine or the papers. If this idea is well received we will continue it in the future.

STORYTELLER TO PERFORM AT CORNFEST

Steve Otto is a full time freelance storyteller from the Kansas City area, he has over 30 years of storytelling, after dinner speaking, theatre, corporate training, video and television experience and is a traveling Artist through the Missouri Humanities Council. He has been telling stories as as full time freelance storyteller since 1995, presenting programs to schools, libraries, churches government agencies and community organizations all over the country. he has participated as a feature or regional teller in many nationally known storytelling festivals and promotes the philosophy that...storytelling is not just for entertainment!

Through his company, "Creative Communication Through Storytelling", he has developed seminars which allow parents librarians, teachers, senior citizens, children and the business community to better COMMUNICATE, TEACH and LEARN! He teaches the use of the same techniques used by full time freelance storytellers to develop communication skills.

Mr. Otto will perform at 11:00 at the Cornucopia Tent. His program of stories is great for all ages, Please plan to join us for a fun filled time sponsored by the Friends of the Garnett Public Library.