September starts our new fall schedule of programs at Avon Lake Public Library. We’ve got a very full schedule this fall, something for everyone. The entire schedule can be found online. Here’s the schedule for the first week:
Monday, September 7 we’ll be closed for Labor Day.
Wednesday, September 9 at 7 p.m. we’ll kick off our newest edition of our popular Environmental Issues Series with Avon Lake’s own Holly Moore Kowalski presenting a program on Green Consuming – making choices about our purchases and the things we bring into our home to reduce our carbon footprint. This series is co-sponsored by the Avon Lake City Council Environment Committee and the Lorain County Metroparks.
Thursday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m. Certified Hypnotherapist Mary Ellen Ott will be back to us find ways of dealing with ever-present stress by learning to deeply relax. Learn more about hypnosis for stress management – what it is, what it isn’t, how it works. Begin to tap into the power of your imagination in a way that will leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed.
We’ve got lots of exciting programming for children and teens coming up as well as much more programming for adults. Be sure to check out the full schedule.
In the current “Hard Times,” libraries have become resource centers for finding employment, finding ways to save money and finding affordable entertainment. Avon Lake Public Library is no exception. Our Reference department has been busy teaching computer skills, helping with resumes and developing programs to prepare job seekers for success. We answer lots of questions about social services and help patrons find do-it-yourself directions for those tasks they used to hire out. The Library is busy with new patrons who tell us they used to buy books and music and go out to movies, but now they are discovering the riches of the Library for affordable entertainment as well as a source of reliable information.
Finding that our patrons are asking different kinds of questions and facing different kinds of challenges, our staff has been working to find and share new information sources to meet the new needs and interests of our patrons. To that end, we’ve created theSurviving Hard Times Guideto help our patrons find information on all kinds of things to help get us through the recession and on to brighter days.
Check the guide out to find job help, unemployment and health care information, local social service agencies, help with mortgages and utilities and programs to assist veterans and seniors. The Guide emphasizes resources to be found in Lorain County and Northeast Ohio though some are statewide or national in scope and some are available in libraries all over the country. We’ll keep adding resources as we become aware of them, whether those are online programs, books, agencies, whatever will help. As you ask us for information – at the desk, by phone (440.933.7710) or email (refdeskATavonlakeDOTlibDOTohDOTus) – we’ll continue to learn what our patrons need, search for the information and share it through the Guide. If you know of resources that you think should be included (non-commercial only, please), email us and write “Surviving Hard Times Guide” in the subject line.
We hope this Guide is a boon to the community right now and we look forward to singing together “Hard Times Come Again No More”.
Once again this year, we had a great time with the eighth grade class from Learwood Middle School! Over three hundred of Avon Lake’s finest young people came through the Library on August 28 to learn about Library resources and services. They are immediately putting to work much of what they learned on their Washington D.C. Monuments project.
We put them through ten stations to learn about using the catalog, electronic resources, the Reference department, etc. They seemed to soak it up! We sure learned a lot and had a blast with them. We look forward to seeing more of these sharp young people in the Library.
We’ve got a new set of contest photos (real cute ones!) posted on our flickr page. The deadline for our contest is this Friday, August 15, and we’d love to have more entries!
Here are the contest rules. Show us how creative a reader you are.
As you may, or may not be aware, the Library is working with the Avon Lake Historical Society to collect old photos. You’d be surprised how few we actually have. We want to add any donated photos to our collection, and we intend to scan them, as well as borrowed photos, to keep as digital objects.
Once we have collected a critical mass of pictures, of enough different subjects of interest, we intend to publish them in a book through Arcadia Publishing, who have a track record in this field.
If you have original photos (not news clippings, photocopies, pictures of pictures), postcards, line art that depicts people, places, events, buildings, streets, etc. of Avon Lake, we are interested. Contact me (Gerry). We’ll take care of them forever if you donate them, and if you loan them to us (and give us permission to do so), we will credit you and have the pictures scanned to be available for the book and for use and study. Spread the word to those who may not read this!
As often as possible, I will post some of the photos we’ve received here at our blog. We invite your comments, feedback and questions. Post them here or email me gvogel ( At) avonlake.lib.oh.us.
Thanks Amy and Spencer for your great entry to our Picture You Reading contest.
The rest of you still have 17 days (until August 15) to contribute your photo of reading “on site” – vacation site, local site, most on-the-spot site. Just take a picture of you or a friend or family member reading a book at a title-matching site and submit it to us at refdeskATavonlakeDOTlibDOTohDOTus, along with your name and address.
Posted by cindythelibrarian 
Posted by cindythelibrarian 
Posted by Gerry 
