Friday, February 16, 2007

What’s Happening@ Your Library

Spring into the digital age at the Tom Green County Library. We are proud to announce that Downloadable Audio is here! A simple click from our web page http://www.tgclibrary.com will take you to the exciting world of digital media. Now with a few simple clicks you can download recorded books and music directly to your computer, or to an Mp3 player. The titles are checked out using your library card, and are automatically returned for you at the end of two weeks. This digital library can be accessed 24 hours a day from your home computer. Can’t sleep? Just dying to hear the new John Grisham but can’t get to the Library? Want to hear an audiobook through that new Mp3 you bought? Just click on the Library’s webpage, then on the flashing link to download audiobooks (both new titles and classics), and music.

Spring is blossoming in our Children’s Department, too. This month the theme is “Green is for Growing” The Main Library (113 W. Beauregard) will have preschool storytimes on Tuesday, March 7, 14, 21, and 28 at 10:00 and 10:30. At the Angelo West Branch (3013 Vista Del Arroyo) the storytime will be on Tuesday, March 27 at 10:00 a.m. and will be on the theme “Green is Keen!” The North Angelo Branch Library (3001 N. Chadbourne) will have a storytime on Thursday, March 22 at 4:00 p.m. on the theme “Go Green! Recycle and Reuse”

Spring is a great time to start a new project so “Get Crafty” will be the March display at the Main Library. Find an assortment of books, videos and dvds on handicrafts and do-it-yourself projects. The Art Wall will be displaying watercolors by Irene Meitzen and photographs by Fritz Meitzen. The Angelo West Branch will be displaying oils and watercolors by Sue Meecham.

Don’t forget about our Online Book Club which is available at our website http://tgclibrary.com Receive a chapter a day of new fiction and non-fiction in your e-mail. Then if you like the book, come down to the Library and check it out!

The Friends of the Library Book Club will meet at the Angelo West Branch Library (3013 Vista Del Arroyo) Tuesday, March 13 at 6:00. They will be discussing “South of Reason” by Cindy Eppes. The North Angelo Branch Library Book Club will meet on Thursday, March 15 at 6:00. The title this month is “Chiefs” by Stuart Woods. Both meetings are open to the public, and all are welcome to attend.

La Esperanza Clinic will be at the North Angelo Branch Library (3001 N. Chadbourne) on Thursday, March 15th, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. to give free blood pressure checks and talk about basic health issues.

The Friends of the Library are sorting books for their Book sale in the basement of the Library, and are looking for volunteers. If you are interested, call Sheila Fisher at 949-8782.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

BookNews

The Tom Green County Library System has introduced BookNews, a new online service for readers. This new reader's advisory service gives readers access to free electronic newsletters about a wide variety of books via the library system's newly-revamped Web site, www.tgclibrary.com, or delivered directly to their e-mail address.

Readers can access the service via the BookNews link from the home page of www.tgclibrary.com, and select the newsletters they wish to read. They can also elect to receive the monthly newsletters via e-mail on the 15th of each month.

Readers can select electronic newsletters based on genres, including new fiction, new non-fiction, mystery, classics, business books, home and garden books, and science fiction books. The newsletters are also categorized by books that have received awards, such as the Pulitzer Prize for History and a newsletter about works for children that have received the Caldecott Medal for illustration. Other categories include age (such as books for children and teens), large-print books, audio books and other interests.

The newsletters include reviews, descriptions and author commentaries. Links within the newsletters take subscribers directly to the Tom Green County Library System catalog, so they can easily see if a title is available at their local library or anywhere in the library system.

BookNews is just one feature of the system's new Web site, which features a number of other services. The site provides access to full-text articles in thousands of magazines and newspapers, selected Internet sites for research, electronic books from NetLibrary, the "Ask a Librarian" online reference service, and more.

For more information on library services, contact the Tom Green County Library at (325) 655-7321, see the reference staff at any Tom Green County library, or visit the library system's Web site at www.tgclibrary.com.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Love to Read Books, But Just Can’t Find the Time?

The librarians at Tom Green County Library have just discovered the secret for finding the time to read a good book again…and they’re just itching to tell you about it.

The Tom Green County Library has gone high-tech and they’re now offering the latest, hottest idea for people who want desperately to read, but just can’t find the time. Tom Green County Library delivers portions of books to you in your email. Each day, Monday through Friday, the library emails subscribers a portion of a book that takes about 5-minutes to read. By the end of the week, subscribers have read two to three chapters from the book and if they like it, they check it out of the library. New books are featured every week.

There are 11 book clubs to choose from. Something for every age and taste: Fiction, NonFiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Good News, Horror, Business, Teen, and Audio books (that you can listen to in your email) and a special sneak preview Pre-Pub Club that lets you start reading books that aren’t even published yet.

You don’t even need a library card to sign up and start reading. Library Director Larry Justiss says, "This service makes it easy for people to get back into the habit of reading. It’s fun, it only takes 5-minutes-a-day and the books are delivered to you right in your email. At your home, work or even in your PDA."

Texas Heritage Online

Texas Heritage Online provides unified online access to Texas' historical documents and images for use by teachers, students, historians, genealogists, and other researchers.

You can learn about the Texas Heritage Digitization Iinitiative, a cooperative project to identify, describe, digitize, preserve, and make broadly accessible special collections of history and culture held by archives, museums, historical societies, and uther institutions in Texas.

Texas Heritage Online is available at above link or from the Library Database page on the web.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Library move takes big leap

By MATT PHINNEY, mphinney@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8253
October 25, 2006

The Tom Green County library is one big step closer to the old Hemphill-Wells de-partment store.

County commissioners Tuesday approved a contract with Holzman Moss Architecture and Craig Kinney Architects for the design and construction of the new library. Supporters have raised about $12 million in pledges and donations in the past year for the move.

The total project will cost about $15.9 million, with construction costs of about $12.9 million. The remaining money will be spent on architectural fees, other potential consultant fees and the price of a construction manager, said Larry Justiss, library administrator.

Commissioners also voted to allow the firms to begin schematic design plans for the new library.

The library design committee ''has spent a substantial amount of time with the architectural firms and have done a great job,'' the county's legal counsel, Keith Davis, said before recommending the commissioners approve the contract.

''A lot of thought has gone into this matter.''

The fundraising goal for the entire library project is about $20.9 million, which is higher than the original goal of $16.4 million, for construction and operation of the library. That includes the $3.4 million value of the building and a $1.5 million endowment that will be used to operate the new library.

The city of San Angelo owns the building but has agreed to lease it to the county for $1 a year for 99 years - a $99 tab that Steve and Pollyanna Stephens agreed to pay.

About 1,300 people use the main library daily.

Higher construction costs and greater-than-expected deterioration of the old department store contributed to the increase, Steve Stephens said. Construction is expected to begin in November 2007 and end in spring 2009, according to preliminary plans.

Stephens, who has donated $2 million to the project, said the move is ''officially under way'' with Tuesday's vote.

''It really feels good,'' Stephens said. ''So much has gone into this. Nothing is more important in a community than the educational center. And this is important for the revitalization of downtown. The Hemphill-Wells is a great building that has been an eyesore for decades.''

The library move and renovation will be done in phases beginning with the design, design development and construction. The commissioners' court must review and approve each phase, Davis said.

Justiss said the new library will offer opportunities not existent in the Edd B. Keyes Building. More space will allow the library to host educational programs and use meeting rooms to provide educational forums, he said.

''It will be a huge difference for the user,'' Justiss said. ''The library has cramped space. People usually have no place to sit, they are shoulder to shoulder and the books shelves are 100 percent full. We basically have books in backrooms and on the floor.''

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Computer Classes for February


The following classes will be offered at the Tom Green County Library, Main Branch, for the month of February

Introduction to the Internet - Tuesday, February 7 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.; Wednesday, February 15 from 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Introduction to the Computer - Friday, February 10 and Friday, February 24 from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Introducción a la computadora personal - Tuesday, February 21 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Microsoft Excel I & II - Thursday, February 9 and 16 from 5:30-7:00
Genealogy on the Web - Wednesday, February 22 from 5:30-7:00
Microsoft Powerpoint - Thursday, February 23 from 5:30-7:00
Finding Government Information on the Web - Monday, February 27 from 5:30-7:00

ANGELO NORTH BRANCH LIBRARY
3001 N. Chadbourne
653-8412

Introduction to the Computer - Tuesday, February 21 from 6:00-7:30

Monday, January 30, 2006

New Features on Webpage

The Tom Green County Library is pleased to announce three exciting new databases that are available on our webpage.
Smithsonian Global Sound - produced in partnership with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, is a virtual encyclopedia of the world's musical and aural traditions. The collection provides educators, students, and interested listeners with an unprecedented variety of online resources that support the creation, continuity, and preservation of diverse musical forms.
Classical Music Library - Classical Music Library is the world's largest multi-label database of Classical music recordings for listening and learning in libraries.
African American Song - the first online resource to document the history of African American music in an online music listening service. The collection contains a diverse range of genres such as jazz, blues, gospel, ragtime, folk songs, and narratives, among others.
The first two titles are available on our database. The third title, African American Song, is available at http://tomgreen4.classical.com/

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Public Input sought for Planning for Tom Green County Library

Public Input is presently being sought in the planning process for the Tom Green County Library. A new central library facility is presently being planned for the Hemphill-Wells Building in downtown San Angelo. The consultants who are developing a long-range plan for library services, Averus Corporation, are seeking public input to make the new central library user-friendly. As a part of the planning process, the consultants will also address branch libraries.
A public meeting will be held at 6:30 PM on Thursday, January 26 at the San Angelo Convention Center – City Council Chambers to receive public comment and input on Tom Green County’s existing and future library services. Persons participating in the public meeting are encouraged to complete a questionnaire about library services and needs. Copies of the questionnaire are available at the central and branch libraries.

Completed questionnaires must be received at one of the libraries no later than noon Friday, January 20. The results will be tabulated and reviewed at the meeting on January 26.