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Home > About the Library > Press Releases
April 3, 2004 4th Annual Poetry Contest Going on Now at Libraries April 9, 2004 Public Libraries Add Their Support to National Library Week 2004 April 13, 2004 Libraries Celebrating National Library Week 2004 April 13, 2004 "Food for Fines" Helps Library Patrons Clear Fines April 27, 2004 Washington Street Library to Close for Renovation
April 3, 2004 4th Annual Poetry Contest Going on Now at LibrariesPRESS RELEASE - Allegany County Library System Contact: Linda Burkey South Cumberland Library 100 Seymour Street Cumberland, MD 21502
In celebration of April as National Poetry Month, the Allegany County Library System is hosting their 4th Annual Poetry Contest for the whole month of April. This year’s contest has 4 divisions: Children up to and including 8 years of age; Children 9-12; Teens ages 13-17; and Adults from 18 to 118.
The public is invited to submit their original poems on or before April 30, 2004. Drop off your poems or mail them to any branch of the Allegany County Library System; or poems can be e-mailed to lburkey@allconet.org On each entry, please include your name, phone number or e-mail address, and your age so we can determine which division you qualify to enter. Entries can be typed or written, but writing must be legible. One winner will be chosen from each division to receive a $20. Book-Store Gift Certificate.
“Every year we have a tremendous response to our contest, with every division showing an unimaginable variety of poems,” comments Linda Burkey, Coordinator of Community Outreach for the library system. “The quality of the entries is extraordinaire.”
“The winners’ poems we exhibit on a large display that circulates around the county at our branches,” continues Burkey. “The library system tries to use some of the poems in Alle Update the system’s newsletter, and one year the Times-News also published some of the childrens’ poems. Note though, that we do not publish any of the poems without written consent from the author. We are finding that more and more of the individuals who enter our contest are actually gaining encouragement to have their poems published in magazines and in collections of their work.”
April 9, 2004 Public Libraries Add Their Support to National Library Week 2004PRESS RELEASE - Allegany County Library System Contact: Linda Burkey South Cumberland Library 100 Seymour Street Cumberland, MD 21502
National Library Week 2004 is April 18-24. The American Library Association sponsors this annual event as “a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries—school, public, academic and special—participate.” The history of National Library Week spans back to the mid-1950s.
According to the American Library Association’s Factsheet, back in the 50’s, “research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments.” Doesn’t that sound somewhat familiar? Today’s library patrons are worried and voicing their concerns that libraries and book collections are going to be replaced by computers. They also worry about librarians being replaced by automated checkout systems.
Having worked with the local library’s computers and automated systems for a few years now, librarians are not feeling threatened by these machines. If anything, computers are freeing up time from mundane, repetitive work so librarians can dedicate time to meeting patron’s ever-changing needs. Those needs today include learning to survive in a world where computers are part of everyone’s life. Patrons are also finding themselves inundated by the mass of information being made available on every subject, information is growing exponentially. People need to learn how to evaluate information. Is it accurate? Is newer information available?
The committee working to organize National Library Week back in 1954 set some goals: “encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time”, “improving incomes and health” and “developing strong and happy family life”.
Today libraries help patrons protect what little leisure time that is available. Fast becoming one-stop community centers, at libraries you can pick up some home entertainment movies or music, send a FAX, enjoy a Storytime, get free online tutoring for your child, make copies or prints, check your e-mail, and hopefully not forget what you really stopped for, maybe some new books and magazines to read?
You can ask librarians for help answering questions you may have. It sometimes takes a professional trained researcher to find just the right level of information so you can thoroughly understand a subject before having to make important decisions. This could important to your health!
Libraries are still supporting the goal of developing strong, happy families. As life-long learning centers, they are excellent places for the whole family to enjoy together. All generations are encouraged to share their life experiences with one another.
Yes,
libraries are a changing; isn’t it great? Make
some time during National Library Week 2004 to stop by your local library and
join the celebration!
April 13, 2004 Libraries Celebrating National Library Week 2004PRESS RELEASE - Allegany County Library System Contact: Linda Burkey South Cumberland Library 100 Seymour Street Cumberland, MD 21502
National Library Week, April 18 thru 24 at the Allegany County Library will be a busy week with all the regularly scheduled story times; plus some special events have been added. All children are invited to their local library anytime during the week to make a bookmark for themselves.
Activities on Monday, April 19 will begin with a Toddler Time program at the Main Branch starting at 10:30AM. Please pre-register for this program of fun & activities for children aged 18 to 36 months & their parent. Call 301-777-1200. An Evening Story Time will also be held Monday evening at the Westernport Branch at its regularly scheduled time of 6:30PM.
Monday afternoon, from 4-6 PM an Open House will be held at the Gates Computer Training Lab located in the Frostburg Branch. The lab is used for the library’s free computer classes for the general public. One is offered each week with a variety of subjects being covered over the course of the year. The lab is also used for staff training and is available to businesses and organizations in the area who need a place to train a group on computers. The computer class this week is on Tuesday, April 20 at 10AM. It subject is “Saving Your Work! Basics of Data Storage”. Pre-registration is required; call 301-687-0790.
Also on Tuesday, four Story Hours will be held at their regular times: South Cumberland Branch and Frostburg Branch both at 10AM; Frostburg Branch another one at 1PM; and Westernport Branch at 6PM.
Tuesday evening, Friends of the Frostburg Library and the Maryland Humanities Council will sponsor David Dean for his talk “Biking Across History: Following the Westward Trek of the Oregon Trail” starting at 7PM. In this program Dean, Professor of History, tells about what it was like to travel the Oregon Trail in the 1840s and 1850s compared to his trek biking west in the 1990s.
Wednesday, April 21, brings three more Story Hours at their regularly scheduled times: Main and LaVale Branches both at 10AM and George’s Creek Branch at 2:30PM. Three regularly scheduled Toddler Times will also be held in the morning: South Cumberland Branch 10AM; Westernport Branch 10:30PM; and LaVale Branch at 11:30 AM. There will also be an Evening Story Time at the George’s Creek Branch at 6:30PM Wednesday evening.
Thursday will be a special day at all library branches for the system’s annual Food for Fines Day will be taking place. Patrons can have $1 in fines waived off their fines for each canned food or dry food item given to the library. Food items will go to the Western Maryland Food Bank. A maximum of $10 can be waived off of an individual’s fine.
Online Health Information, co-sponsored by the library system with Western Maryland AHEC will take place at the Gates Computer Training Lab from 6-8 PM. This program will help the public learn the best ways to search for health information using a computer. Space is limited; please call 301-687-0790 to register.
Also on Thursday evening, the monthly Book Discussion will take place at the South Cumberland Branch starting at 7PM. The book being discussed is The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. Everyone’s invited! Copies of the book are available at the library.
Saturday, April 24 the George’s Creek Branch will be holding a program on Scrapbooking for Ages 10 & Up. Bring several pictures to design a page! It starts at 1PM.
Throughout the whole month of April, which is National Poetry Month, the system’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest is taking place. Original poems can be submitted at any branch or e-mailed to lburkey@allconet.org on or before April 30, 2004. Include your name, address, & phone number, plus your age. There will be 4 divisions: Children up to and including 8 years of age; Children 9-12; Teens ages 13-17; and Adults from 18 to 118. A winner from each division will be chosen to receive a $25 book-store gift certificate. Stop by you local library and help celebrate National Library Week!
"Food for Fines" Helps Library Patrons Clear FinesPRESS RELEASE - Allegany County Library System Contact: Linda Burkey South Cumberland Library 100 Seymour Street Cumberland, MD 21502
As part of their celebration of National Library Week, the Allegany County Library System will team up with the Western Maryland Food Bank for the 5th Annual Food for Fines Day on Thursday, April 22, 2004. The event will take place during regular library hours at all library branches.
Patrons will be able to exchange canned or dry food items for payment of library fines. One canned or dry food item will pay for $1.00 in overdue fines on any library material such as books, videotapes , DVDs, audiotapes, etc. The maximum that can be waived off a single record is $10.
“Even though its so easy now to renew your books by phone or online, people still get busy and loose track of time or forget they have a book”, explained a library staff member. “So the Food for Fines event has become real popular. People ask all year long when the next one will be.
Suggested food donations include: canned soup, instant potatoes, pie crust mix, pie mix, gravy or gravy mix, canned juice, canned green vegetables, evaporated milk, canned fruit, peanut butter, crackers, rice, pasta, and spaghetti sauce.
National Library Week is an annual event observed by libraries across the country; this year it runs from April 18 thru April 24.
April 27, 2004 Washington Street Library to Close for RenovationPRESS RELEASE - Allegany County Library System Contact: John Taube Allegany County Library 31 Washington Street Cumberland, MD 21502
The Trustees of the Allegany
County Library System are pleased to announce that phase 1 of the renovation
project at the Washington Street Library will begin on June 1, 2004.
The library will close to pack on May 8, 2004 and is expected to re-open
in early January, 2005. Phase
1 of the project will upgrade the mechanical systems and rework the layout to
better deliver services and programs on the first floor. In addition to refreshing and reinvigorating the atmosphere
with new paint and carpet, the renovated library will include a new children’s
story hour center, a renovated Maryland Room on the first floor, more adult and
children’s computers, installation of an elevator to serve the mezzanine, and
wireless internet “hot spots.” John Taube, Library Director
says, “We regret the disruption in service, but it is the fastest way to get
the work completed and bring the many improvements in access and services to our
users.” Library branch manager Maryland Appel says “We are very excited about the services and opportunities to serve our library patrons with a re-designed and improved facility” During the renovation, library
services will still be available at all other library locations.
Back issues of the Cumberland Times-News on microfilm will be moved to
the LaVale branch and portions of the reference collection will be available at
the Frostburg branch. The music and
audio books collections will be available at branches throughout the system. While the Washington Street
library is closed, the Bookmobile will be making regular stops at 31 Washington
Street as well as several other locations around downtown Cumberland over the
summer. The full bookmobile summer
schedule will be available in early June. Library Board President Jeff
Getty says that “securing the funding to complete phase 1 built on the
momentum of the successfully completed exterior renovation project by the
County, City, State and Library Board.” Library director John Taube says,
“That funds are in place to complete phase 1 and now we are turning our
attention to raising funds for Phase 2.”
Phase 2 which will cost roughly $200,000 would complete the renovation of
the Academy by opening the 2nd floor to more uses.
This would include the construction of a public computer training lab, a
public meeting room, technical processing and the library administrative
offices. Taube continues
“completing the second floor of the academy provides great potential to serve
the community with computer training and meeting space that is widely used and
in heavy demand at our other library locations. “ Anyone
wishing to make a contribution to complete Phase 2 is asked to contact John
Taube for more information. The Allegany County Library System started offering library services at this location in 1934. The original structure was built in 1849 and served as the Allegany Academy, Allegany County’s first public school. Taube says “The last major upgrade of the facility took place in the late 1960’s when the addition was completed and just like a home, things wear out and need to be replaced after 35 years.”
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