National Gaming Day @ Your Library November 13th

November 13th at 1 pm will find the Garland County Library once again participating in National Gaming Day @ Your Library. The Garland County Library has been a part of this annual event, put on by the American Library Association, since its inception four years ago. The day is set aside to promote how games are a positive influence in people's lives and how they fit in with the mission of the library.

Everyone plays games: that is a simple truth. From folks in the nursing home playing dominoes to young children putting together simple puzzles, everyone plays games. It is one of the largest uses of free time among Americans, especially video games. Video games, as of last year, became the dominant form of digital media in the US, surpassing Hollywood's receipts for ticket sales, home dvd and Blu Ray sales, and merchandising combined. A study done last year by the PEW Research Center found that 95 percent of teenagers and 65% of adults reported having played video games the week of the study.

Past events have included board game discussions and play, open video gaming, and participation in a national Super Smash Brothers tournament. Patrons are likely to see video games like Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart,and NBA Jam being played along with a variety of board games and game crafts thrown in the mix. This program has always been well attended, so we are doing registration this year to help give us a sense of how many people we need to prepare for. Registration is required, so sign up today!

Teen Read Week and Friends of the Library Appreciation Week

image by sanjoselibrary on flickr

School is in full gear and students are knee deep in required reading for English class. For middle and high school age students who do not think curling up with a copy of “Heart of Darkness” and a cup of cocoa is fun, try Teen Read Week.

Teen Read Week was developed by the American Library Association to promote reading for pleasure among teenagers. It is celebrated every year during the third week in October; this year it falls during the week of October 17. Young adults are encouraged to pick up books, graphic novels, music, and audiobooks relevant to their interests. This includes popular series such as Twilight and The Hunger Games, books to improve your grades such as “Hot X: Algebra Exposed”, and funny graphic novels and manga like “Scott Pilgrim” and “Yotsuba&!”.

It is easy to get behind in school reading. The material can be daunting, especially when paired with large class workloads, school commitments, and part-time jobs. However, the ALA says “teens who read for fun have better test scores and are more likely to succeed in the workforce”. Also, reading on your own terms—choosing whatever you want versus what is handed to you—can get you interested in something you may not learn in school. With such significant benefits, reading for fun is truly worth the time.

In addition, this week is Friends of the Library Appreciation Week. The Friends, also called FOL, work closely with the Garland County Library to provide invaluable services which benefit the library. The library accepts books, magazines, movies, and other items year round for the FOL to price and organize for the book sale room. In addition, the FOL is responsible for the annual book sale every May. The Garland County Library is very fortunate to have such a dedicated volunteer group. In recognition of their expert services, the library is hosting a cookie cook off on October 20.

Discover Arkansas' Haunted Sites

Photo by Bettina Woolbright

On Monday, October 25th at 4:00 p.m. in the new Multi-Purpose Room, the Library will be holding a special presentation in the spirit of Halloween.

Sponsored by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Discover Arkansas' Haunted Historic Sites is a great way to get in the ghostly "spirit" and learn about the eerie places in our state that are said to be haunted.

Arkansas' Haunted Historic Sites program showcases hotels, theaters, homes, and other supposedly haunted locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Just in time for Halloween, enjoy folklore and hear spooky tales about some of Arkansas' most chilling and mysterious places.

Registration is required and space is limited, so please sign up quickly!

Photo courtesy arkansas.com

TKAM Recap, Upcoming Book Talks

Thanks to everyone who made our 50th anniversary celebration of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird so memorable: our speakers Nannette Crane-Post and Wayne Bryan; Erin McKenzie, Rayna Mackie and Loren Fraize for their art work; the Friends of the Library for sponsoring the event; Brittany Hennessee and Karen Covey for the magnificent tri-folds; Jill Dryden for taking these great pictures; and most of all, everyone who attended.

If you enjoyed this event, we have another one coming up Sunday, November 14th at 1 p.m. We're discussing Truman Capote's In Cold Blood with Greg Gibson of Henderson State University.

Coming up next year, we'll be looking at the works of Dashiell Hammett in January, and in May we'll celebrate the 75th anniversary of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. If you start reading it now, you might have it finished by then. We'll also celebrate the 60th Anniversary of J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye next year, so get out your red hunting cap and watch out for phonies.

If you have a copy of Catcher or Gone with the Wind you've been using as a door stop, please let us use it for a display we're cooking up. Drop it off at the library. After being displayed, it will be sold by the Friends of the Library.

For more information on any of these events, please call the library at 623-4161 or 922-4483.