Columbia Public Library

Bart Jones Book Signing

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:15:35 +0000

Did you miss Bart Jones at our Local Author Fair? Never fear; he’ll be back this Saturday, May 12, 11:00 am- 2:00 pm, to sell and sign copies of his book, Leaving Home in Time. So be sure to leave home in time to get here before 2:00!

Reading is Delicious!

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:11:51 +0000

This year’s Summer Reading Program theme is Reading is Delicious! We have so many fun activities and prizes planned for you! Stay tuned for more information.

Featured Local Author- Dave Norman

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:33:01 +0000

Today’s local author is Dave Norman! See below for some info on Dave’s books!

– “Following Josh” — This true story of two men from Columbia, Illinois, traveling together by train from China through Mongolia, Russia, and then into Europe, is told by local author Dave Norman. In 2007 he and childhood friend Josh Vise (CHS ’00 and CHS ’02, respectively) reunited near the Demilitarized Zone in Korea, and then traveled together from Beijing, China, to Warsaw, Poland. “Following Josh” is the story of their adventure, and of their often-times challenging reunion trapped together in stuffy Russian rail cars…riding horses across the steppe in Mongolia…exploring a gulag in Siberia…and finding in themselves the men their lives needed them to become.

– “Columbia at 150″ – This exciting coffee table photography book pairs photos of Columbia, Illinois, with captions that, together, explore life in our town in the year 2009. Shot exclusively in one year, this work by local photographer Dave Norman captures the feel of Columbia as we were…so that we may compare it to where we are for years to come. The Farm Services Mill stands proudly in this book, and the South Main Street renovations are only just begun; the frontiers of our town are captured in stunning photos of suburbs sprawling into fields, and our relationship with St. Louis is beautifully rendered in aerial photography. This truly unique book was commissioned by Columbia’s own Celebrate 2009 Committee, and has enjoyed tremendous local success.

For More Information: www.followingjosh.com www.davenorman.net

National Library Week

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:59:45 +0000

It’s National Library Week! To celebrate we’ve got a great game for you. Come in to the library and ask to see our special photo album. Inside are thirteen photographs from mystery locations in Columbia. Guess the locations and enter …

Local Author Kathryn Meyer Griffith

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:43:29 +0000

Our Local Author Fair is Saturday, April 14, from 10:00 am- 2:00 pm.

Between now and then we’ll be featuring some of the authors that will be attending the fair. Today we bring you Kathryn Meyer Griffith!

About Kathryn Meyer Griffith…

Since childhood I’ve always been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. I began writing novels at 21, over forty years ago now, and have had fourteen (nine romantic horror, one historical romance, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel and two murder mysteries) previous novels and eight short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books and Eternal Press.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-three years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois called Columbia, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have two quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and live cat Cleo, and the four of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die.

Featured Local Author: Jeana Watters

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:19:52 +0000

Our Local Author Fair is Saturday, April 14, from 10:00 am- 2:00 pm.

Between now and then we’ll be featuring some of the authors that will be attending the fair. Today we bring you Jeana Watters!

Here’s a little bit about Jeana’s book, The Pulse of Hopeful Life:

Andria appears to live a life of quiet isolation, but things aren’t always what they seem. As Andria begins a new friendship, she is lured from hiding. The walls she’s carefully built around her sleepy life begin to crumble, revealing a devastating secret.

Resurfacing memories of a deadly accident force Andria to confront the past she left open, like a book unfinished, when she walked out on her husband and three-year-old daughter several months after the funeral of her youngest child. Andria learns the only way she will be able to move forward is to admit her secret, face her guilt, and grieve her past.

Upon returning to the town where her memories are anchored, Andria admits that she never said goodbye to the wife and mother she was and who she realizes she longs to be again. Andria is faced with an impossible choice: a life covered in the dust of guilt or a life that may come close but can never be the way it once was. In the end, true love conquers all but unexpectedly and in its true form, the pure love of a mother.

The Pulse of Hopeful Life is an honest look at grief and how it holds one woman captive over several years. With heartbreak and humor, this literary novel allows the reader to feel each emotion along with Andria. Many novels tell about children who suffer abandonment, but The Pulse of Hopeful Life takes us on the journey of a mother who decided to leave and shows how she tries to piece her life back together.

Featured Local Author: Bart Jones

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:42:01 +0000

Our Local Author Fair is Saturday, April 14, from 10:00 am- 2:00 pm.

Between now and then we’ll be featuring some of the authors that will be attending the fair. Today we bring you Bart Jones!

Bart Jones was raised in Columbia, Illinois and is currently a teacher. Leaving Home in Time is his first full-length work of fiction. When Jones was in school he became interested in space, time, the universe and quantum mechanics: the bizarre world of the very small. He thought he would use these themes to create a story.

The story line for Leaving Home in Time has a pair of curious children named Gus and Lucy whose ordinary lives change with the help of an extraordinary cat. They all enter a mysterious realm where they encounter odd beings, a powerful river and a world that no man has ever entered. Their goal is to deliver a message which holds the fate of many.

Leaving Home in Time is a story for kids of all ages. Jones chose to market the book for a young adult audience because the themes are ones they will appreciate. There is enough adventure, action, science fiction, suspense and mystery in the tale that any reader will find something they enjoy.

When asked about his book, Bart Jones says, “Think Narnia crossed with Hitchhiker’s Guide crossed with a few episodes of Lost and a sprinkling of Alice in Wonderland. It is a unique story.”

Local Author Fair

admin — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:12:01 +0000

Our Local Author Fair is less than one month away! On April 14, from 10:00 am-2:00 pm we will host fourteen local authors in the library basement. The attending authors are listed below. Be sure to come by to meet them, pick up a copy of their books, and snag an autograph! See you there!

Attending authors:

Barbara Turner
Dave Norman
Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Gene Haller
Jacob Poettker
Jim Winter
Nelson William Rex
Mark Hodapp
Jeana Watters
Dennis Knobloch
Debbie Heal
Bart Jones
Edmund Kueker
Dennis Patton

Dennis Patton Book Signing

admin — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:53:33 +0000

Dennis Patton Book Signing

Saturday, March 10. 9:00 am- 1:00 pm

Come join us as we welcome local author and former Columbia High School principal, Dennis Patton. Mr. Patton will be selling and signing copies of his new book, School Days: Early Schools of Columbia. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn more about local history!

Shelver/Circulation Clerk Wanted

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:01:44 +0000

Help Wanted- Shelver/Circulation Clerk

The Columbia Public Library seeks a part-time (17-20 hours/week) shelver/circulation clerk. Hours will be afternoons, evenings and Saturdays. Pleasant demeanor, basic computer knowledge and eagerness to help are required. Please apply in person at the Columbia Public Library, 106 N. Metter Ave., Columbia, IL, by March 29.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Shelving: Shelve discarded books and check labels, ensuring that books are in the proper order.
Circulating Materials: Use the Library’s circulation software to check in/out materials and route them to other libraries.
Interlibrary Loan: Use circulation software to locate and request materials from other libraries.
Patron Accounts: Use software to provide patrons with the details of their accounts.
Card Catalog: Assist patrons with usage of electronic card catalog.
Internet: Assist patrons with usage of Internet. This may include instruction on opening or downloading attachments, saving files to disk, opening email or help to create an account.
Databases: Instruct patrons in the use of any of our electronic databases as well as online audio books.
Phone Requests: Complete patron phone requests.
Photocopying: Assist patrons with coin-operated photocopier.
Taxes: During tax season, help patrons locate the tax forms that they are requesting.
Daily Courier Service: This includes tubs of books that are requested by our patrons or items of ours that have been lent out to other libraries. Once items are routed in, call or email each patron to notify them that their items have arrived.
Weeding: This process is an ongoing effort to maintain high circulation percentages by eliminating items that are in poor condition and/or have low circulation statistics.
Shelf Maintenance: This is a constant duty to try to keep our books in an orderly fashion so that items are easily located and tidy appearance is maintained.
Repair Books: This duty includes taping, gluing, recovering or any other repairs needed for a damaged item.
Calendar Management: Assist patrons with scheduling the use of the basement for meetings.
Programs: Assist as needed with programming for the library, such as Story Time, Tot Time, National Library Week, book clubs, and the Summer Reading Program.
Training: Attend continuing education classes at the Illinois Heartland Library System offices in Edwardsville, IL, as required.

Physical Requirements

Ability to lift up to 50 pounds
Ability to reach top book shelves (approximately 6.5 ft.) with the use of a foot stool
Ability to stoop to lower shelves (on floor)
Physical stamina to perform the aforementioned tasks for up to eight hours