2008 Festival of Reading

Romancing the Book.

Romancing the Book is here! The Lake County Library System is proud to announce the most ambitious project to date with over 35 authors for the 5^th annual Festival of Reading.  We are featuring the 2007 RITA Award Winners Roxanne St. Claire, and Caridad Ferrer; 2006 Winner Linnea Sinclair; 2006 Reader’s Choice Award winner, Elizabeth Sinclair; Carolina Romance Writer of the Year, Leigh Greenwood; Holt Medallion Winner Nancy J. Cohen and Christian Romance novelist Angela Hunt who received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times Book Club.  Angela’s novel The Note was just released as a Hallmark Movie in December.  We also have 3 HarperCollins Mystery superstars, Claire Matturo, Jo Dereske and the only author ever to be awarded an Agatha in three different categories, Katherine Hall Page. 

In 2008 the events will take place March 29^th – April 5^th. Opening day will be held on March 29^th from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Lake Sumter Community College in Leesburg. Exhibits will include libraries, local chapters of the Romance Writers of America, Books-r-Fun Fair and free romantic dessert samples from the American Culinary Federation, Gulf to Lakes Chefs and Cooks Association.  Entertainment will feature Studio 19 Centre for the Performing Arts, the Leesburg Dance Company, Bay Street Players Young People’s Theatre and more. Writing workshops will feature authors Elizabeth Sinclair, Heather Waters, Aleka Nakis, Linnea Sinclair and Dr. Ron Moore. Youth Services will feature free crafts, authors Mark Newhouse and Susan Snyder.  The “I Love Books” Bookmark Design Contest winners will be announced.

For information on the Festival and our authors please go to our website at www.lakeline.lib.fl.us and click on Festival of Reading 2008.

Adult Literacy Program and New Tutor Training.

The Lake County Library System is proud to offer a FREE Adult Literacy Program for adults interested in improving their English literacy skills.

The Adult Literacy Program is designed to provide literacy services to adults who need help to improve their conversation, reading, writing, or comprehension skills. Through the Adult Literacy Program, trained volunteer tutors meet weekly with adult learners at their local library for one-to-one sessions and small group classes at no cost to the learner. The adult learner, with the guidance of the tutor, identifies his/her learning goals and sets the pace to achieving them.

The US Department of Education recently released the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy Survey results, which reported that roughly 1 in 6 adults have below basic literacy skills and that American business spends $16.6 billion each year on employees who lack basic skills in reading, writing, and math. As I am sure you are aware, when our workforce does not have the basic skills needed to successfully complete job duties or communicate with the public, we all suffer. We feel that the adult literacy program benefits the employees, the employer, as well as the entire community.

Currently we have 91 trained volunteer tutors and 512 adult learners, many on a waiting list, enrolled in the program. Since January 2007 the volunteer tutors have generously donated over 4,200 hours in literacy instruction and lesson preparation. Without these dedicated volunteers the program would not be able to provide a free literacy program to Lake County adults interested in improving their English skills.

So, if you are over the age of 18 and looking to get involved in your community and you are able to donate a minimum of 2-3 hours per week to assist an adult learner, this is your opportunity!

Sign up today for hte next new tutor training, which will be held on February 23rd from 9am – 3 pm and February 25th and 27th from 5:30 pm – 9 pm at the Leesburg Public Library. Attendance at all three sessions is required for new tutors.

Contact your local library or call 352-253-6183 to register. Seats are limited.

See our website for more information at:

http://www.lakeline.lib.fl.us/programs_and_services/family_literacy

_program/adultlit.aspx

Romancing the Book.

In 2008 the Festival of Reading events will take place March 29 – April 5. This year, the libraries have selected a Romancing the Book theme and will feature several members of the Romance Writers of America.

Our Friends of the Libraries, book clubs and writers’ groups are involved in the program as are community organizations and we encourage everyone to read participating authors’ works. We make sure copies of the books are included in our catalog and we link to each author’s Festival events for the convenience of fans.

We are honored to announce the list of 2008 Romance authors. To date they include the following: Lyn Armstrong, Nancy Cane (Cohen), Dara Edmondson, Leigh Greenwood, Angela Hunt, Pam Labud, Julie Leto, Sandra Madden, Lisa Manuel, Connie Mason, Terry Odell, Janice Sims, Elizabeth Sinclair, Roxanne St. Claire, Cynthia Thomason, C. L. Wilson and Heather Waters. We will also feature three outstanding Mystery authors from HarperCollins Publishers, Katherine Hall Page, Jo Dereske and Claire Matturo.

The schedule of author events and programs will be available in the upcoming months at www.lakeline.lib.fl.us/festivalofreading.

Safe Internet Use Bookmarks

The American Library Association, the Illinois Library Association, and myspace.com have joined together to create 3 bookmarks of interest to parents and teens about using the Internet. The bookmarks are: Social Networking : Tips for Parents, Dealing with Cyberbullies : Tips for Kids, and Safe Blogging : Tips for Teens.

The Social Networking bookmark includes the following major points for parents:

Be reasonable and try to set reasonable expectations.

Be open with your children.

Talk with your children.

Consider requiring that all online activity take place in a central area of the home, not in a child’s bedroom.

Try to get your children to share their blogs or online profiles with you.

Each point also includes additional information for parents.

The bookmarks also refer readers to the following sites: www.ConnectSafely.org and www.GetNetWise.org. These NetSafe bookmarks are available as print-ready PDF files at www.ila.org/netsafe. They can also be purchased as a very reasonble cost.

All three bookmarks will be available for distribution at all member and branch libraries in the Lake County Library System shortly.

Meet Michael C. White @ the Leesburg Public Library

The Lake County Library System is honored to feature New York Times Notable author Michael C. White in a special Author’s Reception at the Leesburg Public Library on October 1st at 7 p.m. Mr. White’s new novel, Soul Catcher, will be published by William Morrow in September 2007.

Mr. White has written four other novels, A Brother’s Blood, a New York Times Notable Book of 1996, The Blind Side of the Heart, The Garden of Martyrs and the acclaimed A Dream of Wolves, yet none have prepared us for the sheer scope and drama of this new Civil War era tale—an unforgettable tapestry of imagination and character, atmosphere and emotion. Richard Russo, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Empire Falls, has said of Soul Catcher, “The book will be compared to Cold Mountain of course, but White’s book is a more dramatic narrative and every bit as richly detailed and beautifully written… Slavery and its effects are clearly and effectively portrayed as the worm in the American apple. ”

Mr. White is a professor of English at Fairfield University where he teaches fiction writing and is on the faculty of Stonecoast, the University of Southern Maine’s low-residency MFA program.

This event is planned in conjunction with the 25th Anniversary of the Lake County Library System. Please join us for an enlightening evening with the author. Refreshments will be served and copies of Mr. White’s books will be available for purchase from Raintree Books. This event is free to the public but reservations are requested due to limited seating. Please call 352-253-6153 to reserve. Sponsored by the Lake County Library System, the Leesburg Public Library and HarperCollins Publishers.

Keep Reading –

Marian Dewey

Lake County Library System Celebrates 25 Years

Author and actress Victoria Rowell will be the guest speaker at a dinner celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Lake County Library System. This special event will be held at the Lake Receptions in Mount Dora on Friday, September 21^st at 6 p.m.

Victoria Rowell has played Drucilla Winters on CBS’s highest-rated daytime drama, “The Young and the Restless” for the past 10 years. She was featured as Dr. Amanda Bently on the CBS series “Diagnosis Murder” with the legendary Dick Van Dyke and as Paula on “The Cosby Show”. She appeared in feature films such as “The Distinguished Gentleman” with Eddie Murphy, “Dumb and Dumber” with Jim Carrey and “Eve’s Bayou,” starring Samuel L. Jackson and Diahann Carroll.

Born a ward of the state of Maine, Victoria Rowell spent her first 18 years in foster care. But her memoir, The Women Who Raised Me is no tragic lament. It is a tribute to the amazing mentors who nurtured, guided and challenged this remarkable young woman. She is the founder of the Rowell Foster Children Positive Plan.

Meet Ms. Rowell and celebrate with us. Tickets are $50 and are available by calling: 352-253-6153. Reserve your ticket now!

Keep reading –

Marian Dewey

 

New Leesburg Public Library now Open

The new Leesburg Public Library opened to patrons, friends, and newcomers on Tuesday, May 29th, 2007. The new library, a two-story structure, is located at 100 E. Main St. in Leesburg, Florida. As part of the construction, the library has almost doubled the number of computers available to the public. A special section on the second floor is dedicated to genealogy research. There are also separate areas for children and young adults. For more information go the the Lake County Library System Website at http://www.lakeline.lib.fl.us/libraries/librarydetail.aspx?IDLibrary=2 or go to the Leesburg Public Library website at http://www.leesburgflorida.gov/library.

Keep Reading –

Marian Dewey

Fifth Anniversary of the Astor County Library!

On Thursday, May 31, 2007, the Astor County Library (Lake County, Florida) celebrated its Fifth Anniversary with a reception at the library. Over fifty library supporters were in attendance. Remarks were presented by Wendy R. Breeden, Library Services Director, Fletcher Smith, Community Services Director, and County Commissioner Welton Cadwell. A presentation was made by the Friends of the Astor Area Library. Entertainment was provided by the Jackson Creek String Band, followed by refreshments.

This library is a prime example of the importance of libraries not just as a providers of library materials and computers, but as a community gathering place. The Lake County Library System is very proud of the support from the community for our Astor County Library Branch, and we look foward to continued support and growth in that area.

Keep reading,

Marian Dewey

Authors Galore!

Just in case you live in the central Florida area, let me fill you in on what you may have missed in mid-March. For a week in the middle of March, the Lake County Library System sponsored the Fourth Annual Festival of Reading! At our Opening Day Event at Venetian Gardens, the Leesburg Public Library Annual Author Dinner, the W. T. Bland Public Library Author Luncheon, and at all of our libraries, 4,700 attendees saw over 20 authors such as Tamar Meyers, Bob Morris, Elizabeth Becka, Charles Benoit, Nancy J. Cohen, Mary Anna Evans, Joe Moore, Lynn Sholes, and Gary Corsair.

Many of these authors have won awards for their published works. Folks traveled from some distance to attend these programs, and were treated to a mixture of practical information on how to write and get published, the latest information on new books, and humorous anecdotes about how the speakers became authors and what they wrote about. Kids heard stories, met authors, read books, make crafts, flew kites, and voted on their favorite pizza.

The theme this year was “A Taste of Reading” and included several cookbook authors, writers about food, and chefs sharing samples of their work with everyone. For more details about what went on this year, see our website:
www.lakeline.lib.fl.us/news_and_events/annual_events/festival_of_reading/default.aspx

The Program Coordinator for the Lake County Library System is already making plans for the Fifth Festival of Reading to be held in 2008. The theme is tentatively scheduled to be “Romancing the Book.” Will your favorite author be included? Who would you like to see appearing at your local library? Let us know!

Keep reading,

Marian Dewey

Something New!

This blog is something new for the Lake County Library System located in Tavares, Florida. Everyone in the technology field is now talking about Web2, a new generation of Web-based services — such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, and blogs — that emphasize online interaction among users. Web2 will allow us to use the internet to talk directly to YOU. I plan to use this blog as just one way to reach people who are not aware of the services and programs we provide, and introduce them to those services and programs and to the unlimited possibilities they represent. Just in case you don’t know, according to Wikipedia, “a blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.”

This is actually the perfect time to begin. This year, the Lake County Library System will be 25 years old. The library cooperative began with 3 libraries and over the past 25 years has grown to thirteen different locations throughout this county. In 1998, we began offering internet access at all of our locations, as well as public access computers, and in the past year have added wireless access for the public at all sites.

In future blogs I hope to highlight various services and programs that our libraries provide. Other staff will also contribute to this blog to answer your questions and to provide insight into those unlimited possibilities I mentioned (excited yet?). I hope that once you are familiar with what we do, it will encourage you to visit our website and our libraries to meet the friendly staff, and make use of those wonderful services and programs.

There are people out there who are talking about whether libraries are still relevant and what role they play in the community. I, of course, firmly believe that libraries are more than relevant, they are essential. Write me and let me know what you think, and I’ll share your comments with other readers.

Please check back to see the other topics we’re talking about, and

Keep reading.

Marian Dewey