Thursday, August 20, 2009

Lincoln History Exhibit includes a little bit of JCPL

This month the Frankfort Community Public Library in central Indiana is hosting a national touring exhibit of the history of President Abraham Lincoln. Included among the many items of Civil War memorabilia and history are several contributions from the Robert H. Milroy collection, housed at the Rensselaer Public Library.

Milroy, a Rensselaer resident, served as a Union General under Lincoln. His family bequeathed several of his war-time letters and documents to the library, including items from Lincoln. Other JCPL contributions to the display include Milroy's military uniform and a fife, as well as a hand-drawn "Valentine" card to Milroy from a southern rebel sympathizer.

Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, a Man for All Times is from the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History. The exhibition will be in the Anna & Harlan Hubbard Gallery at the Frankfort Community Public Library through August 28.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Closing for new carpet

The Rensselaer Library will be closed on Monday, August 17 and Tuesday, August 18 for carpet re-installation due to defective carpet.

The library’s book and video drops will be open for the return of materials. Late fees will not be assessed for items due on the days that the library is closed.

The library is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, August 19. For more information, visit or call the Rensselaer Library, 866-5881.

Friday, August 7, 2009

2009 Summer Reading program a huge success at our libraries

Creativity was found in every person who participated in the Jasper County Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. The library hosted six weeks of programs for children and teens this summer. Some of the children’s programs included a bunny and her magician, a visit from Amazon John and his wild friends, the musical treat of Yurtfolk, and talking puppets at the ventriloquism show. Teens were treated to cooking lessons, crafts, stinky selections from the Food Fear Factor Program, Wii competitions, Guitar Hero, a movie on the library lawn and more.

This year’s theme for children was “Be Creative@ Your Library” and “Express Yourself @ Your Library” for teens. In all, more than 615 children and 174 teens took part in our programs this year, which would not be possible without the support of our local businesses.

JCPL would like to extend a huge thank you to those who donated cash and coupons, including the Friends of the DeMotte Library, AFC International, the Gary Railcats, Hoosier Metals, Indiana Beach, KFC, Kingma Greenhouses, Leestma Medical Clinic, Subway, Movie Madness, Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart, Save-A-Lot, The Strike Zone, Long’s Gifts, Rico’s, Friends of the Rensselaer Library, Rensselaer Parks Department, Alliance Bank, Jordan’s, Blockbuster, Pizza King, A New Beginning, Con-Agra, Friends of the Wheatfield Library, First Trust Credit Union, Novotny Insurance, Tysen’s Grocery, Bierma Hardware, Signature Homes, Boersma Funeral Home, Family Express Corporation, Schnick’s Good Eats, Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate, and Build a Bear, and thanks to our grant received from Jasper County REMC. These donors made this year’s Summer Reading Programs for both young children and teens a great success.

Another force behind our programs is our Summer Reading volunteers. JCPL would like to extend a huge thanks to Tatiana Adams, Nick Arnold, Ryan Beere, Tara Beere, Emmy Cobb, Hannah Dobson, Toni Jackson, Madi Klauer, Cari Knip, Megan Kralik, Malachi Kristoff, Kate Lott, Cassie Mestrovich, Amber Scesney, Genna Truelock, Erin Uhrhammer, Courtney Way, Felicity Way, Stephany Way, Laura-Jane Capehart, Rebecca Capehart, Cody Carter, Megan Green, Skyler Kemp, Jessy Kuiper, Sadie Rodriguez, Jose Saavedra, Samantha Salyer, Virginia Salyer, Johanna Sampson, Jessica Ybarra, Nina Maze, Melanie Loslo, Jacob Vujko, Samantha Vigliotti, Addie Cobb, Nicole Jaki, Tyler Pritt, Jordan Wilcox, Brooklyn Starr and Emily Myers for volunteering their time, energy and dedication throughout the program.

The support of each above mentioned business and individual made it possible for our area youth to enjoy a summer of reading and fun!