You can now pay library fines and fees, or give a donation, via credit card using The Illinois Funds e-pay service! This is a free service provided by the Illinois State Treasurer.

To make a payment, go to the library’s e-pay site.

As we receive questions about the proposed building project, I’ll update this list of Frequently Asked Questions. You can access directly here: http://www.smithtonpl.org/building-expansion-project/faq

Last night, the Board of Trustees named Baysinger Design Group, Inc. (BDg) from Marion, Illinois as their first choice for architect for the proposed library expansion project. Baysinger Design Group, Inc. brings extensive library design experience to the table – including experience gained in small towns throughout Southern Illinois – and the Board is confident that BDg will work with them and our community to ensure that the future of our library is as bright as it can be!

The library is closed today (January 16th) in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. See you on Tuesday!

January 6, 2012
For immediate release.
Contact: Brock Peoples, 618 233-8057 or smithtonpl@smithtonpl.org

SMITHTON PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT SEEKS FUNDING TO EXPAND LIBRARY

After seeing steady growth in population and use over the past ten years, the Smithton Public Library District Board of Trustees has voted to expand the existing library building, planning to more than double its size.

In order to pay for the expansion project, the Board voted on December 15, 2011, to place a bond issue on the March 20, 2012, primary election ballot. The bond issue at question would raise $900,000 for project costs and levy a special tax on property within the Smithton Public Library District at an expected rate of 5.82¢ (0.0582% EAV) for the 20 year life of the bond.

The library is also seeking state and other grant opportunities as well as private donations to help pay for this project.

In 2011, the library district’s population was certified as 4,807, an increase of 1,588 since the last Federal Census was conducted in 2000. As the population of the district has increased and the library has expanded library collections and programs in order to serve the public, the library building quickly became too small to adequately facilitate library services for the Smithton area.

During the calendar year 2011, the Smithton Public Library circulated 22,077 items, saw a program attendance of 1,894, counted 25,783 library visits, and issued 291 new cards. All of these statistics reflect an average increase of 27% (compared to the same month the previous year) since the start of the current fiscal year in July.

The proposed library building project addresses the growth of the library and the community by providing a total 8,350 square feet of library space, an increase from the current 2,976. Specific planned improvements include: improved and expanded children’s and young adult and general collections, space to house a total of 40,000 items (the library currently houses just under 18,000 items), more computers, a meeting room that can double as open program space and interactive play space when not otherwise in use, and more reader seating both at study tables and lounge-type seating.

For more details and to stay current on this project, please visit: http://www.smithtonpl.org/board-of-trustees/building-addition.

‘Twas the weekend before Christmas and, well … Uh oh. We’re all guilty of it, at least once. We glance at the calendar and realize just how little time is left to pick out the perfect gift for the loved-ones in our lives. As a reader and book-lover, I’ve compiled this list to make your final efforts a little bit easier.* Want more? Librarian Nancy Pearl (of Seattle Public Library, Book Lust, and NPR fame) published her own list: Nancy Pearl’s Books that Make Great Gifts. Happy holidays!

Brock Peoples, Director

Smithton Public Library District

eReaders

I am starting with eReaders because they are predicted to be one of the most popular gifts this Holiday Season. By now I hope you know that you can check out eBooks and audiobooks from the library through OverDrive to download and enjoy on your home computer, iPad (and other iOS devices), Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, etc. With so many choices, how do you know which device to buy?

After helping patrons set up their devices and borrow library books with them, I strongly recommend any Amazon Kindle ($79 – $199, depending on model). Which model to buy strictly depends on budget and what features you would like to have. Kindle is a late-comer to the library eBook market, having not been compatible with OverDrive until recently. However, Kindle now offers the smoothest and easiest process for downloading a library eBook from OverDrive to a dedicated eReader I have yet seen.

For the person who wants more functionality, and for larger budgets, the Apple iPad ($499 – $829) is by far the best product on the market. It is compatible with not only OverDrive for access to your library books, but Apple’s Newsstand and iBooks store, Kindle Books, Nook Books, Kobo Books, and others. There is also an ever-expanding number of apps designed for the iPad that are free, and many more that are available at a (often low) price, whereas Apps for the Nook or Kindle seem to always come at least with a nominal price.

A note about displays:

Kindles are mostly E Ink devices. These displays are light grey with black electronic ink. This type of display behaves like traditional ink and paper. The huge upsides to this technology include: longer battery life, less eye strain than a computer screen, and you can read them in bright light.

The Apple iPad and Kindle Fire both have beautiful full-color, high definition, LED displays. You can read these in just about any indoor lighting situation, but they will have a problem with glare in bright light. Also, those prone to eyestrain may experience similar issues reading with these displays as they do with a computer screen. Additionally, these gorgeous high-resolution displays gobble up lots of power, so don’t leave home without your charger. On the bright side, these displays render video for movies and games better than most TV sets.

Bottom line gift recommendation: Go with the iPad if budget allows and if you want more than just an eReader. Otherwise, any Amazon Kindle will surely be well-received.

Birth – 3 yrs

Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton – What’s more fun than belly buttons to a pre-schooler? Funny names for belly buttons! Bee bo!

Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton – Little ones get ready for bed with this rhythmic romp through the bedtime routine and settle down as the whole story winds to a restful close.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle – Animals, colors, and repetition to favor memorization make this book an instant favorite.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown – Explore Bunny’s world with your little one every night when you make this classic part of the bedtime routine!

3 years – Independent Reader

Corduroy by Don Freeman – Corduroy is a lovable brown teddy bear just waiting for a good home. Take your children along on his nighttime adventure that ends with him waking up to his dream-come-true!

Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss – This timeless tale encourages young listeners to always take heart knowing that a person is a person, no matter how small!

The Complete Adventures of Curious George by Margret Rey – Children love to hear about George’s (mis)adventures! Fall in love all over again with everyone’s favorite monkey.

Independent Reader

Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling – Many kids today cannot remember a world without Harry Potter. This fantastical series follows the growth of a boy wizard (who had no idea wizards even exist) from the time he enters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at age 11 through to the culmination of his destiny (no less than the triumph of good over evil). The seven books of the series have become eight blockbuster films as well. Parents please note: the plots and events of this books get more complicated and darker as they progress and the later books (4-7) may not be appropriate for younger readers.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White – A tale of a common, runty pig avoiding the fate common to nearly all other common, runty pigs, Charlotte’s Web is a classic story of love, loyalty, and friendship sure to bring out the animal lover in everyone.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (series) by Rick Riordan – A modern epic interwoven with classical Greek Mythology, this popular series is a hero’s quest for the ages.

Young Adult (Junior High – High School Age)

Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling – See above.

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini – The conclusion to the bestselling Inheritance series, this book is sure to be at the top of any teen fantasy fan’s wish list.

The Hunger Games Trilogy (boxed set) by Suzanne Collins – Immensely poplar, the Hunger Games Trilogy concluded with the 2010 release of Mockingjay. This boxed set offers all three books for the fan and collector.

Adult – Fiction

Main by J. Courtney Sullivan – “Maine unveils the sibling rivalry, alcoholism, social climbing, and Catholic guilt at the center of one family, along with the abiding, often irrational love that keeps them coming back, every summer, to Maine and to each other.”

The Legend Of Sigurd And Gudrún by J.R.R. Tolkien – “… a previously unknown work by J.R.R. Tolkien, which tells the epic story of the Norse hero, Sigurd, the dragon-slayer, the revenge of his wife, Gudrún, and the Fall of the Niflungs.”

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht – “In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.”

Adult – Nonfiction

Home by Bill Bryson – In his latest book, Bryson takes you on a journey through the history of our homes and virtually everything in them. Well-researched and often surprising, this book is great fun for the history buff.

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer – Foer’s unlikely journey from chronically forgetful science journalist to U.S. Memory Champion frames a revelatory exploration of the vast, hidden impact of memory on every aspect of our lives.

Cookbooks

Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good – Filled with over 1400 slow cooker recipes, this book will become a staple in any busy cook’s kitchen!

Better Homes and Gardens New CookBook 15th Edition – This cookbook sets the stage for just about every cooking tradition in my family. In all-around good book to have around to please a range of pallets and to learn a number of basic skills.

*Suggestions made here reflect my own taste in reading material and are my own opinions. This is not in endorsement of any particular title by my employer or any organization I am associated with. Your mileage my vary.

Quoted book descriptions are from Amazon.com.

Click on the link below for a calculator that tells you how much you get from the library, in dollars and cents.

Library Use Value Calculator

Would you like to share your story with us about how much you value the library? Contact us at smithtonpl at smithtonpl.org and we will post those stories here (anonymously if you prefer)!