Goodbye 2008, Happy New Year 2009

It's the last day of the year and everyone is looking to the New Year with Hope...

Hope for Peace...

Hope for Better Times...

With the unstable economy, we all hope for financial security as well.

Our library expenses budget for 2009 is once again $60,000 higher than what our expected income is projected to be (this includes funding from State, County and Local governments, plus estimated income from grants and donations).

If you think about it you will realize that the costs of running a library involve more than the cost of buying a book or DVD. There are bills for water, sewer, heating, air conditioning, electricity, building maintenance, taxes, and of course employees to pay.

Think about this also...

When you borrow just one hardcover book or movie DVD, you have saved yourself about $20 to $30.

When you borrow an unabridged book on CD you have saved $40 to $100.

When you borrow a complete season of a TV program on DVD, you have saved $60 to $120.

When you use a computer at the library for a job search or homework you have saved $1,000.

What is your library worth to you?

As we enter this new year, please consider contributing to your local library. Consider asking your employer to match your contribution!

A library will always give you a good return on your investment.

See you next year!

Teen Lock-In Postponed

Just a quick note to let all interested parties know that due to the bad weather on Friday the 19th the Teen Lock-In "Gaming & Wacky Gift Exchange" has been postponed.

The new date is December 26. Same Santa Time; same Santa Place. (Just the day after Christmas.) Hope to see all the kids who signed up for the 19th on the 26th instead!

On Towards Christmas

The Thanksgiving holiday is only days past but it seems the Christmas season began even before Halloween this year. Since I am tradition bound, I did not put up the Christmas decorations in the library until the usual Sunday after Thanksgiving.

We did, however, start planning for Christmas way back in September, so that we can offer programs and events for everyone. Here's what's happening:

December 5
- Local Author Ryke Leigh Douglas will read her book "Tock-A-Tick" during the 10:30am storytime (signed books will be available)

December 6
- The Friends' Used Book Sale will be held at the Odd Fellows Hall (just 2 doors down from the library) from 8 AM to 5 PM
- Christmas stories will be featured during an extended Story Corner (10:30 AM-12:30 PM) as part of Boyertown's community event "Chillin' on Main".

December 7
- The Bag 'o Books portion of the Friends' annual December Used Book Sale will be held between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Just buy a bag from the Friends for $5 and fill it with any of the left over sale items.

December 19
- A special jolly fellow all dressed in red, with white whiskers and a twinkle in his eye will be at the library during the Friday 10:30 AM storytime. Children can assure him they've been nice and not naughty, and tell him their dearest Christmas wishes in a non-chaotic setting. (We all can use less chaos at this time of year!)
- Teen Lock-In party will be Friday evening from 6-10 PM. Teens (13-18) can sign up to join in the fun. Bring a Joke Gift ($2 or less) for the gift exchange, play games and eat pizza ($1.50/slice).

We will continue to have LapSit (0-20 months) and Toddler Time (18-30 months) storytimes on the Wednesdays throughout December - even on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve when the library will be closeing early at 3:00 PM. Our regular morning programming will not change on those days.

So hopefully everyone will have pleasant days during this month of holiday madness and be sure to make time to stop in to see us.