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August 2013

Library eNewsletter

Summer Reading Program: A Success!

Thank you for helping to make our Summer Reading Program a success! Over 12,000 people of all ages participated, and it's estimated that over 50,000 books were read as part of the program!

The Summer Reading Program wouldn't have been possible without support from our sponsors. A huge "thank you" goes out to the following:

The family of the late Bernice B. Franklin, former board member of both the Library Board of Trustees and the Cobb Library Foundation
Cobb EMC
Cobb Library Foundation

The End of Summer Reading Celebration was also a success! Over 1200 people attended the special event, which featured appearances from Harry the Hawk, the CAREing Paws dogs, storyteller B.J. Abraham, and more! Check out the pictures from the event in our photo gallery.

Upcoming Holiday Observances & Special Closings

The Kennesaw Library will be closed for HVAC maintenance on Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10. The branch will re-open for regular hours on Monday, August 12.

The Cobb County Public Library System will be closed Monday, September 2 for observance of the Labor Day holiday. Regular library hours will resume the following day. View all 2013 holiday closures for the library system at www.cobbcat.org/about/holidays.

Central Library Renamed for Library Leader

Charles D. Switzer, second from left, stands with (from left) former library directors Gail Rogers and Tamara George and current library director Helen Poyer. Dinah Bonesteel // Cobb County Public Library System

On Tuesday, July 23, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners renamed the Central Library of the Cobb County Public Library System the Charles D. Switzer Public Library.

Charles D. Switzer served on the library's Board of Trustees for 30 years, overseeing projects such as the digitization of the library's catalog, the construction of many libraries, and the expansion of services to better serve the citizens of Cobb County.

"We are so honored to be able to commemorate the hard work and lifelong dedication of Mr. Switzer," says library director Helen Poyer. "The library system and the County have benefited so much from his leadership, wisdom, and guidance, and we can't think of a better way to honor his commitment to the community."

The Charles D. Switzer Public Library is located at 266 Roswell Street in downtown Marietta. A dedication ceremony for the renamed facility will be held at a later date.

Library Card is Passport for Academic Success

The start of a new school year is an excellent time to ensure Cobb County public libraries are part of students' strategies for academic success. We encourage students and parents to make sure library cards are up to date. Library cards for Cobb County residents are valid for two years.

Visit Cobb library locations to learn how libraries can be part of strong educational plans and a resource for entertainment opportunities during the busy school year. The first day of classes for Cobb County School District was Wednesday, August 7 and classes started at Marietta City Schools on Thursday, August 8. Classes also begin soon at many area private schools and for several homeschool students.

For more information on CCPLS library cards, please visit our web site. September is Library Card Sign-Up Month.

Film Lineups at the Library

The Switzer Library (formerly known as the Central Library) presents the Heroes in Film series each Monday in August, starting at 5:30 p.m. Heroes in the series include Atticus Finch, the Man of Steel, the Sheriff, and Dr. Ellie Arroway. For information on the Heroes series, please call (770) 528-2320.

Starting in September: East Cobb Library presents the Multicultural Film Festival beginning on Saturday, September 14. The movies from a variety of cultures will be shown Saturdays at 11:30 a.m., from mid-September through mid-December. For more information, please call (770) 509-2730.

For the full list of film screenings at library branches, please visit our calendar.

March on Washington: 50th Anniversary

The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, the watershed event that occurred on August 28, 1963, will be observed in late August. The anniversary of the gathering that drew 250,000 to the nation's capital to call for racial and economic justice is certain to garner widespread media attention.

Delve deeper than a short news report on the anniversary with resources on the civil rights movement available through the Cobb County Public Library System. Below is a sampling, with an emphasis on Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, the highlight of the event:

Martin's Dream: My Journey and the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is a recently published memoir by history professor Clayborne Carson, editor of the King Papers.
Behind the dream: the making of the speech that transformed a nation by Clarence B. Jones, a speechwriter and counsel to King.
NPR American Chronicles: Civil Rights is a three-CD set on the movement. This item is on order.
I have a dream is an illustrated juvenile book with text of the speech.
Cobb African American Connection is a group of materials on the lives of African Americans in the Switzer Library's Georgia Room.
The Civil Rights Digital Library, an initiative of GALILEO and the University of Georgia featuring primary documents, news videos, and more on the movement, is available online through CCPLS.

Visit Your Local State Park - for Free!

Trips to Georgia's amazing State Parks and Historic Site locations are a way to wrap up the summer vacation season. The Cobb County Public Library System has several ParkPass kits for the more than 60 State Parks and Historic Site locations in Georgia in our collection.

The ParkPass kit gives library patrons in Georgia free admission or parking to State Parks and Historic Site locations of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Each ParkPass pass is available for check-out for one week to allow for free entry for up to four visitors. The kits also include a parking pass and guide booklet. The ParkPass is a budget-saver for families: most Daily ParkPasses are $5.

You're encouraged to reserve ParkPass kits in advance, especially for busy vacation seasons. Planning is also highly recommended as hours vary at States Parks and Historic Sites, with several operating under limited schedules due to tight budgets. To learn about healthy outdoor adventure ideas promoted by the DNR, visit www.getoutdoorsgeorgia.org.

Nearby Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites include:

Sweetwater Creek, located in Lithia Springs
Red Top Mountain State Park, located in Cartersville
Pickett's Mill Battlefield Historic Site, located in Dallas
Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site, located in Cartersville

For more information on the ParkPass and to check for availability, please call your local library.

Watch the Back-to-School Episode of The Library Show

The Library Show August 2013

The August episode of The Library Show features safety tips from the Cobb County Police Department, reviews of back-to-school books from our resident children's literature experts, and a highlight of student resources from moms who have relied on these tools for years.

The Library Show airs daily on TV23 and can also be seen on-demand on the library's YouTube channel.

Learn Gardening Tips, Tricks with Cobb Master Gardeners

Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County will be presenting its free monthly educational programs in August through November at local Cobb libraries. The next session is scheduled for East Cobb Library on Tuesday, August 20 at 6:30 p.m. featuring "Native Shrubs for the Garden" with Ellen Honeycutt, past president of the Georgia Native Plant Society.

For more information on the Master Gardener evening series, please visit www.cobbmastergardeners.org.

Computer Classes @ Your Library

The Cobb County Public Library System offers introductory computer classes for patrons seeking to develop such skills as using a computer, email, and e-Readers. The classes are free. You can find the full list on our calendar. Here's a highlight of some of the technology-related classes in the upcoming lineup:

Tuesday, August 13: Computer Basics, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Central Library. Registration required; please register online or by calling (770) 528-2320.

Tuesday, August 13: Computer Basics, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., South Cobb Regional Library. Registration required; please register online or call (678) 398-5828.

Thursday, August 15: Computer Basics, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., South Cobb Regional Library. Registration required; please register online or call (678) 398-5828.

Tuesday, August 20: Internet for Beginners, 2 p.m. to 3:30p.m., Central Library. Registration required; please register online or by calling (770) 528-2320.

Tuesday, August 27: Email for Beginners, 2 p.m. to 3:30p.m., Central Library. Registration required; please register online or by calling (770) 528-2320.

Thursday, September 5: Webinar: Digital Magazines at Your Fingertips, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. During this webinar, Special Services Librarian Burr Osoinach from the Cobb County Public Library System will show how to use Zinio to read your favorite magazines on your mobile device or computer. Registration required; register at http://bit.ly/12dIUy8.

Download Your Favorite Magazines with your Library Card

Your Cobb County Public Library System library card give you access to Zinio, which allows you to have unlimited simultaneous access to complete digital magazines, which can easily be viewed on any Internet-enabled device inside or outside of the library.

Zinio's unique technology digitally recreates a magazine page for page, including full color pictures, intuitive navigation, key word article search and interactive elements such as audio and video.

Titles like these are available for you:

Consumer Reports
Bloomberg Businessweek
Newsweek
Popular Science
National Geographic
Good Housekeeping
Ladies Home Journal
Parenting
Forbes
The Economist
Motor Trend
PC World
Outdoor Life
Taste of Home
...and many more!

Visit our website today for more information.

Book Feature: Leaders' Stories

Life stories of leaders can be both instructive and entertaining. Cobb County Public Library System's Adult Collection includes recent works about achievements of trailblazers in business, science and sports. Here are some of them:

Lean in: women, work, and the will to lead is the bestseller by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, who draws on her experiences in business and government to describe the current career environment for women and other topics.

The soundtrack of my life is the memoir by Clive Davis, an influential music industry executive involved with generations of major recording artists.

The outsider: a memoir is the personal story of Jimmy Connors' pro tennis champion career achieved with a gritty style and dedication to excellence and other adventures in his life.

The Einstein of money: the life and timeless financial wisdom of Benjamin Graham by Joe Carlen is an account of the career of a man known today as a hero of Warren Buffett, a former student of the Dean of Wall Street.

Sum it up: 1,098 victories, a couple of irrelevant losses, and a life in perspective by Pat Head Summitt, the Tennessee Lady Vols head basketball coach emeritus, is about her legendary career and facing early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Letters to a young scientist by Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson, a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, is on the researcher's career and his hopes for the new generation.