Easley Library Bookworms discussion

Here's the thread to use to post news about Easley library, any time you have any! This could cover things like new services, new special collections, programs and other events to be held in the library, grants received, staff transitions, and anything else that might be of interest to the group.

On Tuesday, October 21, 2014, Easley Library is hosting a night of ghostly stories, both new and old. Bluefield College Students are invited to participate in a writing contest for spooky stories, and Community members are invited to read excerpts from their favorite ghostly fiction or supernatural tales. We hope you will join us for "Terrifying Tales: A Spooky Spectacular!"

To add to what Paula posted, this event will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Here in the library, we're all pretty excited about this! (And while Paula isn't one to toot her own horn, it needs to be said that she's the one whose idea and hard work has made this "Spooky Spectacular" possible. Kudos, Paula!)

Ahhh, thank you, Werner, but this is a group effort! I just got the ball rolling.

The library's current display --that is, the books we've set out on top of the low oversize book shelves in the main room-- are books and other materials written by current or former BC faculty. (Thanks to Dr. Flowers for the suggestion!) This highlights the scholarship and creativity that's represented right here in the BC family. And please note that these books aren't just displayed to look at; they're displayed to catch your attention so that you can check them out and read them!

Calling all chess players! Easley Library recently received the donation of a very nice chess set, which we're making available to any of our patrons who'd like to play chess here in the library. Just sign it out at the circulation desk, and return it when you're done. (It can only be used in the library.) And if you want to improve your chess game, check out our books Chess For Beginners and How to Improve Your Chess, both by chess champion I. A. Horowitz.

Although I haven't mentioned it here before, many library patrons have already discovered our new free-standing whiteboard, in the library's main room. This is something we can use to communicate with you, and which you all can use to communicate with us. Also, from time to time, one of the librarians may post questions on it and give anyone who wants to a chance to answer.

One very recent question was, "Do you prefer paper books or e-books?" We're living, of course, in a time when the enemies of print books are once again predicting their imminent demise, with electronic resources viewed this time as the magic bullet that will finally kill them. Younger readers, supposedly, will be the driving force for this execution. But interestingly, the respondents to this question --presumably, mostly students-- prefer paper books by a margin of 35 to 2! :-)

BC now has an (informal) book club, sponsored by the library! We meet once a month, to introduce others to a book we're reading or have read and liked, relating to a certain chosen theme, and to hear about the books others have chosen. All members of the BC family --students, faculty, and staff-- are invited! (There's no application procedure, dues, or formalities required --just show up. :-) )

Our inaugural meeting was on Tuesday, Feb. 12, and the theme that month (suggested by Valentine's Day) was love --not necessarily romantic love; family love, loving friendship, etc. would also fit the bill. This month, we'll meet in the Tolkien Room on Wednesday, March 20 at 11:00 a.m.; and our theme (suggested by St. Patrick's Day) is anything related to St. Patrick, Ireland, the Irish heritage, leprechauns, or the color green. :-) We hope to see you there!

The March meeting of the BC Book Club took place as scheduled, and a great time was had by all those present! This month, we'll meet on Wednesday, April 10, at 11:00 a.m. (again, in the Tolkien Room), and our theme this time will be books about Appalachia, or with some Appalachian connection, in keeping with the upcoming Appalachian Festival sponsored by BC. So, come and join fellow book lovers, and share about an Appalachian-related book that you've enjoyed, or learned from!

The works discussed at the April meeting of the BC Book Club were:

The Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart

Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt & Jeanne C. Schmitzer

Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam

When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant

"Trilobites" from The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake

"The Ghostly Legend of Wicked John and the Devil" A variation of "Jack's Lantern" from Jack Tales

The Jack Tales collected by Richard Chase

The Saint of the Wilderness by Jess Carr

Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan

Burning Bright by Ron Rash

This was the last book Club meeting for this school year. :-( But we're looking forward to starting up again in the Fall semester!

BC's book club, "The Fellowship of the Book," met today for the first time this year. This time, we discussed books, new and old, relating to the theme of good vs. evil. Those present shared about the following books:

Boundary Crossed by Melissa Olson

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

Tatterhood and the Hobgoblins, retold by Lauren Mills

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

If you enjoy reading, and talking about books you like with friends, and you haven't been coming to the book club meetings, you're seriously missing out! Join us next month, when our theme will be ghouls, ghosts, and all that's spooky! Hope to see you there. :-)

As part of our ongoing efforts to serve the BC family, and our community generally, during this pandemic, Easley Library has recently inaugurated it's Easley to Go service. This enables you to request our books by phone, e-mail, etc., have them pulled and checked out to you by the library staff, and then have them brought to you outside the building when you come to pick them up. Here's how this works:

1. Locate books or DVDs in the Easley Catalog at https://library.acaweb.org/search~S59 .

2. Make sure your item says “available” in the status.

3. Email a request to library@bluefield.edu with
“Easley to Go” as the subject line.

4.
Library staff will retrieve the materials and email a response to you about pick-up times.

5. Call us at 276-326-4238 when you arrive. Those without phones can use email to schedule a time for pick-up.

6. “Easley to Go” pick-up hours will be Monday-Thursday, 11:00am-7:00pm, Fridays 11:00am-4:00pm.

7. Those who have already checked out library materials will be processed quickly. If you have not previously checked out materials, we will need to email you with a few questions to set up your account.

We have some sad news at this time. Our much-loved and appreciated Co-Director, Paula Beasley, suffered a broken leg early this past Friday, and will be off campus for several weeks. Paula is in good spirits, however, and will work from home as much as she can. We ask, and appreciate, your prayers for her speedy recovery!

Because this accident has left us severely short-staffed, it has been necessary to temporarily reduce our operating hours. Until further notice, Easley Library will be open only Monday-Friday, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., with no evening or weekend hours. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to anyone!

Visitors to Easley Library in recent years will probably recall one of our student workers, Caitlyn Gable, who sadly passed away in August, 2022 from health problems many of us weren't even aware that she had. Caitlyn was a very special person, who is much missed by her friends in the library, the players and fans of the Rams women's softball team, and by the entire BU community. She loved reading, and had been interested in the idea of bringing a Little Free Library to the BU campus.

This past Friday afternoon, Easley Library was honored to host the dedication of BU's new Little Free Library, established in memory of her. (For more information on the Little Free Library concept, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_... .) It is beautifully decorated with paintings on the side and back panels by BU's own Mark Clary, illustrating motifs from some of Caitlyn's favorite fantasy series, and will be installed by the back door of the Easley Library building. The project was spearheaded by Paula Beasley and Emily Cook. It is our hope and confident expectation that it will be a source of delight, inspiration and fellowship in reading to our community for many years to come!

As of today, the BU Little Free Library is installed, stocked, and up and running! Enjoy! Warm thanks to everyone who had a part in bringing this about.