Clyde Wooldridge visits library

The Friends of the Library had a general meeting Sunday. The keynote speaker was Clyde Wooldridge, local historian. He spoke of the coal mining in the area. He is writing a book on the subject. It is very interesting to here him speak of events and people of that era. He told stories about the correlation between the coal mines and the railroad. He told how at one time this area was a booming metropolis. He told stories of McAlester, Haileyville, Hartshorne, Gowen and Wilburton. I would like to thank him for his donation of the book "McAlester: The Capital of Little Dixie" to the library. And again we would like to thank him for coming to our meeting and hope that he will consider coming again sometime.

Vandalism at the library

Sometime over the weekend the Hartshorne Library was vandalized. Someone threw rocks at the windows at the back of the library putting two large holes in a couple of the windows. There are a couple of nicks in other windows. As of now we do not know who it was, although I have a couple of suspects. I think that it is a shame that someone would do something like that. We don't know if it was retaliation or just meaness. More than likely we will never know, but it makes me sad.

Landscaping

Some much needed Landscaping was done to the Library. After we weeded and cleaned the beds out we planted some new plants, bought with donations. We trimmed up the other plants and mulched the beds. This was a job long overdue. Hopefully this will help to cut down on people using the beds as trash cans. Also, it will make it easier to clean. We are right on main street and it had become an eyesore.

Books, Books, Books!!

I am weeding our Fiction Section so we have lots of books for sale. The hardbacks are selling for 1.00 and the paperbacks .50. If you are looking for a good read please come and support the library.

Literary Reference Center

A New database has been added to our Ebsco subcription. The Literary Reference Center (LRC) is a highly graphical interface intended for public, academic and high school libraries. The primary goal of LRC is to assist high school and undergraduate English and Humanities students with homework and research assignments of a literary nature. We are proud to have this new database. It is available only in the library. If you need help finding it please ask the librarian.

New Geneaology Database

Heritage Quest is our new geneaology database. This is in addition to our Ancestry Plus Library edition. Those that are interested in finding their roots or just intersted in the past need to checkk out both of these databases. While you are on the database page take a look at all the online resources that the library has to offer.
Also on the Kids' page and the Teen Page there are databases geared towards them. We offer Sirs Discoverer, Kids Search as well as Tumble books.

Centennial Committee to meet again.

The Oklahoma Centennial Planning Committee will meet at the Library on Sunday the 25th at 2:00 p. m. Hope to see everyone there.

New Antique Database

We have added a new database on our website. It is P4A. It can be accessed through the library only. This site has resources to find almost any type of antiques you may be looking for, or the value of something you may already have. Ninety percent of their database records come from "live" sales for a better marketing environment. Come in and check it out!

Centennial Celebration Planning Session

Representatives of local civic organizations and members of the general public interested in celebrating Oklahoma's 100th birthday and recognizing Hartshorne's 110th year are invited to attend a meeting that will be held at the Hartshorne Public Library on Sunday March 18th at 2:00 pm. For information contact Virginia Barlow at 297.3432

Library Supporters Asked To Contact Legislators

Oklahoma library supporters have launched an effort to get increased state aid for the state's libraries. Flyers asking "What would you buy with $2.50?" are being distributed. The flyers note that increased state aid of $2.50 per person per year amounts to either a "cafe latte" at the local coffee shop, or better library services for all of Oklahoma.State aid to public libraries has averaged 50 cents per person for the past 20 years, the group notes, while the cost of materials and services has skyrocketed. No new taxes are required to increase the state aid to $2.50 per capita; funding can come from existing state revenues that have increased this year.State aid is used to meet particular needs of each library and community. Some libraries use the funds to purchase materials, while others upgrade computers, begin wireless services or provide more educational programs for children.Those who support the move for increased state library aid are being asked to call or email their legislators. The Oklahoma lawmakers can be reached at 405-521-2711 or 1-800-522-8506. The website is here.

Welcome new Amber Dalpaos

Hartshorne Library is happy to welcome our new part time employee, Amber Dalpaos. We hope that she will enjoy working here for a long time. Please, say hi to her when you visit the library.