JCLI offers summer reading program
From our weekly issue dated June 23, 2010
Now that summer is officially under way and regular school classes out of session, parents are left with the question of how to keep their children entertained during the next few months.
Luckily, several programs are being offered through Josephine Community Libraries Inc. (JCLI), the nonprofit organization that operates the four branches of the county“s library system.
On Saturday, June 12, the Illinois Valley Branch In Cave Junction hosted an end-of-school party and the launch of its summer reading program. Branch Manager Debbie Gonnella, who has held that position since December, said approximately 15 children attended and that around 12 new library cards were issued at the party.
The first summer story time at the Illinois Valley Branch is set for July 10 at 1 p.m. with Morgan Jordan. A second is scheduled Aug. 12 at noon with Audrey Davis.
Gonnella said that preliminary plans are being made to establish community movie nights at the library.
A similar program began at the Grants Pass Branch on Tuesday, June 22. Bonnie Johnson, information and collection development specialist for JCLI, anticipates that around 1,000 children will participate.
She said that activities at the Grants Pass Branch will include soap stone carving and Master Gardener programs on subjects such as bee-keeping.
“Outdoor activities will be a big part of it,“ she said.
As a special incentive, prizes will be offered for children reaching the reading goals that they set for themselves, Johnson said. She added that summer reading programs also will be offered at the Williams and Wolf Creek branches.
“We“re available for children everywhere,“ Johnson said.
Game nights also are being offered at the Grants Pass Branch, which features open mic events during First Friday Art Walks.
But the fact that many programs are being offered for children doesn“t mean that there isn“t plenty available for their parents.
Chilton Auto Repair Library can be accessed online around-the-clock by anyone with a JCLI library card. JCLI also has obtained a subscription to ancestry.com, a genealogy Website. Johnson said that it can be used on any computer at the branches.
And the library system is subscribed to a “library-to-go“ program, enabling patrons to download thousands of recordings of books to digital readers such as iPods.
Johnson said that video downloads should be available beginning in August. The service is made possible by donations from the Grants Pass Friends of the Library, she said, and a collaborative effort by library groups throughout the state.
“It“s going to be a tremendous addition to the library collection,“ she said. “This is one of our many success stories in stretching the dollars that we have to maximize what we can bring to the community.“
Doug Walker, president of the JCLI Board of Directors, said that a two-month spring membership drive raised around $77,000. The drive was focused on renewing previous membership, he said, and another drive aimed at obtaining new members will be conducted in the fall.
Without those memberships and other donations, the libraries could end up shuttered, as they were in May 2007 due to lack of funding in the county budget.
Walker said that although JCLI strives to keep all branches open, long-term financial issues remain.
“We continue to not raise enough money to stay open,“ he said. “We“re using our savings up with the amount of money we raise, and eventually we will not be able to continue, and we“ll have to figure something else out.“
Some 200 dedicated volunteers have helped JCLI provide library services to residents throughout Josephine County, Walker said.
“The volunteers have just been amazing,“ Walker said. “Their reliability and the quality of the work they put out are just incredible.“
At the Illinois Valley branch, Gonnella said that a solid volunteer base is bolstered by two employees whose wages are paid through the Job Council and Experience Works programs.
“Volunteers really are what make the libraries run,“ she declared.
The Illinois Valley branch is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
For more information, visit josephinelibraries.org.
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