FOL-O-GRAM - Starkville Public Library
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Friends
FOL-O-GRAM
of the
Starkville
Public
Volume 18, Number 1, Fall 2018
Library
Books and Authors 2018
Friends of the Library
Board Members On Thursday, September 13th, the Friends of the Library will host novelist Michael Kardos to kick
off the Books and Authors series. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he received a bachelor’s degree in
FOL OFFICERS music from Princeton University. After playing the drums professionally
for eight years, Kardos received his M.F.A. in fiction from Ohio State
University and in 2003, a Ph.D from the University of Missouri. Currently,
President-Sue Minchew
Vice Pres-Lynn he serves as associate professor in the English Department at Mississippi
Reinschmiedt State University, where he co-directs the creative writing program with his
Secretary-Maureen Lang wife, the poet Catherine Pierce. In addition to novels, he has written a
Treasurer-Myrna Lott textbook entitled The Art and Craft of Fiction.
Kardos’s collection of short stories entitled One Last Good Time was
BOARD MEMBERS the winner of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for
fiction in 2012. The Three Day Affair, his first novel, was chosen a “ Best
Sylvia Anderson Book of the Year” by both Esquire and Publishers W eekly. After the
publication of his second thriller Before He Finds Her, Kardos was named
one of the “Ten Big Breakout Authors” by The Literary Journal. In 2018, he published his third novel,
Linda Buehler
Bluff, which centers around magic and illusion. Kardos himself once performed professionally as a
magician, and at some readings of this novel, Kardos has been known to entertain his guests with card
John Colwick
trick.
Marianne Crowell
Acclaimed author Michael Farris Smith will be the guest author on Oc-
Tani Dubuisson
tober 11th at Starkville Public Library. Smith’s fictional works including
The Fighter, Desperation Road, Rivers, and The Hands of Strangers, have
Tom Fisher, SAAC resulted in a number of awards including the Mississippi Award for
Liason Fiction, the Transatlantic Review award as well as recognition on a number
of “Best of the Year” lists in magazines such as Esquire and Southern
Gayle Hodge Living.
In addition to being a finalist for the Southern Book Prize and the Gold
Betty Lynn Hunt Dagger Award in the UK, Smith has published essays in The New Y ork
Times, Bitter Southerner and others. Smith will travel internationally to
Georgia Murphy discuss his works in the fall of 2018 with scheduled events in France,
London, and Switzerland, and his works have frequently been adopted by book clubs
Sharon Nobles Smith has completed a new novel, Blackwood, which will be available in 2019. Smith and his family
now make their home in Oxford, Mississippi.
Norma Jean Smith
Cherie Steele
Bobby Cole will speak November 8th on his latest book, Silent
Bos Stevens Approach. Bobby is from our sister town, West Point, where he is
President of Mossy Oak Biologic. He has written four previous books,
which he has shared with us in the past. Cole writes for fun at night and
weekends, and we are so glad he does!
Virginia Holtcamp, In Silent Approach, we get to know his likable characters and
Library Director experience lots of action and suspense. We meet a new protagonist, John
Allen Harper, who tries to overcome personal tragedy by tracking down
stolen artifacts from the Mississippi Choctaw Nation. He finds himself
in real danger as he attempts to recover some artifacts from a crooked
publisher who has bought them on the black market. Prepare to sit on the
edge of your seat! Come join us to hear this entertaining author and how
he works out his riveting ideas.
Fol-O-Gram Page 2
Our Library: An Invaluable Community Resource
In the current best-selling book Our Towns by James and Deborah Fallows, the authors visited small towns across
our country in an effort to discover how they are doing, what if anything makes them thrive and grow. Almost without
exception, the most consistent commonality among the prospering towns was an active public library. They said,
“America’s public libraries, the place people used to go to find books or do research, have become the heart and soul of
American communities.” They went on to say that “in the library [they] could discover the spirit of a town, get a feel
for the people’s needs and wants, and gauge their energy and mettle.” They found three areas in which libraries serve
the people: technology, education, and community, three areas that our own library embraces. It is no surprise that our
library has achieved the prestigious distinction of “Star Library” each year since the designation has been awarded by
the Mississippi Library Commission. A quick review of the highlights of the winter, spring, and summer activities at
the library will demonstrate what an invaluable resource it is for members of our community of all ages.
During the winter and spring months, the library hosted a variety of educational programs free to the community.
Sponsored by Friends of the Library, the Books and Authors series presented published authors who provided
discussions of their works, their writing techniques and inspiration, and even gave advice on getting published.
Attendees enjoyed getting to know the authors up close and personal. They also had the opportunity to get the authors’
books signed after the programs. The refreshments weren’t bad either! The literary discussions of Dante’s Inferno led
by Dr. Nancy Hargrove drew large crowds eager to learn about a great work of classical literature. For the youngsters,
Christina Jurusik kept tiny tots and preschoolers entertained and interested in reading with her story time for children;
at the same time, she engaged older youths in reading with her weekly book club meetings. College students even got
in on the act when the library hosted a reception and poster session presented by the students on the novels read in their
college class.
This summer the library offered a variety of entertaining and informative programs for children. Activities included
a reading contest with prizes awarded to the children who read the most books. Friends of the Library funded several
special events for children and youth, including programs on snakes and predators, as well as fun presentations with
comedy and magic. These programs brought in overflowing crowds and effectively kept children engaged in learning
throughout the summer months.
The two biggest draws to the library on a daily basis are the large collection of books that can be checked out, in-
cluding the latest best sellers, and the customer computers, which are in constant use. The genealogy room and the law
library provide specialized resources. In addition, the library’s many online offerings allow our patrons to access books
and even participate in book clubs without ever leaving their homes. However, if you don’t physically visit the library,
you are missing out on the visual attractions. The ever-changing thematic displays are not only educational but
aesthetically pleasing.
Goodbye to Board Member Amy Wills
The FOL Board is sad to have to say goodbye to board member Amy Wills. A diligent worker and former board
president, Amy has served on the board for six years. In addition to her
presidency, she has been an invaluable member of the publicity and external
donations subcommittees. Along with Lynn Reinschmiedt, she maintained the
Friends Facebook page.
Amy described her service on the board as both enjoyable and rewarding.
She made the following comments: “I have thoroughly enjoyed the 6 years
that I have spent on the board. It has given me the opportunity to get to know
and work with some incredible people. I have enjoyed getting to know library
patrons, too. I feel that even in the digital age, libraries are important to the
community. The FOL is a wonderful organization and does so much to
support our library. It’s been an honor to serve on the Friends of the Library
board. I will miss it.”
Without a doubt, we will miss Amy as well. We wish her well as she welcomes a new grandchild to her
family, and we look forward to seeing her at sales and Books and Authors events. She has even promised to come
and help out sometimes as we prepare for sales. Thank you, Amy, for your outstanding service to Friends of the
Library.
Fol-O-Gram Page 3
Summer Reading 2018 Wrap Up
The Starkville Public Library’s Summer Reading Program “Libraries
Rock!” came to an end on July 25 with Terry Vendeventer’s “It’s the
Snakeman” presentation with over 250 in attendance. Youth librarian Chris-
tina Jurusik stated this year’s program had been one of the library’s most
successful with 422 youngsters reading over 5000 books from June 4 to July
25 time. The purpose of the summer reading program is to keep students
engaged in reading during the summer months. In total over 2700 children
participated in some aspect of the summer program. By all measures this
year’s program surpassed previous years’ participation and was a huge
success. Coupled with the reading program, the following specific events
drew capacity packed crowds:
June 13th: Freedom Ranch, a wildlife program featuring wildlife.
June 20th: Stormin’ Bob Swason, The Singing Weatherman.
June 27th: Uncle Bubba’s Emporium of Oddities & Curiosities, a fun puppet show.
July 11th: Born to be Wild, featured 5 animal musicians.
July 18th: Tommy Terrific’s Wacky Magic Show, a magician show.
July 25th: It’s the Snakeman, a presentation focusing on reptiles of the South.
The Summer Reading program is a key beneficiary of the Friends of the Library funding. This year the “Libraries Rock”
program was enhanced with significant donation by Dr. and Mrs. Walt Newsom to the Friends specifically to reward summer
program participants and category award winners. Additional coupons dispensed throughout the summer program were donated by
Bops Frozen Custard, Dairy Queen, Insomnia Cookies and McAlister’s Deli. Those receiving awards due to the Newsom’s
generosity included: 1st Place for total books read received $100 Barnes and Noble gift cards: Because of a tie between sisters
Sidney and Amelia Thornton, each received a $100 gift card. Raffle award winners receiving $50 Walmart gift cards: Dorrie Wu,
Caroline Lamm, and Summer Jones. 2nd Raffle award winner receiving a tablet donated by the library: Daniel Jones. $5 Chick-fil-A
gift card: 115 gift cards were awarded to all qualifying reading program participants .
Congratulations Christina for another great summer reading program!
Bargains, Bargains, Bargains!!!
Bags full! Boxes full! Arm loads full of books! Over and over boxes of well-loved books are donated to the library.
Each week board members of Friends of the Library (FOL) unpack books dropped off at the Sale Room (near the back
door of the Starkville Public Library) and process, clean, and shelve them to be resold.
The generosity of Starkville readers through book donations keeps the “Once-A-Month Sale-Room,” the “Anytime
Room,” and the paperback racks upstairs supplied with books that are available for purchase at incredibly low prices.
As a result of our patrons’ donations, we now have over 10,000 books available for sale. Revenue that FOL receives
for these gently read books is used to fund children’s programs, to purchase new books, to sponsor author talks, and to
provide for other library needs. Thank you, Starkville, for sharing your books with Friends of the Library!
You don’t have to wait for the monthly sale to purchase a book. Also managed by FOL, the “Anytime Room”
located on the first floor has an amazing assortment of books that you can purchase for just fifty cents whenever the
library is open. Available in this room are slightly older hardbacks, paperbacks, CDs, homeschool materials, reference
books, novels, popular romance, youth books, fantasy, science fiction, cook books, classics, and inspirational books.
Browse the room any time and find a reading treasure that can be yours to keep. In addition, paperback books in the
wire shelving near the library checkout desk can also be purchased for fifty cents. No money? No problem! You can
find interesting older books and magazines on the freebie tables located in the first- floor foyer.
We encourage you to visit the FOL-sponsored sales the first Monday of each month from 12 noon until 6:00 p.m. at
the Starkville Public Library. At these sales, you’ll find a huge variety of current, affordable books for all ages. All of
the children and youth books can be purchased for just fifty cents; recent hard cover fiction is $3.00; hardcover non-
fiction $2.00; and recent paperbacks $1.00. Your purchases will not only bring you hours of reading enjoyment but
will help to support the library and maintain the excellent quality of services, programs, and book collections available.
Friends
Newsletter Editors: Tani Dubuisson
Ginny Holtcamp
Maureen Lang
Sue Minchew
Sharon Nobles
Lynn Reinschmeidt
Board Member Carolyn Goodman
Last May former member Carolyn Goodman moved to Ashland, Missouri, after her husband Mark's
retirement from MSU. Carolyn had retired from Starkville High School in 2015. Both Carolyn and
Mark are Missouri natives and are enjoying living close to family members. Carolyn says that
living there is so much like life in Starkville --one has to plan one's shopping trips to avoid
the Saturday traffic on football weekends.
Carolyn has fond memories of working with the Friends of the Library. It is a great way to
meet new friends and keep up with newly published books and authors. She also feels that the
book sales provide a tremendous service to people who might not otherwise be able to buy books. Carolyn says that she really en-
joyed her experiences with working with fellow board members and hopes to have the same opportunity in her new community.
Notes from the Library Director
Our library kicks into Fall with many new and exciting services. The most thrilling is our ability to offer a mobile
app to all interested patrons. The app gives our community the opportunity to look up materials, place holds, see what’s
happening, log in to our databases, all from a cell phone. Simply go to the app store and download our SOCPLS app. It
is that simple. Our library is the second library in the state to have developed this and we are really proud of this
achievement. It would not have been possible without the expertise of Anita Winger and our consortium at Mississippi
State University.
September is Library Card Sign Up month. We now have a new design for our library cards. We offer a key ring
card or standard card, both with bar codes already in place. The cards feature our wonderful READ
sculpture on the outside of our building. After many years using the red card, we love the new design with the embed-
ded barcode.
We have a great lineup of authors for the year, thanks to our Friends of the Library. This year’s programs include
Michael Kardos, Michael Farris Smith, Bobby Cole, Valerie Winn, Molly May, Laurie Parker, and
Michael Shelton.
We are also looking forward to hosting our CUP & CHAUCER Café series featuring Dr. Nancy Hargrove opening
with discussions of The Sun A lso Rises by Ernest Hemingway on Tuesday, September 11 at 4 p.m. The series will run
for four consecutive weeks Tuesday at 4p.m. and will include discussions of “The Sun Also Rises” by Hemingway on
the 11th, “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles on the 18th, “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara on the 25th, and poems
all about some aspect of love or marriage on Oct 2: “Marvell, “To His Coy Mistress,” Donne, “A Valediction: Forbid-
ding Mourning,” and Browning, “My Last Duchess.”
Children in the Starkville community did a fantastic job reading over the summer and they should all be proud of the
amount of reading that they accomplished. There were over 5000 books read, and over 4300 hours read in the span of
two months. With over 2700 children attending library programs, we can safely say that this was one of the most suc-
cessful Summer Reading Programs we have ever had.
The Library is also very excited to introduce next year’s Summer Reading Program. The theme is Space and the slo-
gan is “A Universe of Stories.” Several programs in the planning stage include an international story time with Missis-
sippi State faculty, a speaker from NASA and a program with Mississippi State’s Astronomy Department.
Visit your library often! Request books and information! We love to see you and help you find exactly what you need
to make your day a successful one.
Happy Reading and Discovering,
Ginny Holtcamp
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