Holiday Open House Tour

The Friends of the Harrisburg District Library Holiday Open House Tour is scheduled for December 5, 2009 11:00 to 4:00. The tickets are available at the Library for $15.00. Again this year refreshments will be provided at the Library. Please see our website for a listing of the homes and Church on the tour this year. What a wonderful way to start your holiday season and maybe glean a few decorating ideas!



Raffle tickets for the Department 56 Snow Village Scene are also available at the library. The village scene is sponsored this year by Mackie's Pizza in conjunction with The Friends of the Harrisburg District Library. Tickets are $1.00 each or 6 tickets for $5.00. The village may be viewed at Mackie's Marion location.

Up and Coming

Don't forget to check the library's calendar for upcoming events. The staff has some interesting things planned for the rest of the year. Holiday House Tour tickets are now on sale. Pictures of the homes (and Church!) on the tour are posted to the library's website. See you at the library!

Got genealogy questions?

Are you stuck in your genealogical quest for long lost relatives? Wonder how to get started in genealogy? Ask our genealogist on Saturday August 15th 10:30 to Noon.

Genealogy is the study or investigation of ancestry and family histories. Genealogy is also an addictive hobby. Its like working a giant jigsaw puzzle, only you have to find the pieces before you can put them all together. Too frequently genealogists forget to factor in the historical importance of their family history. Spend some time researching the time period and the history of the location your family was in during that time period. You may be surprised at what you learn and how it could help you further your research, maybe even answer a few "brick wall" questions.

Don't forget to check the library's calendar for upcoming events!

50 Ways to leave your lover...Dead!

From poison to pickaxes, the means mystery writers use to kill off their characters are many and varied. Join us at the library on Saturday July 18th when the Mystery Mavens (authors Lisa Buehler, Mary V. Welk and Sandra Tooley) will discuss unusual plot devices and methods of murder in an interactive program that encourages audience participation. The program starts at 1:00 p.m.

Another cool program @ your library!

Mushroom Hunters Class



Joe McFarland author of Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States: a Field to Kitchen Guide will be at the library on July 11th. His program will start at 1:00 p.m. in the Alice Barnes Conference Room. If you are interested in mushroom hunting, this guide is well worth a read. It is one of the better guides out right now. Come meet the author and learn a little bit about mushrooms.

Check out calendar for July on the library's website for more cool programming! There are some really interesting programs coming up that you won't want to miss.

Summer Reading Program

The 2009 Summer Reading Program is under way, but it isn't too late to join. We have a program for every age group, from birth to adults. The theme this year is Read on the Wild Side, and several furry friends have joined the library staff to help get you in the mood for a wild read! For details on any of our programs, contact the library 253-7455 or just drop in. Check out our website for other upcoming programs. The programs scheduled for July and August are "cool"....keep checking for more information!

Genealogy Weekend & Illinois State Archives

Special genealogy program for June....

A special Genealogy Weekend will be held at the library on June 13th and June 14th. The Genealogy Librarian will be here all weekend specifically to assist with genealogy questions, getting started in genealogy, assistance with HeritageQuest and Ancestry.com, and offer suggestions to further your genealogical quest.

Mr. Greg Cox from the Illinois State Archives will be the guest speaker on June 13th as part of the Library's Genealogy Weekend. Mr. Cox's program will start at 10:30. Mr. Cox is a fifteen year employee of the Secretary of State, State of Illinois. Formerly a Micrographic Equipment Operator filming historical documents, Greg is now employed with the Reference Section as a Records Archivist assisting patrons with their genealogical research. Greg is the Archives' resident genealogical speaker, utilizing a forum-style presentation involving audience participation. His presentation of approximately 45 minutes consists of the available genealogical resources found in the Illinois State Archives. Records he discusses in some detail include the Census, both State and Federal, death certificates, and County records held in seven State depositories. He also covers lesser-known resources such as the Application for Bonus of military veterans of various wars, original land registers, Civil War Muster Rolls, Servitude and Emancipation Records and more.

Computer system

The Harrisburg District Library is a member of the Shawnee Library System, along with most of the libraries in Southern Illinois. The storm that passed through the area on Friday May 8th, struck the Carterville headquarters for the Shawnee Library System, taking out their electrical system (along with part of their roof and various other damage). Thus our library lost major parts of our computer operating systems. The staff used an emergency system to enable us to check out books for our patrons. Without our computerized system we weren't able to provide the complete range of services our patrons are used to. We apologize for any inconvenience this caused our patrons, especially our Internet users. The Shawnee Library System staff have worked extremely hard to restore those services for us, so we can in turn resume our normal operations. Thank you all for your patience and understanding this past week.

Help with online genealogy research

The May genealogy program will be held on Saturday May 23, 2009 10:30-11:30 in the adult computer lab. The workshop will provide hands on practice and tips on using various Internet sources for genealogical research. This program will focus on helping you become familiar with using the Internet to further your research , so bring your research material!



Watch for information regarding the upcoming genealogy weekend in June!

HeritageQuest focus of this month's Genealogy Program

Did you know that the Harrisburg District Library provides our patrons with free access to HeritageQuest through the library's website? If you have a valid Harrisburg District Library card you can even access HeritageQuest from home at anytime! HeritageQuest is a subscription based genealogy research site. This month's Genealogy program will guide you through accessing the site, features of the site and how to use the site. The class will be on Saturday April 25th 10:30-11:30. This will be a hands on learning experience. Basic computer skills are required.

National Library Week

Check out the library's calendar for special events during National Library Week, April 12-18, 2009. Events include the popular annual Trivia Night on Thursday night. Teams of up to six members welcome. Register early and pay $7.00 per team, or register at the door for $8.00 per team. Fantastic prizes for the winners! See how much trivia you actually know, you may surprise yourself!

Traveling Exhibit Tells Unknown Story of German POWs Held in Midwest Camps During WWII

During World War II the Midwest was home to approximately 250 prisoners of war camps. Tens of thousands of the 380,000 Germans imprisoned across the U.S. during World War II were held in the Midwest, part of the millions of Axis and Allied prisoners held across the world. These prisoners embody ageless and timely themes of war and peace, justice during times of war, human rights, international reconciliation and potential lessons for avoiding future conflicts and human rights and wrongs. Housed in a bus made into a mobile museum with a 21-seat theater, HELD IN THE HEARTLAND illustrates this unknown story through narrative texts, artifacts & media.


On March 28, 2009 the library will host the TRACES BUS-eum, Held in the Heartland. The BUS-eum will be parked on the library parking lot and will be open for visitors 10:30 -5:30.


The TRACES Center for History and Culture is a Midwest,WWII history museum in downtown Saint Paul, MN’s historic Landmark Center (formerly 1896 Federal Courts Building). Each of its more than two dozen exhibits about Midwesterners’ encounters with Germans or Austrians between 1933 and 1948 forms part of a larger mosaic, a fuller image of a war that is often misunderstood or seen in clichés. At TRACES, WWII is a case study to learn from for today and future generations.


Please make plans to visit the traveling museum. The library is also scheduling interviews for the Veterans oral history project. If you are a veteran, please consider sharing your valuable memories with us and future generations. To schedule an appointment or for more information about the project or the traveling museum, call the library at 253-7455 and ask for Ruth or Sherry.

Preserving your photographs and documents

Kristina Blevins the Assistant Director will be presenting this month's genealogy program. On Saturday, February 28th at 10:30, she will discuss methods for preserving your documents and photos. Kristina graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2003 with a B.A. in English specializing in pre-professional writing. She spent a semester as a post-graduate student studying museum practices and interned at the SIUC museum archives in the fall of 2006. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in the fall of 2007 with a Master's in Library and Information Science. During her tenure there she interned in the William T. Young Acquisitions Department, where she spent two days a week helping out in the conservation laboratory tipping-in pages, doing deacidification and humidification of documents, pamphlet sewing, constructing phase boxes, learning triage, and using the sonic welder to encapsulate.
Please make plans to join us and learn how to save your photos and documents for future generations to enjoy.

Chocolate & Whine

Don't forget to visit the library on Saturday February 7th between 3:00 and 5:00 for the Chocolate and Whine tasting. Assistant Director Kristina Blevins has planned a lovely afternoon of taste testing a variety of chocolates. The selection of chocolates are certainly out of the normal and should prove to be very interesting. Whining, moaning, whinging, and commiseration welcome from all ages.
On Wednesday February 11th 6:30-7:30 a RadioShack DTV expert will be at the library to answer your questions about the upcoming digital television transition. Though the transition has been postponed, you still need to make sure you and your equipment are ready for the transition.

Brown Bags and Books

The Brown Bags and Books program that was scheduled for Wednesday January 28th has been rescheduled for Wednesday February 4th at Noon. Dr. Roger Lyons will review Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.
Brown Bags and Books is a monthly book review held January through October. For the past several years Dr. Lyons has ushered in the "New Year" of Brown Bags and Books.
Please visit the library's website to view a complete list of titles to be reviewed. The books are available for check out at the library, though it isn't required that you read the titles to attend the programs! The programs are free to the public and all are welcome.
Light refreshments are provided, but feel free to bring your "brown bag" lunch and join us for the Noon time review.

Library Closed

The library will be closed today, January 28, 2009. The Brown Bags and Books program is also cancelled for today and is tentively rescheduled for noon on February 4th.
When winter weather threatens (or arrives!), check with the library to make sure we are open. If you must get out today, please use extreme caution. The snow is covering ice and that combination makes for dangerous travel conditions. Just walking outside can be an adventure!

Happy New Year!

2009!
It is hard to believe another year has gone by. The library is gearing up for another wonderful year of programs for our patrons. Be sure to check out the current calendar on our website http://www.harrisburg.lib.il.us.

Did you see the Assistant Director/YA Librarian, Kristina Blevins in the newspaper? The online version actually had a video to go along with the article. Kristina has some neat programs planned, check for dates and times on the library calendar.

The Genealogy Librarian will be continuing monthly classes. The program this month will again be a working session, with the class and Librarian offering suggestions and assistance with your genealogy research problems. The session will be held Saturday January 17th, 10:30-11:30 in the Genealogy/Local history room at the library.

The staff is always looking for programs that will interest our patrons. We welcome your suggestions.