Blog Entries

Marvelous Us! Part I

Marvelous: superb; excellent; great: a marvelous show.  Such as to cause wonder, admiration, or astonishment; surprising; extraordinary; improbable or incredible. That is us alright. The human body is a marvel. If you really think about our bodies, they should cause wonder, admiration, and/or astonishment. The human body is surprising, extraordinary, improbable, and incredible. Scientific research continually expands our knowledge of the human body and makes for some interesting reads. Here are a few recent titles that feature aspects of our marvelous ...

Archives Highlights 2021 Accessions

At the end of every year, we like to highlight some of the new items added to the collections of the Stewart Bell Jr. Archives. Most of these items are donations and we are grateful to everyone who has helped build our collections for the benefit of future researchers.

You can view a selection of these items on our latest Facebook post. They are also on exhibit in the display cases near the Archives entrance in the Handley Library.

The photograph on the right is of Cornelia Anne Showalter Larrick, circa 1870, part of the Jeanne M. Stamper Collection, 1807 THL. Our collec...

Database Spotlight: Ebsco LearningExpress Library

LearningExpress Library is organized into targeted learning centers that support students from 4th grade to adult who want to improve core academic skills, pass the GED®, prepare for college, join the military, obtain occupational certification, find a job, change careers, become a U.S. citizen and much more.

To access all the features of LearningExpress Library, register with your library card number and PIN. This enables you to save your progress and return to practice tests and other materi...

Meet Shelby

Hello!

My name is Shelby and I recently started working at the Handley Library. So far, my time here has been fantastic! I have enjoyed getting to know fellow staff members and the many wonderful patrons that use our library. As a kid, going to the library with my family was one of my favorite activities, so being able to work here has been a joy.

One thing that surprised me from working here is the abundance of digital resources available to the community at no charge. Of tho...

November is Native American Heritage Month!

In recognition of the original inhabitants of America, November has been designated Native American Heritage Month. President George H. W. Bush signed a joint resolution in 1990 establishing the month-long celebration of indigenous culture and contributions to the United States.  When we think of First Nations we often consider them in a historical context, but there are 574 federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages in the United States today, with about 2 million members, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Af...

A Little Noon Music is Back!

The Friends of Handley Regional Library System is thrilled to announce the return of the A Little Noon Music program at the Handley Library location.

A Little Noon Music is a free program where performers come to the library during the lunch hour for the public to enjoy varied styles of music. This current series highlights four different performers over the next few months.

The first performance will be on Friday, November 12, from 12:15 PM to 1:00 PM, at Handley Regional Auditorium at the Handley Library branch and will feature Allen Dec. Mr. Dec is a harpist who has...

Three Interesting Author Talks Coming Up!

The Friends of Handley Regional Library System will be presenting three informative author talks focusing on different genres.

On Saturday, October 30, a Virtual Author Talk with author Judy Prescott Marshall will be held at 11 AM on Zoom. Registration Information can be found at www.handleyregional.org to receive the Zoom Link. The author of Still Crazy will talk, take questions, and offer a door prize. Her book is great for fans of Nicholas Sparks and Debbie Macomber. Still Crazy is the story of one woman’s journey through pain, betrayal, and forgiveness as she le...

Teens and Young Adults Can Learn Tons at Our Adulting 101 Series

We will be presenting an Adulting 101 Workshop Series for patrons ages 16-21 at the Handley Library branch in the Benham Gallery from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM on various Saturdays. The series theme is “I’m an Adult, Now What?” This bi-monthly workshop series is designed to prepare teens and young adults for the future of adulthood and the workforce. From budgeting tips to big loads of laundry, patrons will leave with new skills, tricks of the trade from professionals in the field, and earn prizes along the way.

“The Adulting 101 Workshop Series will tackle topics for young adults and te...

Celebrating Library Card Sign-up Month!

This September, Handley Regional Library, the American Library Association, and libraries around the nation have been celebrating Library Card Sign-up Month. Since 1987, Library Card Sign-Up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. We encourage every child to sign up for a library card. This month many did at our local libraries.

We wish to remind students, parents, and caregivers, that your library card is the most important school supply of all. A library card provides access to technology, multimedia content. and educational programming that ...

Author Talk at Handley: Southern Fried Russia: From Communism to KFC

The Friends of Handley Regional Library System will be presenting an informative and entertaining talk with author Robert Linkous in the Handley Robinson Auditorium at the Handley Library branch on October 6, 2021 in person at 6:30 PM. The program is entitled “Southern Fried Russia: From Communism to KFC.”

Author, Robert Linkous will read and discuss the first chapter in his book “Southern Fried Russia: From Communism to KFC”. There will be time for Q & A.

Robert Linkous was born in Radford, grew up in Roanoke, read Jack Kerouac, and hitchhiked the length of the...

Winners! Adult Summer Reading Program 2021

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2021 Adult Summer Reading Program. We had over 600 people sign up for this years program. We hope everyone will join us next year.

Here are this years prize package winners!

Exploring the Outdoors Prize Package Winner - Rachel Novick

Prize package includes: America the Beautiful annual pass, Mountain Trails gift card, America the Beautiful: A story in photographs

Valley Locals Package - Edward Heddinger

Prize package includes: Museum of Shenandoah Valley Family Membership, Winchester Ciderworks g...

Tech Tuesdays are Back!

Handley Regional Library System is pleased to announce the return of its Tech Tuesday Series, free, in-person workshops held at both Bowman and Handley Library locations over the next couple of months for anyone in the community. This series will concentrate on a particular technology topic at each program event and will be run by local technology experts from Experimax and Tech Team Solutions.

The first session will be held on September 21 at 10:30 AM at Bowman Library, and the topic will be iOS Devices. Helpful tips and tricks and answers to any questions about iPhones and iPads...

A Look Back at Virtual Program "Third Thursday-Exploring the Outdoors"

In a time when most of us were spending more time with friends and family outside thanks to COVID-19, The Friends of Handley Regional Library System brought us a multi-part virtual series titled "Third Thursday-Exploring the Outdoors". Each month featured a different outdoor enthusiast presenting their story and sharing tips to enjoy the outdoors. While this program will take a break for the month of August, it will be back in September! Here's a look back at past sessions:

January 21, 2021-The premier featured two Appalachian Trail hikers, Rose "Comics" Turner...

20 Years At Bowman Library

July 16th marks the twentieth anniversary of the opening of the Bowman Library! The library was the culmination of years of planning and work on the part of library staff, county administrators, and dedicated volunteers.

In August 1998, the Frederick County Board of Supervisors voted to fund the new library for the sum of $4 million dollars. By October of that year, the Lakeside site on Tasker Road in Stephens City was selected for the location of the new library and design plans were underway by the architects. In April of 1999, the library boa...