Blog Entries

Holiday time: it is a great time to be with family, friends or alone with your thoughts.  For most of us it is a hustle and bustle time of year and doing something “extra” might just put a person over the edge of sensibility!  So for me to suggest that this is a good time to do something involving genealogy might seem a little different.  In reality it is not, because holidays are the time in which people naturally gravitate towards remembrances.  So, if you are inclined, here are a few ideas that you might like:

This September, Handley Regional Library System, the American Library Association, and libraries around the nation will be 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 and to encourage every child to sign up for a library card.

The Handley Regional Library System is thrilled to announce that effective immediately overdue fines will not accrue on most children’s materials – no matter the age of the person checking out the materials. These items include books, CD audiobooks, and DVDs.

Now Handley Regional Library patrons can hold the library in the palm of their hands! With a new mobile app, called MyLIBRO, Handley Regional Library System patrons have access to a variety of library resources through their mobile phones and tablets. The MyLIBRO app is already available through the App Store.

The Handley Regional Library System is excited to offer two upcoming tours of the downtown Handley Library Branch on Saturday, December 10, at 11 AM. This tour is FREE and open to the public. Meet in the Rotunda to start your tour at 11 AM.

The Handley Library branch tour will take you behind the scenes to all floors of the building. Learn about the unique architecture and amazing history of this beautiful library. Walk on the famous glass floors, and see the well under the stage.  

On July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to land on the moon and said his famous line. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” If you’d like to learn more about Armstrong, you can check out a biography we have about him: Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight by Jay Barbree. We also have some movies, too.

Our teen book spotlight this week is all about Possibilities of New Places!!!  We are exploring books that take place in either other countries, at sea, in outer space, and in some cases even at different schools such as a boarding school.  Books have this amazing ability to take us to numerous places, real or imagined, without even needing to leave our comfy reading nook as we need to take advantage of it as we can learn more about ourselves and others.  These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tags

Summer Reading is Underway... Don't miss these awesome, fun, and educational programs at each library location!

Didgeridoo Down Under

An energetic fusion of Australian music, culture, comedy, character building, storytelling and audience movement/participation. The didgeridoo has been played by Aboriginal Australians for at least 1,500 years. Didgeridoo Down Under is much more than music. Learn about Aussie culture, sea creatures, and more, all while moving & grooving to the pulsing rhythms of the didgeridoo!

Why Native Plants? 

For families with kids of all ages finding a “just right” book can be tricky. Handley Regional Library System staff offer numerous ways to help you and your reader try new genres or authors of books. Specifically, we have a service called BookMatch Junior! for ages 12 and under, which matches your reader with books to try based on a quick survey form you fill out. However, a generally good practice when helping to build strong readers in your home is the following:

In celebration of pets, May is recognized as National Pet Month. It’s a wonderful time to show a little extra appreciation for our furry friends, and books are always a great resource for everything, including learning something fun about your pets! 

Researching Common Surnames:

May 2022

My last name is Smith.  I have been told that our ancestors changed our surname before immigrating to the United States from Poland.  I have hesitated to attempt any research because I feel like I truly have a generic name.  Would it even be possible to learn anything about this family?

-A Researcher

In Marvelous Us! Part I and Part II we explored books related to our marvelous human bodies. Although popular culture over-emphasizes how our bodies may look, we often fail to appreciate how our bodies function. Whether or not you are happy with the way your body looks, the way it functions is truly marvelous.

April’s Family History Hunters meeting will feature a special presentation on organizing your family history research. Our presenter for this meeting, Tina Claflin, is the owner of Halcyon Reflections, a certified photo manager, and offers independent consulting and organizing services for veterans, families, and non-profits to help others get organized to preserve their stories.

In this installment of the Pushing My Shelf  blog series, Katie M. tries her hand at writing a haiku after reading a book about poetry.

This month we thought we would do a blog series for the Push Your Shelf Bingo Challenge. The challenge is to complete Bingo squares that “push your shelf.” In other words, read or try something that you might not ordinarily consider; something not typically found on your bookshelf. Find out more here.