An Update

Hello again. It is now Fall. The leaves have changed colors and in the morning you are now experiencing chilly weather. Its a comforting time of year, a time for being closer with love ones, or to even become acquainted with a new book. We have the best new releases available for you this Fall and we hope you come to your closest library location to see them for yourself.

Early in October was our Forrest Ray 5k Run and Walk. It was a great success. We had so many runners and walkers eager to take part and it could not have been possible without the support and hard work of our volunteers. We would like to thank all our sponsors, individuals who helped plan and set up the race, including members of the USCS Fire Ants athletes who held signs directing runners where to go. Thanks to Ken Lowden of the United States Track and Field Association for measuring and certifying our race route. Thanks to Strictly Running for everything they do for us as well. We hope to make the race even more successful next year!

Our top overall winners hailed from Wilson Hall. Josh Jennings (18:48) and Anne-Davis Shaw (22:18) ran an excellent race. Wilson Hall also took home the Forrest Ray 5k Travelling Cup.



We would like to remind everyone our Friends of the Library Book Sale will be taking place November 3rd through the 7th at the Sumter Mall. This year's location is right beside JCPenney, across from LensCrafters. We have so many books this year for you to purchase so make your way out. The dates and times are as follows:

Wednesday, November 3rd (Friends Preview Night) 6pm to 8:30pm
Thursday, November 4th 4pm to 8:30pm
Friday, November 5th 4pm to 8:30pm
Saturday, November 6th 10am to 6pm
Sunday, November 7th (Bag of Books Day) 1:30pm to 5pm

If you are not a member of the Friends yet, please consider. The Library has faced significant budget cuts that have impacted our ability to purchase new items. Thank you for supporting your Library. We hope to see you at the Book Sale!

Sumter County Library Video Blog

Check it out!

A Summer Reading Success

Thanks to everyone who enrolled in the Summer Reading Program or attended events as part of the program. 1481 children enrolled in Summer Reading while 2116 people attended Summer Reading Events, a record! That is over 3500 people who enriched their minds over the Summer break. These numbers truly show how important Summer Reading Programs are to our community's youth.

During the Summer, it is far too easy for children to dislodge their minds from the day-to-day academic activities found in school. Instead of reading a book or learning new concepts from activities or presenters, children stare at television screens. The mind forgets all of the lessons learned during a school year. This is not a good thing for a child. A child must continue to learn and grow all year long so they have healthy and productive lives as adults.

Children who participate in Summer Reading events have better grades because they are more confident and prepared. Minds are focused because they have been learning and growing all summer. And this happens due to the hard work of library staff and community members willing to form a positive community. We hope you continue to support the Sumter County Library in its mission to enrich the lives of children and adults through knowledge.

A Summer Reading success is a success for the community.

2010 End of Summer Reading Party

Check out this video of our End of Summer Reading Party. Much fun was had!

2010 End of Summer Reading Party

Children's Librarian/Public Relations Representative Janet Caldwell discusses the party:

Libraries and Netflix

Today I read an article claiming libraries loan more movies than Netflix.

Libraries Loan More Movies Than Netflix

A recent study by OCLC, a nonprofit library co-operative and research organization, stated libraries loan over 2 million videos a day, slightly more than Netflix. What does that say about our communities? Families are looking to save money in any way possible. Is it cheap to subscribe to Netflix instead of going to the movies? Sure. Is it cheaper to rent the same movies at a library for free instead of using Netflix and/or going out to the movies? Absolutely.

Libraries contribute to our communities by doing more than loaning books. Libraries promote ideas through programs, magazines, newspapers, movies, comic books, audio books, educational tools, internet resources and more. Families and individuals these days are looking to stimulate their minds without spending money. Why buy a magazine when you can read it at the library? Why purchase a classic Jazz compact disc when you can check it out for free?

Come to the Sumter County Library today and read a new magazine and perhaps meet a new friend. Perhaps bond over a new movie.

Byki Foreign Language Training

Do you want to learn how to speak a foreign language? Are you traveling to another country and need to learn how to ask for directions/call a cab/etc.? Do you need to brush up on your language skills for a class or your degree? If so, Byki Foreign Language Training is for you. Byki is an online interactive language software tool. Byki is free. All you have to do is sign up for Byki in the library. Then you can use it anywhere on your laptop or home computer. Check out this helpful video created by library staff on how to use Byki.