Applegater Fall 2014
15
Williams Branch Library:
The hub of the community
— Applegate Library —
With the passing of the Library
District Measure in May, it’s been a busy
three months for the Applegate Library
and the other libraries in the Rogue Valley.
We all worked very hard to back the new,
independently funded district and nearly
55 percent of the voters supported us.
The library will now have its own district,
with the accompanying levy operating and
paying for all libraries in Jackson County.
With stable backing, libraries will no
longer have to endure the seesaw budgeting
caused in large part by reductions in federal
funding related to timber harvests.
The Applegate Library sponsored
several library programs with a literary
bent, beginning in May with six local
authors reading from their work, including
prose, poetry and essays. On July 12, Gay
Bradshaw gave a reading for the Summer
Reading Program from her new book
entitled The Elephant Letters, The Story
of Billy and Kani, and on July 19, Ellen
Levine presented a program with readings
from her novels and short stories.
The Applegate Poets, a recently
formed group of poets, held a reading
in the meeting room of the Applegate
Library on July 27. On August 2, Willy
Whitefeather offered a program on survival
in the wilderness for children.
We’re planning a crafts fair to be held
at the library on November 8. The hand-
knitters are again making hats for sale, and
many other crafts from the Applegate and
Williams Valleys will be available. Read
more information in the box below.
The next Friends of the Applegate
Library meeting will be on Tuesday,
October 14, in the meeting room of the
Applegate Library at 5 pm. Come join us
and help us out with our programs and
activities.
Joan Peterson • 541-846-6988
— Ruch Library —
We are happy to announce future
events at Ruch Library! Thank you,
Applegate Valley voters, for approving the
Library Special District and for assuring us
a secure future.
If you would like to be more
connected with this “library with a
future,” we welcome you. We are in need
of volunteers on Thursdays and Saturdays
for a couple of hours each day. We have
special projects, books to shelve, bulletin
boards to decorate, files to organize...
something for everyone. Please speak to a
staff person if you are interested. Volunteer
Barbara Krack has created a magnificent
scrapbook showing the 30-year history of
the Ruch Library, and we urge you to come
in and enjoy it.
We had an exciting three months with
the Summer Reading Program. Fifteen
teens and 55 children signed up and spent
the summer devouring books. “Science”
was the theme, and the kids (and adults)
were able to attend six exciting programs
and participate in a variety of activities.
Thanks so much to the community
members who shared their knowledge and
enthusiasm with the children.
Preserving: Our life in the
Applegate (while preserving our life
in the Applegate). Through the end of
September there will be a community
display of food preserved by local residents.
Stop by and see some of the beautiful and
mouth-watering canned, smoked, pickled,
dried and otherwise preserved food from
local kitchens.
The Friends of Ruch Library will be
having their annual Big Tent Book Sale
on October 11.
A new series of free computer
classes begins in October with Basics II,
introducing word processing, digital photo
processing, file management, and graphic
design. Classes will be held each Thursday
from 1 – 3 pm, October 16 through
November 13 at Ruch Library. Call now
to reserve your space for these classes.
Earthquake Preparedness is the
theme of a program featuring Mark Prchal
on October 25. Contact Ruch Library for
more details.
Please join us for Preschool Story
Time on Tuesdays at 11:30 am, usually
followed by a craft presented by one of our
wonderful volunteers, and for Lego Fun on
the first Saturday of each month at 1 pm.
See you at the library!
Thalia Truesdell
541-899-7438
The Williams branch of Josephine
Community Libraries is at the heart of the
Williams community, both in location and
services provided. Children’s programs,
a wide selection of books and other
materials, educational programs for all
ages, a nonprofit meeting space, and free
public-access computers make our library
a resource that is growing in demand. Wi-
Fi use, available 24/7, has doubled this
year and our desktop computers will be
upgraded soon thanks to a grant from the
Four Way Community Foundation. Hours
have been extended thanks to Herb Pharm
and many other community donors.
The libraries in Josephine County
closed on May 17, 2007. Four months
later, committed community members
formed Josephine Community Libraries,
Inc. (JCLI), a nongovernmental, nonprofit
organization dedicated to ensuring long-
term library services for every county
resident. By December 2009, JCLI had
reopened all four shuttered locations.
Over the last five years, the libraries have
seen incredible growth in usage with an
average of 350 new library cardholders
every month. As the libraries continue to
operate thanks to generous donations and
the heroic contributions of 360 volunteers
annually, they are also working to form a
special library district to meet the ever-
increasing demand for library services in
Josephine County. Citizens will have an
opportunity to vote on the library district
on the November 2014 ballot.
How you can get involved
Anyone interested in getting involved
with the library effort can send an email
to info@josephinelibrary.org. Those
interested in donating can send a check or
Young patron making solar lantern
during the Summer Reading Program.
money order made payable to “Josephine
Community Libraries” to P.O. Box
1684, Grants Pass, OR 97528 or make a
secure donation on the website at www.
josephinelibrary.org.
Keep Our Libraries Open (KOLO)
is a registered Oregon political action
committee (ID #14922) made up of a
group of citizens dedicated to passing a
library district measure on the November
2014 ballot. If you would like to get
involved with the library district effort, send
an email to info@keepourlibrariesopen.
com. Those interested in donating can
send a check or money order payable
to “Keep Our Libraries Open” to 106
NW F Street, No. 258, Grants Pass, OR
97526, or make a secure donation at www.
keepourlibrariesopen.com.
Danielle Schreck • 541-846-7020
Williams Branch Library Manager
dschreck@josephinelibrary.org
Hats off to Applegate Library sale
Saturday, November 8
The Friends of Applegate Library is pleased to invite you to join us on Saturday,
November 8, 2014, from 10 am to 4 pm for our very first annual Holiday Craft Fair
and second annual hat sale. We will be ringing in the holiday season at the beautiful
Applegate River Lodge, 15100 Highway 238, in the heart of Applegate.
Our vendors are all local crafters selling unique handmade items. There will be
jewelry, upcycled bags and totes, hand-thrown pottery, gift cards, herbs and salves,
paracord bracelets, hand-knit hats, scarves, shawls and bags, children’s clothing,
aprons, leather bags and purses, hand-etched wine glasses, teddy bears and much more!
Vendor fees for the craft fair and 100 percent of the proceeds from hat sales will
help fund Applegate Library programs. Hats will be on display inside the library for
the entire month of October.
Come shop local and support your community! Many thanks to the Davis
family at Applegate River Lodge for their support and generosity in hosting our events!
For more information, contact Carol Hoon at 541-787-7261.
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