On Saturday, April 12 at 2:00, the Central Texas Jazz Society will present a free screening of the Smithsonian Institution’s history of jazz. The video, which runs about an hour, will be shown in the Hewlett Community Room.

The library will observe Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22, with a variety of displays and activities in the Hewlett and Friends Community Rooms.

Art displays to watch for: early in April, members of the Central Texas Pastel Society will share their works with the library. The show will hang most of the month. In the latter part of April, faculty members from GISD’s fine arts department will display their work in our gallery on the second floor bridge.

If you’ve picked up A Twist at the End, you know that this year’s Georgetown Reads! selection is a long one. Richard Groves, who is coordinating the events that are part of this year’s program, has decided to give everyone a bit longer to read before scheduling any programs.

He’s very pleased to announce that Steven Saylor will visit the library on Wednesday, June 11. Although plans are still tentative, he expects the program will begin about 7:00 p.m. and will be followed by a book signing.

St. John’s Methodist Church, a loyal supporter of our past Georgetown Reads! programs, also has tentatively scheduled its annual discussion group for Wednesday, June 4. This will be a good chance for talk about the book before Saylor’s visit.

The Red Poppy Coffee Company, the library’s inhouse eatery, will be closed April 20 and 27 in observance of Passover.

Have you seen the Red Poppy link on the library’s updated web page? It‘s a quick way to get to Lisa’s menus and catering information. Think about all the ways she can help you entertain!

Amanda Eyre Ward is next up in the Friends of the Library’s Hill Country Author series. She’ll speak in the Community Rooms at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 8. Ms. Ward’s most recent novel, published last year, is Forgive Me, which is inspired by the true story of Amy Biehl, an American Fulbright Scholar, who, while in South Africa, was viciously stoned to death as she drove her student home from class. One critic suggested Ward’s “lovely and exhausting (book), should be devoured.”

Ms. Ward won the Violet Crown Award in 2003 for her first novel, Sleep Toward Heaven. That book and her second, How to Be Lost, are both categorized as “psychological fiction,” evidence of Ward’s interest in developing strong characters and examining relationships. While the topics of these books, chance relationships among women and family disfunctionality, might appeal to readers of lighter chick lit, Ward’s fine prose and unexpected plot twists reward all readers.

After living several places on the East Coast, studying in Kenya and teaching in Greece, Ms. Ward studied fiction writing at the University of Montana, where she completed her MFA and met geologist Tip Meckel, whom she married in 2000. She now has two young sons and lives and works in Austin.

Tickets for Ms. Ward’s appearance are $13 in advance or $15 at the door and include dessert and beverages from the Red Poppy Coffee Company. They may be purchased at Second-Hand Prose, the Friends of the Library’s bookstore on the second floor of the library, or by calling Louise Beyer at 512-635-3447. Proceeds from this event will be used to fund unbudgeted projects at the library.

A year’s worth of renting meeting rooms has taught us a lot. This short article is an attempt to describe what we’ve learned and then summarize what that means to users.

First, there is a great demand for low-cost, or better yet, free, meeting room space in Georgetown. So many small groups cannot afford, nor do they need, the large spaces that are more readily available in town. We’re happy to be able to help meet the need for smaller spaces, but we can’t be all things to all people. It’s been necessary to limit the number of uses and length of time per use that individuals and groups can use our free rooms so that the rooms aren’t booked for whole days or weeks at a time by only a few people. What our users need to remember is: if you want to reserve a free room, there will be some restrictions–one use per month for two hours and only during the hours that the library is open. If you are willing to take your chances and just use the rooms on a first-come, first-served basis, you may use the rooms more than once a month, but your length of use will still be restricted.

With the restrictions on the free rooms, competition is stiff for our least expensive and smallest rental room, which holds 30-40 people. Demand for this room is compounded by the fact that it also is the City’s computer classroom. The secret to getting to use this room is to plan far ahead or be flexible about when your event can take place.

Our meeting rooms may not work well for certain events. Social events, such as parties, receptions, and showers are among those that seem to be problematic. Time spent decorating or otherwise setting up the rented room may not seem to a user like time they should have to pay for, but the fact is, no one else can use the room while you’re decorating, so you have to pay for the time.The same goes for cleaning up after the event. If you want to wait until the next day to clean up, you must decide that up front and pay for the extra hours that you tie up the room.

Using the meeting rooms before or after library hours also causes problems, particularly if the event is one at which people will come and go–like a reception. The library doors are locked and must remain locked when staff is not here. Users are responsible for letting their guests or participants into the building and making sure that no one enters who is unauthorized. Usually this means that someone must remain downstairs throughout the event to monitor the entrances.

If you rent the room before or after library hours, there will be no one available to help you if equipment doesn’t work, the heating or cooling isn’t functioning, or to unlock doors for you if you’re unable to make the keys work that were issued to you. Using the meeting rooms before we open means opening three locked doors, each of which requires a different key.

Social events also tend to be noisier than business meetings and may cause disturbances if they take place during regular library hours. Amplified music, such as a band, will require permission from the Library Director.

People who rent the meeting rooms often expect to be able to bring in food that they have prepared or purchased. In most cases, that will not be permitted. The library has a contract with Lisa Hoeckstra, the owner of the Red Poppy Coffee Company, which gives her right of first refusal on all food service that takes place in our meeting rooms. Right of first refusal means that anyone who wants to serve food at their event must discuss their menu with Lisa. You will only be allowed to bring in outside food if she chooses not to cater your event or some aspect of the menu, say, for example, a cake.

The kitchen that is adjacent to the meeting rooms is not a commercial kitchen and is not outfitted with cooking, serving, or eating utensils. It is not available for the public to use except in a few special circumstances. The kitchen is Ms. Hoeckstra’s catering headquarters.