Beginning October 1 the library will be running on a new automation system. The automation system, called Apollo, affects every aspect of our operation, from cataloging the books to checking them out and in. It also will change the way you’re notified about books you have on hold and the way you pick them up. With the new system, you’ll pull your own books from the hold shelf and there will be many more stations where you can check out your own materials. You may see differences in the way we handle family accounts and the way in which you’re notified about overdue books.

The staff thinks the new system will be better in many ways and we hope you’ll agree. As you already may have guessed from this description, computers will be taking over some jobs that people have been doing. Your hold notification will either reach you by email or a computer-generated phone call. More (and easier to use) self-check stations should end waiting in lines to check out materials—that is, unless you prefer having a staff member do it for you. For those of you who have time, hate barcode scanners, and enjoy chatting with the staff at the circulation desk, the friendly faces will still be available. And, staff will continue to handle any transactions involving money.

To complete the migration to the new system and to train staff for the changes Apollo will bring, our annual fall closure will take place September 29 through October 3. As always when the library is closed, no library materials will be scheduled to come due, but for your convenience our book drop will be open. We won’t be answering the phones and you probably won’t be able to access your library account via the Internet. So mark your calendar now and plan to stock up on reading, listening, and viewing materials before September 29.

We can hardly believe four years have passed since the library had a contest to select a new design for its children’s library card. In 2004 the design contest brought in hundreds of entries and yielded two delightful winning designs. Now the library cards imprinted with those designs are nearly gone (hang on to yours, it may become a collector’s item) and a new contest is in order.

Children who are in kindergarten through fifth grade are eligible to enter.Submit your entry on a sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 white copy paper, along with a completed and signed entry form, which you may pick up in the children’s room. Entries must be received at the library by October 10. All entries will become the property of the Georgetown Public Library and will be displayed for two weeks after the deadline.

Entries will be judged by a panel of jurors from the City of Georgetown. Originality is what they’ll be looking for! The winning design will be reproduced on our children’s library cards.

The winning design will be announced November 1 and the artist will receive a $100 gift card. For more information contact Rosa Garcia at 512-930-3623 or rxg@georgetowntx.org.

On Saturday, August 16, some one hundred people assembled in the Hewlett Room to hear long-time local residents Doug Benold, Harvey Miller, Birdie Shanklin, Norman Spellmann, and Paulette Taylor recall their memories of Marshall/Carver and Westside Schools and, more specifically, the period during the 1960s when desegregation was debated and decided. The audience heard testimony about difficult times and decisions, but the serious moments were leavened with humor that all could appreciate. Lucas Adams made a video recording of the event, which will be shown on Channel 10 after it is edited.

As a result of this event, eighteen people have agreed to be interviewed individually, to share their memories of the black schools and how the desegregation debate affected them personally. While we’re very pleased with this response, we are hoping that others will come forward to participate, too. We plan to finish interviewing by late December 2008 and have the collection of recordings ready to present to the community by February 2009.

A number of people also have volunteered to be interviewers for this project. Conducting an oral history interview is not an easy task. It requires doing background research into the topic being discussed, development of appropriately open-ended questions, and an understanding about how to keep the interviewee focused on the topic. Chris Dyer, director of the Williamson Museum, and who has considerable professional experience with collecting oral histories, will be training the interviewers.

The interviews will be recorded in digital format so that they may be downloaded from the library’s website and played on an MP3 player. The recordings also will be transcribed—the biggest job of all—and paper copies will be available at the library. Ultimately, we hope to publish a collection of the transcripts.

This is only the first oral history project that the library expects to undertake. It is our test case, a project with well-defined limits, which will show us the ins and outs of the process and prepare us for a well-planned and -executed second project, the topic of which is yet to be determined. If you would like to discuss this project or others that you believe are worthy of consideration, please contact Eric Lashley (512-930-2513, epl@georgetowntx.org) or Judy Fabry (512-930-3552, jkf@georgetowntx.org).