September 2020

Exploring Hispanic Heritage Month with Your Children

  • Posted on: 29 September 2020
  • By: Jon Schafle

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th to October 15th and is a time when the United States celebrates the contributions and influences of Hispanic Americans have made to the history and culture of the country. It's a wonderful opportunity to teach your children about your own Hispanic roots or to learn about another culture. I was exposed to lots of great Mexican art, music, and culture growing up in California and have put together some suggests to share beyond.

Events
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Executive Director Laurel Best to Retire

  • Posted on: 28 September 2020
  • By: Melanie Thornton


Laurel speaking with Mayor Tommy Battle at the South Huntsville Library
groundbreaking in February 2020.

After a 45 year career in public libraries, The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (HMCPL) Executive Director Laurel Best is retiring at the end of September. Laurel has been with the HMCPL system for 12 years. She announced her plans to retire to the library staff and board of directors in July.

 

News

Get Social with the New Libby Update

  • Posted on: 26 September 2020
  • By: Annie Phillips

Have you been so excited by a book that you need to share it right away with someone else you know will love it as much as you? If you read eBooks and audiobooks with the Libby app, now you can! Read on for information from OverDrive on how to share titles directly with friends or on social media, as well as exporting your book list for further use.

Sharing titles

Readers can now share titles on social media or directly with friends, using the Share button found in a title’s Reading Journey and details screen. A shared title page shows the book’s summary, basic details, and nearby libraries that offer the title through Libby. This new option encourages users to socialize their favorite reads with family, friends, and followers while spreading awareness of your library’s digital collection.

News

Two Librarians Walk Into a Shelf Episode 8 Show Notes

  • Posted on: 25 September 2020
  • By: Michelle Brightwell

In episode 8 of the podcast, Rob and Michelle discuss materials written by authors who came to their subject or their craft in interesting ways. Come for the discussion about books, but stay for the first edition of The Library Game, and a story about wasps at the library!

You might recognize the name Deborah Goodrich Royce from movies and TV, but she’s published her first book, the suspense thriller, Finding Mrs. Ford. Monster, She Wrote is a nonfiction book about all of the women who pioneered the horror and speculative fiction genre. Why Fish Don't Exist is a memoir weaved with the nonfiction tale of a biologist who became obsessive over his work.

Podcast
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Italian Chills and Thrills for Halloween

  • Posted on: 24 September 2020
  • By: Robert Freese

Italian Chills and Thrills for Halloween

At one time, a great deal of films came into the United States for distribution to drive-ins from all over the world. Italy was one of the major countries to export genre films for double and triple features at ozoners across the country. For decades, Italian films of all types graced the giant outdoor screens, as well as hardtops, from the mid '50s through the early ‘80s, but where all but gone by the mid ‘90s.

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Drive-in Double Features Part Four

  • Posted on: 22 September 2020
  • By: Robert Freese

Drive-In Double Features #4

Drive-in season is still in full swing. Run to your Kitchen Snack Bar for some ice cold beverages, maybe a piping hot slice of pizza or a pit cooked B-B-Q sandwich, and of course, popcorn and candy or delicious ice cream. The show is about to begin! (Remember, I’m just putting two movies together for the double features, there is no double feature option on Hoopla.)

 

Hoopla

Two Librarians Walk Into a Shelf Episode 7

  • Posted on: 18 September 2020
  • By: Michelle Brightwell

In Episode 7, Michelle and Rob discuss new and old materials that they’re currently enjoying. Listen to the episode on Anchor and Spotify!

The Girl From Widow Hills       

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest—a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—comes a riveting new novel of psychological suspense about a young woman plagued by night terrors after a childhood trauma who wakes one evening to find a corpse at her feet.

Library Foundation receives joint donation as demand for children’s print books soar amid pandemic

  • Posted on: 17 September 2020
  • By: Melanie Thornton

 

The Huntsville Library Foundation (HLF) announced today that Dynetics and Mayor Battle’s Book Club donated $15,000 each to its Launchpad to Literacy Fund. The fund will purchase children’s print books for the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (HMCPL). 

Launchpad to Literacy Fund was developed after the Library faced a huge increase in demand for children’s print books since the pandemic, as more children are spending time and learning at home.

 

News

The Superhero I Did Not Realize I Needed

  • Posted on: 17 September 2020
  • By: Adrienne Bone

If someone asked me 3 years ago, "Who's your favorite superhero?" I would respond, "Batman, of course." The reason being, he is a regular guy without "superpowers," intelligent, rich, handsome, mysterious, the strong silent type, a man-of-few-words. Haha.

However, someone has taken Batman's place as my favorite superhero. Someone who has had an impact on people not just in comics as Black Panther but in real life-- that someone is Chadwick Boseman.

I know everyone has written, spoken, and posted about Chadwick Boseman's departure from us. I am still saddened and more likely will continue to be for a while. The thing is he represents what I wish of myself and others could be. You can tell he cared about his craft and wanted to tell the stories of the characters he portrayed.

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