Celebrate the holidays at your local library

  • Posted on: 27 November 2018
  • By: Melanie Thornton

Join us this December to celebrate the holidays at the library! Whether it is a story time, a craft night, or live music, we have many programs that will delight the old and young alike. And the best part is that all of them (with the exception of a small supply fee for some), are FREE. 

Tween Time: Gingerbread Houses

December 2  2:00 p.m.

Madison Public Library

Network improvements at HMCPL

  • Posted on: 12 November 2018
  • By: Aaron Sakovich

In case you’ve not figured it out yet, we don’t just do books at the Library.

It was about this time of year in 2010, late fall eight years ago when I started working at the Library. At that time, the LibraryNet was all copper — analog T1 lines (think: old-style phone-grade) from our branches, a MetroEthernet for our Internet connection, and all the cabling within our Downtown Branch’s Computer Room were typically 100 megabit per second (Mbps) Ethernet links. Improving this infrastructure was quickly identified as one of my primary goals to improve service in the Library.

Here’s that story.


HMCPL network timeline of usage and bandwidth

Into the Archives!

  • Posted on: 3 November 2018
  • By: Heather Adkins

“It’s out of paper!” You scream in terror as your printer (leisurely printing your homework), grinds to a stop. You look around, but there is no extra paper to be found. These days, a simple run to the office supply store can solve your paper needs. However, paper has not always been as accessible.

In the 19th Century, letter-writing was a surprisingly expensive task. Producing paper was not cheap, and buying quality paper came at a cost. Early in the century, postmasters began charging for distance traveled and the weight of paper. Combine the price of paper with the budding idea of paying for postage – writing to loved-ones suddenly became a line item in the family budget. This added expense led many to find ways to save on paper.

Five Reasons to be a Friend of your Library

  • Posted on: 26 October 2018
  • By: Melanie Thornton

Libraries across the country are celebrating National Friends of the Libraries Week, October 21-27, 2018. Our Friends of the Library groups are vital in expanding our resources to better serve the community through fundraising, volunteer and program support and through advocacy. All 12 branches of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library have a Friends group you can join. Here are five reasons why you should join today:

Gearing up for the Halloween Season

  • Posted on: 1 October 2018
  • By: Jon Schafle

As summer winds to a close and a chill slowly begins to creep into the air we approach my favorite time of year, Fall and the Halloween season! From a young age I’ve always loved Halloween and all things spooky and working in a library gives me the perfect opportunity to share my passion with our patrons of all ages...you’re never too young or old to get into a fiendishly festive mood whether it’s October or not! I’ve put together a libguide (a sort of library research guide) specifically for Halloween and horror books broken down by age range and type that you can browse at guides.hmcpl.org/horror [1]. Some of my favorite reads are on the quirky side of horror with a dash of humor and 80’s nostalgia. Here are some of my all time favorites…

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