Tag Archive for: #granvillecountylibrary

Granville Library’s ‘Imagine Your Story’ Summer Reading Program Kicks Off June 13

/by

100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Press Release, Granville County Government

Although facilities for the Granville County Library System (Oxford, Creedmoor, Stovall and Berea) are temporarily closed to the public, the Summer Reading Program will kick off on June 13, 2020, with activities for children, teens and adults.

This year’s theme, “Imagine Your Story,” will engage readers of all ages with reading rewards, scheduled performances, storytimes and fun-filled activities that will keep the focus on reading adventures all summer long through online connections, printed activity packets and reading logs.

Kids up to grade 6 can register for the summer reading program by completing a registration form and a reading log, either in paper form or online. Those choosing to participate using a printed reading log can color in one book for every 15 minutes that they read. Once one hour of reading has been completed (four coloring books), the reading log can be traded for a prize.

If choosing an online reading log, participants can log in the number of minutes read, with every 15 minutes earning 250 points. When 2,000 points are logged in, young readers can claim a prize from their local library.

Teens (students in grades 6 through 12) can also register. For every 500 pages read, their name will be placed into a drawing for a themed prize basket – and every time a book is completed, participants can earn a food-related coupon.

Adults are also invited to participate, with a goal of reaching 20,000 points by the end of the summer. Rewards such as fun bookmarks, $1.00 fine forgiveness, or a free book through the Friends of the Library can be redeemed, as well as winning a raffle ticket for one of ten grand prizes. 

As an additional challenge, participants can check off a list of extra activities such as taking a nature walk, conducting a science experiment, researching a famous inventor, watching the stars, etc. to earn even more prizes through the “Imagine Your Story” experience.

The Summer Reading Program schedule also includes “Maker Mondays” each week at 11 a.m., Story Times with Miss Amy (Amy Carlson and Amy Kemp) on Mondays at 2 p.m., and the “Book Wizards Club” for older elementary and middle school students each Thursday at 11 a.m. 

Special performances will be held each Thursday at 2 p.m. and include Native American storyteller Ryan Stanley of the Lumbee Indian Tribe on June 18; North Carolina Park Rangers on June 25; “Rags to Riches” on July 16;  and the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences on July 23. 

The summer reading program extends through August 7. (Please note that all programming may be altered at any time due to statewide COVID-19 requirements and regulations.)

Visit the Granville County Library System website at https://granville.lib.nc.us to learn more about “Imagine Your Story” and each scheduled event. For questions, contact Amy Carlson at the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford (919-693-1121 or amy.carlson@granvillecounty.org) or Amy Kemp at the South Branch Library in Creedmoor (919-528-1752 or amy.kemp@granvillecounty.org).

Granville County Library System

Granville Co. Library System: Full Slate of Events for Beginning of June

/by

-Press Release, Granville County Government

The four branches of the Granville County Library System have a full slate of programming and scheduled events for the first week of June.

On June 1, Dr. Elliott Engel will bring to life “The Inimitable Winston Churchill.” Engel has researched numerous biographies to discover virtually unknown details of the career of this twentieth-century giant. Using large doses of humor, Engel  – a resident of Raleigh and a former teacher at the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University and Duke University –  will make his presentation at the South Branch at 3 p.m. The award-winning lecturer has published several books and magazine articles and has written four plays, which have been produced over the past ten years.

Dr. Elliott Engel will bring to life “The Inimitable Winston Churchill” on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at the South Branch at 3 p.m. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Govt.)

Best known for his service in promoting the life and work of Charles Dickens, Engel has also been inducted into the Royal Society of Arts in England and has been President of the Dickens Fellowship of North Carolina since 1980. The public is invited to attend this presentation to meet Mr. Engel and to learn more about the life and career of Winston Churchill. The South Branch is located at 1550 South Campus Drive in Creedmoor.

Also on June 1, “Teen Time” is scheduled for 2 until 4 p.m at the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford. Participants can enjoy Wii games, board games and refreshments. And immediately following at 4 p.m., those interested in attending a meeting of the recently-formed “Teen Club” will have an opportunity to offer suggestions to make their local library the place they would like for it to be. Anyone interested is asked to contact Amy Carlson at 919-693-1121, ext. 212.

A “Safe Space” for teens is held on the first Monday of each month in the small conference room of the Thornton Library. This mental health support group is offered from 5 until 6 p.m. For more information, contact Teen Librarian Amy Carlson.

Teens who enjoy cooking are invited to participate in the “Iron Chef Teen” Cooking Competition. The “Dessert Edition” of the challenge will be held on June 21 from 2 until 5 p.m., but now is the time to prepare. Those interested are invited to choose a partner and join in the high-stakes cooking competition that will involve cream cheese and cash prizes. All cooking levels are welcome. Register in person or online at granville.lib.nc.us.

Every Friday at 10 a.m., the Thornton Library offers a free computer workshop for those needing assistance with basic computer skills. For more details, contact Ashley Wilson at 919-693-1121.

Story Times are offered for young children at all library branches – The Stovall Library (Mondays), the South Branch Library (Tuesdays), the Berea branch (Tuesdays) and the Thornton Library (Wednesdays). All story times are scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

Students in kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to participate in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) every Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. at the Thornton Library. Hands-on activities and learning experiences are planned each week. Those interested in participating should call the library at 919-693-1121.

And prepare for the Summer Reading Program, which kicks off on June 20 with the theme “A Universe of Stories.” More details will be coming soon.

There are four branches of the Granville County Library System, which includes the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford, the South Branch in Creedmoor, the Berea branch and the Stovall Branch. For a complete listing of events for the month of June, visit https://granville.lib.nc.us/.

Granville County Logo

Granville County Library System announces staff changes, new hires

/by

— press release

GRANVILLE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM: Granville County Government announces that Interim Director Will Robinson has been named Director of the Granville County Library System, effective Oct. 1. Robinson has been serving as Interim Director since June of 2018, previously serving as Manager of the South Branch Library in Creedmoor.

Robinson earned his Masters degree in Library Science from the University of South Carolina in 2012 and has previous experience with the Wilson County Library System, where he served as librarian in the Local History Library and later was the library’s Head of Reference. He worked in Wilson, NC for five years before assuming the role of Manager of the South Branch in December of 2017.  He also holds a B.A. degree in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Penelope Mason, former Children’s Librarian for the Richard H. Thornton Library, was named Manager of the South Branch Library in August. Mason has worked for the Granville County Library System since March of 2011 and holds a Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as well as a Bachelors degree in Education from the University of Mount Olive. In her new role, she will perform supervisory, administrative and customer service duties in support of the Library System’s operations.

Hired as the new Children’s Services Librarian at the Richard H. Thornton Library is Amy Carlson of Maryville, TN. Carlson has experience working with children and teens through previous employment as a church ministry assistant, through missionary work on the International Mission Board in Kenya, through work with the Boys and Girls Club and other youth-related programs. She holds a Masters degree in Information Sciences, as well as a Bachelors degree in English from the University of Tennessee.

Carlson begins her role as Children’s Librarian on Oct 16.

Ashley Wilson will also begin work with the Granville County Library System on Oct. 16, serving as Adult Services Librarian at the Thornton branch.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a Masters degree in Library Science, Wilson recently completed a one-year internship with the Point Park University Center Library as a reference librarian. With an extensive background in customer service – which includes classroom instruction, research, promotional events and technology – Wilson also holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology. A current resident of Chapel Hill, Wilson replaces former Adult Services Librarian Carly Cox, who resigned in June to pursue a teaching career.

There are four branches of the Granville County Library System, which includes the Richard H. Thornton branch in Oxford, the South Branch in Creedmoor, the Stovall Branch and the Berea Branch Library. For more information about services and programs offered through the Granville County Library, visit www.granville.lib.nc.us.

###

VGCC, Library partner for discussion of Tennessee Williams and “The Glass Menagerie”

/by

Vance-Granville Community College is partnering with the Granville County Library System to present a program on playwright Tennessee Williams and his classic drama, “The Glass Menagerie,” which the college is preparing to stage as a dinner theater event.

The educational program is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5, from 10:30 a.m. until noon at the Richard H. Thornton Library on Main Street in Oxford. The event is free and open to the public. Betsy Henderson, VGCC’s Department Chair/Instructor of Humanities and Fine Arts, will make a presentation and lead a discussion on Williams (1911–1983) and the play, including its poetic elements, in celebration of April as National Poetry Month.

Henderson will also talk about VGCC’s upcoming production of “The Glass Menagerie,” which she is directing. The college’s fifth annual Dinner Theater is scheduled for the evenings of Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28, in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County.

First staged in 1944, “The Glass Menagerie” is based in part on Tennessee Williams’s own memories of his family. In 1945, the play premiered on Broadway, won the prestigious New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for the best American play of the year, and launched Williams to fame.

Henderson has an MFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. She was VGCC’s 2005 Instructor of the Year. As an actress, Henderson has worked professionally with Raleigh Ensemble Players (REP), Deep Dish Theatre Company, Burning Coal Theatre Company, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Theatre of the American South, Hot Summer Nights @ the Kennedy, Temple Theatre, and Justice Theatre Project. Henderson has toured nationally with productions of “Miracle Worker,” portraying Annie Sullivan, and “Diary of Anne Frank,” portraying Mrs. Frank. Her performance in REP’s “Distracted” in 2011 was recognized by the Independent Weekly as one of the Best Lead Performances of the year. Henderson has served on local theatre boards of directors, and as a faculty member for Cary’s Applause Youth Theatre. She is currently vice-chair of the board of directors of Granville Little Theatre, as well as the chair of the GLT education committee. She has also been the Creative Director for the Broadway and Beyond/TeenWorks summer camps for 10 years.

For more information, contact Betsy Henderson at hendersonb@vgcc.edu or Granville County Adult Services Librarian Carly Cox at Carly.Cox@granvillecounty.org.

–VGCC–