Get the Smartest Card @ your libraryŽ
 
September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and the Bristol Public Library wants to make sure that all of Bristol and especially children have the smartest card of all - a library card. 
 
Studies show that children who are read to in the home and who use the library perform better in school and are more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifetime learning. 
 
Some of the activities we'll be promoting during Library Card Sign-up Month include every child who signs up for a card will receive a free gift from the Children's Department and there will be a contest for which school has the most children sign up for a card! 
 
"A library card has always been the most important school supply of all," says library director, Jud Barry.  "Kids can come to the library to get homework help and check out books, but they can also play games, check out music, books and DVDs and use the Internet to help make after school life fun.  There's a lot happening at the Bristol Public Library, and the best part for both kids and parents is that it's all free with a library card."
 
Getting a library card is easy.  Stop by with our circulation desk with two forms of id and we'll get you started. If you're younger than 18, you'll need a parent or guardian to sign-up with you.
 
Observed since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month is a time when the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country remind parents that a library card is the most important school supply of all. 
 
For more information on how to sign up for a library card, visit the Bristol Public Library at 701 Goode Street in Bristol, VA, call 276-821-6148 or visit the library online at www.bristol-library.org. 

GOOD NEWS FOR BCMA! 

 

Alpha Natural Resources, Abingdon, VA has awarded Birthplace of
Country Music Alliance a three year, $10,000 per year commitment providing assistance to the
organization to advance its goal of offering consistent and sustainable programming. This
assistance includes a $5,000 Title Sponsorship of Mountain Stage for this year's August 16 th
radio show taping at The Paramount Center for the Arts.
Alpha Natural Resources has an extensive history of supporting the arts and culture in the region
and giving back to the communities in which it operates, including regularly partnering with
Birthplace of Country Music Alliance in hosting Mountain Stage at The Paramount. "We are
pleased to once again provide support to Birthplace of Country Music Alliance in this effort.
Mountain Stage not only highlights and brings focus to the region's musical heritage and its
impact on music around the world, it also highlights one of the region's much loved community
resources and assets, The Paramount Center for the Arts," notes Kevin Crutchfield, President of
Alpha Natural Resources. Adds Crutchfield, "Alpha Natural Resources hopes this gift will inspire
others to sponsor future Birthplace of Country Music programs and help sustain the
organization as it continues to advance the Cultural Heritage Center project."