The Calloway County Public Library undertook its first ever day trip recently. The library's Fort Donelson Community Discussion Group members, along with members from the Fort Donelson and Clarksville Civil War Roundtables, traveled to Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The group spent a day exploring historic Stone's River National Battlefield and Fort Negley, guided by Tennessee historian Ross Massey.

The Fort Donelson Community Discussion Group is a collaborative effort between the Calloway County Public Library and Fort Donelson National Battlefield. Doug Richardson, chief of Interpretation for Fort Donelson, visits the library one Sunday a month to conduct the discussions. Between 15 and 20 adults participate each month in the popular program.

Citizens across the commonwealth are being asked to show their support for Kentucky's public libraries by signing the Declaration for the Right to Libraries. The declaration, an initiative of the American Library Association, is designed to build  public will and sustained support for America's right to libraries of all types: public, school, academic and special.

The Friends of Kentucky Libraries in cooperation with the Kentucky Public Library Association launched the advocacy project with a goal of collecting as many signatures as possible.

 

"Libraries play a critical role in our communities and this project gives citizens the opportunity to show their support of libraries at a critical time for libraries," said Mary Lynn Collins, president of the Friends of Kentucky Libraries.

 

Carol Sexton receives award from Arne J. Almquist and NKU President Geoffrey S. Mearns

Any library employee who goes to school to get a library science degree shows initiative and leadership. In the case of Carol Sexton, the children's librarian at the Pulaski County Public Library, that leadership has been recognized.

Sexton, who was one of 65 "Bridging the Gap" scholarship winners, earned her bachelor of library informatics in 2012 from Northern Kentucky University (NKU). Recently, Sexton was selected to receive the NKU Trailblazer Award in recognition of her leadership and accomplishments.

Sexton has worked at the library since 1997 but put her educational plans on hold while she and her husband put their four children through college, one of whom has a Ph.D. She felt that her credibility and credentials were lacking before she had the opportunity through the "Bridging the Gap" scholarship program to return to school. Sexton, who was in her 50s and working full time, took three or more classes per semester to complete her degree.

"My degree didn't change the way I treat my library patrons," said Sexton. "Nor did it make me care more about early literacy or the new roles public libraries face with emerging technology. What it did do, however, was give me substance, a wide base of knowledge, keen insight into technology, a foundation for leading, a sense of accomplishment, and self-assurance. I happily and proudly remember daily that I am a college graduate with a degree that I humbly use every day."

 

Mary Wheeler and the Ohio River Valley Roustabouts is the program for November. 

 

Presented by Nathan Lynn.

 

In the 1930s, Paducah native and musicologist Mary Wheeler began a journey documenting and studying the songs of the former Roustabouts who worked on the packet boats of the Cumberland, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These men's and women's hard work loading and unloading freight, cooking, cleaning and laboring led to the oral composition of hundreds of songs.

 

Nathan Lynn, local historian and musician, tells the stories of Mary Wheeler and the Roustabouts whom she documented. With photographs and musical notation from the McCracken County Public Library's Mary Wheeler Collection, Lynn will provide a glimpse into the life and times of these fascinating individuals who lived and worked on the inland waters. Lynn will also discuss the Mary Wheeler Digital Collection, which includes the world's largest collection of Roustabout songs.

 

Nathan Lynn is an American musician, songwriter and historian from Paducah, KY. As the special collections librarian at the McCracken County Public Library, Lynn has devoted time to bringing awareness to the rich history of the Jackson Purchase, including Paducah's important role in the river industry.  

 

                  

Scott County Public Library (SCPL) celebrated the Day of the Dead in November, yet how can you celebrate death and loss?

 

Widely celebrated in Latin America and Spain, its popularity increased in the U.S. after the Mexican-American community embraced its cultural heritage and identity during festivals in the 1970s. Day of the Dead then became a way to challenge U.S. norms about the Latino image, arts and culture.

 

This holiday encourages a more familiar relationship with death. Instead of being afraid of an eventuality, it teaches people to be more honest with themselves. Defined by a kind of dark humor, it helps to confront the brevity of life. By honoring  ancestors, it encourages people to remember those who have passed.

 

Actually a week of festivities, it begins Oct. 28 and ends in a national holiday Nov. 2. During this period, the popular belief is that the deceased have divine permission to visit friends and relatives on earth and enjoy once again the pleasures of life. Participants visit the graves of families and friends and adorn them with colorful flowers and offerings of food - in particular the "bread of the dead"- toys, candles and drinks among other things.  The time becomes a joyous, ritualistic celebration of life, rather than a mourning of its passing.

 

As Nobel prize-winning writer Octavio Paz explained in Labyrinth of Solitude,  "The Mexican...is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it.  True, there is as much fear in his attitude as in that of others, but at least death is not hidden away: he looks at it face to face, with impatience, disdain or irony."

 

During SCPL's library program, participants discovered more about the holiday through crafts projects for both adults and children. Adults often forget the joy of crayons, finger paint and glitter, and patrons of all ages can get in touch with their creative side.