Blues Under the Blue Roof is BACK!

The library will be jumping with hot blues music when Newton Public Library partners with the South Skunk Blues Society to present Blues Under the Blue Roof VI on Monday nights in February.

On Monday, February 6, soulful guitarist Bob Pace will launch Blues Under the Blue Roof VI at 6:30 p.m. in the library meeting room. He has been revving up Iowa audiences for more than thirty years with his talent and potent songwriting. Bob was inducted into the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 2008; however, his long musical career has been mostly driven by his passion for blues. He has opened for nationally known blues artists such as John Mayall, Johnny Winter, Delbert McClinton, Bernard Allison, Tower of Power, James Solberg, Tinsley Ellis, Dave Hole, Savoy Brown, and others. Never hesitating to donate his time and talent for a good cause, Bob has played benefit concerts for Katrina, the homeless, U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and Birdland flood victims. The library is proud to welcome him in 2012.

Bryce Janey will perform Monday, February 13, at 6:30 p.m. “Small town southern Iowa in the middle of the night, playing that old slide guitar blowin' out the lights” best describes Bryce's solo acoustic show. Bryce Janey started performing at the age of 13 in his hometown of Marion, Iowa, in a blues trio alongside his mother on drums, and his father on guitar. He quickly launched into a solo career, performing in nationally renowned venues and festivals across the U.S. Janey celebrates traditional blues in his dynamic performances, while showcasing his talents as a songwriter of one-of-a-kind electric and acoustic melodies; his numerous albums have achieved international attention.

Kevin “B.F.” Burt comes to town Monday, February 20, at 6:30 p.m. to perform in the library meeting room. His soul-inspired brand of blues is likened to artists like Bill Withers and B.B. King. Kevin is a self-taught musician (harmonica and guitar) with a smooth, warm vocal presentation. His combination of serious music and infectious humor appeals to audiences of all ages.


Des Moines native, singer/songwriter Rob Lumbard will share his finger-picking guitar style on Monday, February 27, at 6:30 p.m. in the final concert of the series. Lumbard joined The Wapsie River Band in 1980. Lumbard barn stormed the Midwest with them for ten years handling vocals, guitar, slide guitar, harp, and banjo. In 1990 he went solo, opening for Lyle Lovett, The Band, The Austin Lounge Lizards, Dan Hicks, Jerry Jeff Walker, Norman Blake, Steve Forbert, Leon Redbone, and countless Blues acts that came through town. He plays in a variety of venues year round and has participated in the Blues in the Schools program in Iowa.

All programs are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided. If you are a person with a disability who requires special assistance, please call 641-792-4108 in advance.

Read with Kota!

Kindergartners through 6th graders are invited to come and Read with Kota, at the Newton Public Library. Kota will visit weekly on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Kota, a four year old border collie/Brittany mix, is a certified therapy dog through Therapy Dogs International, and his handler is Jodie Hill. Children are invited to come and practice their reading skills by reading to Kota.  Kota is a patient listener. The event will take place in the Carousel Horse Room in the children's department of the Newton Public Library. No pre-registration is necessary. If you have any questions, please call Youth Services Librarian, Phyllis Peter at 792-4108.

2011 Annual Report

Director’s Presentation to Newton City Council on October 3, 2011


Thank you for allowing me to present this annual report on behalf of the Newton Public Library Board of Trustees.

The library building turns 20 years old this fiscal year. The roof repair and interior wall repairs in the circulation office have been completed. I appreciate Council’s addressing the problem with funding a roof repair last fiscal year, and thanks go out to Public Works and the building inspector for lending their expertise in making that happen and for their ongoing assistance with building issues.

As for the numbers you have in front of you, they are relatively stable and show that the community continues to utilize the various services of the library on a consistent basis. Using end of the year figures (June 30) after adding and withdrawing materials, the library has 99,314 items to circulate to readers. This includes downloadable audio and e-books that have been added to our catalog. Circulation for 2010-11 totaled 132,520 items plus 11,239 Internet computer checkouts (6 public Internet computer stations). I have included for you some additional statistics I thought you might find interesting.

Besides circulating books, movies, and CDs, and providing free Internet access and educational programming, you may not know of some of the other services that your public library provides the public free – without charge. Library staff members proctor tests for college students enrolled in online and correspondence classes. The library also provides notary public services and basic Internet instruction. Thirty-three data base subscriptions are available to library card holders from home and at the library on topics ranging from auto repair to genealogy to the World Book Encyclopedia. The library is a WiFi hotspot, and residents can bring their laptops to the library and work at any of the study carrels or tables located throughout the library.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the community for all of the extra support given to the library for materials, activities, and programs that promote reading and lifelong learning. Cash donations of $13,995 last year came from groups and individuals, including a grant from the Jasper County Community Foundation, memorials, and an estate bequest from Mrs. Beverly Eisele. While the Eisele estate bequest will be used to fund future library needs, the other donations have been used to add materials to the library collection and in support library programming.

The Friends of the Library organization provides vital support to the library. Last year the Friends provided funds for books, promotional materials, newborn books and bags, summer reading events, and transportation for 1st graders to tour the library, all totaling over $2,108. In addition, many Friends of the Library volunteers lent their time and energy to make sure library events were a success.

Since its inception in 1996, the Newton Public Library Foundation has continued to play a vital role in funding public library extraordinary requests that reach beyond budget allowance to enhance technology, building, programming, and collection needs. In 2010-11 the foundation provided $18,466 of funding for library programs and reading promotion, a replacement play cube for the Carousel Horse Room, installation of an automated door at the west entrance, and new security gates.

The library is an ongoing community project that involves many people and affects many lives. Numerous businesses and organizations in the community provided monetary or merchandise donations in conjunction with library projects and programs. All library programs are free and open to the public. Several groups and individuals gave their time, talent, and energy to provide those programs which enabled the library to offer the community a broad assortment of vital activities, discussion topics, sights, and sounds. On behalf of the library board and staff, I wholeheartedly thank all of those who have supported the library this past year. A list of these individuals, businesses, and organizations that provided support can be found on the library’s Web site along with the statistics and the text of this presentation. The library’s Web site location is www.newton.lib.ia.us. Thank you for your time, your attention, and your continued support of the Newton Public Library’s mission for Newton and Jasper County.

Sue Padilla
Library Director

Newton Public Library Annual Report to City Council  2010-2011

REVENUES

City appropriation $655,667

Utility excise tax $2,591

Special library levy $109,342

Revenue from County $57,210

State Government funding $8,675

Revenue from Contracting Cities (Kellogg, Lambs Grove, Reasnor) $8,456

Gifts, Grants & Donations received $13,995

Fines and/or fees received $21,583

Total Operating suport $877,519



EXPENDITURES

Total Staff Expenditures $603,823

Total Collection Expenditures $79,238

Total Other Operating Expenditures
(including building maintenance, heat, phone, lights, cooling, postage, data processing, equipment, and supplies) $189,017

Total Operating expenditures $872,078



LIBRARY COLLECTION

Books and Serials held at start of year 77,531

Printed Books and Serials added 4,190

E-books held at end of year 6,989

Printed Books and Serials withdrawn 5,173

Total Books and Serials held at end of year 83,537

Current serial subscriptions 145

Audio Materials held at start of year 5,079

Audio Materials added 484

Audio Materials withdrawn 991

Downloadable audio books held at end of year 5,241

Total Audio Materials held at end of year 9,813

Video Materials held at start of year 3,515

Video Materials added 409

Video Materials withdrawn 581

Video Materials held at end of year 3,343

Number of Donated items 1,097

Other Library Materials held at start of year 2,726

Other Library Materials added 257

Other Library Materials withdrawn 362

Other Library Materials held at end of year 2,621

Total physical and downloadable materials held at end of year 99,314


CIRCULATION of LIBRARY MATERIALS AND BUILDING USAGE

Adult Books 61,680

Young Adult Books 9,585

Children’s Books 33,357

Video Recordings 14,802

Audio Recordings 9,033

Periodicals 2,681

Virtual circulation 783

Other items 599

TOTAL CIRCULATION 132,520


INTERNET COMPUTER USE 11,239

Interlibrary Loan received from other libraries 748

Interlibrary Loan provided to other libraries 1,367

Current total registered borrowers 15,253 (on June 30, 2011)

Registration files last weeded June 29, 2011

Library visits 78,251

Annual Meeting Room use 141



PROGRAMMING

Total Number of Library Programs for Children 187

Total Number of People Attending Library Programs for Children 6,187

Total Number of Library Programs for Young Adults 5

Total Number of People Attending Library Programs for Young Adults 56

Total Number of Library Programs for Adults 15

Total Number of People Attending Library Programs for Adults 354

Number of Children Registered in FY2011 Summer Reading Program 510

Number of Young Adults Registered in FY2010 Summer Reading Program 31

 
 

Business & Organization Donors of  Money, Services, or Merchandise in 2010-11

Advantage Credit Union

Hy-Vee

American Family Insurance, Bev Roussow agency

Jasper Community Foundation

Arts Connection, Inc.

Johnson Aviation

Blank Park Zoo

KCOB

Cardinal Lanes

Mattingly's Books and Music

Courtyard Floral

McDonald's

Culver's Restaurant

Newton Daily News

DMACC of Newton

Newton Friends of the Library

Domino's Pizza

Newton Manufacturing Co.

Eye Care Center of Newton

Newton Noon Kiwanis

Family Home Video

Newton Page Turners Book Club

First Newton National Bank

Newton Public Library Foundation

The Floor Store

Riggs Printing

The Vernon Co.

DONATED PROGRAMS

Carol Meador, Read with Raven

Mike Manno, author

Cul-de-Sac, barbershop quartet

Rick Eugene, magician

Dan Wardell, Iowa Public Television

Relay Iowa

Harmony Dulcimer Players

Shirley Damsgaard, author

Helen Rose, Saturday Storytime

Skiff Home Health

Maggie Rivers, author

Sarrah's favorite end-of-summer-into-fall poem

Brother, that breathe the August air

Ten thousand years from now,
And smell --- if still your orchards bear
Tart apples on the bough ---

The early windfall under the tree,
And see the red fruit shine,
I cannot think your thoughts will be
Much different from mine.

Should at that moment the full moon
Step forth upon the hill,
And memories hard to bear,
By moonlight harder still,

Form in the shadows of the trees, ---
Things that you could not spare
And live, or so you thought, yet these
Are gone, and you still there,

A man no longer what he was,
Nor yet the thing he'd planned,
The chilly apple from the grass
Warmed by your living hand ---

I think you will have need of tears;
I think they will not flow;
Suppposing in ten thousand years
Men ache, as they do now.

Food 4 Fines - Setp 12. to Sept. 17, 2011

The 2011 Food-4-Fines drive will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, September 12, and will end at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 17.  Each non-perishable food item donated to the library in lieu of fines will be given to the Jasper Community Food Pantry.  One food item will equal up to $1.00 in fines.  Two food items equal up to $2.00, etc.  This program does not affect charges assessed for lost/damaged materials or recovery fees.  Donated items must be within their “best by” or “use by” dates.  You don’t have to have a fine to donate, so dig into your cupboard to help those in need!

Don't forget to renew your library books.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures.

Oscar Comes to the Library

It's that time of year again. You know, the time of year when you see all the movie hype and more often than not think: "Really? That movie stank," or, "I've never even heard of that." However, out of all the oddball things that get nominated for the mulitudes of awards given out by the Academy, there are a large number of things that have grown into classics and have taken huge places in our cultural history.

So, yes, the library has a lot of Oscar winners and nominees on its movie shelves. Obvious things like Gone With the Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird, naturally; as well as more recent titles: Slumdog Millionaire, Million Dollar Baby, Crash, The Departed have homes here as well. Annie Hall, The Greatest Show on Earth, In the Heat of the Night, and On the Waterfront. I could go on, but clearly you can use the internet without a problem; check the catalog.

What I don't think enough people consider when they're watching great movies like Forrest Gump or The Miracle on 34th Street is that so many of those titles originally graced the covers of books. Yep, that's right. And Winston Groom and Valentine Davies, respectively, would likely be very disappointed that you didn't know that (let's be really honest; I didn't even know about Valentine Davies until I started working here).

Probably everybody knows about Bill Shakespeare, and probably no one is surprised to find out that several of his works have been nominated, and even won, best picture (namely Henry V, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet--twice). People may not know specific titles, but it's probably also not going to make you fall of your horse to hear that Oscar-worthy movies are often based on great plays like Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire or Thornton Wilder's Our Town.

Also, it's no stretch of the imagination to understand that classic novels have often become Oscar-nominated movies. Titles like All Quiet on the Western Front, The Grapes of Wrath, Little Women, and Sons and Lovers are just as familiar to the book-minded as to the more movie-minded. Hemingway had a few good years out of A Farewell to Arms and Of Mice and Men; Dickens with David Copperfield and A Tale of Two Cities. Edna Ferber too: she penned Giant and Cimarron.

But did you know that The Hours, starring Nicole Kidman, was an award-winning novel by Michael Cunningham (and just to mention, about Virginia Woolf, whose books we also have)? How about Atonement by Ian McEwan? 2009's controversial The Reader started as a German novel by Bernhard Schlink, and Chocolat made it's yummy debut in 1999 courtesy of author Joanne Harris. The Prince of Tides, The Godfather and Lord of the Rings trilogies, The Exorcist, The Color Purple, Dances With Wolves, and One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest all have their origins in fine literature.

Nonfiction (that's the true stories, for those of you who couldn't ever keep the fiction/nonfiction thing straight) books have also grown into movies: Seabiscuit: an American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand, A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar, Out of Africa by the woman who wrote under the name Isak Dinesen. The Diary of Anne Frank is--albeit loosely--based on The Diary of a Young Girl. This year's favorite, The King's Speech was written by Mark Logue.

To keep this as short as possible, I'll quickly mention the short stories: Rita Hawroth and the Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the first two by Stephen King and the last by F. Scott Fitzgerald) all managed to grow from a short story to a full-length feature film.

Enough lecturing. Go rent a movie. Or, better yet, pick up its print counterpart at your local library.

1040 BOOKLETS AND FORMS ARE HERE!!!

Good news for all those who want to complete their taxes!  We have FINALLY received the 1040 long forms and 1040 booklets. If you have questions, call or visit the Information desk.

Tax News You Can Use!

We HAVE 1040 EZ booklets and forms and 1040 A booklets and forms. The 1040 Long booklets have not yet arrived.

We received the new 1040As today!

Harmony Dulcimer Players in concert on Dec. 14

The Harmony Dulcimer Players will present a holiday concert on Tuesday, December 14, at 2 p.m. The musicians will perform selected holiday music in a relaxed, fun atmosphere in the library meeting room. Refreshments will be provided. All library programs are free and open to the public. Please contact Public Services Librarian, Holly Youngquist at 641-792-4108 if you have any questions.