Tuesday, February 28, 2006

"Woman's Day" Library contest

Has the library changed your life? Share your story with Woman’s Day magazine!

Libraries can change lives. They are places of lifelong learning and opportunity that can help people discover the world.

If you have a story about how the library has changed your life, send it to Woman’s Day, and it might be one of four chosen to be highlighted in an upcoming issue of the magazine!

Tell your story in 700 words or less and send it to womansday@ala.org by May 10. For more information and for the official rules, visit

www.womansday.com/ala

Put it in Writing @ your library is sponsored by American Library Association and Woman’s Day magazine as part of The Campaign for America’s Libraries. The Campaign is a multi-year public awareness and advocacy campaign designed to promote the value of public, school, academic and special libraries and librarians in the 21st century.


Thursday, February 23, 2006

It is with sadness that we report this news.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Margaret Johnson, a long-time supporter of the Gadsden County Public Library System. She will be missed. Her obituary appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat February 21, 2006:

Margaret L.C. Johnson QUINCY

Margaret Lawson Curry Johnson, 66, a homemaker and community volunteer, died Sunday, Feb. 19, 2006. She is survived by her husband, Walter Alexander Johnson. The service will be at 11 a.m. EST today at Gretna Presbyterian Church in Gretna, with burial at Sunnydell Cemetery. Family will receive friends after the service at the cemetery. Charles McClellan Funeral Home in Quincy (850-627-7677) is handling arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to:

the American Red Cross, 187 Office Plaza, Tallahassee, FL 32301;

Friends of the Library, 341 E. Jefferson St., Quincy, FL 32351; or

Gretna Presbyterian Church, c/o James H. Thompson, 939 Luten Road, Quincy, FL 32351.

She was a lifetime resident of Gadsden County and a graduate of Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga. She was a member of the Gretna Presbyterian Church, where she was the first woman elder.

She was a board member with the Friends of the Library and a member of the library commission.

She also was a member of the board of directors of the Sand Cliffs Condominiums in Walton County near Emerald Crest. She was a former executive director of the American Red Cross in Gadsden County.

Survivors include two sons, Curry Johnson and John Sidney Johnson (and wife Angel), both of Quincy; a daughter, Sarah Lawson Sanchez (and husband Rick) of Pensacola; a brother, John Shaw Curry (and wife Janice) of Quincy; four sisters, Jane Curry Hinson (and husband Alex) and Mary Howard Griffin Edwards (and husband Bo-Bo), both of Quincy, Helen Griffin Owenby (and husband Carl) of Tallahassee and Ethel Griffin Knox (and husband Dr. John) of Atlanta; and five grandchildren, Sidney and Hayley Johnson, both of Quincy, and Ja, Chavis and William Sanchez, both of Pensacola. She was preceded in death by her mother, Lawson May Curry Griffin; her father, John Curry; and her stepfather, Dr. J.M. Griffin.

Published in the Tallahassee Democrat on 2/21/2006.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

In case you missed it....

From our local newspaper, "The Gadsden County Times":

Library finished early; CBI gives back to county
02/10/06
Alice DuPont

It doesn't happen often. And it may be a first in Gadsden County. Monday morning CBI – Cook Brothers, Incorporated – gave back $27,381 to the county. The money was the company's share saved when the construction phase of the William "Bill" McGill Library was completed nearly two months ahead of schedule. "The overall savings for completing the project ahead of time was $92,000," said Finley Cook, CBI president. He said he was able to finish the project early because he used local people. "I like to use people from around here when I can. I enjoy working for the county," he said.

The money will be used to purchase new furniture for the 1.6 million dollar facility. The new library has 14,500 square feet and has a separate computer room as well as a room for public meetings.

Library Director Jane Mock said she and her staff are anxious to move. "We've done a lot of weeding already in anticipation of the move but we're still very overcrowded," she said. The one-story library will eliminate the need for an elevator and stairs. "The new library will be a lot more accessible and a lot more visible," Mock said.

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=582&NewsID=696206&CategoryID=3291&on=1

note: while the EXTERIOR of the library is finished, the interior still has a ways to go, including, as Jane Mock stated, the completion of our furniture order, much of which has to be custom built. The opening date is expected to be sometime in April or May. -- GCPLS staff

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Quincy Library through the ages.




303 N. Adams St. 1850-1851. 2 stories, brick, center entrance porch. Housed the Quincy Academy until 1912, later served as temporary courthouse, meeting house, library, and public school.



The current library is located in the basement of the Sheriff's office/Justice Complex on E. Jefferson St. (Highway 90) near downtown Quincy. The library has around 8,000 square feet, and has seriously outgrown the location.


The NEW main library will be located at 732 Pat Thomas (route 267), between the new bank and the post office. The space will increase to 14,500 square feet, and will feature larger community and meeting rooms, more public access computers, and will have a more spacious feel. Plus, no stairs!


Projected opening date is in the Spring of 2006.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Welcome!



Welcome to the Gadsden County Public Library System!
This is our first attempt at blogging and we hope to keep everyone updated with exciting news and coming attractions.
We also plan on letting everyone know the progress on our new Library Building, which we hope will be ready for occupancy sometime this Spring.

Keep checking back!