Herr Memorial Library

Flood victims have until November 14, 2011 to register with FEMA for damage or losses incurred by Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee.    For more details, call 1-800-621-3362 or go to www.DisasterAssitance.gov.

The Public Library for Union County has a collection of FEMA publications in the Reference Collection, including flood maps and information on repairing your flood damaged home and retrofitting your home to prevent flood damage.

There are a few spaces left the Herr Memorial Library’s fall session of Discover for preschoolers. The creative early-learning program for children from 3 to 5 years of age is held on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:10 a.m. before the library is open to the public. It continues through Dec. 7 and 8.
The Discover program for preschoolers features the use of stories, rhymes, songs, and hands-on activities that may include simple musical instruments. There also is a focus on learning specific skills such as color, shape, and letter recognition through a variety of activities. Since they are with their parents and caregivers during the program, preschoolers associate reading with comfort and security. In addition, adults learn from library staff how to continue teaching early-literacy skills at home.
For more information, call 966-0831, email herr@herrlibrary.org or visit the library at 500 Market Street in Mifflinburg. Herr Memorial Library is open from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

    The three libraries in the Union County Library System can now lend eBooks for the Amazon® Kindle.  
    “This addition helps public libraries accelerate their drive to become the first online stop for eBooks, where visitors can browse, discover, and sample new and popular titles and authors in virtually all subjects,” said Steve Potash, CEO of OverDrive, a leading digital distributor of eBooks and audiobooks.
   Through a North Central Library District contract with OverDrive the three members of the UCLS — The Public Library for Union County, the Herr Memorial Library, and the West End Library — are able to offer many works in electronic form.  Ebooks can be downloaded to desktop and notebook computers, as well as to smartphones and eReaders.
    The process for borrowing a public library eBook for Kindle is similar to the process for other devices.  Most eBooks already in the libraries’ catalog are compatible with Kindle, so users simply browse or search for “Kindle Book,” check out a title with a valid card from the UCLS libraries, and then click “Get for Kindle.”  
    Access to the Kindle Book will occur at Amazon’s website after the user signs in and selects delivery to a Kindle device or any of the free Kindle reading apps.  As with all of the libraries’ eBooks and other digital content, titles are available 24/7 and incur no late fees because they automatically expire at the end of the lending period.  
    In addition to Kindle, OverDrive provides support for all major desktop and mobile devices, including Windows®, Mac®, iPod®, iPhone®, iPad®, Sony® Reader, NOOK™, Android™, BlackBerry® and Windows® Phone. A complete list of compatible devices is available online.
   To get started, eBook users should have a valid Union County Library System card ready and click on the “Look for Books & More” or “Online Resources” buttons on the left side of any of the following websites: www.unioncountylibrarysystem.com, www.publibuc.org, www.herrlibrary.org, and www.westendlibrary.org.  More information about how to proceed is available online.
   Also, a dedicated station for downloading audiobooks is available at The Public Library for Union County, 255 Reitz Blvd. in Lewisburg.  For more information, call (570) 523-1172.

    Dr. Donald Kraybill, who is nationally recognized for his scholarship on the Amish and other Anabaptist groups, is the author or editor of more than 25 books and dozens of professional articles. His 2007 non-fiction book “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy” with Steven M. Nolt and David L. Weaver-Zercher examines the Amish understanding of forgiveness and explores how and why they responded to the 2006 killing of Amish school children at Nickel Mines in Lancaster County with grace.
    On Thurs., Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. Dr. Kraybill is scheduled to give a presentation in the Weber Chapel Auditorium at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove.  Doors will open at 6 p.m. There is no reserved seating.
    The free public event is presented as part of the 2011 Read Across the Valley project “Living Simple, Living Plain.”  A cooperative effort of one academic and 13 public libraries, the Read Across the Valley project encourages exploring regional cultures, reading, and building a sense of community by encouraging residents to talk about what they read.
    Member libraries are: Beavertown Community Library, Degenstein Community Library, Herr Memorial Library, James V. Brown Library, McClure Community Library, Middleburg Community Library, Milton Public Library, Montgomery House Warrior Run Area Public Library, Priestly-Forsyth Memorial Library, The Public Library for Union County, Selinsgrove Community Library, Blough-Weis Library of Susquehanna University, Thomas Beaver Free Library, and West End Library.
    The National Endowment for the Humanities and numerous private foundations have supported Dr. Kraybill’s research projects, and he is the series editor of “Young Center Books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies” published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.
    His presentation is the final of four Read Across the Valley presentations in 2011.  Kevin Williams, editor of “The Amish Cook” column and co-author of several “Amish Cook” books, spoke in Sunbury in July.  Marta Perry, author of a series of Amish suspense books, spoke in Sunbury in August. Tamar Myers, prolific author of two mystery series, spoke in September in Williamsport.
    “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy” and Dr. Kraybill’s 2010 book will be available to purchase at the event, and Dr. Kraybill will be available to sign materials after the presentation.
    The author’s presentation is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “We the People” initiative.  Additional Read Across the Valley sponsors include Kohl’s, Sam’s Club, Sunbury Broadcasting Corp., and the Wal-Mart Foundation.
    For more information about the Read Across the Valley project, follow the organization on Facebook or visit www.readacrossvalley.org

The Public Library for Union County, 255 Reitz Blvd. in Lewisburg, will close at 1 p.m. on Thurs., Sept. 8, due to flooding and impassable roads in the area.  A decision about operation on Fri., Sept. 9, is to be determined.

The three members of the Union County Library System — The Public Library for Union County in Lewisburg, Herr Memorial Library in Mifflinburg, and West End Library in Laurelton — will be closed on Mon., Sept. 5, for Labor Day. Each library has an outdoor book drop available for the return of books and magazines, and The Public Library for Union County also has a special drop box for audiovisual materials such as movies, music, and books on CD.
Library card holders who have registered in advance at their home library may renew eligible materials by accessing their accounts through the system’s website www.unioncountylibrarysystem.com or through any of the individual libraries’ websites.
For more information, call 523-1172 for the library in Lewisburg, 966-0831 for the library in Mifflinburg, and 922-4773 for the library in Laurelton.

Perhaps best-known for her “Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery with Recipe” series, author Tamar Myers will talk about her latest novels, “The Witch Doctor’s Wife” and “The Headhunter’s Daughter” at 7 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 14, at James V. Brown Library in Williamsport. The free event is presented as part of the 2011 Read Across the Valley project “Living Simple, Living Plain.”
Although she herself is not Amish, Myers explains that her ancestors were and that she draws on family history in her new books.
“You would not believe my mother’s family tree!” Myers said in a recent interview for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. “I am descended from the great Amish patriarch Jacob Hochstetler, who immigrated to America on the ‘Charming Nancy’ in the 1730s along with the first great wave of Amish from Switzerland.”
The Read Across the Valley project is a cooperative effort of one academic and 13 public libraries with the purpose of exploring regional cultures, promoting reading, and building a sense of community by encouraging residents to talk about what they read.
Member libraries are: Beavertown Community Library, Degenstein Community Library, Herr Memorial Library, James V. Brown Library, McClure Community Library, Middleburg Community Library, Milton Public Library, Montgomery House Warrior Run Area Public Library, Priestly-Forsyth Memorial Library, The Public Library for Union County, Selinsgrove Community Library, Blough-Weis Library of Susquehanna University, Thomas Beaver Free Library, and West End Library.
According to Myers “The Headhunter’s Daughter,” released in January of this year, essentially is about a kidnapping plan gone wrong.
“The story idea came from the fact that my eight-times-great-grandfather, Joseph Hochstetler, was captured by the Delaware Indians in 1750 and adopted by a loving Indian family,” she told PHC. “He was eleven years old at the time.”
Myers’ presentation is the third of four that are scheduled in the area through mid-October. Kevin Williams, editor of “The Amish Cook” column and co-author of several “Amish Cook” books, spoke in Sunbury in July. Marta Perry, author of a series of Amish suspense books, spoke in Sunbury in August. Dr. Donald B. Kraybill, co-author of “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy,” will speak in Selinsgrove in October.
The doors will open at 6 p.m. for Tamar Myers’ presentation in the Lowry Room on the third floor of the Welch Wing of the James V. Brown Library in Williamsport. There is no reserved seating. Free parking will be available in the municipal lot directly behind the library. Otto’s Bookstore will be on hand to sell Myers’ books, and she will be available to sign them after she speaks.
Myers’ presentation is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “We the People” initiative. Additional Read Across the Valley sponsors include Kohl’s, Sam’s Club, Sunbury Broadcasting Corp., and the Wal-Mart Foundation.
For more information about the Tamar Myers presentation, contact Shawn Newcomer at 570-326-0536 or snewcomer@jvbrown.edu. For more information about Read Across the Valley, look on Facebook or visit www.readacrossvalley.org

The three libraries in the Union County Library System — The Public Library for Union County in Lewisburg, the Herr Memorial Library in Mifflinburg, and the West End Library in Laurelton — will be closed to the public after 5 p.m. on Wed., Aug. 24, and all day on Thurs., Aug. 25, for a system upgrade and to allow staff members to focus on development and training. On the libraries’ websites neither the “My account” service nor the online materials catalog will be available from 5 p.m. on Aug. 24 through 11 a.m. Aug. 25. All three libraries will resume regular hours of operation on Fri., Aug. 26.
For more information about the libraries visit www.unioncountylibrarysystem.com or call 523-1172 for the library in Lewisburg, 966-0831 for the library in Mifflinburg, or 922-4773 for the library in Laurelton.

Tickets for hoagies from Ard’s Farm Market are available at Herr Memorial Library, 500 Market Street in Mifflinburg, for $5 each. The sandwich sale is a new fundraiser for the library which, like other local libraries, is trying make up for lost state funding by increasing local efforts. Each ticket entitles the bearer to one regular ham and cheese, Italian, or vegetarian hoagie (with chips and a pickle wedge) from Ard’s, located along Route 45 between Mifflinburg and Lewisburg. For more information about Herr Memorial Library call 966-0831 or visit www.herrlibrary.org. The library is located at 500 Market Street in Mifflinburg and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

Kevin Williams, editor of “The Amish Cook” syndicated newspaper column, and friend of the late Elizabeth Coblentz and of her daughter Lovina Eicher, will talk about his experiences with the Amish community at 7 p.m. on Tues., July 26, at Degenstein Community Library in Sunbury. The free event is presented as part of the 2011 Read Across the Valley project “Living Simple, Living Plain.”
Williams has been involved with the Amish community since 1991 when he first began editing and promoting Coblentz’s column. In addition to the column, which includes updates family activities along with recipes and is now written by Eicher, Williams has collaborated on three “Amish Cook” books and recently finished a memoir.
The Read Across the Valley project is a cooperative effort of one academic and 13 public libraries: Beavertown Community Library, Degenstein Community Library, Herr Memorial Library, James V. Brown Library, McClure Community Library, Middleburg Community Library, Milton Public Library, Montgomery House Warrior Run Area Public Library, Priestly-Forsyth Memorial Library, The Public Library for Union County, Selinsgrove Community Library, Blough-Weis Library of Susquehanna University, Thomas Beaver Free Library, and West End Library.
Williams’ presentation is the first of four that are scheduled in the area through mid-October. With the goal of exploring regional cultures, promoting reading, and building a sense of community by encouraging residents to talk about what they read, Read Across the Valley member libraries also have invited Marta Perry, author of a new series of “Amish Suspense” books, Tamar Myers, whose books feature characters based on her religious upbringing, and Dr. Donald B. Kraybill, co-author of “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy,” to speak.
The doors will open at 6 p.m. for Kevin Williams’ presentation at Degenstein Community Library, located at 40 South Fifth Street, in Sunbury. There is no reserved seating.
Williams’ presentation is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ “We the People” initiative. Additional Read Across the Valley sponsors include Kohl’s, Sam’s Club, Sunbury Broadcasting Corp., and the Wal-Mart Foundation.
For more information about the Kevin Williams presentation, call 570-286-2461. For more information about Read Across the Valley, look on Facebook or visit www.readacrossvalley.org