Library Closure and Move-Back
The library will close from May 13 – June 2, 2013 to move back to the newly remodeled library. The library will reopen to the public on Monday, June 3, 2013 at 10:00 am. More »
Remodel Update
The remodel of the main library accelerated in February and March and the change is dramatic. Lovely maple cabinetry has been installed in the entry, creating a setting for a service desk, an express check out area and a new Friends of the Library bookstore. An attractive wireless bar is being installed for computer users and the new children’s room entry is being framed in.
The newly exposed vaulted ceilings and statuesque fir columns continue to impress, defining a space that is full of natural light and reflective of the Pacific Northwest. The northwest theme will be continued in a cedar trellis that will frame the customer service area. The trellis features 66 handcrafted pieces of clear cedar, manufactured by Peter Wagner, who is donating his wood, time and efforts.
An atrium-style lounge area with a view to a peaceful exterior landscape is almost complete – ready for patrons who seek a quiet place to read. Furniture, shelving and display modules have been ordered and are expected to arrive in May.
Stay tuned for information on our Grand Opening in June.
More »
Bookmobile Garage Underway!
On February 20, the library remodel reached a significant milestone, when the slab for the brand new bookmobile garage was poured. The Rotary Club of East Jefferson County is building the garage with a $30,000 cash and sweat-equity grant. It’s probably not widely known, but the bookmobile garage is a lynchpin of the entire remodel effort.
By relocating the bookmobile garage from the present library building to a separate facility on the west side of the library property, approximately 400 square feet of public service space is freed up. That space will be used for seating, computers, collections and study tables. The new garage will house the bookmobile and its 2,500-item collection in addition to serving as the location for Friends of the Library book storage and quarterly book sales. 
Milt Morris, Rotary Club project director, has solicited several local businesses to underwrite and contribute in-kind services, which will keep the costs of the project manageable. A hearty group of Rotarians has, so far, cleared vegetation, graded the site, built the footings and poured concrete for the 24'x 42' structure.
The East Jefferson Rotary Club deserves a big THANK YOU! Their generosity has contributed to our expansion plans in a very meaningful way.
PS. The remodel of the main library is well underway and on-schedule. The target date for re-opening to the public is June 3, 2013.
More »Library Remodel Progress
Director's Report by Ray Serebrin
The remodel of the main library building is well underway. We have reached the point where one can look at the interior and begin to imagine the final result – a beautiful new space with an improved layout, redesigned seating space, more computers, new shelving, upgraded display of materials and revamped lighting and signage.
More »
Remodel News
The library is about to experience an interior remodel. This project will result in a two-week closure and a move to a temporary location. This remodel is a BIG DEAL for our organization and for our public and we want to do our best to keep you informed. Plans for reworking the entire floor plan are finalized and bids for the remodel have been advertised in the Leader newspaper and the Daily Journal of Commerce.
The remodel will provide improved layout of public areas, seating, computer access, display of materials, and upgraded lighting, carpet and paint.
We hate to close, but we must move out of the library to get it ready for the contractors.
More »New Book Club Kits
These four titles are now available as Book Club Kits. Learn more.
Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff
"’Cleopatra stood at one of the most dangerous intersections of history: that of women and power,’ writes Schiff in this excellent, myth-busting biography. It is that intersection that interests Schiff rather than romance. Cleopatra was no great beauty but was charismatic, intelligent, shrewd, and ruthless, concerned less with love than with maintaining her kingdom, threatened by Rome's civil wars. No one will think of Cleopatra in quite the same way after reading this vivid, provocative book,” from Publishers Weekly (09/06/2010).
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
“Walls re-imagines the life of her grandmother, Lily Casey, who by age six was helping her father break horses. At 15, she left home to teach in a frontier town--riding 500 miles on her pony to get to her post. She learned to drive a car, fly a plane, and with her husband, managed a vast ranch in Arizona, surviving tornadoes, droughts, floods, and the Great Depression,” from Ingram’s ipage.
Swamplandia!
“Swamplandia! is a shabby tourist attraction deep in the Everglades, owned by the Bigtree clan of alligator wrestlers. When Hilola, their star performer, dies, her husband and children lose their moorings, and Swamplandia! itself is endangered as audiences dwindle. Ravishing, elegiac, funny and brilliantly inquisitive, Russell’s archetypal swamp saga tells a mystical yet rooted tale of three innocents who come of age through trials of water, fire and air,” from Booklist (10/15/2010).
Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
“When Irene America discovers that her husband has been reading her diary, she begins a secret Blue Notebook, as much the truth about her life and her marriage as the Red Diary is a farce. Alternating between these two records, "Shadow Tag" is an eerily gripping novel,” from Ingram’s ipage.
More »Moving an Entire Library!
Can you imagine packing up an entire public library and moving it, and then packing it up again and moving it back? Well, that is what we are about to do. As daunting as that sounds, library moves happen hundreds of times a year at libraries throughout the country. That does not mean they are without stress, do not require hours of planning and are something you’d like to spend your leisure time doing. Nevertheless, once in a while, when you need to make way for the wrecking ball, they can be done!
Lucky for us, there are a number of quality “library movers” in the Pacific Northwest. These are folks who specialize in helping libraries get from here to there. The firm we have hired, Star Movers, has moved libraries throughout the Puget Sound including the recent move of our C.L.A.N. partners at the Port Townsend Library. We have carefully mapped where everything goes we will rely on our staff and our movers to make it all happen.
Everything we pack up will go to designated locations at the Temporary Library (at 51 Colwell Street in Port Hadlock) or our Storage Facility on the Chimacum School campus. Of course, this is the perfect time to throw out stuff we never use and dispose of “memorabilia” that has outlived its useful existence. That too, is part of the plan. Use the move as an excuse to clean up!
To make the move we will close for two weeks starting on December 3. When the move is done, we will be housed at the Temporary Library, open for business at 10 am on December 17. Learn more about our move.
Questions? Ask here, call me at 385-6544 or email me at rserebrin@jclibrary.info.
More »Award Winning Novelist David Guterson Visits Nov. 14
Wednesday, November 14th - 6:30 P.M.
Chimacum High School Auditorium
This year's Huntingford Humanities Lecture will feature Pacific Northwest author David Guterson, who will discuss his career as a writer. His debut novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, won the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award. His other books include East of the Mountains, Our Lady of the Forest, The Other and Ed King.The Huntingford Humanities Lecture was established in 2001 in memory of Sara L. Huntingford. She was a longtime supporter of the Jefferson County Library. Copies of Guterson's books will be available for purchase following the event. More »
New And Noteworthy CDs
Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim Yames – New Multitudes
2012 - Rounder
The concept of taking lyrics of unfinished songs from Woody Guthrie’s archive and creating something new was first introduced back in 1998 by Billy Bragg and Wilco (Mermaid Avenue). If you’re a fan of those albums, or even if you’re not, here’s a new set of material that follows that same concept. The songs range from tender ballads to hard rockers, but all serve as creative interpretations of Guthrie’s undiscovered work, especially nice to hear as we celebrate the centennial of his birth (July 14, 1912). The deluxe edition includes two discs, with the bonus disc every bit as strong as the first.
More »Kids Celebrate Summer Reading
Congratulations to the kids and teens who participated in this year’s Summer Reading Program, “Reading is Out of this World!” It was a record-breaking year with 410 kids and 114 teens joining in the fun!
The reading portion of the program isn’t over until Labor Day. Kids and teens are encouraged to continue reading, receiving prizes and adding more rocket fuel to our reading rocket. A special thank you to Drew Elicker for creating the rocket in the Children’s Room, which clocked over 4,200 hours of reading.
Thanks to the Friends of the Jefferson County Library for providing reading incentives and fabulous programming. We also extend our thanks to the adults and teen volunteers who helped throughout the summer.
