Did you know that after ten years of state quarters that the last quarter-Hawai’i- will be released later this year? So far the U.S. Mint has produced almost 35 Billion quarters as a part of the program. To learn more about the 50 State Quarters Program CLICK HERE.

Join us this Saturday, May 30th for our third adoption day from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM featuring the Williamson County Humane Society. At 8:00 PM we will also be showing Marley and Me the movie that was in theaters last winter.

“This site has been designed to visually introduce you to the diverse world of Brand Name Pencils. I believe you will be amazed at the sheer number of pencil brands once produced in the USA and abroad. Sadly those days are over and the craftsmanship once put into the ordinary pencil is but a thing of the past.”

Next week is Constitution Day. On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met one final time to sign the document which is now the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. Round of applause for our founding fathers!

So, in the spirit of Constitutional education, some fun facts for you:

• Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787. At this time the population of the U.S. was around 4 million.
• 39 of the 55 delegates signed the Constitution, which was written in under 100 working days in Philadelphia.
• At age 81, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to sign.
  The Bill of Rights was not added to the Constitution until 1791.
• When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the Constitution was moved from its home at the National Archives to Fort Knox for safekeeping.

Most importantly, the Constitution is the document that established the U.S. government as one filled with checks and balances, to assure that no one branch of government would gain too much power. Designed to be flexible, it can be amended as called for by the changing needs of the nation over time.

http://blog.usa.gov/roller/govgab/entry/constitution_day

Yes, I know…a blog post about blog posts, but these blogs from Consumer Reports are a great way to get information on their latest reviews and opinions. This page includes links to all the blogs on cars, electronics, Home & Garden, Safety, Money, Health, and Kids. Check it out by CLICKING HERE.

Did you know that the library has a collection of historic photographs of Georgetown? Check It Out! Click on the image below:

Bring your dog and participate in this Georgetown Reads event.

There will be refreshments and prizes in three categories:
-Most look-alike dog and owner
-Best dog outfit/costume
-Georgetown’s ugliest/cutest dog

For more information contact Richard Groves at 930-3551

The entries are in! Voting by the public takes place December 9-15 at the library but you may see the entries here.

One-room Schoolhouse

Texas Legal Services offers access to a free tax website for Texans earning under $50,000 per year. CHECK IT OUT!

Ever want to read the front page of almost every daily newspaper in the world? The Newseum in Washington, DC gathers together the front pages of 630 newspapers everyday. Check it Out!

We are very pleased that Georgetown Art Works chose the library to be one of the venues for October’s Art Hop 2009. This event is a juried show of the work of Texas visual artists who work in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pencil, charcoal, ink, mixed media, photography, and printmaking.  Eighty-five pieces by 43 artists will hang at the library, at Dog-Eared Books, Cianfrani’s Coffee Shop, and Framer’s Gallery–creating the “hop” part of this event. The opening reception is Friday October 2, 6-8 p.m. at the library and the winners will be announced then. The show will hang until Thursday, October 29.

Also, check out the Happy Trails banners that are hung on the lightposts on the south side of the library. The library is a balloting place where you can vote for your favorite banner. See the others that are hung around the Square and on blocks adjacent to the Square–a total of 55 unique works of art.

The Georgetown Public Library will be closed Monday, January 18, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Our bookdrop will be open. Regular hours will resume at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 19.

Have you ever wondered how flat maps are put together to make a globe? Watch this video from the Chicago History Museum to Check It Out!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgErv6M19yY[/youtube]

The Big Painters Group will be showing their work this month on the bridge and in the west wing gallery. Members are Gordon Bina, Bob Douglass, Betty Lemley, Tina Marentette, Judy Ommen, Barry Scott, Glenn Smith, and Jill Strong. Five years ago some of the group participated in a workshop with well-known painter Jerry Seagle, who inspired them to pursue their interest in painting in large formats, whether on canvas, papers, or board. Since that time the group has met monthly to paint together and Mr. Seagle joins them, as they laughingly say, “to spur them on to fame.” This is the first time the Big Painters have done an exhibit together at the library.

Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Today there are over 100,000 eBooks available through the project, as well as partners and affiliates. CHECK IT OUT!

Members of the Texas Society of Sculptors (TSOS) have agreed to exhibit pieces of their work at the library on a rotating basis, changing them out every two or three months. This informal agreement gives three-dimensional artists the same opportunity to display their work at the library as the two-dimensional artists have. The library’s second-floor galleries for two-dimensional art have become so popular with local painters and photographers that the areas are booked into 2011.

Currently on exhibit are Ho Baron’s Acrobats (outside the south entrance), Bob Coffee’s Eeyore is Sad (outside the south entrance), Marla Ripperda’s Hey Diddle Diddle series (in the lobby and children’s room), and Gary Yarrington’s Young Dancer (on the second-floor bridge). Click here to see photos of these sculptures.

Do you like maps?  Here’s a great site, Strangemaps.com, which finds maps in all sorts of places.  Below is  the great semi-colonial state San Serriffe, one of the great April Fool’s Day pranks by the Guardian newspaper in the UK.  Those of you in the publishing world might find this amusing for the references to typography.

The University of Nottingham has put together a great site that has a wonderfully eccentric scientist and others discussing and experimenting with 118 elements. Each video is about 2-4 minutes long and offers a lot of laughs and a lot of learning. For example, did you know that we might lose all of our helium one day as it all floats out into space?

CHECK IT OUT

We’re sharing with you terrific and cool stuff we find as we go about our business – which is connecting you with information.  Many times what we discover is a useful website or a fun new tool.   It might not warrant a Baffle the Bookworm or Ask a Librarian column, but it worth sharing anyway.

Here’s my first fun tool to share with you – Custom Guide – Quick Software Reference Guides -

http://www.customguide.com/quick_references.htm

All the most popular software applications are included, and all guides are designed to print out on one sheet of paper – front and back.  These are full color guides, with screen shots and tips to help navigate and negotiate the most common tasks in each program.

Check it out!

If you need a reason to visit the library, come during September to see  the beautiful show the Williamson County Art Guild has hung in our second-floor galleries. Painting, photography, and collage are represented, the colors and textures are bright and diverse, and prices are posted on each piece if you’re interested in collecting. This show will hang until the end of September. Pictured at right is the painting by Sherry Adamo Pratt that won best of show.

we have found a way to do just that.  Back issues of magazines that the library subscribes to are either in the Children’s area or upstairs in the Adult Collection area.  They will be stamped on the front of the issues with the word “Circulating”.  Bring these magazines to any Circulation desk, and the staff will place it inside a plastic envelope, and check it out to you.  These items will check out for three weeks, and may be renewed once.  There will be no overdue fees, but if the plastic envelope is not returned by the due date, there will be a $1.00 charge to replace the envelope.