Driftwood Fire

Braswell Memorial Library presents an evening of musical entertainment with Driftwood Fire on Thursday, March 5th from 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Please join us in the Warner Meeting Room to hear this delightful group which fuses jazz with an Appalachian influence for a mesmerizing acoustic-based sound.

January Library Board Meeting

The Board of Trustees of Braswell Memorial Library will meet for a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 from 9:15 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at the Golden LEAF Retreat Center, located behind the Golden Leaf building at 301 North Winstead Avenue, Rocky Mount. The meeting is open to the public.

Meet and hear Adam Shepard author of Scratch Beginnings

Braswell Memorial Library offers a chance to meet and hear Adam Shepard on Tuesday September 30th at 7:00 pm.  Please join us in the Warner Room as this young North Carolina author discusses his book Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25.00 and  the Search for the American Dream, a documentation of the author’s deliberate journey from poverty to prosperity in less than a year.  Call 442-1951 extension 3 for additional information.

March 2008: Rocky Mount Telegram article

Braswell Memorial Library is actively involved in promoting the economic vitality of our community through its partnership with SCORE: Counselors to America’s Small Business and through its BICOS project (Business Information Center Outreach Services) which is funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation.  The library has always been a source of information for small business owners and job seekers, but it is now even more proactively serving them.  During the month of March, two different free programs are being offered for folks interested in starting a small business and for folks seeking a job.  On Saturday, March 15 at 10:00 am, and Thursday, March 20 at 6:00 pm, SCORE will present an informal and informational program called “What It Takes to Start a Small Business.”  Please call 442-1951 extension 245 to register.  On Thursday March 27 at 4:00 pm, the Employment Security Commission will present a seminar called “Assistance in Finding and Keeping a Job.”  No registration is required for this meeting, which will be held in the Warner Meeting Room. Another service Braswell Memorial Library hosts is Nash County’s only Passport Acceptance Agency. The library has served as a Passport Acceptance Agency for over five years now.  First operating from the Information Services desk on the second floor, the passport acceptance area has been recently moved.  We have just finished renovating space near the Check Out desk to provide two private offices at which the public may apply for passports.  Services offered include providing information on the requirements for submitting a passport application and the costs associated with applying for a passport, help with filling out the application, taking the two required passports photos, and mailing the application to the appropriate US Passport Agency for processing. These services are not traditionally offered by public libraries, and fees are charged. Hours of operation for the Passport Acceptance Office are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Wednesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Please note that the library does not issue passports!  We help you with your passport application, certify that the application is complete, and “accept” it on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.  Fees for processing the application are set by the government. Once the application is mailed, then it is in the government’s hands!  The library website provides the basic information you need before coming in to apply for a passport, in addition to supplying a link to the Department of State website where further information may be found. Don’t forget – the library can help you plan your travel by providing travel-related books, guides, and audio-visual materials. We can’t sell you an airplane ticket, but we can help you decide where to fly.

March 5, 2008: PBS videos available free through NC LIVE

As we enter a new year, Braswell Memorial Library is pleased to announce that its patrons, as well as all public and academic library patrons across the state, now have access to a truly incredible collection of online videos. North Carolinians can now view some of the best and most popular PBS educational and documentary programming from home, work, school, or wherever they connect to the Internet.  Conveniently available through NC LIVE -- North Carolina’s virtual library cooperative -- students, faculty, and library patrons from the state’s 197 public and academic libraries can enjoy and learn from nearly 400 PBS programs including the Emmy award winning series “American Experience” and “Frontline,” as well as groundbreaking programs such as Ken Burns’ “The Civil War", “Baseball,” and “Jazz.” Children’s videos are also available, including children’s programming such as the highly acclaimed “Cyberchase” and “Liberty Kids” series. “People have had to wait until the program was scheduled for broadcast or rent or borrow the tape or DVD was available at their library or video store,” said NC LIVE Executive Director Tim Rogers, “but now they can get access when and where they need it, and at no charge to them.” NC LIVE is the first virtual library cooperative to offer statewide access to the PBS programs.  Braswell Memorial Library is an NC LIVE library.  To use NC LIVE at home, you must have a library card and obtain a password from the library – call 442-1951 for more information on how to do this. About NC LIVE NC LIVE, North Carolina’s leading purveyor of online library content and services, provides citizens with access to articles and indexing from more than 25,000 newspapers, journals, magazines, and encyclopedias, access to over 25,000 ebook and e-audiobook titles, and streaming media through its statewide network of community college libraries, university/college libraries, and public libraries.  Founded in 1998, NC LIVE operates from its offices located at North Carolina State University Libraries and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Libraries. More information about NC LIVE is available at www.nclive.org/about.phtml. About PBS PBS is a media enterprise that serves 355 public noncommercial television stations and reaches 73 million people each week through on-air and online content. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is a leading provider of educational materials for preK-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of other educational services. PBS’ premier kids’ TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (www.pbskids.org), continue to be parents’ and teachers’ most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org one of the leading dot-org web sites on the Internet.

February 2008 Rocky Mount Telegram article

2008 is a Leap Year – and things are already hopping at the library! But before we get into 2008, let me mention a big event of 2007. Blake Tedder and Friends held their annual CrimmusJam in December and generated $1,800 for the library!  The money was received as a donation to the library’s Annual Fund drive, making Blake Tedder the library’s first “Gold” Acorn Society member.  You’ll be hearing more about the Acorn Society soon – keep an eye on the Telegram for details. As well as being very committed to our local community, Braswell Memorial Library is working to strengthen all the public libraries in eastern North Carolina.  We received an LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) grant from the North Carolina State Library to host a strategic planning process for the CORE Libraries (Coalition of Rural Eastern North Carolina Public Libraries).  A consultant is working with a group of libraries within this larger group to flesh out a strategic plan for the public libraries in the region, to leverage our resources in order to better serve our communities. Braswell Memorial Library is also working with five other public library sites in Nash, Edgecombe, and Halifax counties to implement its BICOS (Business Information Center Outreach Services) project.  This Golden LEAF-funded project is aimed at helping small business owners (or would-be owners) to succeed by offering free materials and training and helping them to identify all the sources of help available to them.  We are partnering with SCORE, and working with the community colleges’ Small Business Centers, to offer as wide a range of services as possible to entrepreneurs. So, you see, your local public library is working for you and your community on all sorts of levels!  Stop by to learn more about the many other programs and services we offer.

February 10, 2008: THE FRIENDS OF BRASWELL MEMORIAL LIBRARY HOST CHAMPAGNE AND CHOCOLATE FOR THE HOMEWORK CENTER

The Friends of Braswell Memorial Library is bringing back an old and popular tradition:  Champagne and Chocolates. For years, this gala event was the Friends’ major fund raiser.  Now, after a hiatus of six years, Champagne and Chocolates is back! Katherine Lucas, Friends’ president, reports that planning for the event is moving forward.  “We hope to have a big turnout this year.  Proceeds from Champagne and Chocolates have already been earmarked for a very worthwhile cause – the Library’s new Kids’ College Homework Center.  We want to do all we can to help the Library create this new space for elementary students so they can get the help they need with homework and school assignments.” Champagne and Chocolates will be held Friday, April 18, from 7 to 9 pm.  This year the event will be hosted at the library itself.  “The building is so large and beautiful,” remarked Lucas.  “It’s a perfect place for a big party!  Bill Myers will be playing live jazz for us during the evening. Plus, folks can come and see where their money will be going – the floor plan and an artist’s conception of what the Homework Center may look like will be on display.” Steve Farlow, Library Director, further elaborated on the Homework Center: “Services to children have been the Library’s top priority for several years now.  The Homework Center is a natural – and much needed -- addition to our current services.  We will set aside a space that will accommodate 30 to 50 kids at a time – and make it look different from the rest of the room so that they’ll be excited to be there.” “We’ll have special computers for the younger children with educational software and smaller keyboards and small mice for their smaller hands,” Farlow continued. “We’ll also have laptop computers for the older kids and some desktop computers.  We’ll fill the shelves with curriculum-related books so that children have just what they need to complete their school assignments.  And, perhaps most importantly, we’ll have volunteer tutors to help children with their homework.” Melissa Corso, Braswell Memorial Library staff in charge of the Homework Center, stated “My experience as a school librarian is beneficial to my new role as School Services Librarian.  I have seen classroom teachers in action and have collaborated with them on a variety of projects.  I understand the educational and curriculum needs of both children and teachers.” Corso continued, “The Homework Center will provide a safe, quiet atmosphere for students to complete their homework and school projects.  Tutoring will be provided for those students who need some extra help.  Also, the Homework Center will offer educational assistance to Home School parents and their children.” “This is an exciting new venture that Braswell Memorial Library is undertaking.  Come find me at the event,” Corso offered, “and I will share more and answer your questions." Invitations will be mailed out in March. Admission to the event is $50 per person.  Individual and couple sponsors are being sought.  Individual sponsorships are $100 and couple sponsorships are $200. Sponsors will be celebrated at the event.  Please call Jim at 442-1951 x 249 with questions.  If you don’t get an invitation, please call Jim and we’ll get you one! Keep an eye out for your invitation, pull out your party clothes, and plan to join us here at Braswell Memorial Library on April 18 for Champagne and Chocolates!

December 2007: Business Information Center Outreach Services

Braswell Memorial Public Library is pleased to announce that its Business Information Center Outreach Services project (BICOS) has received funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation for 2008 in the amount of $125,000. This grant money will enable the library to provide business resources of all kinds to entrepreneurs in Nash, Edgecombe, and Halifax Counties at their local libraries. Six library sites will be provided with books and AV material on business topics, business resource training for library staff, and free workshops on business topics for small business owners. The library will also be working closely with SCORE to make SCORE’s business counseling available at the libraries. (SCORE is a national, non-profit, volunteer organization which provides free, expert, and confidential business counseling to small business owners and people who would like to start their own business.) In addition to adding these resources for small businesses, the BICOS project will seek to collaborate with other agencies that provide services to entrepreneurs, so that the whole array of available services is made more widely known to those who might need them. The project will be coordinated by Brenda Greene. Greene, native of Halifax County and an employee of Braswell Memorial Library since 1987, has been promoted to the position of BICOS Manager. She will be working closely with the directors at the libraries involved in the project, with a part-time assistant, and with the SCORE volunteers to see that all the elements of the project are put in place by March of 2008. Greene has served the library as a reference librarian, has had years of experience in helping entrepreneurs find information, and, having lived in this area all her life, has an extensive knowledge of the region. The libraries involved in the BICOS project are Braswell Memorial Library, Spring Hope Public Library, Edgecombe County Memorial Library, Halifax County Library, Scotland Neck Memorial Library, and Roanoke Rapids Public Library.

October 3, 2007: First Place!

Braswell Memorial Library learned today that we have been awarded First Place in the North Carolina Library Association’s publicity contest (fund-raising category) for our planned giving brochure (add link to brochure). Joel Melvin, Rocky Mount graphic artist, designed the brochure for the library this summer. Senior library staff worked with Melvin to design a piece that reflects the uniqueness of Braswell Memorial Library and its rich history of benefactors and beloved librarians. “With great individuals, a great future is possible” emblazons the front page. The brochure traces the history of the library through its benefactors and its librarians, and asks its readers to help the Library continue its great service to the community through their planned gifts.

October 1, 2007: New Senior Collection

Three hundred sixty two new books have recently been added to the adult collection at Braswell Memorial Public Library. Adults in our community aged 55 and older are the intended audience for this new collection. Books of special interest to this age group were purchased with a grant from the State Library of North Carolina. According to the 2000 census, older adult comprise approximately 21.4 % of the local population. Baby Boomers have reached the ages of 55 to 60. In the coming years, we can expect the percentage of folks in this segment of the population to grow – throughout the nation, the state, and our two-county area. Because of this demographic trend, the Library has identified the senior population as a service priority in the Collection Development Policy. The library chose this age group as a focus for the grant to address one of the Library’s strategic goals of 2007 – to expand and enhance services to this large and growing population. We hope to welcome the seniors of our area to the Library with books and services chosen with them in mind In order to know what books to purchase, the Library conducted a survey of two groups of older people. We found a high interest for medical, health, fitness, legal, and financial books. We also conducted an analysis of our current book collection to identify subject areas that needed updating or supplementing. As a result, we have ordered, received, and made available to the public approximately 362 books for this new collection. A sampling of new titles includes: Social Security, Medicare, and Government Pensions; You, the Smart Patient; Expert Resumes for Baby boomers; International Travel Health Guide; and African American Women’s Health and Social Issues. A special section on the first floor, near the New Nonfiction, holds the new collection. For more information call 442-1951 ext 229.

September 20, 2007: SCORE@braswell: SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” celebrates its Grand Opening at Braswell Memorial Library on November 1

Our area’s local SCORE office and Braswell Memorial Library invite the public -- especially those interested in encouraging the success of local small businesses -- to SCORE’s Grand Opening at Braswell Memorial Library. The event will take place on Thursday, November 1, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 at the Library. The keynote speaker, Mayo Boddie, chairman of Boddie-Noell Enterprises, will say a few words at 5:15 in the Warner Meeting Room. Before and after the keynote address, everyone is invited to come up to the second floor of the Library to meet the SCORE counselors and find out what they offer the entrepreneurs in our area.

September 11, 2007: Braswell Memorial Library welcomes SCORE: “Counselors to America’s Small Business” offers free services to local entrepreneurs

SCORE is a nationwide, non-profit organization which provides free and confidential business advice to small business owners and would-be business owners. SCORE’s local chapter is now housed at Braswell Memorial Library. Their office is located on the second floor, in what formerly were two study rooms along the east wall. Regular office hours begin September 20: every Thursday from 4 to 7 pm, and every Saturday from 9 am to noon. Appointments may be made for other times -- call 442-1173 or email score@braswell-library.org to request a session. A volunteer business counselor will return your message promptly. Staffed entirely by volunteers (working or retired business people), SCORE is committed to advancing small business, invigorating the American economy, and helping those who take on the challenge of self-employment business ownership. The mission of SCORE is to provide professional guidance and information, accessible to all, to maximize the success of America’s existing and emerging small businesses. To make the most of this new partnership with SCORE, and to bring the best available materials to our local small business owners, Braswell Memorial Library will be expanding and updating its collection of business-related materials. Braswell Memorial Library’s BIC -- Business Information Center -- will house business-related periodicals such as Business North Carolina, The Wall Street Journal, and Black Enterprise; books that may be checked out; reference books; and internet-equipped computers pointed to web resources for the small business owner. Information Services staff will be receiving training on business resources so that good information will be available every minute that the Library is open! We invite owners - and would-be owners -- of small businesses to come by and meet the SCORE counselors. Keep an eye out for news about our grand opening celebration for the SCORE office and the Business Information Center.