June 2010

Bedford Public Library System Offers Free Computer Skills Classes

The Bedford Public Library System is offering free instructional beginner classes in various areas of computer usage. Topics include social networking, E-materials, online digital photo storage, web design, Microsoft Word 2007, and Internet Explorer. The course topics being offered will vary according to library location. All courses will be instructed using Windows XP and Internet Explorer.To find a list of classes being offered at your library location, please visit www.bplsonline.org or call your library.

June 2010

Bedford Public Library Systems begins Adult Summer Reading Program

Summer has arrived!  With it comes your chance to participate in the Bedford Public Library System’s annual adult summer reading program.  This summer’s program, entitled “Cultivate Your Reading Garden,” offers a game board designed to cultivate a vibrant “reading” garden.  Revisit familiar titles, or discover new ones, as you select works from a variety of genres to complete your board. 

The program, open to any adult over the age of 18 with a Bedford Public Library System card, will run from June 4th through August 14th.  Register now at any BPLS library location and begin earning points in time to enter the midway and final drawing (July 16th and August 14th, respectively).  Prizes generously donated by the Friends of the Bedford Public Library. 

Please visit www.bplsonline.org or call 540.586.8911 for further information.

May 2010

LOCAL AUTHOR BECKY MUSHKO AND ILLUSTRATOR BRUCE RAE PRESENT FERRADIDDLEDUMDAY, AN APPALACHIAN RETELLING OF RUMPLESTILTSKIN AT THE FOREST LIBRARY

Explore the world of mountain mystery when local author Becky Mushko takes us adventuring into Ferradiddledumday, an Appalachian retelling of the tale of Rumplestiltskin, at the Forest Library’s Reading Adventures afterschool program on Thursday, May 20th, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Mrs. Mushko will share excerpts from her bookand be accompanied by her illustrator, Bruce Rae.  Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to see how imagination, words, and art come together to create a reading adventure! The Reading Adventures program is appropriate for grades K-5 and includes a craft and snack.

Please call the Forest Library at (540) 425-7002 for additional information.

April 2010

JACK TALES COMING TO BEDFORD CENTRAL AND FOREST LIBRARIES, OF THE BEDFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM

A sure-fire recipe for a good time opens April 30th, with your choice of a 10:30 a.m. program at the Bedford Central Library or a 2:00 p.m. program at the Forest Library, sponsored by the Friends of the Forest Library. R. Rex Stephenson’s dramatization of the Jack Tales has delighted audiences for thirty-five years and will particularly appeal to fun-loving audiences of all ages at the Bedford Central and Forest Libraries because of their fast-paced action, energetic actors, innovative staging, and foot-stomping music.
The dynamic performers with the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre bring these traditional Appalachian Mountain folktales to life in innovative and highly imaginative ways. The tales, based on original mountain folktales, have been passed down from generation to generation in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Many originated in England and Germany before the settlers came to America. The dramatizations, according to a reviewer for The Roanoke Times, “would make Jack proud.”
As Richard Chase writes in his preface to The Jack Tales, "it is always through the 'little feller,' Jack, that we participate in the dreams, desires, ambitions and experiences of a whole people." 
The toe-tapping music comes from guitars, fiddles, a washtub bass, autoharp, spoons, and washboards in a recreated mountain family band.
Please call the Bedford Central Library at (540) 586-8911, ext. 2107, or the Forest Library at (540) 425-7002 for additional information.

April 2010

SNAPSHOT: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF LIBRARIES, VIRGINIA’S CARDINAL ASSET
The Bedford Public Library System will hold Snapshot Days between April 20th and April 29th:

Libraries all over Virginia will hold a “Snapshot Day” between April 19th – 30th, to collect information and photos that illustrate the impact that Virginia libraries make in their communities on a typical day.  For the Bedford Public Library System, Snapshot Day will take place on April 20th at the Moneta/Smith Mountain Lake and Montvale Libraries, on April 27th at the Stewartsville Library, on April 28th at Bedford Central Library, and on April 29th at the Big Island and Forest Libraries.
Snapshot Day is a Virginia Library Association and Library of Virginia project, based on similar projects of the same name that began in New Jersey and have been held all over the country.  The goal of Snapshot Day is to encourage Virginia libraries to collect and report basic data on a given day between April 19 – 30, such as how many people visited the library, used computers, attended programs, etc., and to show images of people using the library and its resources. Virginia’s libraries are busier than ever these days, with people coming in to check out books, as well as to use computers, look for jobs, and attend the many programs our libraries offer.  All across the state, libraries are the cornerstones of their communities, places were people come together to visit, learn and share ideas.
On these dates, we hope to capture a slice of life in the Bedford Public Library System’s libraries. There will be a chance for library customers to comment on what their library means to them, and pictures from libraries all over the state will be available on the Snapshot Flickr page.  Please visit the Snapshot website, http://mozart.radford.edu/snapshotvalib to find out more about this exciting project. Better yet, visit your local BPLS location on its designated Snapshot Day and be a part of Snapshot Day 2010.

April/May 2010

Create G.R.A.N.D. Size Summertime Fun with the Grandkids! Learn how by attending The Grandkids are Visiting! program at your local Bedford Public Library System library.

During the month of May, the Bedford Public Library System will be helping all grandparents, granduncles, grandaunts, and any other patrons prepare for their favorite kids' summertime visits with The Grandkids are Visiting! program.

This program features a talk by Mrs. Sherry Ayers, an Early Childhood Specialist, who will share tips on becoming a GRAND grandparent. Learn how to plan and create fun and memorable experiences. Have an opportunity, at the end of program, to practice your newly acquired GRAND skills through hands-on activities.

Registration recommended.  Program schedule is as follows:

Bedford Central Library, 540.586.8911, ext. 1111 – Monday, May 3rd at 3:30 p.m.
Big Island Library, 540.425.7000 – Monday, May 10th at 3:30 p.m.
Montvale Library, 540.425.7006 – Thursday, May 13th at 3:30 p.m.
Forest Library, 540.425.7002 – Friday, May 14th at 3:30 p.m.
Moneta/Smith Mountain Lake Library, 540.425.7004 – Thursday, May 20th at 3:30 p.m.
Stewartsville Library, 540.425.7008 – Friday, May 21st at 3:30 p.m.

April/May 2010

Local Fiber Art Colors the Walls of Bedford Central Library’s Exhibition Gallery

Step into the world of knitting, weaving, spinning, crocheting, and needlework when you visit the fiber exhibit on display, at the Bedford Central Library, from April 12th through May 16th.

The exhibition is rich with local fiber history and talent.  You will see an array of tools and art pieces that exemplify the wide variety of the fiber arts, including spinning, weaving, crocheting, needlepoint, felting, and knitting. The pieces displayed range from categories of family heirlooms to artistic forays to works of practical necessities, but all share in common their creation from local fiber enthusiasts. 

On Saturday, May 1, join other fiber enthusiasts for a fiber gathering from noon to 5:00 p.m. Spend the afternoon, or just a few hours, swapping fiber stories and skills.  Bring a project you are currently working on or the supplies to learn something new. This gathering will feature a special community project of joining knitted or crocheted 6" squares to create child sized blankets for Bedford Social Services.  Square templates are available at the Bedford Central Library if you plan on participating in the project.

February 2010

Bedford Public Library System Offers Free Computer Skills Classes

The Bedford Public Library System is offering free instructional classes in various areas of computer usage. Topics include Internet safety, online searching, social networking sites, web design, Microsoft Word 2007 and computer troubleshooting. The course topics being offered will vary according to library location. All courses will be instructed using Windows XP and Internet Explorer.

To find a list of classes being offered at your library location, click here or contact your library.

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January 2010

Bedford Central Library Hosts Picturing America Exhibit

The Bedford Public Library System is pleased to be a recipient of the Picturing America collection. Picturing America, a free initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), helps teach American history and culture by bringing some of the country’s great art directly to classrooms and libraries. The public can view the exhibit at the Bedford Central Library throughout the month of November. A self-guided audio tour, available at the Library Services Desk, brings the pieces to life through the telling of significant historical background information. Preview the Picturing America collection at www.picturingamerica.neh.gov.

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January 2010

Bedford Public Library System Offers Free Computer Skills Classes

The Bedford Public Library System is offering free instructional classes in various areas of computer usage. Topics include Internet safety, online searching, social networking sites, web design, Microsoft Word 2007 and computer troubleshooting. The course topics being offered will vary according to library location. All courses will be instructed using Windows XP and Internet Explorer.

To find a list of classes being offered at your library location, click here or contact your library.