Library Wins Million Minute Challenge!

We at Marshall Public Library would like to thank our patrons for the great effort everyone put forth in the national Million Minute Family Challenge. In its 12th year, the Million Minute Family Challenge encouraged interaction and communication among family and friends by setting a national goal of playing games for a total of one million minutes from September 1 through Dececember 31.

As a group, our final tally was 113,488 minutes which ranked us in first place nationwide! Our library patrons should be proud of their accomplishment. The final tally nationwide was 1,060,940 minutes. Our in-house grand prize winner with a total of 11,260 minutes was Clockstoppers. They will receive a new board game to continue playing well into the new year. We also held the in-house raffle and the winners are: Team Three Star, Puzzlemania, The Boarding Party, and Suz10y Q10’S. Congratulations! Each winner needs to come in and pick up their new card game.

As a result of this competition, we have seen families join together laughing, having fun, and enjoying time with each other. Many people took this challenge to heart and played games together and communicated in positive ways throughout the community. We have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this challenge and look forward to participating again next year.

Caralee Workman, Circulation Librarian

Friends Purchase New Laptops

Thank you to the Friends of the Marshall Public Library for purchasing four new laptops and a new room for our library!

The Marshall Public Library has offered free computer classes for several years. Classes have always been taught at the public Internet stations,which meant that the teachers saw only the backs of their students’ heads and class was often interrupted by the buzz of daily library business.

This generous gift from the Friends means that teachers and students can now see each other’s faces in the privacy of an enclosed space, and it has transformed the dynamic of the classes with students asking more questions and understanding and responding better to instruction. This means that the connection between teacher and student that is vital for the best classroom experience is stronger than ever!

The ability to use computers to gather information is now a part of basic literacy. The Friends’ recognition and support of the library’s role in digital literacy will truly transform lives.

The Friends of the Marshall Public Library is a volunteer organization that raises money to support library resources and programs. If you are interested in becoming a Friend, please call Eliza Schmidt at 234-2102 or Tracy Van Dyke 241-9344.

Amy Campbell, Reference Librarian

New Look for the New Year

If you haven’t been upstairs at the Library since the new carpet was installed, please take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the new layout. After moving 40,000+ books and magazines, 46 shelving units (several times), 16 book cases and dozens of other items of furniture, a new look has emerged.

Look at all the space! (It’s a secret where we found it.) See if you can find some secluded areas to use, away from the areas of highest traffic. All the carpet in the building is now the same, and it is delightful.

Many groups ask to use rooms in the library for meetings and filling all of those requests has not always been possible. In order to help meet this need, the Friends of the Marshall Public Library have donated a meeting room that can be scheduled in the same way as other meeting rooms in the Library. Groups of up to eight people can be accommodated in this new area on the second floor.

Many thanks go to the library staff, men from City Parks and Recreation, Haywire Robotics Club, and other volunteers who worked hard to make this change happen!

Come and enjoy.

Kris Castro, Reference Supervisor

Chief Theatre Display

Pocatello was once home to no less than nine movie theatres before the era of the Cineplex. Perhaps the grandest of these was The Chief, which burned to the ground twenty years ago in 1993 leaving only a mosaic at the entrance to a parking lot in its wake.

During the month of January, Marshall Public Library will host a display about The Chief by local historian Jack McCurdy spanning its 56 year history. The display will be located on the second floor at the head of the north stairwell.

Trent Clegg, Reference Librarian

Welcome New Staff Member Kristy

I am so happy to become a member of the staff of Marshall Public Library.

Having been born and raised in Pocatello, the MPL was a strong part of my growing up. I have fond memories of weekly trips to the library and not so fond memories of getting into my first car accident in the library parking lot.

I enjoy spending my time with my husband and daughter and wrangling our two dogs, cat, and turtle. I am a voracious reader of just about anything and I am particularly interested in the history of our area.

After surviving a computer software change and getting new carpet upstairs in my first few months, I can’t wait to see what other challenges are in store here at the Library.

Kristy Lyon, Circulation Librarian

Set Your Winter Reading Goal

It is time to register for Marshall Public Library’s winter reading program, "There's Snow Better Time to Read." This program will be for all ages and reading levels.

Each reading level will set a goal of how much reading they will do before March 1. When the goal is met, they will enter their completed reading log into a drawing.

Here is the breakdown for each level:

Ages 0-5 years: These young participants will need a bit of help because their goal will be based on the number of hours someone reads to them, with a minimum of 5 hours.

Ages 5-12 years: Participants’ goal will be based on how many hours theyread, with a minimum of 5 hours.

Ages 12 to 112 years: Participants will set a goal of how many books will be read by March 1, with a minimum goal of 3 books.

As you can see, there is something for all ages and reading levels. The program is going on now and will run through March 4. Register now in the lobby at MPL.

Becky Hadley, Readers Advisor

Million Minute Family Challenge-- Amazing News!

We are pleased to announce that we achieved our lofty goal of 100,000 minutes! Thanks to all who participated and helped us reach our goal. We willannounce our in-house winners in next month’s newsletter.

Caralee Workman, Circulation Librarian