June celebrates National Great Outdoors Month

             

         Is there a better pairing than reading and the outdoors?

Each of them on their own have many health benefits and are also very relaxing so joining them together makes things even better. Enjoy the month of June by spreading out a soft blanket under a little shade tree and reading the day away with some favorite books or magazines. Porches, hammock chairs, and park benches are all popular reading spots for many of us working in libraries here at Coastal. Where are some of your favorite places to read while enjoying the Great Outdoors?

JUNE 14th as NATIONAL FLAG DAY

Commemorates the adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777. 

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Flag Day is observed as an annual holiday to honor the flag and celebrate its history.

June is Rainbow Book Month. Let's share some Pride!

Rainbow Book Month™, celebrated the month of June, is a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, genderqueer, queer, intersex, agender, and asexual community. Rainbow Book Month™ is an initiative of the American Library Association, and is coordinated through its Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services and the Rainbow Round Table.

Here's some of our library displays celebrating this month:

Monday, May 29th is Memorial Day. What we should always remember!

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Memorial Day is celebrated in the United States each year on the last Monday in May. It is a time for Americans to honor and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the military. The history of Memorial Day dates back to 1868 when it was first celebrated as Decoration Day, as a way to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War. 

National Student Nurses Day is May 8th

 As part of the month-long observance of National Nurses Month, May 8th was designated as National Student Nurses Day back in 1998.  

Since our nursing students in Brewton finished up their exams this week and would not be back on campus Monday the 8th.  They celebrated the day a little early with cookies and brownies provided this week by the ladies at our Brewton campus library.

It's a history-making event for all to see! Saturday, May 6, 2023 will be Coronation Day for King Charles III

Sometimes to truly appreciate the present, it is necessary to revisit the past.  Our libraries carry many interesting books about the royal family. For example, the ones on display in our Brewton library as pictured below.

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There are some interesting facts about this coronation. It is the first one in Great Britain in 70 years so most people are seeing one for the very first time. Also, it is only the second British coronation to ever be televised but it is the first one to be televised in color since Queen Elizabeth's took place in June of 1953.

However, while some things do change some things stay the same. The coronation will take place in Westminster Abbey where they have been held going all the way to William the Conqueror in 1066.  After the coronation, there will be a procession ride in a 260-year-old carriage that has been used in each coronation going back to 1831. As a final tidbit for thought, President Biden will not be attending but will have his wife, Jill Biden there instead as no U.S. President has ever attended a British royal coronation.

For more interesting information see the article link below:

https://apnews.com/article/coronation-king-charles-queen-elizabeth-57485899e7a3ad8df0909f8e58599f75 

 

CELEBRATING MAY AS NATIONAL NURSES MONTH

The picture above shows Nursing Instructor, Anita Boutwell and Lynette Ruckman, Director of Nursing for Brewton and Atmore admiring our library display in Brewton celebrating National Nurses Month.

National Nurses Month is a month-long celebration in May to show appreciation for and encourage a better understanding of all the contributions nurses make every day.  The month includes several special days of appreciation including National Nurse Day, International Nurse Day, National Student Nurse Day and National School Nurse Day.  The celebration of a National Nurse Week goes as far back as 1954 but was designated officially by a White House proclamation in 1974. 

Today is National Haiku Poetry Day! I can haiku, how about you...

Today, April 17th is National Haiku Poetry Day The traditional form for Haiku is as follows: a 3-line poem with 5, 7, and 5 syllables per line. An old silent pond;  A frog jumps into the pond. Splash! Silence again. -Basho Libraries how great; At feeding the need to learn. Knowledge fills the air. -DeeDee Baggett Haiku Foundation Haiku Generator Haiku Syllable Counter

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Matsuo Basho Greatest Master of Haiku

April celebrates National Garden Month

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April is National Garden Month and it celebrates the arrival of Spring and encourages the enjoyment of  everything that has to do with gardening by recognizing its benefits to mental, emotional and physical health. 

 

April is National Poetry Month

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The concept of celebrating poetry was launched by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 when April was declared to be National Poetry Month.  Each year, the importance of poetry is celebrated all month long with events, activities and resources.  

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Let's honor the progress with March as Women's History Month

 

For the month, our libraries display a wide variety of informative resources about Women's History.

Scan here for more library displays on our Facebook page.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day this month at the libraries by finding the treasure in books.

Learn More about March 17th

Today in History from the Library of Congress

• The Guide to Irish American Resources at the Library of Congress compiles materials available throughout the Library and also includes a bibliography and selected websites beyond the Library of Congress. Read the post on the Library of Congress Blog that highlights Irish-American Heritage Month: New Resources
• Search on the term Irish in American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1940 for many autobiographical stories told by Irish Americans.
• Search on Irish in each of the Performing Arts Databases. Also a search of all collections containing performing arts material will reveal a wide variety of entertainment items relevant to Irish-American culture as well as numerous plays and sketches from the American variety stage featuring stereotypical Irish characters.
• Searching the Library’s blogs on the term St. Patrick’s Day returns several posts related to the holiday, including one from the Picture This blog on the Irish Brigade’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration in 1863.
• Search the historical newspaper database Chronicling America to find coverage including articles, photographs, and advertisements of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations from years past. To focus your results, use the Advanced Search page to search on a specific phrase (e.g., St. Patrick’s Day or Irish Americans) or date range (e.g., March 17-18, 1865).

PLAN TODAY FOR SOME SPRING BREAK READING

 

In the libraries, we have picked our books for Spring Break so now we would really like to help make your reading hearts happy. Please comment below and tell us some of your favorite book titles, favorite reading genres, or go-to authors. 

Gilbertown supports Coastal Reads

For February

For March

 

Coastal Reads has taken off for Spring Semester!

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February's book, Hidden Figures was picked out by our Thomasville coordinator, Kelly Elmore who led Wednesday's enlightening discussion about the true story of the black female mathematicians whose calculations helped the United States reach space.

March's book will be The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune which is an enchanting love story about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place.

  

 

Check out our libraries during African American History Month!

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Brewton's library display celebrates this month with the contributions of  African American authors. The top shelf spotlights the work of Octavia Butler, one of the first female African American science fiction writers.  On display is her book, Kindred, which has been made into a television series as well as some of her other book titles that are being considered for film or television adaptions. 

Also, check out the libraries' video celebrating this month made in Thomasville.

https://fb.watch/isVCim6dCo/

Snacks in the libraries for Spring Semester's First Week of Classes

 WE AT COASTAL ALABAMA LIBRARIES WANT TO  
WELCOME STUDENTS TO SPRING SEMESTER. 
COME BY TO VISIT AND GRAB A SNACK!

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SNACKS IN THE STACKS IS BACK!!

  

Gilbertown helps

 

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SGA and Library Can Food Drive

It can be "Library Time" anywhere with our online resources

SPEND TIME DURING THE HOLIDAYS

ENJOYING OUR GREAT SELECTION OF

MAGAZINES AND E-BOOKS. 

Remembering those who served this Veterans Day, November 11th