Talk to the Frackville Library

Remember you can get most federal and state income tax forms at the library.  Or use one of our computers to do your taxes online.

     As you may have read in the paper, the Borough Council of Frackville has voted as part of its 2009 budget to reduce its support of the library. From a potential appropriation of over $17000-in the past funding has been based on 1 mil of collected property tax revenue-the budget contains only $1000 for the library this year. This shortfall amounts to 20% o our budget! While we can appreciate the difficulties of everyone during these tough times, including the Borough, this harsh decision could mean the dissolution of an organization which has served the community for almost 70 years. Our community has little to recommend it in terms of recreational, technological, and cultural resources. Don't let us lose what we do have! Call the Borough Office and show your support for continued library funding.       

     Yes, we're at it again. Those delicious Deppen pies, locally made, are once more available for sale from the library. They come in ten wonderful varieties-the ever popular blueberry crumb, cherry crumb(one of my personal favorites), peach crumb, double crust apple, lemon sponge(very popular), coconut custard, shoo-fly, raisin crumb, no sugar apple raisin, and strawberry rhubarb. Each pie is a generous 9 inch size, great to eat right away, or freeze for another day. Pies are $8.50 each and the cost of the pie is due with the order. Orders can be placed until Feb. 18 and will be available for pick-up at the library on March 4. Support your library and enjoy some pie. You deserve it! Call 874-3382 for information or use our contact page at www.frackvillelibrary.com.

     Tickets for the Library's Annual Golden Ticket Dinner are still available. The dinner takes place this Sunday, January 25, at 1PM.   A delicious prime rib dinner,  drinks for two, and a chance to win a great cash prize can be yours for a donation of $125. Right now the library needs your help more than ever! Recent events have resulted in a loss of a considerable portion of our budget, and the chances of our recovering this funding are slim at best. Please consider joining us.  

       The Eight by Katherine Neville. Twenty years ago, Neville created a masterful romantic adventure story which combines two interesting themes-chess and the French Revolution! Her heroines, the spirited young nun, Mireille, and Catherine Velis, a modern day working woman and computer whiz, travel from one exotic local to another in search of a legendary set of chess pieces, the Montglane Service. Both women find themselves in Algeria, a land we don't often hear about in the news or in fiction, making their way from the coast of the Mediterranean to the great Sahara and the Atlas Mountains. Also available after a long wait is a sequel to this popular novel, called The Fire. Both books are available at your library.

    The Price of Butcher's Meat by Reginald Hill. I hope my reader's will allow me my annual Jane Austen reference. As you may or may not know, I am a big fan. But what does an English writer of police mysteries have to do with Jane Austen? Apparently he is also a Janeite, and in his latest book he manages to combine one of his popular Dalziel and Pascoe murder cases with Austen's unfinished fragment of a novel, Sanditon. Hill very cleverly converts the 19th century characters into modern day folks, and adds in his detectives to create an amusing and entertaining brain-teaser. He also adds some very interesting twists while still staying true to many of Jane's original themes.    

     Time is passing quickly! Do you have your Golden Ticket yet? Don't forget to reserve your place for our second annual Golden Ticket Dinner on Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 1PM at the Fountain Springs Country Inn. A $125 donation gets you a chance to win $2500, two delicious prime rib dinners, and four drinks(beer or wine).  Many of us enjoy a trip to the casino or buying a box in a Superbowl pool. Why not use some of your 'games of chance' budget to help out your library? The need has never been greater! Call 874-3382 for reservations or information or use our contact page at www.frackvillelibrary.com.  

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K.Rowling. On Harry Potter's 17th birthday, Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic, arrives at the Burrow to give the famous threesome things left to them by Albus Dumbledore in his will. Harry and Ron receive items which date back to The Sorcerer's Stone-the Deluminator, which was used to turn out the streetlights of Privet Drive and the Snitch, which Harry caught in his mouth during his first Quidditch match. But Hermione's inheritance was something we had never heard of before-a book of fairy tales. Little did we know that lurking inside this volume of weird little stories, which rival the Brothers Grimm, were some important clues to the mystery of the entire Potter saga. Rowling, with her genius for background material, wrote tales to accompany the titles mentioned in Deathly Hallows as a gift to some special friends. In December, 2008 these were published in a small volume which we can all enjoy. This book, while most likely meaningless to non-Potterites, is a must for Potter fanatics!