The holidays are almost here and many are scrambling to prepare their homes for visitors, or their minds for long hours in the car. The staff of the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library encourage all to visit and check out their collection of thousands of DVDs and audiobooks as well as classic holiday stories for children and adults.
In November, Library Director Renita Barksdale purchased 130 DVDs and 68 audiobooks with both state and city funding–the largest media addition for the year, valued at $2,500.
“We make purchases throughout the year, but this is a significant addition,” she said. “We’re trying to revamp the collection and bring in new material.”
She said that people request books and media in the suggestion box and that they purchase accordingly.
“More people are making requests and thanking our staff for the new collection,” she said.
Some new items have already been checked out, and others are on the way. A few of the new DVDs are the television series Grim and Game of Thrones, as well as the movies War Room, Wedding Ringer, Shaun the Sheep, and Cake.
DVD and audiobook rentals may be checked out for two weeks and renewed twice.
In the near future, Barksdale said she will be sharing newest arrivals on the library’s Facebook page Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library.
Additionally, the staff have reached out to Hampton Elementary and Valley Forge High Schools in an effort to show students what the library has to offer.
“More than 600 kids came in, and over half received library cards,” said Barksdale.
Of those students, she said many came back later in the day with their parents to check out books and media.
“It’s cool to see how that partnership affects families,” she said. “The kids are excited to check out our materials.”
This is an increasing trend. The library enrolled 90 patrons in November and circulated 20,000 items.
“With more high-demand items, patrons are excited about getting new library cards,” said Barksdale.
Santa will visit the library on Tuesday and Wednesday, and it will be closed from December 24-26.