Library looks ahead to 2010

The Aiken County Public Library is looking ahead to the New Year with new program series, new technology and high hopes for the future.

The children's department will see the installation of five new touchscreen early literacy computer stations in 2010. The equipment and software has arrived but has not been installed in the children's department while the staff checks the hardware and software for bugs, according to children's librarian Jennie Beck.

"We have software for ages 2 through 10. There are more than 45 educational software packages going across seven curriculum areas," Beck said. "I'm extremely excited about it."

The library has agreed to be a partner with the City of Aiken for the City's "Celebrate Aiken" 175th anniversary and will be the site of some of the yearlong anniversary observance's events, according to library manager Michael Swan.

A book signing for "Aiken Illustrated" will take place at 2 p.m. Jan. 23 at the library. A discussion series called "Aiken Reads," scheduled to begin on Feb. 23, will be affiliated with the celebration. Details will be announced as more events are scheduled.

The library will also be home to several program series in 2010, Swan said. The Great Decisions discussion series, affiliated with the Foreign Policy Association, will resume on the last Sunday in January and will run through April. Topics will include "Special Envoys," "Kenya," and "Global Crime," among others.

The "Let's Talk About It" book discussion series returns in January with "They Went West," an examination of pioneer life and spirit, which, unusually for the series, will feature both fiction and nonfiction books. Dr. Maggi Morehouse will present video selections from Ken Burns' documentary "The West" on Jan. 28; on Jan. 30, Caroline McIntyre will give a presentation in character as Mary Draper Ingles, a Virginia settler who in 1755 was taken prisoner by Shawnee Indians and escaped after three months in captivity. The remainder of the series has not yet been announced, but programs will be held on Thursday evenings, according to Swan.

The South Carolina Bar's series of free legal clinics also resumes in January, with programs one Tuesday night each month through May. Upcoming topics include "Workman's Compensation," "Criminal Law" and "Torts," among others.

A workshop on journal-keeping for adults, to be led by Lillian Gaffney, has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24.

Story times for infants, toddlers and preschoolers resume on Wednesday mornings in January. The children's department has also begun plans for 2010's Summer Reading Program, which will begin once Aiken County schools take their summer break.

Most programs are free and open to the public. For more information about upcoming events, visit www.abbe-lib.org or call the Aiken County Public Library at 642-2020.

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.