Louis L’Amour Story: Louis L’Amour and the University of Jamestown

Phyllis Bratton, University of Jamestown,  Raugust Library Director

Shortly after Louis L’Amour’s death, Kathy L’Amour gave the University of Jamestown’s Raugust Library copies of all of his books, and continued to do so for many years after his death, as more were found among his papers and published.  In this gift, she included many translations of his works.

As a result, Raugust Library holds 387 volumes of his work, 189 of them in a language other than English.  These include Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Czech, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Greek, Hungarian, Slovak, Dutch, Hebrew, and Slovenian.  This might be the largest collection of his works in foreign languages in the world, outside of the Library of Congress!

Mrs. L’Amour also gave Raugust Library a set of his bound works in English.  For many years, these were on display with pictures and articles about him in the library’s lobby.  Now, they are housed in the “Listening Room”, where students go to watch DVDs and to use other audio/visual technology.  Library staff added western pictures and photographs to the room to enhance the theme.

Raugust Library welcomes residents of Stutsman County to use our collections.  Library cards are available and users may check out a limited number of items.  We have only two main restrictions:  we do not do interlibrary loan, and we ask that people in the community not come during exam week, as we are very busy helping students finish their semester.

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NEW NOVEMBER ADULT PROGRAM

FUNERAL OPTIONS

MIKE WILLIAMS

6:00 pm TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Michael R. Williams will speak on pre-planning funeral options, cremation, body donation, and deaths occurring out-of-state.  He will also discuss legal right to disposition and where ashes may or may not be interred.   He will also share his experiences of funeral celebrations and changing attitudes toward the traditional funeral rite.  Mike is a local funeral director and owner of Williams-Lisko Funeral Chapel of Jamestown and Edgeley.

Adult Program classes are held in the lower level Alfred Dickey Library conference room.

REGISTER HERE:  http://www.friendsofjrvl.org/#!sign-up/nodfz

Summer Adult Programming

New Adult Programming starts in earnest next week.  Go to the Friends Of The James River Library web site to register for a class.  Registration

Dina Laskowski teaches Memoir Writing, A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Worlds

 

Rob Keller Talks About Balance Between Digital and Traditional Marketing

Kyle Dean talks about Careers in Broadcast.

Tourism’s Summer Jamestown Calendar

For a quick look at all the great activities scheduled for the Library, and in Jamestown, this summer, take a look at Tourism’s Jamestown Calendar

 Adult programs to learn something new and great kids programs to  to keep them reading all summer.                       

Dina Laskowski teaches Memoir Writing, A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Worlds

Aaron & Ryon Love to Read During  The Summer

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW?

1. “Modern Computing 101″ will be held on Tuesday, April 14th at Alfred Dickey at 6:00 pm, taught by Justin Batz, a computer whiz.  Register on line at: www.friendsofjrvl.org/projects/current  Or just show up.

“Today there are many electronic devices that connect us with family and friends. Some are more complicated than others, some are larger than others and some do more than others. What sets the Computational Devices available today apart from one another? Which ones are available in town and how much do they cost? How can we make use of these new gadgets?  These are the main questions that will be answered.” Instructor Justin Batz,

2. “Read Local” will be held at UJ Reiland Hall Thursday on April 9, 2015, 7:00 pm. Refreshments Served. Authors: Bruce Berg, Bill Kennedy, Nancy Kuykendall, Keith Norman, Larry Woiwode, Laurel Woiwode, Jim Stone.  Violist: Brooke Carroll       Benefit:  James River Valley Library receives 20% of the proceeds generated at the reading.

3. 99,644 patrons visited the library in 2014.

4. 112,491 total items were checked out in 2014. 6,437 were electronic materials. 59% were children’s books. Many children’s books are taken out by parents that read to their kids. It is said that if every child was read to from birth, illiteracy would disappear within two generations.

5. Computers were used 23,254 times in 2014.

6. There are 9,359 registered library card holders in Stutsman County.

7.The Bookmobile makes 23 stops each month checking out over 1,100 books. 14 of these stops are in Jamestown. On days it is out, it is 35% of the total circulation.

8.You can borrow e-books and e-audio from Overdrive/Library2Go on the library website. Streaming movies, e-magazines and other resources are also available.

9. You can see a list of books that you have checked out over the last 12 months on-line.

10. You can set up a “Watch List” by author. An email will be sent to you when the book arrives.

11. You can renew on-line.

12.Our staff will find just about any book you want through “Inter-Library Loan.”

13.There were 194 kids programs in 2014. 4,388 attended.

14. JRVLS has Jamestown High School Yearbooks going back to 1946.

15. JRVLS has microfilm of Jamestown newspapers going back to 1878.               http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042404/

Did You Know?

DID YOU KNOW?

1. You can see a list of books that you have checked out over the last 12 months on line.
2. You can set up a “Watch List” by author. An email will be sent to you when the book arrives.
3. You can renew on-line.
4. You can borrow e-books and e-audio from Overdrive/Library2Go on the library website. Streaming movies, e-magazines and other resources are also available.
5. Our staff will find just about any book you want through “Inter-Library Loan.”
6. There are many, many kids programs year round.
7. Our first adult program, “Computer 101” will be on April 14th at Alfred Dickey taught by Justin Batz, a computer whiz.
8. The Bookmobile makes 23 stops each month checking out over 1,100 books. 14 of these stops are in Jamestown.
9. 9,000 patrons visit the library every month.
10. JRVLS checks out 10,000 traditional materials every month.
11. JRVLS has Jamestown High School Yearbooks going back to 1946
12. JRVLS has microfilm of Jamestown newspapers going back to 1878.

The New Library and Taxes

Jamestown Public School 1% Sales Tax to End December, 2014. 

One of the most frequently asked questions about the new library is whether it will raise property taxes. The answer is no. The new library will be paid for through a 1/4% county wide sales tax.

Today’s Jamestown Sun article announces the end of the 1% school sales tax and 21 mill property tax. This sales tax and property tax levy, have paid for the $25,000,000 in debt used to construct the new high school and remodel of the middle school.

The result of the school property tax being retired is a reduction of approximately $95 in property taxes for a $100,000 home in the school district according to the Sun article. The retirement of the sales tax will result in a saving of approximately $135 to the average family according to the state tax office.

The new library will add $33.75 a year in sales tax to the average county family.  This will pay for the estimated $9,000,000 renovation of Alfred Dickey and construction of the addition.

In 2015 the average Stutsman County family will see a net tax reduction.

School Sales Tax To End Ahead of Schedule

JLG Architect Interior Renderings

These are the interior design renderings from Architect JLG. North is left, East is on top.

Computers, Children’s Collections, Children’s Program Ares, Community Meeting Room, Bookmobile Garage

CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE

Enter the library off 1st Ave, on ground level, into the expanded Children’s Collection area and plenty of computers. (Tan) Step down into what is now the current lower level of Alfred Dickey (Grey), into the new Children’s Program Room, Stage, and plenty of computers. In the southwest corner is the new Community Meeting Room that will seat up to 70.  The New Bookmobile Garage is on the northeast side. 

Computers, Adult & Young Adult Collections, Study, Tech Classroom, Audio/Visual, Local History, Large Print, DVD’s.

 CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE 

The Third Level (Grey) which is the  current Alfred Dickey Adult collection,  houses the Adult Fiction Collection, Large Print Collection and Local History Collection in addition to the Drewello, in honor of Daphne, Reading Room. Step up to the Fourth Level (Tan) into the Adult Non-Fiction Collection, Periodicals and Reference area. There is a new Young Adult Collection with plenty of computers and an adjacent Tech Classroom. Other highlights in the Adult area include Archives for Stutsman County History, Study Rooms, Communication (Skype) Room,  lots of computers and plenty of comfortable places to read.

The Latest JLG Architect Rendering Is Now Our Header

 ARCHITECT RENDERING OF NEW LIBRARY

Above is architect JLG’s rendering of the new James River Valley Library. The view is looking east across 1^st Ave. at the corner of 3^rd St.  The main entrance is on grade, no steps. Parking is on the north side of the addition.  

Comments are Encouraged

The new library combines an approximate 17,000 sf state of the art addition to the renovated 11,000 sf Alfred Dickey facility. It takes advantage of today’s electronic innovations while preserving the beauty and heritage of the 1919 design.

The estimated cost of the new facility is $9,000,000. An initiative for a ¼% sales tax will be on the November 4^th, 2014 ballot for city and county approval.  The ¼% sales tax will cost the average Stutsman County family $33.75 a year according to the state tax office.

The target date for the grand opening is September 1, 2016.

The primary service that the public library provides is as the center of a community’s learning network, a learning network that serves pre-school through high school, college through seniors. The library provides the tools for every Stutsman County child, teen, adult and senior to acquire new skills. The library helps people connect to commerce, government and each other, with new devices and technologies while providing printed materials and access to research archives.

The key word is “ALL.” Not every child or adult has access to the internet, a smart phone or tablet. The library is crucial to those who do not have access to the latest electronic device. The library provides a balance of traditional materials, printed books, and internet access for learning.

Think about Louis L’Amour at the beginning of his life as a constant visitor to the Alfred Dickey Library. He credits AD in Education of a Wandering Man with giving him the learning tools he needed to become one of America’s greatest writers.

The next Louis L’Amour could be the first person to walk into the new James River Valley Library.

The new library will act as a catalyst for revitalizing downtown Jamestown. Studies show that whenever a new library is opened, patronage goes up, circulation goes up and the rest of the neighborhood and the community become more attractive to new talent and investment dollars.

The Latest Library Information

Preliminary Plan New James River Valley Library

During our blog hiatus, we have been working diligently on the new plans to renovate Alfred Dickey and build an addition on the current Maple Mall and Maranatha properties. The addition will reflect the beauty of the stone and brick Alfred Dickey exterior. Those renderings will be available shortly. The new design will honor the past by keeping the integrity of the current Alfred Dickey building and embrace the future with a state of the art addition.

It has been proven over and over that when a new library is built, or an old one renovated, the neighborhood and often the entire community benefits. Once the new library is completed, wouldn’t it be great if an entrepreneur stepped in and turned the Masonic Temple into a downtown attraction.

In the meantime we are gathering signatures to put the 1/4% county wide sales tax on the ballot.We have gathered over a thousand signatures as I write this blog. Our goal is 1,700. They need to be turned into the county auditor by Wednesday, September 3.

If you would like to help gather signatures, or, if you want to sign a petition, give me a call at 252-2217, or email me at billkennedy0@gmail.com.