Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all our family, patrons, and friends! Thanks for making this another great year with the Abbeville County Library System --

Remember, the libraries will be closed Saturday, December 22 through Wednesday, December 26. So stock up now with some great books, magazines, movies, and cds, and we'll see you again on the 27th!

Erskine Students 'learning to serve'

As part of a freshman seminar course on the history of reading, eight Erskine College students spent part of their semester learning about public libraries and volunteering their skills. They helped with children's programming, made suggestions for new music and film purchases, and took part in many of the events at the libraries. Last week, they shared their experiences with their peers at a presentation on campus, complete with photos, a scrapbook, and lots of good memories --

Lights, Camera . . . Christmas

For many folks, this Friday marks the start of the Christmas season. How about a Christmas film festival to help you get in the mood? Our Christmas movies include:

Christmas Classics:

A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Story
Miracle on 34th Street
Christmas in Connecticut
White Christmas
It's a Wonderful Life

Newer Releases:

Christmas with the Kranks
Elf
The Christmas Shoes
The Christmas Blessing

Children's Films:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas
The Polar Express

and lots more!

Calhoun Falls Library gets a new look

The Calhoun Falls library has been getting a new look -- thanks to the Calhoun Falls High School FFA and the Friends of the Abbeville Libraries. The Friends purchased benches, a fountain, bushes and plants to update the outside of the building. Here, the FFA students lend their expertise to planting, weeding, and making it all come together! These students have worked so hard all week -- and we truly appreciate all their labor! (Stay tuned -- we'll have photos of the finished product soon -- thanks to these students, it's going to look great!)

Great quotes from kids

At a recent storytime in Calhoun Falls, one 6 year old girl announced that if she were "boss of the library" she would "let everyone scream" in the building. This sparked much discussion around the storytime craft table:

One girl, age 8, said she would "read all the books -- and get on the computers, too!"

One boy, age 8, said he would "command people to get off the computers when their time is up -- and charge $10.00 for late books."

And my personal favorite, from a 7 year old girl:

"I would tell everyone to be quiet -- and buy books with cuss words."

Watch out -- those librarians of the future are going to be a hoot!

New in Large Print

Tired eyes love large print books. Here are some of our new titles in large print:

In Abbeville:

Countdown by Iris Johansen
Fool Me Once by Fern Michaels
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

In Calhoun Falls:

Impossible by Danielle Steel
No Place Like Home by Mary Higgins Clark

In Donalds:

The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Just Rewards by Barbara Taylor Bradford

These large print titles are just in and will be on the new bookshelf soon! Or put one on hold now, and we'll call you when it's ready for check out --

Harry Potter bookcart extravaganza

Monday night, teens from Abbeville County gathered to hang out at the library, show off their Halloween costumes, and decorate one of our library bookcarts. See below for their entry (a Harry Potter-themed cart) into a national contest. Come by the library to see the cart itself -- they really did a cool job!