Guest Blog: Domestic Violence Awareness Month by R.E.A.C.H. of Macon County

Maya Angelou stated “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” - Letter to My Daughter As we enter Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are confronted with the stark reality that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experience some form …

FRL – looking back, looking forward

As I get ready to retire next month, I find myself looking back at nearly 25 years of working for the Fontana Regional Library System.  There have been a lot of changes.  Walking into the Macon County Public Library on Wayah Street, for my first day on the job, the first thing I found myself …

Libraries On Tap

Did you know that the brewing industry is the fastest growing industry in western North Carolina?  Well, of course it is!  That’s why Fontana Regional Library system is stepping out of the stacks to bring: “Libraries on Tap: Brewing Scavenger Hunt” to Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. “Libraries on Tap” is a collaboration between Fontana …

Discovering Kids Films on Kanopy

Kanopy, the free-with-your-library-card film streaming service provided for FRL card holders, recently added a large section of films for kids. If you haven't browsed through it yet, you are really missing out! It's easy to access; from the Kanopy homepage, just click on "Kids" at the top. Here you will find a wealth of films and …

The United States in the Great War

It was the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month one hundred years ago when guns fell silence.   The combat phase of the Great War was over.  The Allies, including Great Britain, France, and the United States were victorious over the Central Powers: Germany and its allies. The United States joined the …

Guest Blog: Local author, Tyler Cook, reflects on Macon County Public Library’s Read Local Book Fair

As I reflect on the fifth annual Read Local Book Fair in Franklin, I can’t help but feel excitement, as if I’m attending it for the first time.  Each year brings a new experience, and a new group of customers gets to experience a new book, whether they buy mine or someone else’s.  For us …

Stepping Stones

A few weeks ago a riveting image showed up on my Facebook page. It was something like this: I was immediately captivated by the artist's style and searched out more images of  Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr's work. It turns out some of his creations, which he shares mainly via Facebook, have been used to …

Simple Switch, Right?…Not as Easy as “ABCs”

Making the big move from Adult Reference Services to Youth Services was not supposed to be a big deal because  I’ve been a children’s librarian for most of my career, but after working with adults for 10 years, this may take some getting used to... Instead of people asking about how to save a document …

Scandinavian Noir: Bleakness and Joy

The most famous work of Scandinavian Noir is Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Of course the artistic genre we now call Noir was not called such in Shakespeare's day, but Hamlet shares many Noir characteristics. I, personally, enjoy Wikipedia's definition of Scandinavian Noir: "a genre of crime fiction written from a police point of view. The language is plain …

Calling all Nerds! – Healthy Escapism 101

I am a proud, card-carrying nerd.  While I am not a stereotype, I enjoy and appreciate all things geek (I do, after all, work in a library).  Over the years, my inner geek has taken a back seat to jobs, school, moves, and financial constraints, however, the geek is and will always be around, waiting …