News & Events

Programs
Kids' Programs & Storytimes
Teen Programs
Book Groups
Movies

Author Talks
Computer Classes & Technology Workshops
Friends of the Library Book Sales
And More…

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Jackson County Library Services, in cooperation with the Oregon Digital Library Consortium, OverDrive and Sourcebooks, a leading independent publisher, are promoting the pilot of the Big Library Read™ program which will run from May 15 to June 1, 2013. This program will provide an opportunity to unite readers – and loyal library supporters – all over the world around a single eBook.

The book chosen for the event is master storyteller Michael Malone’s The Four Corners of the Sky, a novel of love, secrets, and the mysterious bonds of families. This title will have an unlimited number of copies available for electronic checkout during the program for Jackson County Library cardholders from the library’s digital download site Library2Go at www.library2go.lib.overdrive.com.

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Bobbi Murphy, a local artist who lives along the Upper Rogue River near the Table Rocks, has an exciting exhibit of her abstract and representational photography in the Eagle Point Branch Library, 239 West Main Street. The exhibit can be seen during library hours through the month of July.

The Eagle Point Friends of the Library will host a reception for the photographer on Saturday, May 18 from 2 – 4 p.m. in the community room of the library.

Included in the exhibit are ten landscape images that she has taken on her travels through Southern Oregon, Alaska, and the Palouse region of Washington as well as portraits of Native Americans.

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Find out what parrots really want, and need, in their diet on Saturday, June 1, from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m., in the Community Meeting Room of the Rogue River Library, 412 East Main Street.

Bonnie Jay will share information that can help your bird live a longer, healthier life. She has been involved with pet birds for many years and will share her knowledge of good nutrition and care. Please DO NOT bring birds to the program.

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People of all ages are invited to drop in, learn domino games, and play on Thursdays from 1 – 3 p.m. in the Meyer Memorial Trust Community Meeting Room of the Phoenix Branch Library, 510 West 1st Street.

Come play Jamaican, Mexican Train, Cuban, and French Dominos. Don't know how to play? Learn for free! The Friends of the Phoenix Library are proud to sponsor this program.

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The BrushStrokers Art Group presents "A New View of Spring" now through May at the Rogue River Branch Library, 412 East Main Street.

The BrushStrokers are members of the Josephine County Artists Association, a non-profit group of artists interested in fostering and promoting art in the community. JCAA supports art scholarships at the Grants Pass Museum of Art, donates art supplies to local veterans groups, and offers instructional art programs and workshops for association and community members.

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Children are invited to “Dig Into Reading” and join the 2013 Jackson County Library Summer Reading Program. Learn all about live worms, make art using natural earth paint, join Ms. Annie’s puppets as they discover archeology, and enjoy a variety of programs, activities, and storytimes at libraries throughout the county.

Registration for the program is free and begins as soon as school is out in June. Children (ages 2-12) are invited to sign up at their local branch library. All children who read or listen to ten books will receive a special bookmark, a reading certificate, a coupon for a free kid’s meal from HomeTown Buffet, and a pass to the Kid Time! Discovery Experience center. Kids who complete the program will also be eligible to enter local branch library drawings for additional prizes.

Parents of infants and toddlers 0-24 months can read to their children and receive a gift book, a signed certificate, and a bookmark.

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Preschool children and their families are invited to enjoy Preschool Storytimes on Mondays from 6:30 – 7:00 p.m., Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. – 12 noon, and Wednesday mornings from 10:30 – 11:00 a.m., and Toddler Storytimes (ages two years and up) on Wednesdays from 1:30 – 2:00 p.m., at the Ashland Branch Library Children’s Department, 410 Siskiyou Boulevard.

Storytime Themes:
Week of May 6: "Firewise"
Week of May 13: "Days of the Week"
Week of May 20: "Polar Pals"
May 28 and May 29: "Baa, Baa Books"

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Storytime is one of the best ways to prepare your child for school. Family Storytime is for preschool children, siblings, and parents on Monday evenings from 5:30 – 6:00 pm. Preschool Storytime is for preschoolers with a parent or caregiver on Wednesday mornings from 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Both are presented in the Children’s Department of the Medford Branch Library, 205 South Central Avenue.

Family Storytime Themes:
May 6: Art and Artists
May 13: Mama Mia!
May 20: Night Animals (with guest star Holly and her mandolin)
May 27: CLOSED for holiday

Preschool Storytime Themes:
May 1: Monkeys
May 8: Wonderful Wolves
May 15: Counting
May 22: Spring Fling
May 29: It’s Magic!

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Ashland Branch Library’s Children’s Department regrets to announce that the trilingual
French, Spanish, and English storytimes that had been held on Wednesday afternoons have
been canceled.

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The following Jackson County Branch Libraries have ongoing story and activity times just for Babies, Wobblers, and Toddlers groups, beginning the week of September 24.

Ashland:
Babies, Tuesdays, 10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
Wobblers, Tuesdays, 10:10 – 10:30 a.m.
Toddlers, Wednesdays, 1:30 – 2:00 p.m.

Central Point: Babies and Wobblers, Mondays, 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Eagle Point: Babies and Wobblers, Fridays 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Medford:
Babies, Mondays, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Babies, Tuesdays, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Wobblers, Wednesdays, 10:10 – 10:30 a.m.
Wobblers, Wednesdays, 10:50 – 11:10 a.m.

Rogue River: Babies and Wobblers, Mondays, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

White City: Babies and Wobblers, Mondays, 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Babies groups are a gentle story and rhyme time especially for prewalking babies, ages 0-12 months. Parents, caregivers, and siblings are welcome, too. Wobblers groups are designed for 12-24 month-old babies who are up and running. This program includes a lively storytime, rhymes, and simple music and games. The Toddlers group is for children who enjoy sitting on laps for stories but are not quite ready for preschool storytime.

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Area teens (ages 12-18) are invited to look “Beneath the Surface” this year and join Jackson County Library Services’ Teen Summer Reading Program. Make a necklace or wristband using repurposed T-shirt loops, create a mask that reflects your “inner self” or join your friends for Wii gaming. The library offers free movies, art activities, and gaming days all summer long.

Teens who write a review of a book, graphic novel, audio or eBook, or library program can earn the chance to win one of 15 Kindle eReaders and other prizes. Selected reviews will be posted on the Teen section of the library Website, www.jcls.org.

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Come and join in activities just for teens on Saturdays from 1 – 3 p.m. during May. All activities are held in the Medford Teen Library of the Medford Branch Library, 205 South Central Avenue.

May 25: Wii Games. Great Wii games are available to play. Bring your friends and challenge them to a Just Dance or Bowling competition!

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Come play one of the oldest games on earth. The Chess Club will meet on the third Saturday of each month from 1-3 p.m. in the Medford Branch Teen Library, 205 South Central Avenue. All ages are welcome to drop in and test their skills.

All levels of players are welcome. Family board games are also available to play in the Teen Library.

Third Saturday Chess Club schedule from 1-3 p.m. for 2013:

June 15
July 20
August 17
September 21
October 19
November 16
December 21

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The Mystery Readers Roundtable will meet on the third Tuesday of the month from 2 – 3 p.m., in the Meyer Memorial Trust Community Meeting Room of the Phoenix Branch Library, 510 West 1st Street.

Talk about selected topics with other mystery lovers. The topic for the May 21 discussion is not cats this time, nor dogs, nor vets, or zoos. In honor of the Kentucky Derby, the Mystery Reader's Roundtable will discuss mysteries featuring the world of horse and human interaction. We'll skip Dick Francis – time to try something different!

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Join the Brain Books Discussion Group as they discuss the book Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine, on Tuesday, May 28, from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m., in the Guanajuato Room of the Ashland Branch Library, 410 Siskiyou Boulevard.

Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience and psychology, Cordelia Fine debunks the myth of hardwired differences between men's and women's brains, unraveling the evidence behind such claims as men's brains aren't wired for empathy and women's brains aren't made to fix cars. She then goes one step further, offering a very different explanation of the dissimilarities between men's and women's behavior. Instead of a “male brain” and a “female brain,” Ms. Fine gives us a glimpse of plastic, mutable minds that are continuously influenced by cultural assumptions about gender.

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The Siskiyou Sleuths Book Group will discuss Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill on Wednesday, May 29, from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m., at the Ashland Branch Library, 410 Siskiyou Boulevard.

Colin Cotterill's Anarchy and Old Dogs, the fourth in his Dr. Siri Paiboun series, serves up another history/mystery with a distinctly Asian flavor. With the seventy-three year old comically eccentric coroner and his wannabee CSI team wandering around Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand looking for ghosts, lost children, murderers, and ideological roots and revolutionaries past and present, this novel is just as appealing as each of its predecessors.

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The “Bookworms” book discussion group meets on the first Monday of each month from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. at the Central Point Library, 116 South Third Street.

Upcoming Book Topics: .
June 3: Any fiction or non-fiction book based on the theme “Summertime,” such as travel, vacation, flowers, etc.

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Howdy pardners! It's time to rustle up a stew of vittles and nestle down by the campfire to enjoy some flickers. So gather the posse, circle the wagons, and git on down to the Central Point Branch Library Corral, 116 South Third Street, for a rootin’ tootin’, six-gun shootin’, heckuva good time on Wednesdays in April and May from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

May 22: Charles Bronson is the mysterious stranger, Jason Robards is the trickster, and Henry Fonda is the black-hearted villain in this epic spaghetti western. (1968, PG-13)

May 29: John Wayne and James Stewart in a tale about a dying gunslinger who plans one last shoot-out to settle all accounts. (1976, PG)

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The Monday Movies series continues on Mondays from 2:45 – 4:30 p.m. at the Phoenix Branch Library, 510 West 1st Street. All ages are welcome.

May 20: Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse. (2012, Rated PG)

May 27: No Movie, holiday

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Come to a free film based on the J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel The Hobbit showing on Wednesday, May 29, from 2:00 – 4:50 p.m., at the Ashland Branch Library, 410 Siskiyou Boulevard.

The movie is rated PG-13. A younger and more reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins sets out on an "unexpected journey" to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their stolen mountain home from a dragon named Smaug. This prequel to director Peter Jackson's successful film series, is a visual delight.

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Come hear Ashland author Dolores de Leon share her first novel, Gypsy Flamenco, on Wednesday, May 22, from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m., at the Ashland Branch Library, 410 Siskiyou Boulevard.

The author takes the reader on a most improbable journey as Doloré, a 50-something dancer from the San Francisco Bay Area, decides she must learn flamenco dance from the best and most authentic of teachers – Pio Mateo Mendoza – a Gypsy, the last of the great line of dancers from the Golden Age of flamenco dance in Seville, Spain. De Leon unfolds her cast of anachronistic characters with a mix of spot-on humor, compassion, and utterly graceful prose.

Explaining her inspiration for the novel, Ms. de Leon writes, “I had seen Carmen Amaya, a Barcelona Gypsy, dance. She rattled the air with her heel work, arched her back like a thumb, and stalked the stage as if looking for a lover. I looked on her art with enormous eyes; I was hooked.”

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Go where few eReaders have dared…Jackson County Library Services presents “Beyond Library2Go.” Learn about more sources for free eBooks, how to turn Web pages into eBooks, and more! Presentations are at the following libraries in May:

Monday, May 20
2 – 3 p.m.
Ashland Branch Library

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You’ve launched a Facebook page for your organization. Now what? Learn about resources and best practices for managing a successful Facebook page for your organization during “Your Organization on Facebook: Profile, Post, and Promote” on Monday, May 20, from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., in the Adams Community Meeting Room of the Medford Branch Library, 205 South Central Avenue.

Once your organization’s Facebook page was established, you thought you were done. But did you know Facebook is not just a marketing tool, but a way to manage relationships? Learn how to maximize your social credit with a page that provides valuable content for your clients.

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Find out how your eReader or audio device works with library software and how to use it to access thousands of books anytime. Demonstrations will show how to use the library to get the most out of your device. These free workshops require a basic working knowledge of your eReader. There will be an introductory session to give an overview of Library2Go, as well as time for questions and one-on-one assistance during Need2Know: Digital Book Downloads presentations at the following libraries in May:

Thursday, May 16
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Central Point Branch Library

Saturday, May 25
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Medford Branch Library

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Sign up now for free Adult Basic Computer Demonstrations offered in June at Jackson County branch libraries. All hands-on demonstrations are bilingual (English and Spanish). Seating is limited. Reservations are encouraged. Please call your local library branch to reserve a spot in any or all sessions. The start dates of each four-week session are:

Jacksonville (541-899-1665):
June 3 (1-3 p.m.)

Medford (541-774-8679):
June 3 (5-7 p.m.)
June 4 (2-4 p.m.)
June 5 (10 a.m.-12 noon)
June 5 (2-4 p.m.)

Phoenix (541-535-7090):
June 4 (11 a.m.-1 p.m.)

Central Point (541-664-3228):
June 6 (4-6 p.m.)

Prospect (541-560-3668):
June 7 (2-4 p.m.)

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The Jackson County Friends of the Libraries groups hold gently-used book sales to help support library programs and activities. Find some great bargains and help your community’s library at the same time.

Wednesday, May 29, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Ashland Branch
Friday, May 31, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Gold Hill Branch
Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Gold Hill Branch
Saturday, June 15, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Eagle Point Branch
Tuesday and Wednesday, June 25 – 26, 1 – 6 p.m.: Shady Cove Branch
Wednesday, June 26, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Ashland Branch
Friday, June 28, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Shady Cove Branch
Friday, June 28, 12 noon – 4 p.m.: Rogue River Branch
Saturday, June 29, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Rogue River Branch
Thursday, July 4, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Butte Falls Ernest Smith Memorial Park

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On Monday, March 11, the Library2Go Web site www.jcls.org, will convert to a new, easier downloadable eBook platform.

Some of the new features include:

· One-Step Checkout™. Once you’ve logged in with your library card number, it takes just one click to borrow a title.

· OverDrive Read™ enables instant access to eBooks, online or offline, with no software or downloading required. If the title is available to borrow, you can download the title or you can choose to start reading right away in your Web browser.

· A new responsive design optimizes the Web site for mobile and desktop use.

Workshops are available on an ongoing basis. See www.jcls.org for schedules. We look forward to providing our community with this fast and easy new downloadable eBook experience. If you have any questions, be sure to contact Jackson County Library Services at 541-774-8679.

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Jackson County Library Services has received a $27,944 grant to improve public library services to children. The Ready to Read Grant funds early literacy programming, such as Babies in the Library, and enhanced Summer Reading programs throughout Jackson County libraries.

The Ready to Read Grant was established by the State Legislature in 1993 to assist local libraries in helping to achieve the Oregon Benchmarks for childhood learning and development. This annual grant, funded by the General Fund of the State of Oregon, is administered by the State Library. Oregon libraries may use these funds for the statewide summer reading program for children ages 0-14 and early literacy services for children ages 0-6.

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Did you know that 75 percent of the electricity used in the average home to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off? Find out how much electricity your electronic devices use—whether on or off.

On your next visit to your local library branch, check out a Kill A Watt™ monitor. These monitors measure how much electricity your electric appliances and devices (such as microwaves, computers, TVs, phone chargers, and game consoles) are consuming when plugged in. Kill A Watt monitors can also be used to measure “phantom” energy loads: the amount of energy an electronic device will draw, even when in standby mode. One Jackson County Library Services patron commented, “We also got the electricity monitor thing, had a fridge that was sucking up power, got a new one. Thanks.”

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The Jackson County Commissioners received a check for $122,992 from US Bank on October 17, 2012 representing the annual interest paid on a bequest of $2.5 million left to Jackson County Library Services by Kenneth A. and Lucille D. Hulburt. These former educators from the Rogue Valley funded the bequest to provide for programming and collection enhancements to benefit mature readers and youth ages six to sixteen.

With the annual funds from the trust, Jackson County Library Services has been able to provide programs such as free Adult Basic Computer courses to nearly 5,500 adults and patron technical support services, including hands-on demonstrations and training in e-media, to hundreds of residents. Added this last year were workshops on cloud computing and free downloadable music through the new Freegal service. Funds have also been used to enhance the Library2Go downloadable service by adding copies of eBooks and audio books for Jackson County patrons, alleviating hold times for popular titles.

For six to sixteen year-olds, the popular library Booktalking program at middle schools around the county has introduced great books to more than 3,500 teens. Funds are also used for Summer Reading programming.

This year Hulburt bequest funds were instrumental in the ability to offer the first ever JCLS Family Literacy Day held at the Medford Library on June 9, 2012. Over 200 people visited the “Literacy Resource Room” where they learned about literacy organizations and opportunities.

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Jackson County Library Services is pleased to announce that it has joined Library Ideas™/Freegal™ Music Service, a network of Public Library websites that offer access to over 3 million songs including Sony Music’s catalog of legendary artists. Freegal Music Service will allow Jackson County Library Services to increase the size and diversity of its collection by offering access to over 10,000 music labels from 65 different countries.

Jackson County residents with a library card can download up to three Music tracks in the MP3 format each week. Freegal Music Service is also available via mobile apps for Jackson County Library cardholders. The Freegal Music free apps are available in the Apple® App Store and Google Play®.

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Jackson County Library Services has installed WinWay Resume Deluxe software on designated computers for help in getting resumes formatted and ready to go. This easy step-by-step program offers help with phrases and wording to personalize resumes and cover letters. WinWay software also has instructional videos on the interview process. Stop by any one of the 15 Jackson County library branches and take the next step on the ladder to success.

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Whether you are in the doctor’s office, at your kitchen table, or under the hood of your car, Jackson County Library Services is excited to announce a way to bring the library to you.

Download the free Gale AccessMyLibrary mobile application for the iPhone or Android by searching “AccessMyLibrary.” Research is simple, allowing access to Jackson County Library Services' Online Resources from Gale wherever you are. AccessMyLibrary finds your global position and locates libraries within a ten-mile radius.