Free Website Workshop

How to Set Up a Website

A Free Workshop by Web Designer John Oldham

What:  2 hour workshop on website essentials for individuals or small businesses.

Where:  Thomas B. Norton Public Library Meeting Room

When:  Saturday, February 25, 2012, @10:30am

Instructor:  John Oldham, BSIE

Space is limited. 

Call 251.968.1176 or email thomasbnortonlibrary@gmail.com to sign up.

Winter Film Series Ending in February

If you haven't had time to catch it yet, you still have four weeks of our Winter Film Series left to enjoy!

What:  Winter Film Series
When:  Fridays at 3:00pm, doors open at 2:00pm
Where:  Thomas B. Norton Library Meeting Room.

February 3-- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
February 10-- Jane Eyre
February 17-- Water for Elephants
February 24-- Potiche

Spend your Friday afternoon with us at the library!  Light refreshments are provided.

Upcoming Author Coffee Talks @ Thomas B. Norton

The Thomas B. Norton Library in Gulf Shores will feature local authors on Mondays, starting January 30, 2012 and continuing through February.   This is a free event and refreshments will be provided.

Fiction author Michael Springer kicks off the series of Author Coffee Talks beginning on Monday, January 30, 2012 at 1:00 P.M.

He'll be followed by the authors below:

February 6, 2012 at 10:30 A.M., Gilbert Morris, historical christian fiction author.

February 13, 2012 at 10:30 A.M., Laura Pfizenmayer, playwright and freelance writer.

February 20, 2012 at 10:30 A.M, Brandi Perry, psychological thriller novelist and author of AWhisper on the Bayou.

The coffee talks will conclude with Simone Lipscomb, February 27, 2012 at 10:30 A.M., writer and photographer and author of Place of Spirit.

You can always find out more about events, activities, and classes at the library by visiting our programs page here: http://thomasbnortonlibrary.com/programs/

November and December Artist Showcase: Thomas Roberts and GilliAnne Drouillard

GilliAnne Drouillard is a 6th grade student at Gulf Shores Elementary.  Her medium of choice is acrylic.  She loves to paint, but she has also been training as a ballerina since she was 4.  In addition, GilliAnne plays clarinet and one day aspires to be in the Gulf Shores High School Band. She is the granddaughter of local library patron Eydie Drouillard.

Thomas Roberts is an 8th grade student at Elberta Middle School. He is president of the SGA, maintains an all A average, is a member of the scholar's bowl team, the Junior National Honor Society and the school soccer team. Thomas also plays city league baseball and attends The Episcopal Church of the Advent, in Lillian. Outside of school, his hobbies include playing guitar, art, and marksmanship.  He is a peer helper at Elberta Middle School. He won 1st place from the Museum of Art in the mixed media category and his art went on to the state level at the RSI Tower in Montgomery.




If you are interested in having your art featured in our monthly Artist Showcase, please stop by the library and speak with Deanne Fincher, or email us at thomasbnortonlibrary@gmail.com.

Reminder: New Website

Don't forget to change your bookmarks-- the library's new website has been live for over a month now!

Visit thomasbnortonlibrary.com today, and check out Thomas B. Norton Public Library's new home on the web!

Closed for Veteran's Day

The Thomas B. Norton Public Library will be closed to honor the Veteran's Day holiday on November 11, 2011.  We will re-open on Saturday, November 12, for our normal hours.

Did you know that November 11th was originally Armistice Day, to mark the anniversary of the official end of World War I?  Since 1954, November 11th has been set aside as a day to honor veterans of all American wars.

Get more information about Veteran's Day from these resources:

http://www.military.com/veterans-day/

http://www.history.army.mil/html/reference/holidays/vetsday/vetshist.html

http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/

Native American Heritage Month

Did you know that November was Native American Heritage month?


From nativeamericanheritagemonth.org:


"The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any recognition as a national legal holiday.


In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including "Native American Heritage Month" and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month") have been issued each year since 1994."


Find out more about Native American heritage month here:


http://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/teachers/index.html

And find e-cards, activities, and lesson plans here:


http://www.crayola.com/calendar/detail.cfm?event_id=92

New Library Website: thomasbnortonlibrary.com

 The Thomas B. Norton Public Library in Gulf Shores has launched a brand new website at thomasbnortonlibrary.com.  In response to the ever-changing needs of patrons and the community, the library initiated a complete website re-design to enhance the usability of the Thomas B. Norton Library’s web presence. 

Important web-based features and services are highlighted with increased accessibility on the new, Wordpress based website.   “We recognized the need for an updated look and a more user-friendly design for the internet arm of the library,” said director Wendy Congiardo. The Library Advisory Board and Staff partnered with Foley company Global Marketing Solutions for the update.  Some standout features include:

●     More intuitive navigation

●     Streamlined content access

●     Live reference chat on every page

●     Mobile-optimized site for smartphone users

Visitors to thomasbnortonlibrary.com will be welcomed by the bright, beachy colors, uncluttered design elements, and images of library patrons and staff, as well as directly accessible schedules of all upcoming library programs and services. 

This new website incorporates aesthetic and technical changes based on research and user recommendations, and with thomasbnortonlibrary.com,  the library has created a new internet  home for Thomas B. Norton Library’s increasingly web-oriented users. 

Stop by thomasbnortonlibrary.com today!

 http://thomasbnortonlibrary.com

Writing Group Meetings in October

Words create sentences; sentences create paragraphs; sometimes paragraphs quicken and begin to breathe.  Imagine, if you like, Frankenstein’s monster on its slab.  Here comes lightning, not from the sky, but from a humble paragraph of English words.

—Stephen King, On Writing, 2000

Prompt:  Bring on the dark stuff.

October 11— Poetry

October 25— Short Fiction

You write? We write. 

All Ages Writing Group

Every other Tuesday, 4:30pm

Thomas B. Norton Public Library

221 West 19th Avenue

Gulf Shores, AL

For more info and to get added to the mailing list:
thomasbnortonlibrary@gmail.com

Kindle Books from Camellia Net

Patrons of the Thomas B. Norton Public Library and Camellia Net can now get digital library books for their Amazon Kindle E-Readers.

Here's a how-to vid:

Enjoy!

Camellia Net: http://camellia.lib.overdrive.com/