This Fall...New Volunteer Opportunity

be there...when a victim of domestic violence needs someone the most

"Rarely do volunteer opportunities offer a chance to have such a dramatic and positive impact on another person, at a moment of such need." --Pam Farago

DARCC is looking for adults to become Domestic Violence Response Team Volunteers.

What: After training, DVRT Volunteers respond to a call to provide support at the police station, when a victim of domestic violence needs moral support and a hand to hold.

When: You can learn more by attending an informational session at Phillipsburg Free Public Library from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 13th. There is no commitment required to attend.

How: Call the Library anytime after Monday, August 20th, at 908-454-3712 to register for the Information Session. No commitment will be asked of you.

Further Information: Ask for Pam Farago at DARCC: 908-453-4121, or visit www.darccwc.org

Can you remember...

Visit www.firstbook.org/whatbook this summer, and tell us what book got YOU started reading. You can also see what books stayed in the memory of celebrities, from star actors to athletes. And you can help New Jersey win 50,000 new children's books for public libraries, Head Starts and other nonprofits to distribute to needy children. By remembering YOUR First Book, you can help a child in poverty to receive his or her First Book. In August, the top 50 books will be announced here on the Phillipsburg Library blog.

Postcard Winners

Congratulations to our Postcard Contest Winners, Sharon of Pohatcong Twp. and Alex of Phillipsburg. Here is one of Alex's arresting photos of Steam Locomotive #142. She pulls the Black River / NYS&W Railroad excursion train that leaves from

Phillipsburg, and takes visitors on a journey into the past and present of Warren County. Thanks to Alex and Sharon for capturing our theme, "Our home in Warren County".

Along with other photos and old postcard images that the Library owns, Sharon's and Alex' pictures will form part of a set of postcards that will mark the 85th Anniversary of the Phillipsburg Library. The cards will go on sale by the set this summer, and will also be sold individually at the Library. Why did we decided on a set of postcards? The Phillipsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Warren County Chamber and the libraries in the County have all received requests from visitors and residents alike--"Where can I get a postcard of (fill in the blank with some part of our beautiful and picturesque area). Not many have been available, up till now.

Spring Is Sprung

It's time for the annual Friends of the Library

Books (and More*) Sale

9:30 - 5:00 Friday, April 13

9:30 - 5:00 Saturday, April 14

Fill-A-Bag Sale Saturday afternoon

*and More than hardback and paperback books for all ages, there are CDs, DVDs and VHS. New this year: hundreds of like-new DC and Marvel comics! And you can't beat our low prices. All money raised is used by the Friends to support the work of the Library.

What RU Reading?

Open Borrowing

Old Way--Still Good

At Phillipsburg Free Public Library our motto has always been, "If we haven't got it, we'll get it!" By that we mean, if we don't have the book or audio book you want, we will either buy it (if new) or borrow it from another library for you. It's called Inter-Library Loan: www.pburglib.org/illcat.htm You pick your item up here, you return it here. That popular service is still in place, and better than ever.

Plus New Way--Open Borrowing

But many of our readers are commuters, and would prefer to stop at another library and pick up that book, rather than wait for the delivery truck to bring it. Well, now you can BORROW IN PERSON from 150 participating public libraries in northern New Jersey. If you want to add this capability to your membership, just bring your Phillipsburg library card to the Library Desk and ask for an Open Borrowing sticker. Books you borrow from other libraries can be returned to that library, or you can return them to us. If it comes back to us on time, the other library will consider it on time as well.

Where will your sticker be honored? At the library systems of Sussex, Bergen, Middlesex, Morris and Passaic Counties. Sorry, there is no Open Borrowing among libraries within Warren County, and Hunterdon County does not participate . Give us a call at 908-454-3712 or email us at reference_staff@pburglib.org and we'll give you the skinny on the libraries you are interested in.

As always, Warren County township residents have full and free library privileges at Phillipsburg Library, by virtue of the contract between the Town of Phillipsburg and the County of Warren. That doesn't change.

What can you borrow? Almost anything. Each library has its own rules, especially regarding DVDs and new bestsellers--so call before driving. We can point you to the online catalogs, directions and contact info of all the member libraries.

Blog, RSS, Aggregator, Why Do I Care?

Some of my favorite people and web sites now have blogs. Even Tien-Tien, the giant panda at the National Zoo, who kindly posed for me during a recent visit to DC. Short for "weblog", a blog is just a web site that is easy to update, where the brief news items (posts) are listed by date with the latest news first, and where you can comment as well as reading others' comments. We are hearing a lot about blogs in politics, as well as in business and just as a way to keep friends and relatives up to date on your family doings. And Baby Blogs are a whole new subgroup. Seems most every newborn has his or her own blog. As do many dogs and cats!

The other day my son asked me if I had an aggregator. I believe I said something intelligent, like "Huh?" But since we are both librarians, he sent me a link, and I looked it up. The latest meaning of "aggregator" is a way to subscribe to blogs that interest you, and keep your subscriptions neatly in one place. Then whenever YOU feel like it, you visit the aggregator web site, and there in a tidy list are all your favorite blogs. As you click on each blog, you automatically see its latest post. RSS is the software that makes these subscriptions possible. And it's all free. If you'd like to try it, you can get a free account at http://www.bloglines.com/ . Use your Copy and Paste function to tell Blog Lines the URLs of the blogs you want it to subscribe to and "aggregate" for you. No emails, no ads, no Spam.

If you would like to try it out, you can use the URLs of your favorite, fabulous Phillipsburg Library blogs: http://pburgfree.blogspot.com (our news blog), and http://pfplreaders.blogspot.com (our book-lovers blog). --Pat Lawson

6th and 7th Graders Go Hunting @ Library

Sea Hunt -- The annual Library scavenger hunt is:
Sunday, January 28th
1:30 - 3:00
6th and 7th grade only.

Call 908-454-3712 to register. You've used the virtual library on the Web; now explore the mysteries of the physical library. Follow clues, find answers, win prizes. Everyone who finishes our challenging course wins.

What will you need to play? Sharp wits and a sharp pencil. (We provide the pencil.) Some teachers are giving extra credit, so you may want to ask. Kids are coming from PMS, LMS, Pohat, Greenwich, Harmony, Phillipsburg Christian, Sts. Philip and James. Which school will come out on top this year? Only you have the answer!

Sponsored by Friends of the Library.