Harrison County Public Library

Harrison County Public Library (HCPL) partners with the Arts Alliance of Southern Indiana for the 2023 SoIN Big Read for Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.  Free copies of the book will be available at each branch location for the public.  Find a multitude of Poe offerings in book, eBook, audiobook and movie format through the Harrison County Public Library app and online catalog.

So why read Poe? Simon & Schuster states on their website, “Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is also generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.”

HCPL is providing many fun-“chilled” activities for adults, families and youth to encourage participation in the Big Read. Beginning in October programs include painting a Poe-inspired raven picture, solving the way out of the “House of Poe” escape room, designing/making a Poe-themed journal cover and crafting a Poe-inspired fall wreath and notecards.  The month will end with a “Poe”-tography class.  A book discussion and a youth take-and-make cooking activity will take place in November followed in December with another opportunity to try the escape room.

The following is a list of dates, times, contact information and intended audience:

OCTOBER

• 6 p.m. Thursday, October 5 – Elizabeth Branch – PAINTING WITH JAMIE. Create a Poe-inspired fall painting with a raven. Register online at hcpl.lib.in.us or contact the Elizabeth branch at 812-969-2899 to schedule. (Adult)
• Tuesday, October 10 through Saturday, October 14 – Palmyra Branch – ESCAPE THE HOUSE OF POE. Follow clues and spine-chilling puzzles to escape the House of Poe before time runs out, or you’ll nevermore be seen again. Contact the Palmyra branch at 812-364-6425 to schedule your time slot. (Family)
• 11 a.m. Thursday, October 12 – Palmyra Branch – CREATIVE CARDS. Make a Poe-inspired card, a fall card and a Thanksgiving card. Register online at hcpl.lib.in.us or call 812-364-6425. (Adult)
• 6 p.m. Thursday, October 12 – Elizabeth Branch – POE JOURNAL. Make a junk journal with a Poe-themed cover. Register online at hcpl.lib.in.us or call 812-969-2899. (Adult)
• 1 p.m. Monday, October 16 – Corydon Branch – POE PAINTING. Create a Poe-inspired gothic painting of a raven. Register online at hcpl.lib.in.us or call 812-738-4110. (Adult)
• 5 p.m. Monday, October 16 – Lanesville Branch – CREATIVE CARDS. Make a Poe-inspired card, a fall card and a Thanksgiving card. Register online at www.hcpl.lib.in.us or call 812-952-3759. (Adult)
• 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 17 – Palmyra Branch – POE PAINTING. Create a Poe-inspired gothic painting of a raven. Register online at hcpl.lib.in.us or call 812-364-6425. (Adult)
• 5:30 p.m. Thursday, October 26 – Corydon Branch – POE-INSPIRED RAVEN WREATH. Make a wreath inspired by the Poe poem The Raven. Register online at hcpl.lib.in.us or call 812-738-4110. (Adult)
• 6 p.m. Monday, October 30 – Corydon Branch – POE-TOGRAPHY. Bring your camera (or phone) to take some Poe-inspired photos. Participants will meet at the Corydon Branch to discuss ideas and then walk around downtown Corydon to take Poe-inspired and/or macabre photos. Register online at hcpl.lib.in.us or call 812-738-4110. (Adult)

NOVEMBER

• 6 p.m. Thursday, November 16 – Corydon branch – BOOK DISCUSSION of Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. An open book club style gathering will focus on the discussion questions from the book.  Registration not required, bring a food item or snack to share. Contact Diana at 812-738-4110 with questions. (Adult)
• November 17 – Elizabeth Branch Cooking Academy Take & Make – PUMPKIN “POE”-NUTS. Make purple pumpkin donut holes to celebrate Edgar Allan Poe and the SoIN Big Read.  Call the Elizabeth branch to pre-register at 812-969-2899. (Youth)
• November 18 – Lanesville Branch Cooking Academy Take & Make – PUMPKIN “POE”-NUTS. Make purple pumpkin donut holes to celebrate Edgar Allan Poe and the SoIN Big Read.  Call the Elizabeth branch to pre-register at 812-952-3759. (Youth)

DECEMBER

• Tuesday, December 19 through Saturday, January 6 – Corydon Branch – ESCAPE THE HOUSE OF POE. Follow clues and spine-chilling puzzles to escape the House of Poe before time runs out, or you’ll nevermore be seen again. Contact the youth services department at the Corydon Branch 812-738-4110 to schedule your time slot. (Family)

The SoIN Big Read begins October 1, 2023, and runs through January 2024. The Arts Alliance of Southern Indiana will have a kickoff announcement in October. Visit the SoIN Big Read website for a listing of all programs and book distribution. The page will be updated as new information is provided. Free copies of the book will be available while supplies last.

Congratulations, Steven Schifcar!

Steven Schifcar, head of maintenance and grounds, is HCPL’s August winner for Who’s Awesome!  Steven was one of thirteen nominations for the honor this month.

Trevor Smith, HCPL’s Systems Administrator, nominated Steven stating, “Steve is always happy to help no matter what I need. Thanks especially for helping stain the laser exhaust box.”

Diana Lasky, administrative assistant to HCPL’s director, also nominated Steven writing, “Steve has been a tremendous help with the WaterStep Shoe Drive and the transporting of diorama displays. Not only has he transported shoes from the branches, but he has also moved the shoes up and down to my office. Even though all this increased his work load, he has been readily available to assist. I also appreciate the work that Steve does to keep the grounds looking clean and neat. It provides a good image to the public. Unless you come in early, you might not know that Steve does regular ground trash pickup as well as watering flowers, mowing and more. Thanks, Steve, for being awesome! “

He was also nominated in February by Sara Deatrick, the Elizabeth lead circ associate. Sara said, “(Steve) switched out the faucets that have been a pain for 10 years! It makes the day so much nicer to not get splashed and have to clean up puddles by the faucet. “

Steven has been with HCPL for 10 years joining the staff in July of 2013 as head of maintenance and grounds and serving as the library’s courier taking materials between branches each day.  

Each month a winner is selected by random drawing. Other staff members nominated in August were Sarah Dorton, Bob Ohlrich, Kelli Witsman, Liz Dennis, Kathy Fisher, Pat Schwartz, Carla Ward, Debbie McClanahan, Jessica Stroud, Trevor Smith and Diana Lasky.

Article by Alisa Burch, Director

Harrison County Public Library is helping to bring awareness to food insecurity during September for Hunger Action Month through book displays at the Corydon and Palmyra branches. Dare to Care Community Activation Manager Heather Gotlieb reached out to the library for assistance and wrote, “We’re doing everything we can to make this month an all-hands-on-deck effort to let the community know how we can work together to end the cycle of hunger.”

Want to help feed those who are hungry in Harrison County?

• Give food or monetary donations to Harrison County Community Services (HCCS)
• Volunteer at a local food pantry or place that serves meals: HCCS, Corydon Baptist Church, Corydon Church of Christ, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Victory Baptist Church, Father Provides Oasis Ministry Center and the Corydon Presbyterian Church Monday meal

• Drop off non-perishable food at a Little Free Pantry
  • Boys and Girls Club of Harrison County – 134 Jenkins Court NE, Corydon
  • Harrison County Public Library – Lanesville branch, 7340 Pennington Street NE, Lanesville
  • Mauckport Community Church – 12210 Main Street SW, Mauckport
  • Boone Township Fire Department -10850 Highway 11 SE – Laconia
  • Ramsey Fire Department Station #1 – 8325 Maple Street NW, Ramsey
  • Palmyra Fire Department – 595 Main Street NE, Palmyra
• Mark your calendar for January of 2024 for the annual Feed Harrison County Winter Reading Challenge sponsored by Harrison County Public Library:
  • During January, the county is encouraged to read to meet a specific goal. Local businesses sponsor the program and donate food or funds to HCCS, a Dare to Care food recipient
  • For the past 3 years, Tyson has donated 100 cases (40 lbs. each) of frozen chicken. During the last 2 years, Walmart has given a $75 gift card to purchase food. Our newest sponsor, Duke Energy, donated $1,000 to purchase food last winter.
  • Library branches collect food to donate to HCCS during January
• Check out a book from the display about hunger

Celebrate Hunger Action Month by donating, volunteering or finding out more about food insecurity at the Dare to Care website.  If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the Feed Harrison County Winter Reading Challenge, please contact the library at 812-738-4110.

Congratulations, Tiffany Thieneman!

Tiffany Thieneman, public services manager, is HCPL’s July Who’s Awesome! winner. Tiffany was one of twelve nominations for the honor this month.

Melissa Schellenberger a reference assistant at Corydon, actually nominated Tiffany twice this month. She wrote, “Tiffany is a great boss. She’s always positive and upbeat! She is a super kind person!” And Melissa added, “Tiffany is always thoughtful and kind. She has a very positive attitude!”

Another anonymous nomination stated, “Tiffany went above and beyond for the Fun Committee Shark Week celebration. She ordered fabulous cookies for a combo Shark Week/National Sugar Cookie Day from Country Confections and she put together a very fun shark survival kit that included buttons that staff could wear to promote Shark Week all week long plus some yummy snacks. Tiffany promotes Fun Committee activities with flyers she creates. She presents a friendly, happy, positive demeanor to patrons and staff alike even when handling unpleasant duties. As public services manager she does a great job supervising reference staff, dealing with outreach patrons and coordinating and presenting adult programming. Tiffany is awesome!”

Reference assistant Liz Dennis nominated Tiffany in June writing, “Tiffany brings the morale up! She is always happy, smiling and sees the positives. Her position, as Public Service Manager, is very befitting. Both her patrons and employees enjoy her. Thank you for all you do for our team!”

Tiffany joined the HCPL staff as public services manager, a newly created position, in January of 2022.

Each month a winner is selected by random drawing. Other staff members nominated in July were Connie Gresham, Kaitlyn Taylor, Julie Phipps, Kelli Witsman, Donna Seewer, Bob Ohlrich, Kathy Fisher, Amanda Applegate and Jessica Stroud.

Article by Alisa Burch, Director

Congratulations, Trevor Smith!

Trevor Smith, systems administrator, is HCPL’s June Who’s Awesome! winner. Trevor was one of thirteen nominations for the honor this month.

Carla Ward, a Lanesville branch employee who nominated Trevor, said, “As part of the IT team, Trevor is always willing to help me. He has helped answer questions or helped me fix problems. I can’t wait for him to come help us with the Makerspace.”

Trevor was also nominated by Public Services Manager Tiffany Thieneman this month. Tiffany stated, “Trevor helped cover the Reference Desk when one of the staff members was not feeling well and needed to leave early. Trevor always seems happy to help in whatever capacity is needed. Thanks for being awesome, Trevor!”

Last month, IT Head Jessica Stroud nominated Trevor writing, “Attempting to think of new services that could employ chat GPT/AI Trevor brainstormed use of an E-Librarian and configured it to suit HCPL patron’s needs. Pure awesome! Way to go, Trevor.” Steven Schifcar, head of maintenance and grounds, nominated Trevor in February stating “He helps me whenever I need help.” And Diana Lasky echoed those sentiments in her nomination, “Trevor always helps, quickly, efficiently and pleasantly to any IT issues, but goes above and beyond and will help with anything (moving items) even though it is not related to IT. Thank you!”

Trevor joined the HCPL staff as systems administrator in August of 2017.

Each month a winner is selected by random drawing. Other staff members nominated in June were Tiffany Thieneman, Diana Lasky, Liz Dennis, Jennifer Schroering, Jessica Stroud, Connie Gresham, Ann Allen, Teresa Douglass, Leo Stiner, Eden Ransdell and Heather Wyss.

Article by Alisa Burch, Director

Cake pans are available for checkout at Harrison County Public Library from the Library of Things. There are thirty different styles of cake pans available. Need a special character pan to surprise a child or grandchild? The collection includes a castle, Diego, flower, Care Bear, Spiderman, SpongeBob, 3D rubber ducky and more. There are specialty pans for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Halloween as well as more traditional Bundt, loaf, and mini muffin pans. Before you make a cake pan purchase, check the Library of Things notebook at any branch or the HCPL online catalog.

Adventure Packs include binoculars, a nature field guide and a magnifying glass in each backpack.  These packs are only checked out from the Corydon branch, Youth Services Department.

The Library of Toys began a year ago with LovEvery kits. LovEvery provides developmentally based play for newborns to 4 year olds. Many more  items have been added to the library since then. Coding Critters help teach coding concepts to the very young. STEM kits featuring Rapunzel and the Gingerbread Man help children problem solve.  Games for tweens, teens or a family game night are available with How I Survived, Disney Villainous and Horrified. The toddler set and older will enjoy a toddler game night kit, a musical instrument set and a kindergarten readiness kit.   Young Athletes bags include books, balls, scarves, rubber discs, bean bags and a play guide.  

All Library of Things/Library of Toys items are available for a one-week checkout period.  Items may be placed on hold to be sent to a branch location with the exception of the Adventure Packs.  Jigsaw puzzles will be coming soon to the Library of Things. Drop by the library to check out at all the things available or search the online catalog.