Vernon Parish Library

E-Books arrive at Vernon Parish Library

2012-01-30T12:40:00.000-06:00

E-BOOKS ARRIVE AT VERNON PARISH LIBRARY

Leesville - Vernon Parish Library announces that e-books have arrived and are ready for download. Provided by the State Library of Louisiana, the Vernon Parish Library now offers more than 1,200 e-books for downloading and many more that can be read in a browser. In addition, patrons may download from a catalog of more than 200 audio books. Up to five e-books and five audio books may be checked out at a time.

Titles are primarily nonfiction, for both adult and young readers.

After two weeks, the e-book or audio book automatically expires from the device, thus eliminating the possibility of overdue fines.

To access these materials outside the library, a patron must use a public library card to log onto http://lalibcon.state.lib.la.us/.

To find out more, call 337-239-2027 or 800-737-2231.

This service is provided to Louisiana residents through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.

Jasmie Mayes, poet

2012-01-30T12:33:00.000-06:00

Jamie Mayes, author of Tear Stained Dresses & Dusty Shoes, a collectionof poetry, will present a reading from her book Saturday, March 3, 2012 from 1 to 4 pm in the Meeting Room. The reading will be at 1 pm. Ms. Mayes teaches high school English in Monroe, and is a native of DeRidder.

Justin Merritt Band

2012-01-30T12:30:00.000-06:00

The Justin Merritt Band will present a concert Monday, March 12, 2012 at 7:00 pm. This is another in our Musical Odyssey series of concerts.

Meet the author....Lovely Whitmore

2012-01-30T12:28:00.001-06:00

The author of Journals of a Wannabe Basketball Player, Lovely Whitmore, will autograph copies of her juvenile fiction book Saturday, February 25, 2012 in the Children's room from 2:30 to 4:30 pm.
Ms. Whitmore is a native of Georgia. She moved to Leesville in 2003 and is the mother of three children. This is her first book, inspired by her twin daughters.

Dr. Julie Kane, Louisiana Poet Laureate

2012-01-30T12:25:00.000-06:00

Dr. Julie Kane, Louisiana Poet Laureate will be at the Vernon Parish Library Mondayt, February 13, 2012. At 3:15 pm there will be an informal welcome and refreshments, at 3:45 she present a program with questions & answers. After the program, whe will authgraph one or two copies of her poetry books which will be for sale.

Musical Odyssey VIII

2011-09-17T11:53:00.002-05:00

The Library will sponsor a series of 5 concerts this season.

Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 7 p.m. Flat River Band

March, 2012 (date to be finalized between March 14-30) Kun Yao, concert pianist.

More information is available at the Library.

If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please call the Library at 337-239-2027, and or if you would like to register for free e-mail updates, please go to our home page (http://www.vernon.lib.la.us/) and click on link top center to sign-up.

Journey Stories -- oral histories

2011-07-20T19:23:00.000-05:00

The latest addition to the collection is a series of oral histories on DVD, interviewed by Ellen Ibert. There are 12 interviews. These interviews contain stories about early Leesville and Vernon Parish, including family histories, Fort Polk, No-Man's Land, New Llano, KCS railroad, early sawmill towns and logging and much more. The discs are in Reference and must be viewed in the Library. Individuals interviewed are May E. Thompson, Regionald Seastrunk, Marilyn O. Stephens, Cheryl Perkins, Martha Palmer, Maurice Johnson, Howard Blackburn, John Crook, Roger & Delma Briggs and Albert Dunn.

The interviews are part of Museum on Main Street, sponsored by the Smithsonian and La. Arts and Humanities Council.

The Venron Parish Library is helping preserve the history of Venron Parish.

Laptops available for check-out

2011-07-20T19:04:00.000-05:00

Beginning August 1, 2011, the Vernon Parish Library will begin loaning 10 Dell laptops with Wi-Fi. These laptops will be available for loan to any Vernon Parish resident with a valid Vernon Parish Library card in good standing. The laptops come preloaded with software. The loan period is 3 days, with a minimun 24-hour wait before checking out another one. Renewals are not allowed.

More information is available at the Library beginning August 1

...From the Archives

2011-04-12T22:09:00.000-05:00

Beginning Friday, April 15, 2011, the Leesville Leader will begin publishing a series of photos from our Archival Collection. These photos contain unidentified individuals. We are hoping that the public can help us identify these individuals. Presently, we have over 4500 photos on our FLICKR website, and they have been very popular, averaging 100 to 500 hits a day.

The Vernon Parish Library, helping preserve the history of Vernon Parish.

Download books and more free!

2010-12-13T15:19:00.003-06:00

The Library is not offering OverDrive. We have joined with 5 other public libraries in the area to offer this service. You may download e-pub books, audiobooks, some music and video. You may click on an icon on our web page, http://www.vernon.lib.la.us/, and browse the materials available.

For more information, please call the Library, 337-239-2027.

2010-05-20T19:59:00.002-05:00

The library will have two new databases June 1, 2010. Homework Louisiana connects K-12 students to a live tutor online for one-to-one help with homework, studying and test preparation in all core academic subjects including math, science, social studies and English. This is a free database. It will be available Sunday - Thursday from 2 to 10 p.m. and will be available at our library or from home by visiting our website (www.vernon.lib.la.us).

The service also includes access to online tutorials to build skills in math, science, English and social studies. These resources are available 24/7 from a student's home computer by accessing www.homeworkla.com.

The second database is Teen Health & Wellness Early Access. This database offers answers to questions concerning all aspects of teen health. More details to come. This database will be available from our website June 1.

These are just two of the many databases available for our patrons. In addition to these, we have two Genealogy databases, and LexisNexis. This database is the same as most attorneys have. It has legal dictionary, Federal Code and Louisiana Revised Statues and Civil Code, Case law, and much more.

Visiting our webpage, and clicking on "State Databases" will bring up the databases available. Some are available from home, office or the library, and others are available only in the library.

Genealogy

2010-03-28T18:11:00.002-05:00

Genealogy is a popular hobby. A new television series celebrates celebrities find out about their history. You can too. The Library has over 20 new additions to its Genealogy Collection.

The collection has census records and indexes, databases, old newspapers, cemetery records, and much more. We have a large collection of Civil War history. Find your family history, perhaps there are heroes, or maybe one or more less savoy characters. We would love to have copies of your findings for our collection.

Funeral Programs

2009-11-08T15:26:00.004-06:00

In an effort to help preserve the history of Vernon Parish, and honor those who have lived here and contributed to our history, we are now collecting Funeral Programs. These are housed in the Library's Archives. They are indexed in our online catalog. You may search by name, or search Funeral Programs to find a complete list of names. This collection is added to monthly. Currently over 150 programs are in the collection.

Historic photos on Flickr website

2009-11-08T15:23:00.006-06:00

Check out our Flickr website. Over 4500 historical photos and newspaper clippings are available. Click on the link on our home page, http://www.vernon.lib.la.us/ under the reference tab, or go directly http://www.flickr.com/photos/vernonparish.

If you have old photos or documents, please share with us. Help us to preserve the history of Vernon Parish.

New Program, Online Book Clubs are now available!

2009-09-22T19:21:00.006-05:00

Online Book Clubs are here!

All you need is 5-minutes a day and an e-mail address to join one of our FREE online book clubs!
Vernon Parish Library delivers portions of books to you in your e-mail. Each day, Monday through Friday, the library e-mails subscribers to this free service, a portion of a book that takes about 5-minutes to read. By the end of the week, subscribers have read two to three chapters from the book and if they like it, they check it out from the library. At the end of Friday’s read, the ending page number is given so when you pick up the book from the library, you know where you left off. New books are featured every week.

There are 11 book clubs to choose from. Something for every age and taste: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Good News, Horror, Business, Teen, and Audio Books (that you listen to in your e-mail) and a special sneak preview Pre-Pub Club that lets you start reading books that aren’t even published yet.

This new service makes it easy for people to get back into the habit of reading. It’s fun, and only takes 5-minutes-a-day and the first few chapters are delivered to you in your e-mail.
You can sign up for the service at the library or at our website, http://www.vernon.lib.la.us./ Click on the "Online Book Clubs" icon.

Please let us know how you like this new program.

Mobil Computer Lab

2009-04-28T10:11:00.004-05:00

The Vernon Parish Library now has a mobile computer lab. The library has 20 laptop computers available for use in our meeting room. They can be used by groups using our meeting room. The Library has a wireless Internet connection and these computers are wireless Intenet ready. They also have Microsoft Word and Excel installed on them.

They must be reserved in advance.

Early Literacy Station

2008-06-30T21:33:00.002-05:00

The Children’s wing of the Vernon Parish Library now has the Early Literacy Station computer for young children. The computer comes pre-loaded with 34 educational titles. The colorful keyboard and mouse are designed to attract young children. Time limits can be set, and printing limited.
Some of the programs are The Cat in the Hat, which teaches early reading and word recognition; Millie’s Math House, explore numbers, shapes, patters, addition and subtraction; JumpStart Preschool, introduces children to letters and numbers in dot-to-dot games; Sammy’s Science House, introduces early science and thinking skills; Flash Action Phonics Made Easy; Green Eggs and Ham, teaches reading, rhyming, consonants, matching colors; My Amazing Human Body, an educational introduction to the human body; Jump Start 1st Grade; Encarta kids; USA Explorer, teaches U.S. geography; Microsoft Paint; Encarta Dictionary; My First Amazing History, and many more.

Tom Lenard Collection added to the Archives

2008-05-21T20:39:00.006-05:00

The Tom Lenard Collection is the latest addition to the Library's Archives. This collection consists of a photo of Tom as a projectionist at the Pines Drive-In Theatre, Leesville, in the early 1960's, two adult tickets, and two Pines Drive-In and Vernon Theatres Teen Age Book ticket coupons. The dates of these is ca. 1960's.

Tom worked at both theatres after school while attending Leesville High School. He recently donated these items to the Library for its Archival collection of Leesville/Vernon Parish history.

Archival photos on FLICKR site

2008-05-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

Check out our Photos on Flickr.com
We now have over 770 photos about the library, including photos and scanned items from our Archives posted on Flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vernonparish/). A link is also located on our home page (http://www.vernon.lib.la.us) under the Reference Tab. These photos are searchable on the Flickr site and using Google Search Engine.Photos include churches and schools in Vernon Parish, Chamber of Commerce members, new businesses, photos of Leesville and Fort Polk, and more.

Patron Initiated Inter-Library Loan Requests

2008-04-18T16:35:00.002-05:00

Patron Initiated Inter-Library Loan
Instructions for library card holders

Searching and placing requests

1. Go to http://slla-agent.auto-graphics.com/ and log in with your user name and password.

(if you do not have or do not remember your user name and password, ask to have it set at the main branch of Vernon Parish Library.)
(Due to Library policy, your user name will always be First Initial+Middle Initial [if given]+Full Last Name. [ex. John Phillip Smith would be JPSmith] and password is defaulted to your Library Card Number)

2. At the Patron Screen, you are given three search choices:

Keyword Search - searches for any item with any of the words in the text bar.
Browse - searches for any items matching all of the words in the order they are placed in the text bar.
Advanced Search - allows you to search for multiple keywords and words to ignore.

3. Select one, fill in the box, select the search location, then click the “Search” button.

4. Click on one of the titles that matches what you are looking for. This will bring you to the item information page.
(If there are multiple versions of the same title [ie. Large Print or Audio] it will bring up a second list. Which you simply find the appropriate item and click again.)

5. If you want to place a request for this item, click the “Request this item” button on the far right of the item information page.

6. This will take you to the conformation page where you may place any special instructions for the request, and click the “Submit” button to send the request to the Library for approval.

Request Tracking

1. You can check the status of a request or edit your personal settings by clicking on the “Patron Menu” button on the main page.
2. To check the status of a request, click the “ILL Request Tracking” button, click the “Submit” button as it should automatically fill in your name and password. This will take you to a page listing all requests you have made and their current status.
(If your e-mail address is entered in the “My Account” page, you will receive an e-mail automatically when the status of a request changes.)

There is a limit of 10 active requests at a time. Any excess requests will be placed on standby until earlier requests are completed.

Vernon Parish Library
http://www.vernon.lib.la.us/
E-Mail: W1VR@PELICAN.STATE.LIB.LA.US
Phone #: 337-239-2027

2007-11-26T09:34:00.001-06:00

Other publications "From the Archives" series.

From the Archives Publications

2007-11-24T16:35:00.000-06:00

The Library has several publications, "From the Archives" series, available for sale. Subjects include Churches and Education in Vernon Parish, Historic buildings on Historic Register, Self Family, Students of Miss Alyce M. Haight, and Leghorn Times Herald Newspaper. This newspaper was published in Simpson, La. 1944-46. Prices vary. Some are $2.00, most are $10 each, and the Leghorn Times Herald is $40.

2007-08-21T15:14:00.000-05:00

The Archives is an important collection of the Vernon Parish Library. The Archives Collection contain many interesting and important documents regarding Vernon Parish and other items. Items in the Archives are cataloged, and processed using approved archival methods, and stored in archival boxes housed in a climate controlled room.
Two items of particular interest are two tables from the Franklin estate. Mrs. Franklin’s son, Ben, donated two tables in memory of his mother. The Franklins lived just outside of Leesville on Hwy. 117. She drove a black pickup truck and attended First Baptist Church. One of the tables is a round dining room table, and the other is a side table. The side table is made from Vernon Parish timber, hand milled, and crafted by Master Craftsman M. G. Foster for Mr. D. D. Franklin in 1928.
Other items in the Archives include a large collection of school yearbooks from Vernon Parish Schools and Northwestern University in Natchitoches. There are gaps, and the Library is always seeking additions to this important collection.
Other collections include the Alyce M. Haight Collection. Miss Haight taught school in Vernon Parish for many years, and kept a photograph of every child she taught. The Curtis Bradshaw Collection contains newspaper clippings and some photographs during his years as Superintendent of Vernon Parish Schools. Dolores B. Owen grew up in Leesville. The Dolores B. Owen Collection contains many items from her years in Leesville, including prom programs, old tax records, etc. The Archives also contains original governmental documents, including Leesville City Ordinances, beginning with number 1, Minutes from the City of Leesville and the Vernon Parish Police Jury. Old telephone books, autographed children’s books are other collections.
Recently, the Library has been reproducing some of these important documents and making them available to the public. The photos from the Alyce M. Haight Collection have been published, and perhaps the most popular is the Leghorn Times Herald Newspaper, originally published in Simpson, Louisiana in the 1940's. Originally published for soldiers, it became so popular that local subscriptions were very popular. Mrs. Emma Ruth Parker donated this collection to the Library in memory of her husband, Mr. Robert L. "Bob" Parker. The library has issues from March 1944 thru Sept. 1, 1947. The Archives also contains records from the Enon Primitive Baptist Church.
Four newsletters "From the Archives..." have been published, and are available for sale for $2.00 each. Other publications, Historic buildings on the National Register; Students of Miss Alyce M. Haight; and Dawn of a New Day (the original was published ca. 1944 by the Vernon Chamber of Commerce). Each of these is available for $10 ea. The last is a 250 page collection of the Leghorn Times Herald. This publication is available for $40.
The Library is looking for additional items to add to the Archives, such as old documents related to businesses, schools, churches, family histories or photographs. The Library would like to copy documents and photographs when it is not possible to add them to the collection. This is a wonderful way to preserve valuable Vernon Parish history for future generations.

Leesville City Ordiance #1

2007-07-19T15:03:00.000-05:00

From the Archives of the Vernon Parish Library. Page shows ordiance #1 for the city of Leesville. This is page one of the first ordiance book. The Library also has early minutes of the Vernon Parish Police Jury in the Archives.

Third St., looking north, Leesville, LA

2007-03-31T00:39:00.000-05:00

We Deliver (Books by Mail Program)

2007-02-25T23:20:00.000-06:00

We Deliver... Homebound Service... A FREE library service for residents of Vernon Parish who are temporarily or permanently confined to their home because of illness, age or physical disability. Available for all age groups, including children, teens, adults and senior citizens. INTERESTED? Just call the Vernon Parish Library Bookmobile Department at : (337) 239-2027 or 1-800-737-2231 You must have a Doctor’s statement stating you are Homebound. Physician referrals welcomed. We’ll find out what you like to read and sign you up. You can request specific titles or ask us to select them for you. Materials are delivered each month to your home. Materials will be delivered in person if you live on a Bookmobile route and the schedule permits. If this is not convenient, materials will be mailed in a pre-addressed cloth bag, postage paid both ways. • Books • Videos • Magazines • Cassettes • Audiobooks • Music CD’s • CD-ROMs • Large print books

This is an outreach program from the Bookmobile Department of the Vernon Parish Library.

Heritage Quest Online Database

2007-02-19T14:14:00.000-06:00

Vernon Parish Library has a new resource that uses technology to make tracing family trees easier. HeritageQuest Online™, a Web-based reference tool from ProQuest Information and Learning, will allow you to start exploring your roots by searching a surname. Even more convenient, you don’t have to leave home to do it. Anyone with a Vernon Parish Library card can log on to HeritageQuest Online through the library website and begin instantly searching the database’s millions of records for clues to their past – as far back as the 1700s.

The library is responding to a growing interest in family history that’s captured not only Vernon Parish but America as a whole. A new nationwide survey* shows 73% of Americans want to learn more about their roots, up from 60% in 2000. Twenty-five percent of those surveyed became interested after searching for a family surname online, pointing to the increasing popularity of Internet-based genealogy.

“More and more of our patrons want to explore their past and HeritageQuest Online makes it easy and convenient,” said Howard Coy, Director. “We expect this to be one of our most popular services.”

Coy says before you log on make a list of ancestors to research. “Write down the names of every direct ancestor you can think of,” he advises.

Once connected to HeritageQuest Online, users will find several paths to finding information – the U.S. Federal Census collection, over 20,000 family and local history books, an index to nearly 2 million magazine articles with genealogical information, or a vast database of Revolutionary War era records. Users select a path and enter a name to be searched. HeritageQuest Online instantly looks for matches and returns the results. Click on a name and an image of the matching record appears. For example, when a name is searched in the census collection, the particular page where this name is listed will be displayed on the screen. Patrons can use the information that they find as “clues” that will assist in searching their family history – places where they lived, names of relatives, birth or death dates, etc. Names can be added to form the “tree” or searched to find more clues.

“Genealogy is a wonderful hobby for anyone who wants to know more about where they came from,” says Coy, “and HeritageQuest Online is simple enough for beginners, yet it provides deep and broad content sets that will help veteran genealogists advance their research.”

Patrons with a valid Vernon Parish Library Card can visit the Library’s web page (www.vernon.lib.la.us), click on the Reference Tab, and go to the section labeled Genealogy. Click on the Heritage Quest link, enter your Vernon Parish Library Card number and enjoy the search.

Federal and State Documents

2007-02-19T11:24:00.000-06:00

Publish

The Venron Parish Library is one of three public libraries in the state to be designated as a Federal Depository. The Library is also a Louisiana State Depository Library. Thousands of documents are available for use by the public. All are cataloged in our On-Line Catalog, available at http://www.vernon.lib.la.us. One may search by subject, author, title or SuDoc stem number. Online databases are cataloged, as well as some Government Web Sites.

Viewing our Reference Page will give you many excellent links to Documents and other information.

Video Games

2007-02-19T11:18:00.000-06:00

A new collection available at the Library are Computer Video Game Discs. Many of the games are PlayStation II, some are X-Box versions. Each can be checked out, one per household, for a period of one week.
Titles include: NASCAR 07, Legend Zelda, Madagascar, Super Monkey Ball Adventure, Polar Express and Finding Nemo. Others are on order. For a complete listing of these games and other information, visit out web page at: http://www.vernon.lib.la.us.

Fishing Rods and Reels

2007-02-19T11:15:00.000-06:00

Spring is coming and the Library has Fishing Rods and Reels available for checkout. Each Rod & Reel may be checked out with a valid Vernon Parish or Libraries Southwest Library Card for a period of one week. Over 50 Fishing Rods & Reels are available.