For Immediate Release:  August 3, 2005
Contact:  Sam Gnuse, Altamont Public Library Board President
Subject:  Altamont Public Library encourages you to keep reading this summer

Imagine entering a plain brick building on a warm summer day. To your right, toys are strewn on a soft carpet where toddlers are playing. Young voices call out as they find  surprises on the shelves.

To your left are computers where two teenage boys work on their own magazine. A girl solves a math problem with computer software. In a front corner, adults are enjoying quiet time glancing through periodicals or reading local papers. In an adjacent room, someone is searching for information on past relatives.

Everywhere you look you see books. Lots and lots of books. Where are you? It's the Altamont Public Library.  A lot has changed at the library in the past year. It's been a quiet overhaul until now, librarians being the brilliant but modest folks we've always admired.   The image of the staid old library is giving way to the noisy, online, family-friendly learning center that is the destiny of libraries of the future.

In the past year, the Library has become completely computerized.  Through a State of Illinois Technology Grant, all material has been catalogued into the Shawnee Library System, which allows all library patrons with current library cards access to the entire system’s catalogue of materials.  You are able to search by topic, author, title, as well as requesting a loan or placing a hold on books.  A mountain of new books, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks were purchased with a State of Illinois Demonstration Grant.  Even the front of the Library received a face-life with a new awning, purchased with the assistance of a local donation.  If you haven’t been to the library recently, you’ve truly missed a fun experience. 

Summer is the perfect time to see where your library is heading. The Altamont Public Library now offers far more than stacks of wonderful books. For example:

• Videos, CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks to take home

• Ideas for kids on fun summer reading

• Summer reading programs with goals and rewards

• Access to computers for those already skilled

• Training on computers for those seeking skills

• Geneology information

• Web interface for ease of researching and ordering materials from home or office 24 hours a day

Sounds good, doesn’t it? For a smarter summer, drop by your local branch and see what's cooking. You might even borrow some good books!

There's a change happening at your community library - check it out!   For more information on the Altamont Public Library call 618-483-5457 or go to www.altamontpubliclibrary.com.