Spotlight on Learning Adelia M. Russell Library & Mamie’s Place Newsletter 318 Church Street, Alexander City, AL 35010 Hours: 8:30-5:00 Monday-Friday; 9:00-1:00 Saturday Telephone: 256-329-6796 (Adelia M. Russell) 256-234-4644 (Mamie’s Place) — Website: www.alexandercityal.gov/library Director: Amy Huff MARCH 2020 Edited by John M. Taylor

From the Director: The Alexander City Chamber of Commerce presented the annual State of the City event at Central Alabama Com- munity College’s Betty Carol Graham Technology Center on February 26, 2020. John Taylor, Assistant Library Director, and Robert Bradford, Library Assistant, represented both Adelia Russell and Mamie’s Place at the event along with library board member Sheralyn Belyeu.

Mayor Tommy Spraggins and other city officials enlightened the audience on the positive aspects of the city. The renovation of the old Russell Main Office building and the progress of the new City Complex was one of the popu- lar topics shared. It is great to see historical places restored and progress being made for our City so that our City Government can run smoother and more effectively. Alexander City is a wonderful community with aspirations of progress. Its small town demeanor and welcoming charm make it a great place to live and work. We appreciate all the effort, research and elbow grease that helps produce good outcomes for this community.

Robert’s Take: From the pen of Robert Bradford The American Standard version of the Bible in Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2 reads in part, “For Everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born; And a time to die…,” Authors seemingly live on for- ever through their works, but they too eventually pass from this life. Early in 2020, two prolific writers died. On February 24th we lost Clive Cussler—his “Dirk Pitt” character is familiar to many. This, after the death of Mary Higgins Clark, on January 31st. Clark’s books are particularly popular with our readers.

In 2019, we lost several writers who have multiple books in our collection. I would like to mention three in particu- lar: Toni Morrison, multi award winning author, Judith Krantz, romance writer and Herman Wouk with one of his well-known works being, “The Caine Mutiny”. The five authors referenced span numerous genres of books. Though we are sad to see their passing, we are thankful for the many entertaining and treasured works they left be- hind. Quality writers leave a legacy in words that transcends generations. We invite you to check out the works of your choice by these excellent writers.

With the vernal equinox on Thursday, March 19th, we will witness the beginning of a new Spring. We hope you make the library a part of this season of renewal with a great reading experience made possible by our library. As always, Thank You for your patronage!

Free Medicare Education Classes The public is invited to Free Medicare Education Classes at Adelia M. Russell Library. The programs review the A, B, C & Ds of Medicare as well as explain costs, plan options (e.g. Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage Plans, Prescription Drug Plans), etc. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 1:00 P.M. Ques- tions should be directed to Rick Durden at 256-749-3402. Recently Added DVDs

A Beautiful Day in the The Dukes of Hazzard: Neighborhood Breakthrough Call of the Wild Courageous Diamonds are Forever Downton Abbey Season 2

For Your Eyes Only God’s Not Dead: A The Karate Kid 2 The Karate Kid 3 License to Kill Maleficent: Mistress Midway Light in Darkness of Evil

Overcomer Star Trek Star Wars: The Phantom Superman: Unplanned 13 Hours: The Soldiers You Only Live Twice Menace Man of Steel of Benghazi

Mamie’s Place Children’s Library Entering March, we look forward to brighter days and the opportunity for more outside activities. On March 2nd we will celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday by giving out pencils and bookmarks. Theodor “Seuss” Geisel, a prolific writ- er and legendary contributor to the entertainment and education of youth, wrote and illustrated over sixty books. Over 600 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide (including translations into over twenty languages).

We will have our regular Storytime on Wednesdays and Games and Puzzles on Thursdays. We will also hand out beads during our yearly celebration of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th. As always, we invite our friends and pa- trons to visit Mamie’s Place. Remember, it does not have to be a special event; feel free to drop by any time during our normal operational hours and take advantage of the plethora of things we have to offer. We are winding up another successful round of Sign Language classes at Adelia M. Russell Library. Betty Hare, from OLLI (Osher Learning) in Auburn teaches them—Stay tuned for future classes.

The 2020 Census The 2020 Census officially begins on April 1, 2020. This census is the first in U.S. history that can be taken online. An accurate count is critical relative to representation—this point was clearly stated by Amanda Thomas, Alexander City’s City Clerk, at the February 26, 2020, State of the City meeting. Libraries serve as the nexus of many commu- nities and Adelia M. Russell Library is working diligently to provide whatever is needed to assist with the accumu- lation of census data. Not only will census workers conduct training in the library in March and April, the Comput- er Lab at Adelia Russell provides a convenient location for adults with limited computer access (and prefer the computer route) to fill out the census online. We have desktops, laptops, and ADA-friendly computers. Basic computer classes are offered periodically at the Adelia M. Russell Library. The classes are geared primarily toward beginners or patrons wishing to increase their basic skills. Classes are small—typically no more than four per session—and the atmosphere is relaxed. If interest is sufficient, we are also open to one-on-one sessions, pri- marily for anyone who considers themselves a computer novice. This would include basics in searching the Inter- net, copy and paste, basic Word Documents, etc. Please visit the Ground Floor for more information.