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News from the Friends - Wanda Gregory, President and Lois Byrd, Vice President
The purpose of the Friends of the Harnett County Public Library is to promote the development of excellent library service in our community; to foster closer relations between our library and the citizens of our community; to promote knowledge of the librarys functions, resources, services, and needs; and to provide the means for members to exchange ideas, information and experience.
The Friends sponsor a variety of programs that are free and open to the public. They also have on-going projects that help with the librarys needs. To do these, the Friends have to have funds. Membership dues are $2.00 a year or Life Memberships are $50.00.
You can make donations to the Friends that will help with on-going projects. The Friends have just established an Endowment Fund which the interest will be used to help sponsor programs, speakers and performing art presentations. Names will be placed on a plaque in the library of those donating $500.00 or more. Others will be placed in an Endowment Fund Book. For more information on how you can help, please call the library at 910-893-3446.
The Friends of the Harnett County Library gratefully acknowledge the donation of $100 by Mrs. Annie Patterson Bass. The gift is a memorial to her late husband Monroe Bass, Shawtown barber and leader in the First Baptist Church. Mrs. Bass, retired from the Bladen County schools, has been a member of the board of directors of the Friends for two years.
The Friends also gratefully accepted the donation of a framed copy of the press report of the first historical tour based on the Harnett County Historical Quilt. The news story advancing the tour is from the Sanford Daily Herald. The copy was written by the donor Lois Byrd, then president of the Friends. The photography was by Jimmy Haire, then staff photographer for The Herald.
Mrs. Helen Chaffin Byrd of Lillington donated a large dictionary that once belonged to her father L.M. Chaffin, long time clerk of the superior court for Harnett County. The dictionary will be a reference book and is placed in the conference room with a portrait of Mr. Chaffin framed by the Friends.
The Board would like to welcome two new members: Mr. Jim Randolph and Dr. Anne Moore. If you are interested in serving on the Board of Directors, please give us a call. They meet on the first Tuesday each month at 4:30 p.m. at the County Library.
Focus on Fiction - Melanie Collins
The mission of the public library includes making materials and information services available to the citizens of Harnett County. In an effort to make sure that the materials and services are being utilized the Harnett County Public Library staff has planned a series of programs, along with software supplied by the State Library of North Carolina, bibliographies, and other goodies to help get the right book to the right reader. This spring the library will Focus on fiction. All of the programs will begin at 2:00 p.m. at the Harnett County Public Library. No pre-registration is required and refreshments will be served by the Friends and the Junior Friends of the Harnett County Public Library.
The first program in the series was presented by on March 23, by Dr. Lucinda H. MacKethan, of the Department of English at NC State University. This North Carolina Humanities Forum Lecturer whose speech entitled Is Scarlett Gone With the Wind or Still Here? entertained the group.
In an era of tremendous cultural change, Scarlett OHara stood for the New Woman of the 1930s. She explored the topic of Scarlett as an icon for the early modern period and for our own, as well. Both novel and movie Gone With The Wind offer classic lessons in how the historical novel provides ways to define critical, social problems for later eras by looking backward.
On April 6, Margaret Maron, author of fourteen mystery novels and numerous short stories will be our guest. Her works have been nominated for every major award In the American mystery field and are on the reading lists of various courses in contemporary Southern literature. In 1993, her North Carolina-based Bootleggers Daughter won the Edgar Allan Poe Ward and the Anthony Award for Best Mystery Novel of the Year, the Agatha Award for Best Traditional Novel, and the Macavity for Best Novelan unprecedented sweep for a single novel. She is past president of Sisters in Crime, current president of the American Crime Writers League, a director on the National Board for Mystery Writers of America and an active participant in the Carolina Crime Writers Association and the NC Writers Network.
Her fourth Deborah Knott novel, Up Jumps the Devil, will be reprinted in paperback in June; her fifth, Killer Market, will be an August 1997 release from Mysterious Press. It is set in the High Point furniture market. She and her artist husband live near Raleigh.
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Julie Tetel will be our guest on May 18
Julie Tetel Andresen grew up in the Chicago suburb of Glenview, Illinois. For the past twenty years she has lived in Durham, North Carolina with her husband, Marcel, and her two sons, Francis and Gerard. She teaches linguistics at Duke University when she is not concentrating on her writing career. She is the author of fifteen historical romances, published with Fawcett, Warner, and Harlequin. In the past several years she has become increasingly involved in programs that involve the North Carolina Library Association.
Ms. Tetels historical romances, Swept Away and Sweet Sensations have been nominated for Best Historical Romance by the Romance Writers of America. (For additional titles by this author, please dial into our OPAC, or call the library)
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With a special grant from the State Library of North Carolina in cooperation with the CARL Corporation, the Harnett County Public Library will have NoveList available through the Internet.
This online resource will help you discover more about your reading interestsfinding common links between authors, titles and subjects.
NoveList is designed for use by anyonelibrary patrons and staff alike can learn to navigate this program. It easy and fun to use. Large, clear buttons guide readers through this colorful program.
NoveList helps readers find new books based on titles theyve read or topics they are interested in.
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New and Novels of North Carolina - Melanie Collins
Feels like home: fond remembrances in words and pictures is edited by Cheryl Moch with an introduction by Allan Gurganus
In this book, called a "love song in words and pictures" more than a hundred vintage and contemporary photographs are gathered with reflections from writers on the topic of home. Allan Gurganus, author of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All and White People, has written a poignant introduction about home. He says he is an American and a Southerner, though not necessarily in that order and that no American region feels more romantically disposed toward the homeplace than we do in the south. Homeplace tells us that Southern homes must have some land around the home. The Southern homeplace is more valued for having been so often lost. He calls it "southern worship of the ancestral seat."
He says, "As the 20th Century ends, as its car alarms and terminal insomnias subside, perhaps our age will be best described by a single tragic word. That word means "clueless", "history-less" wandering companionless out-of-doors. To Gurganus, the 20th century is homeless and he hopes like the prodigal son, the 21st century comes home again.
A companion book also published by Algonquin is entitled Out on the Porch: an evocation in words and pictures with an introduction by Reynolds Price. The words, "out on the porch" bring to mind a mood, a feeling, an image of a place to relax and enjoy a cool breeze on a warm night." This book celebrates the beauty of porches, how we live on them, and they way we feel about them.
The Rough Road Home: Stories by North Carolina Writers includes stories by our favorite authors, Doris Betts, Jill McCorkle, Tim McLaurin, Clyde Edgerton, and Max Steele.
Little Jordan, a novel by Marly Youmans is a book about what home is for a 13-year-old. Margaret Maron writes like your neighbor telling you the latest gossip in her newest Deborah Knott mystery, Up Jumps the Devil.
Confessions of a Self-accused Computer Junkie - Jackie Frye
Are you puzzling over buying that first computer? If you are, let me give you this little piece of warning. Once you start you cannot go back. I got my first one in 1984 and will not go without one ever again.
Most people think of a computer as a tool to get a job done or help the kids with school. After people get one they soon find out all the other uses. I started out using it for letters and keeping records. Then it started evolving into a daily part of my life.
I set up my address book and added a field for Christmas Cards yes or no. Then I load envelopes in the printer and out comes addressed envelopes. This is a big time saver.
E-mail helps us keep in touch with friends and family. I keep in touch with family and friends in Georgia. Terris family started e-mail this Christmas. She said her phone bill went down and she still keeps in contact with her sister in Utah and parents at Holden Beach.. With e-mail at home as well as work I am a double mailer. This is great, I send myself notes to remind me of things I would normally forget. I sent a note from home with info to include in this article.
I subscribe to Fabulous Freebies and get a newsletter sent about once a week. This gives me places to look on the web for free stuff. I have received shampoo, tee shirts and even a 30 minute phone card. Check it out. <http://www.sitepros.com/FF/index.htm> I depend on e-mail a lot. It is easier and faster to send a few lines e-mail to a coworker or vendor than picking up the phone.
My husband is always kidding me about watching the weather channel so much. I just have to see the weather every morning and every night. So it was not big surprise to him when I started getting the weather e-mailed to me each day from the weather channel. <http://www.merc.com/main/cgi/main_merc.cgi> I can even change the set up to get out of town weather for trips.
This was helpful a few weeks ago when we went to Rome, GA. We knew what the weather report for the upcoming week was. Melanie even found a place on the web to get directions and maps. <http://www.lycos.com/roadmap.html>.
My husband even found a use, he can get the latest scores on games, e-mail for his work, company profiles, etc. Terri was just telling me this morning that she can find the results to the world skating championships. A few weeks ago we started receiving calls about what time Easter sunrise for this year. Terri jumped on the net and found out the answer for the next 3 years. The Internet is so helpful with reference questions I do not know how we ever got along without it.
Now with so much automation it is hard to remember when things are not, like writing down the door count the last day of the month for statistics. I have an alarm program and have it set to remind me of about everything from getting the door count to appointments. Melanie set my alarm to remind me to go the restroom the other day. This may be getting a little over dependent, but after our trip to Rome and my having to stop every hour for a potty break it is justified.
Computers become part of our lives and this is good. In today world when everyone is running as fast as they can any saved time is extra time.
Computer Jargon - Jackie Frye
You know you are in the computer world when you change the way you start talking. A few examples follow:
.. - is dot dot not period period
/ & \ - forward and back slash (I always get these confused, if one does not work try the other)
Enter and Return - are the same.
RAM or Memory - short term memory
HD or hard drive - long term memory or storage space
Floppy - a removable disk, the term floppy is a carry over from when they really
were flexible. The older ones still are.
CD - compact disk, sometimes refers to the player as well as the disk
There are too many to list so come to the library and check out some of books on computers.
[[ed. notes her favorites with comment] This is a star * not an asterisk, and a period is not a period any more, its a "full stop." Talk about a double dot dot. Put this stuff together with library lingo and acronyms and you will need to bring an interpreter into the library to talk to us. Well maybe not not full stop]
>The clutter creeps into my house
More furtively than any mouse
No rustle patter of its feet
Betray the goods I bought to eat.My pantry shelves are all three deep
With stuffs I bought when they were cheap,
And now unused, they all grow stale
Theyre there because they were on sale.One culprit is the daily mail
I right it, fight it to no avail
These journals every counter fill
A pamphlet sent for every ill!My bedroom is my own affair
I alone put clutter there
But shoes are all in disarray
Lotions and creams are on display.How does this stuff accumulate?
Disorder is a state I hate!
Each day I vow to take a stand
And clean it out with broom in hand!Of clutters most formidable I find
To be the clutter in my mind.
Here there are no empty spaces
A hundred faces, hundred places.Scenes from my past I cant forget
In dreams they surfaced as I slept
And in the day my poor tired brain
Hums ceaselessly with some refrain.Creativity is some relief
Constructive outlet for my grief.
Writing it down gives small surcease
And allows clutter some release.But rhyming of itself can be
Another form of cluttery
I hike alone, I do not talk
Yet couplets form on every walk!
--Eileen Williford
** Matilda **
by Roald Dahl
Matilda is a book Im sure you would like if you like funny books. It will not only entertain but delight all who read it.
Matilda is a very clever not to mention smart young girl with two very odd, mean parents. Her father is really a thief who steals cars and her mother is a plump woman who cares about looks. Matilda has two teachers, Mrs. Honey and "The Trunchbull" who is a quite mean teacher. Mrs. Honey on the other hand is nice. Most of this book takes place at only three places: one: the school, two: Matildas house, three: Mrs. Honeys house. When Matilda meets "The Trunchbull" she right off hates her. Through the book she does miracles no one could possibly do and drives "The Trunchbull" wild. Meanwhile she also finds a secret that "The Trunchbull" raised Mrs. Honey meanly. Matilda and Mrs. Honey are determined to get back at "The Trunchbull" by using Matildas power. After six days of trying, Matilda can move stuff which includes: lifting, pulling, pushing, and much more. Soon they are ready to put their plan into action!
When Matilda writes "The Trunchbull" a letter on the chalk board magically and uses her first name (Agatha), it is enough to drive her mad. Soon she is history! I loved this book so much because it was interesting and very entertaining. You will love it if you read it and will find out the end too. Matilda is great for kids. The end.
Book report by:
Holly Grabowski
Age 9
by C.S. Lewis
The Magicians Nephew is a story about a boy named Digory and a girl named Polly. Digory and his mother were staying with his aunt and uncle and while they were there, his mother got sick. Digorys uncle does magic. His name is Uncle Andrew. At the beginning of the story, Digory and Polly meet and go exploring. They mean to go into the house next door to Digory but they accidentally go into Uncle Andrews study. Uncle Andrew gives Polly a ring and as soon as he put it on her finger, she disappeared. Uncle Andrew gave Digory a ring, too, and he disappeared.
Next, Digory and Polly were in the Wood Between the Worlds. There were many pools of water. They jumped into a different pool than the one they came out of. They went into a ruined city. Digory rang a bell with a hammer and woke up Queen Jadis. Jadis pretended to be very nice but later she became mean. She followed them back to their own world. Jadis caused lots of trouble there. She stole and crashed a hansom (a horse carriage). Digory and Polly put on their rings and touched her and they were back in the Wood Between the Worlds. The horse, Strawberry, the coachman and Uncle Andrew came with them.
They jumped into another pool and went to Narnia. In Narnia, it was completely dark. It started to get light and they saw a lion. They went to the lion, whose name was Aslan. The lion could talk. Soon lots of animals came and two of each kind of them could talk. Strawberry started to talk, too. Aslan made the coachman and his wife (who appeared out of nowhere) King and Queen. Jadis ran away after eating a special apple that Aslan gave to Digory to make his mother well. A lot of animals chased Uncle Andrew and he put on a magic ring and went back home.
Digory and Polly went back home after Uncle Andrew. Digory gave the apple to his mother and it healed her. He planted the core in the yard and there grew a tree. It swayed when the trees in Narnia swayed. When the wind finally blew it down, Digory made it into a wardrobe that is important in the next book about Narnia called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
If you like adventure and talking animals, you will enjoy this book.
A Book Review
By Katie Vest
Age 9
National Library Week - April 13-19 Kids Connect @ The Library
--Chris Holub
We hope that you can join us for these special events in honor of National Library Week!
In todays "Information Society" effective library skills are essential to the success of every child. We would like to invite the parents and teachers of children of all ages to attend a special orientation program designed to help familiarize you with the wide array of materials available at the library. If you havent been to the library in a while, or would like to know more about the services provided, this is a program you wont want to miss!
Fun for the whole family! John Hairr, our very own local history and genealogy specialist will discuss the basic principles of genealogical research, and the tools available at the Harnett County Public Library. Children are encouraged to bring in their parents, grandparents and as much information (names, dates, photos) as they can gather to decorate their own family tree.
For those parents who cannot make it to our weekly story time, we invite you to bring your preschool age children to this special Saturday morning storytime. Stories, poems, songs, and more!
Celebrate Earth Day at the Library!
Tuesday, April 22nd is Earth Day and we invite you to celebrate it at the library by bringing your children to a special after school craft program at 4:00 p.m. We will be making "recycled" crafts from household materials. The library has a wealth of information on current environmental concerns, so stop in and find out what you can do to help heal our planet, and celebrate the wonder of our world.
The 1997 Summer Reading Program Gets Cookin With Books!!!
Summer is sure to sizzle this year as the 1997 Summer Reading Program "Get Cookin With Books" heats up. We hope youll come on in and gobble up some good books this summer, as we are planning a feast of stories, activities, and entertainment to highlight this years theme. Registration begins on Friday, June 20, with a party, food drive, and puppet show by the Jr. Friends Puppet Troupe. Please bring a non-perishable food items to be donated to the Harnett County Department of Social Services Food Closet. Preschoolers-Kindergarten will meet on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. Grades 1-6 will meet on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. (sign up for one) On Tuesday, July 29 at 1:00 p.m. we will have our Awards party with entertainment by Mark Daniel, magician and puppeteer. Everyone who participates will receive special "Get Cookin With Books" materials, including a reading record, book mark, sticker, and a certificate of achievement. We hope to see all of you as we cook up some fun this summer.
Angier Library Summer Reading Program Schedule
Angier librarys 1997 Summer Reading Program will be held on Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. from June 26 through July 24. Sessions will include stories, games, fun, and more!
Coats Library Summer Reading Program Schedule
Coats librarys 1997 Summer Reading Program will be held on Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. from June 24 through July 22. Sessions will include stories, games, fun and more!
A Very Special New Book with a Lillington Natives Contribution -- by Christiann Dykstra
One new book you wont want to miss is by photodocumentarian Roland L. Freeman,
A Communion of the Spirits: African-American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories.
The book looks at the quilters Freeman met, their quilts, and their lives. One of those quilters is a Lillington native, Valarie Jean Bailey. From 1992-1995 she served as an elected chairperson for the Women of Color Quilters Network, NY Chapter, Inc. This is a professional guild of over 60 African-American Quilters organized to foster and preserve the art of quilt-making in the African-American community. Since 1970 she has been a Professional Fiber Artist, designing and exhibiting traditional and contemporary quilts and fiber crafts. Ms. Bailey has also developed and conducted a variety of quilt-making and doll-making workshops in New York City.
She is quoted in the book as saying, "Quilting means many things to me. It is a way of expressing myself through my art and craft. It is a connection to my ancestors and their ancient properties. It is therapy and relaxation after a long day at work. (And I must say here, as with many quilters, I too have a 9 to 5 and quilt mostly in the midnight hours; sometimes I work all night long, shower and go to work, then if the rhythm is there, I go home and work some more.) Its a place to go when I feel like a motherless child, whether that means working on a quilt and shutting out the world or curling up under one for warmth. Quilting is a way for me to further validate myself as an artist, a contributor, as warrior."
There is a possibility we will be able to display some of Ms. Baileys quilts and other fiber arts at the library in the near future. She has recently moved back to Lillington and still has many of her belongings packed away. In the meantime, be sure to check out this very meaningful and historically important book. Several other North Carolina towns and counties are represented as well, and personal names and states are included in the index. Other notable women in the book are Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou. I cant get enough of this title. I go back to it again and again, enjoying the photos and the personal stories. It is a feast for the eyes. It warms the heart and is a blessing for the soul. Experience it!
YOU ASKED FOR IT YOU GOT IT! VALUE LINE IS HERE! -- Christiann Dykstra, Reference Librarian
Library users who have been urging us to buy Value Line Investment Survey over the last two years will be pleased to know it is now available at the Harnett County Public Library in Lillington. We had so many requests it finally made it cost-effective to subscribe to the service. This is one of the most widely used independent investment information services in the world, with something useful for just about every investor and covers some 1,700 equity issues. Each company report is updated quarterly, including a full range of investment yardsticks and estimated. We are subscribing to the "Expanded Edition" which includes an additional 1,800 (mostly small-cap) stocks not included in the standard Investment Survey. According to Value Lines brochure, here are the main features of the service:
- the main section "Ratings and Reports" presents full-page, individual stock (encapsulating the companys past performance, current status, and outlook) and industry reviews;
- the "Summary and Index" provides a key to locating the latest quarterly and supplementary reports and cites the most recent data on each of the stocks followed;
- the "Selection and Opinion", a feature section, gives Value Lines views on the economy and the stock market and on stocks of special interest.
We also have a number of investment books and magazines, including the Beardstown Ladies Investment Club books, Forbes, Fortune, Mutual Funds, Money, Kiplingers Personal Finance Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. Back issues of the magazines may be checked out for one week; books for three weeks. So stop by soon and "invest" some time in research to increase those greenbacks!
Pet Memorials - Cathey Clifton
In recognition of the unique bond that many of us feel for our animal companions, The Harnett County Library has established the Pet Memorial Book fund. This program is sponsored by The Lillington Veterinary Clinic. By sponsoring this fund, a lasting part of the love you and your pet shared can be passed on to the children and adults of our community.
When you donate to this fund in your pets name, the money will be used to purchase a book about animals and their care. A bookplate will be placed in the book with your pets name.
You can also contribute to this fund on behalf of a friend who has lost a pet. A card will be sent to the owner acknowledging that you have made this kind gesture.
Contact the Harnett County Library (893-3446) if you are interested in this program.
In Memory of:
"Murphy" Heintzleman
"Cujo" Ragan
"Paddy" Blackburn
"Kazan" King
"Phantom" Fox
"Patton" GuptonBy Dr. Sarah Hagler
Lillington Veterinary Clinic
"Sassafras" Shull
By Jerry & Linse Wood
Memorials & Donations
The Harnett County Library acquires a number of books and other materials through tax-exempt gifts. Such gifts can be given as a memorial to someone who is deceased or as a tribute to a living person you wish to honor. These gifts are noted with a name plate, listing the person to be memorialized or honored and the person making the donation.
| Memorials In Memory of: Jane Eliason In Memory of In Memory of
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Donations In Honor of: The Tea and Topics Book Club of Lillington By Monica Bland By John Hairr By Stephen Williford By Denise Knight By William A. Johnson By Beaman W. Kelley By Barbara Carol Ballard By Harnett Correctional Institution By Central Carolina Community College |
Dumb things or An Advance Users Group for some of us who are not.
Using a sophisticated computer system such as the one that the libraries in Harnett County use means that we must also strive to become sophisticated users. The system is very transparent and easy to use from the patrons view; however, operationally, it is not such a piece of cake. So, in order to accommodate this need for more knowledge, the users of the system we so fondly call ADVANCE, have come together to form a "Users Group." This is the fifth year that users have assembled to share their knowledge, desires, and frustrations and observations and some really helpful ideas that accompany any sort of computer system that one might use.
The GAUG (Geac ADVANCE Users Group) met this year in the sunny south on the campus of Berry College, just outside of Rome, Georgia. [http://www.romegeorgia.com] (We have Martha Berrys bio, entitled Miracle in the Mountains, by Harnett Kane.) This was a fun working trip that afforded many opportunities to fine-tune our levels of sophistication.
Getting there: Because Georgia is so close and some on our staff have not conquered their fear of flying, Jackie, Cathey and I drove to Rome. It was a lovely nine-hour driveand since Jackies from Georgia, it was like not even leaving home. And while some may disdain even the idea of driving a county car 800 miles, out-of-state, we were quite pleased with the performance of the vehicle once we were underway. Never mind the fact that before we left, it had a flat tire sitting in the library parking lot. We have a wonderful vehicle maintenance staff who came out the night before and fixed it quite promptly. Thanks to Jerry and his staff!
Very shortly after we left Harnett County, it became clear that Cathey and I were riding with someone with what I fondly call TB (tiny bladder). I didnt write down exact times and mileage, but my recollection is that we stopped once every 50-60 miles to potty and replenish. This afforded us the opportunity to visit some of the more elegant and lovely restrooms for which the South is noted. [http://www.hickory.net/lennyb/fastfood/]
On the trip to Georgia we stopped at Hardees (Biscoe, NC), Hardees (Harrisburg, NC), Wendys (Gaffney, SC)(OK, we had lunch here, too); and the Welcome Center on the GA/SC state line).
Getting home : On the way home, the agenda included stops at Taco Bell (Cumming, GA), a service station in Buford, Georgia, a rest stop near the South Carolina state line, Jacksons Cafeteria in Gastonia, a KFC on the home side of Charlotte, near the University. If you know anything about NC geography, you will see the humor here--Gastonia and Charlotte are only 20 miles apart ) and then we didnt stop again until we got to Carthage where we went to pee in the tiniest Hardees in the statehonest.
On the education: Oh yes, the meeting was productive, too. We learned about new enhancements from the head programming guy, BJ Mitchell, for upcoming versions of ADVANCE We saw demos from librarians who are making use of the Internet to give users access to their collections. Doug Chafes illustration of client/server architecture was very illuminating; officials from Geac [http://www.geac.com] discussed the partnership between the customers and developers of the product. The group was especially interested in the technical support desk web page now we can see what those guys look like! We talked about enhancement requests, grumbled about report writing, even though Matt Goldner, trainer extraordinaire gave it his best shot each time he talked. And we ateand drank a lot of bottled waterand coffee. We got teased about our southern accents, our fried chicken, and basketball [http://www.lycos.com/guide/madness/].
And next year when the group gathers at the Pasadena Public Library , I guess they can joke about the earthquakes [http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/library/].
This summer the Harnett County Public Library would like to invite teens to join "Teen Read" a book discussion group that will meet on three Mondays, June 30, July 14, and July 28, at 2:00. We will discuss three different novels over refreshments. Hope to see you there!
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