September 1998
What’s New?
During the summer vacation there was a lot of activity
going on behind the closed doors of the Library. After a short break for travel, rest and
relaxation, the Library staff got busy preparing for an exciting new academic year full of
pleasant surprises for our members.
Those of you who have not been to the Library for a while should make a
point of stopping by to discover the additions to our book collection and the new computer
facilities we have set up to make it easier for our members to conduct research.
Internet access for patrons
In July, we received a sizeable grant from an
"anonymous donor" to finance a project that will provide our patrons with access
to the Internet.
In October, the Library will have two computers (also donated by our
mysterious benefactor) connected to the Internet via high-speed cable modems. We are
fortunate in that Montpellier is one of the first cities in France to have cable access to
the Net.
We have made rapid progress: Kevin has upgraded the two new computers,
acquired software at an impressive discount, and negotiated a cable access deal with
France Telecom.
Of course, Internet access is expensive in France so there will be a
modest fee for this service. Library members will be pleased to know that they will be
able to "surf the Net" for half the price charged to the general public.
All three of our publicly accessible computers may also
be used for word-processing, printing and consulting our encyclopedias and other reference
CD-ROMs.
New Library Hours
Monday:
2:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 12:00 noon
In our continuing effort to be more accessible to
patrons, the Library has extended its opening hours yet again.
Montpellier seems to be a vast construction site these days. With the
new Tramway and related roadwork, many of our members are finding it difficult to come to
the Library. Therefore, we have decided to remain open until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays as
well as on Tuesdays. Traffic is light after 6 p.m., and parking is free in nearby lots at
that hour. We are also open during the lunch hour on Tuesday through Friday. We hope that
these expanded hours will give all of our members a convenient time to visit the Library!
Antigone des Associations
The annual "Foire aux Associations" was held
this year on Sunday, September 13th. As usual, the Friends of the American
Library took part in this very popular event. We would like to thank everyone who
volunteered to help us advertise the Library on this day. Hundreds, if not thousands, of
people attend the Fair and our faithful volunteers worked hard to inform the public about
our Library and its activities Thanks go out to Arnie, Marie-Dominique, Marshall, and
everyone else who helped out.
Special Events at the Library
FAST FORWARD:
How the Internet is transforming writing,
Agenting and Publishing
A talk by Michael Larsen
Monday, 28 September at 6:00 p.m.
Michael Larsen was born in New York and received a
Bachelor of Arts degree from City College in New York.
He worked for three major New York publishers before he and is wife
Elizabeth Pomada moved to San Francisco in 1970. They started their literary agency in
1972. They have sold books to more than one hundred publishers and are members of the
Association of Authors Representatives.
As an author, Michael has written or co-authored eleven books. He is
the author of How to Write a Book Proposal; Literary Agents: What They Do, How They Do It,
and How to Find and Work with the Right One for You; and the six books about Victorian
houses in the Painted Ladies series.
Michael and Elizabeth give talks and present seminars on publishing at
writers' conferences and adult learning centers.
Although he's not a techie, Michael is passionately interested in how
technology is reinventing civilization and is eager to share his insights with you. And he
is looking forward to your questions after he speaks.
You can find more information about Michael and Elizabeth at their
website: www.Larsen-Pomada.com
The BOOKSHOP presents:
PIECES OF LIGHT
By Adam Thorpe
Thursday October 8th at 6:30 P.M.
Adam Thorpe (Ulverton, Still) will be at the
Library on Thursday October 8th at 6:30 P.M. Mr. Thorpe will present his new
book, Pieces of Light, and will be glad to answer questions.
Long-term library members will recall that Adam Thorpe visited the
Library several years ago to present his critically acclaimed novel, Ulverton.
Adam's last visit was enjoyable and informative so make sure you mark
this date on your calendars.
Open House and Book Sale
We are already preparing the next Open House and Book
Sale! In fact, we receive book donations throughout the year and we already have several
large crates stored away.
This Fall's Open House will be held on Saturday December 5th from
10 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. We're publishing this first announcement well in advance in order to
give you time to plan ahead for this very popular event. If you have books you wish to
donate for the sale, please bring them to the Library before the end of November so they
can be priced and sorted.
Conversation groups
The French-English conversation meetings are scheduled
to begin on Tuesday, September 29th.
The groups meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 6:30
P.M.
These informal meetings were set up to help French and English-speaking
library members get to know one another.
Because this is a language exchange, we ask that the groups conduct one
half of their meetings in French and the other half in English. That way everyone will
benefit!
A reminder to participants: Since the Library is now open until
8 P.M. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you are welcome to stay later than 6:30 on those two
days.
Thank you, Friends!
Once again, we would like to take this opportunity to
thank YOU, our faithful Friends of the American Library for your generous and
indispensable support. People join associations for many reasons, but I'm sure that your
primary motivation for joining the "Friends" is the satisfaction of seeing our
library grow and improve its services.
Please take the time to drop by and take a look at what your
contributions have made possible. The Library's collection is bigger and better than ever!
We've added new bookshelves (again!) in the corridor and in front of the main desk.
As announced in a previous newsletter, we have finally invested in a
new circulation desk. There is much more room to store and organize circulation materials
and we can check in and check out your loans more efficiently. The new desk came at just
the right time. The old one was over twenty years old and mysterious bits and pieces had
been falling off of it over the years. In fact, when I tried to move the old desk to make
way for the new one, it did collapse!
One of my friends, a talented cartoonist, stopped by the Library one
day and saw that I was thrilled to death with the new desk. He drew a cartoon for me. I
couldn't resist including it for you below!
So, once again, Thanks Friends! Your support is essential to the
American Library. We couldn't have expanded the way we have over the past eighteen years
without your help!
-Kevin Lightner |
