Sale boosts library fund

Newsboy photo/ Sharon Kerr STOCKING NEW BOOKSHELVES at the Senior Center turned into a session of "I want to read that." Librarians Sue Dear and Andrea Williams (kneeling) are filling shelves with large print books.Wal-Mart community representative Lillie Weatherspoon and co-manager Ethel Odom helped.

The library book sale at Azalea Fest this year earned more than $2,000 for the building fund, double the previous sale amount, according to librarian Denise Milton.

"Nothing was thrown away," Milton said. Of what was left, some fiction books were given away at the Woman's Civic Club after the sale, some large print books were taken to the Senior Center on Fletcher Street, and a lot of the children's books were saved for young participants in the summer reading programs at the library.

Milton said Scoutmaster Lloyd Persons will take the rest of the books for a Boy Scouts garage sale to be scheduled later.

Milton also said people are becoming aware that the library has gone wi-fi. During the Azalea Fest weekend, sale organizer Margie Saulsbury observed a young man using a laptop while sitting on the library porch.

THE JASPER LIBRARY now has Wi-fi, a wireless local area network (WLAN) for mobile computing devices.Translation from geek: you can sit on the porch of the library and connect to the internet with your laptop even when the library is closed. Courtesy photo

"I'm not sure of the range," Milton said, "but we know at least the porch will give wireless internet access, and of course you can always come inside during library hours and use the desks."

The Jasper Library is at 175 E. Water Street. Hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.