News

August 19, 2019 – Leonardtown, Md. – The St. Mary’s County Library, through a generous donation from the Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library, now has two 3D printers, 3D pens, three Cricut Makers, and two Oculus Rift S.

The two 3D printers are Prusa I3 MK3S printers that use PLA filament. The Library provides several colors of filament including black, white, transparent, blue, red, and yellow. The public is welcome to submit designs for print via the Library website (www.stmalib.org). Designs should be .stl format and cannot exceed 15MB. The Library will also be occasionally holding classes for various age groups to introduce the public to 3D printing and learn basic design principles. The first 3D printer is already set up at Leonardtown Library. Come by and see it in action today! The second printer will soon be available to watch and submit designs for at Lexington Park Library. If additional funding becomes available, a third 3D printer will be purchased for Charlotte Hall Library. 3D printing is provided free of charge, though the Library asks for a donation to purchase filament and keep the service going.

In addition to the 3D printers, the Library purchased ten 3D pens. A 3D pen is a pen that extrudes heated plastic from the pen’s nozzle. 3D pens don’t need any software, there are no files to transfer, and no difficult tech to master. Watch for upcoming events at the three Library locations to try out this fun tech.

The Library also purchased three Cricut Maker machines. The Cricut Maker is the perfect machine for all of your crafting needs – this machine cuts hundreds of materials quickly and accurately, from the most delicate fabric and paper to mat board and leather. By late this year, there will be one Cricut Maker at each Library location available for the public to use. Members of the public will need to sign up for a one-on-one appointment to receive instructions on how to use the machine and to become certified. Once certified, they will then be able to sign up to use the machine free of cost. Cricut users will need to provide their own materials. The Library is in the process of training staff on the machine,
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and will have the Cricuts out for public use by the end of the year. This fall at Leonardtown Library
register for the Cricut for Beginners class on October 16, or come by for one of the drop in sessions in November. Attendance at the class or a drop in session can count towards becoming certified as a Cricut user.

The Oculus Rift S is Oculus VR’s most advanced PC-powered virtual reality headset. The Library has purchased 2 Oculus Rift S; watch for opportunities to try the Oculus Rift S at various events at the Library locations throughout the year. Experiences include space exploration, games such as Beat Saber and Job Simulator, dinosaur encounters, stories, art and creative encounters, world travel, and more.

“We so appreciate the generosity of the Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library,” said Laura Boonchaisri, Marketing and Communications Coordinator. “Without their wonderful donation, we wouldn’t have been able to purchase all of this technology for our customers to use. We have already seen great interest in the soft launch of the 3D printing service at Leonardtown Library. Customers love to come in and see what’s printing! The Oculus Rift S has also been a hit! It’s an out-of-this-world experience; I encourage everyone to watch for the events coming up with virtual reality. We can’t wait to have public use of the Cricuts later this year. The Cricut is a machine often used for small businesses or crafters that is a bit cost prohibitive for an individual to purchase. We hope having one available to use at the Library will be a helpful and popular option.”

“In a recent community survey, we saw lots of interest in providing new technology for County residents to discover and learn from,” added Michael Blackwell, Director. “We’re grateful to our Friends for the funding that has made it possible.”

June 17, 2019 – Leonardtown, Md. – The St. Mary’s County Library invites all ages to participate in ‘A Universe of Stories’ Summer Reading program from June 17 through August 17. Everyone, from zero to 150 years old is welcome to complete challenges to be entered to win Amazon gift cards.

Complete 5 activities to finish the first challenge and come into any St. Mary’s County Library to pick up a free glow-in-the-dark t-shirt (sizes from baby onesies all the way up to adult XXXXL). Complete the second, third and fourth challenges to receive a free book of your choosing for each challenge. Each finished challenge will get you an entry into the Library’s end-of-summer Amazon gift card drawings.

20 activities give variety and allow you to choose how stimulating to make the summer reading program. Activities can be repeated and are appropriate for all ages from a baby with a parent reader to children, teens and adults. Examples of activities include: read a nonfiction book, listen to an audiobook, attend a Library event, read a book that is part of a series, and read a graphic novel or comic book.

The Library is once again using the Beanstack app to track Summer Reading, available for both Android and Apple devices. If you do not have access to a device, ask for a paper gameboard at the Library.

“Summer reading is great for babies, kids, and teens at every age.” said Jill Hutchison, Youth Services Coordinator for St. Mary’s County Library. “For babies and young children, reading with family members is a way to bond, build their vocabulary, and start a lifetime love of books. For older kids and teens on summer break, it’s a chance to read for fun, challenge themselves, and choose books they love without worrying about reading levels or homework. When adults join Summer Reading, it shows kids that grown-ups value reading too, and makes it into a family activity. We’ve designed our Summer Reading challenges to be fit any age and reading skill, and encourage readers to branch out and try new things while still having plenty of choices. There’s something for everyone.”

“Summer vacations are a great time for reading.” said Michael Blackwell, St. Mary’s County Library Director. “The library has a wide selection of beach reads, thrillers, and mysteries, perfect for a lazy summer’s day. Express best sellers are waiting for you in all our branches. If you need to travel light or have a drive to your destination, check out the library’s collection of e-books and digital audiobooks. You can get dozens of titles on a tablet or smart phone for when you get there and even listen in your car on the way. Enter our program and win!”

According to the American Library Association, the benefits to readers in a summer reading programs include: encouragement that reading become a lifelong habit; reluctant readers can be drawn in by the activities; reading over the summer helps children keep their skills up; and the program can generate interest in the library and books. It being summer, the program is also just good fun and provides an opportunity for family time.

May 31, 2019 – Leonardtown, Md. – The St. Mary’s County Library invites the public to the second annual Choose Civility: Southern Maryland Longest Table. Share a meal and conversation with someone you don’t know, exchange stories about life in St. Mary’s County, and discover both common ground and new ideas.

Join us on Friday, June 21 at 6 p.m. for a community conversation over a family-style meal from Mission BBQ. The event will be held at the St. Mary’s County Government Center, on the front lawn near Miedzinski Park (23145 Leonard Hall Drive, Leonardtown). Tickets are $10, to cover expenses. Purchase your ticket online.

During the meal, participants will discuss how to Choose Civility in their everyday interactions. To enhance the experience of getting to know different people, guests will not be seated with their companions.

“St. Mary’s County Library is incredibly excited to bring the Longest Table once again to St. Mary’s County,” said Laura Boonchaisri, Marketing and Communications Coordinator for St. Mary’s County Library. “We hope to continue the community conversation we started at last year’s event about what civility looks like for St. Mary’s County and Southern Maryland. We hope participants will discuss how to Choose Civility in everyday interactions with each other.”

A special thank you to the Human Relations Commission of St. Mary’s County, Mission BBQ, Bailey’s Party Rentals, Southern Maryland Regional Library, St. Mary’s County Government, Barefoot Graphics, and Community Mediation of St. Mary’s County for support, partnership, and sponsorships. If your organization is interested in becoming a partner for this or future Choose Civility: Southern Maryland events, please contact Laura Boonchaisri, lboonchaisri@stmalib.org or 301-475-2846 ext. 1007.

The Southern Maryland libraries (Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and the Southern Maryland Regional Library) have come together to support Choose Civility: Southern Maryland. The Choose Civility initiative started with the Howard County Library and then grew throughout Maryland and beyond. For more information about Choose Civility, visit choosecivility.org.

May 6, 2019 – Leonardtown, Md. – The St. Mary’s County Library is conducting strategic planning to focus on the services it should offer our developing County over the next four years. As part of the process, St. Mary’s County Library is surveying our community to gain a more precise understanding of the community’s needs, interests, and priorities. Please share your perceptions about the Library and offer feedback regarding what resources and services you wish to see provided by taking our online survey. The survey is available here until Monday, May 27.

You do not have to have a library card or currently use the library to take the survey. The survey is open to all, regardless of age. Those under 18 will be counted as “17 and under.” The survey software provides respondents with complete anonymity. You will not be asked to identify yourself, nor will your IP address be captured at any time over the course of data collection. Individual responses will not be shared. We welcome feedback from everyone in our community.

“We are very excited to be engaged in strategic planning,” said Michael Blackwell, St. Mary’s County Library Director, “and are thankful to the State of Maryland and the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association for providing a grant, much of it federal money, so that we may engage a planning consultant without cost to County residents. We hope that our nearly 40,000 card holders will respond but also very much hope to hear from those who do not use the Library frequently or at all. The Library is here for everyone. We want to identify what our County residents want so that we can provide the very best materials in the most appropriate formats and the most desirable programs and other services.”

When asked if he thought the survey would provide any surprises or new directions, Blackwell said “There seems to be a trend among young people back to preferring print over digital. I wonder if that is true in our area. We are going into the process with an open mind and without preconceptions, though, and we’re interested in finding out what our County has to say. I hope our community will tell us ways we might make the Library more appealing and heavily used.”

POSITION: Library Assistant I, Part-Time

CLOSING DATE: May 8, 2019

LOCATION: Charlotte Hall Library

START DATE: June 10, 2019

HOURS: 14 hours per week, including every Saturday and at least one evening shift per week

SALARY: Grade 1, $14.99 per hour

BENEFITS: 7% mandatory State Pension contribution; 35 hours paid time off; Direct deposit; AFLAC; 457 plans

REQUISITES:

• High School Diploma or G.E.D.
• Six (6) months or more of customer service experience.
• Ability to learn St. Mary’s County Library policies and procedures.
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, Library trustees, local government elected and appointed officials, community leaders, vendors, and citizens.
• Ability to learn to operate relevant computer systems (including hardware and software), current audio-visual equipment, and office machines.
• Excellent communication skills, both in writing and orally.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Excellent decision-making and problem solving skills with emphasis on personal responsibility and willingness to deal with issues at hand.

DUTIES INCLUDE:

• Performs circulation procedures, such as checking materials in and out, checking hold lists, conducting financial transactions, answering the phone.
• Greets customers and provides directions or refers them to appropriate staff members if needed.
• Spends time on the Library floor assisting customers at their point of need, merchandising, and monitoring the Library to maintain a safe space.
• Assists customers with basic information and reader’s advisory questions; basic computer, eBook, email, and internet questions; self-checkout machine, copier, fax machine, and printer; use of library resources and databases; information on library activities, facilities, and services.
• Special projects as assigned.

HOW TO APPLY:
See full job description and apply online now.

St. Mary’s County Library is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Law requires all applicants to show proof of identity and right to work in U.S.

POSITION: Youth Services Intern, 21 hours per week for 10 weeks

CLOSING DATE: May 17, 2019

LOCATION: One intern at each Library branch

START DATE: June 10, 2019

SALARY: $10.10 per hour

DUTIES INCLUDE:

• Assists children and teens in using Library resources
• Assists with storytimes
• Develops early learning activities and hand-outs
• Assists with Summer Reading Program activities

REQUISITES:

• 18 years or older, with an interest in careers that involve Early Childhood and Early Literacy
• High School Diploma or GED
• Ability to work with youth of all ages, especially young children
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Good physical strength and stamina: Work requires physical effort in the handling of materials or boxes in non-strenuous work positions up to 30 pounds and/or continual standing or walking of 75%+ of the time

HOW TO APPLY:
See full job description and apply online now.

These positions are funded by the Lindsay Paul Rudolph Donation Fund and the Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library.
St. Mary’s County Library is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Law requires all applicants to show proof of identity and right to work in U.S.