OFF THE SHELF at the Susquehanna County Library

Welcome back to "OFF THE SHELF"! This is our first library podcast in 2024 after taking a bit of a breather to determine what kind of format that you might have interest in! We decided that in 2024, will focus on local community events and in a recommendation of other podcasts that you might have interest in listening to.

At the library, we are noticing a growing number of patrons using electronic services like e-books, online magazines, comics, podcasts, streaming video services and audio books.

This podcast is focused on the recent Susquehanna AG Day. We had a table at the event and interviewed people on why they came to the event and a few other questions. At the end, I left in a short "hot mic" recording from when we were talking to a group of youth, and I forgot the mic was still recording!

So............ It's a shorter episode, but you can hear some great comments about AG Day. We will b doing this at some other community events and will have a drawing for some nice prizes if you record with us at the event!

SUBSCRIBE so you get future downloads automatically!

Christmas and New Years are still weeks away, but we are all ready planning for Valentines Day 2024! In a discussion with one of our library patrons, he provided us with a copy of a song he wrote and performed that fit right in here, because the song is "Love at the Library". We were talking to a couple of staff and patrons at several of our locations and thinking of several movies where the "Love at the Library" story was a focus. SO.... we decided to create a podcast to showcase the song, and YOUR STORIES about the topic.

Take a listen to this special episode, listen to Mike Power's GREAT song. We are so happy he shared it with us and gave us permission to use it.

After you listen, we hope if you have a REAL or imaginary story of "Love at the Library", that you go to our website, and enter the contest. The top ten stories will be voted on by patrons in early Feb for the BEST "Love at the Library" story.

Here is the link to submit your story: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11y14ccE0l6HJESllaq6qwIQGSoZqv7_unN064STdgpo/edit

Good luck, enjoy the event and the great music.

See you again in a few weeks!

Howard

Hi there, It's been a while since we have released an episode, but with the winter season here at the library, things are a bit slower, so we are kicking off in early December with a special episode that asks the question, "What to the following have in common?"

* Our Association Board Member Ann Reed

* William Penn and his sons

* The Pennsylvania Indian wars of the 1700s

* A wonderful song by a local artist

Well after you listen to this very special episode, you'll know the answer! Thank you to both Ann Reed and Van Wagner for their contributions to this episode.

Think of this episode as a Pennsylvania History Lesson about how Indian attacks against European Settlers, during a period of over 20 years, in revenge for being swindled by Thomas Penn and others, of more than a million acres of prime real estate in 1737, an area which would later become northern Bucks County and Northampton County areas of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Leave us a comment on our library web site or Facebook page and you might win one of Van's albums! We will be back in just a few more days with another special episode that will highlight a special library contest that you can enter. It will also have a great piece of music created and performed by one of our local patrons!

Have a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

Howard

The 165'th Annual Harford Fair is over! I had a wonderful time at the fairground last week, manning a table on Thursday in the Penn State Susquehanna County Master Gardener's building. I was representing both the Master Gardeners and the Susquehanna County Library. I have not heard the final head count yet on how many people visited us, but I'm going to guess it had to be close to 1,000 people.

I was at the table with a microphone in hand to talk to people about a couple of areas. I'm going to replay their conversations in this episode. Everyone that spoke to me has been entered into a special drawing for an Amazon echo dot device and some $25.00 gift cards.

This episode is going out on both the "Digging for Answers" podcast and the "Off the Shelf" podcast, since it is a great community event!

Be sure to subscribe so that you will get notice of all of our future releases!

Have a GREAT week, a safe/fun Labor Day weekend, we will talk to you again in September!

Howard

It's FAIR WEEK! This special episode is focused on the 2023, 165'th Annual HARFORD FAIR, in Harford PA. Here from Penn State, Susquehanna County Master Gardener Anson on what the Master Gardeners are sharing at the fair this year. The event runs 14-19 August, the booth is open 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. each day of the fair. Come talk to us, bring your questions and get some information that will help your garden/trees/flowers/yard.

If you didn't listen to last year's fair podcast from Anson, you should find it, download it, and listen about the history of county fairs!

Howard will be there on Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. with the podcast microphone to capture your comments for a future podcast. If you talk to him, you can get the drawing for an Amazon Echo Dot device or a gift card!

Hope to see you at the fair on Thursday!

Howard

I don't know what you were doing on Friday and Saturday, 4-5 August, but myself and over 1,000 others were at the 44'th annual Montrose Blueberry Festival! Listen in to hear about the event and WHY people were attending the event!

Thank you to all that were involved with the event!

Welcome to "Off the Shelf", a podcast from the Susquehanna County Historical Society and Free Library Association.

Welcome to our 2023 Season!

This 2023 kickoff episode is a little different.  We are going to hear about the 33'rd Susquehanna Farm and Home Day 2023. Eight organizations that were at the event are going to give us a brief "Who are we, what do we do, and what can we do for you!"

We will be back in a few weeks with more of our traditional format, including info on new books, new library programs, local events and businesses!

We hope to hear some feedback from you!   You can email us at: info@susqcolibrary.org.  

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF and DIGGING FOR ANSWERS.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2022.  We have the SECOND return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today with Chapter #5 and the remaining releasing before Christmas. about every 3-4 days. Each episode is resented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2022 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2023.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2023! Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January 2023.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.

As Christmas Eve approaches, we wish to share this reading of a poem that was written in 1823 by Clement Clarke Moore, The Night Before Christmas.  It's a short piece, but one of the most well known writings about Saint Nick.

Our reader of this wonderful poem is Susquehanna County Commissioner Allen Hall.  Commissioner Hall was kind enough to have recorded this with us in 2019, and we replayed it last year in 2021 and are happy to bring it to you again this year in 2022.  

We are also releasing this special episode for the first time on our other podcast, "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS", a partnership between our Association and the Susquehanna County Master Gardeners.

And as Saint Nick says at the end of the poem......

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF and DIGGING FOR ANSWERS.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2022.  We have the SECOND return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today with Chapter #4 and the remaining releasing before Christmas. about every 3-4 days. Each episode is resented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2022 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2023.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2023! Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January 2023.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF and DIGGING FOR ANSWERS.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2022.  We have the SECOND return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today with Chapter #3 and the remaining releasing before Christmas. about every 3-4 days. Each episode is resented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2022 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2023.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2023! Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January 2023.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF and DIGGING FOR ANSWERS.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2022.  We have the SECOND return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today with Chapter #2 and the remaining releasing before Christmas. about every 3-4 days. Each episode is resented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2022 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2023.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2023! Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January 2023.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF and DIGGING FOR ANSWERS.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2022.  We have the SECOND return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today with Chapter #1 and the remaining releasing before Christmas. about every 3-4 days. Each episode is resented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2022 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2023.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2023! Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January 2023.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.

     This is a special BONUS episode that will be posted both on our "OFF THE SHELF" podcast, and the "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS" podcast.  Thanksgiving is in just a few days and there is a lot going on in the Susquehanna County area and audiences of both podcasts would hopefully find some information in the contents of this episode.

     We ae going to cover three items: 

* The 2022 Pottery and Art Sale will be on Wednesday 23 November, Friday 25 November and Saturday 26 November, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day.  at the VFW (Route 706, Montrose).

Stop by to browse and purchase beautiful art from local artisans!  The sale is a great opportunity to purchase gifts for family and friends!  A portion of the proceeds benefit the Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association. 

*An interview with Jim Kessler, of Kessler's Tree Farm in Hallstead.  Our interview with Jim will cover the history of the farm, how to buy a Christmas tree, how to care for it and what to do with it in January 2023!  

*A brief description of Christmas in Montrose!  https://christmasinmontrose.com/  This annual event will be  on 2,3,4 December!  Check out their web site for the MANY events going on in Montrose!

From all of here at the Association and with the County Master Gardeners, we wish you all a Wonderful Thanksgiving and entry into the holiday season!

Hi there,  A while back, one of our Library Managers was having a conversation with me and wondered if using our Podcast would be a way of informing people in our community about our Association and at the same time could be used to capture some of the history or the organization.  Well, here we go!  This special series of eight BONUS episodes is a great way for new County Supervisors, new Association Board members, new Association staff members and most important, our patrons to learn about who we are, our history, and the services that we provide.

Each episode is less than thirty minutes long, and we plan on releasing one episode a week for eight weeks.  Here is the list of the episodes:

Episode #1 - Association History Overview

Episode #2 - Board of Directors Overview

Episode #3 - Historical Society Overview

Episode #4 - Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Overview

Episode #5 - Susquehanna Branch Overview

Episode #6 - Forrest City Branch Overview

Episode #7 - Outreach Services Overview

Episode #8 - Custodial Services, Information Technology, Admin/Support Services, Kids Programs and a general wrap up of the series.

Be sure to subscribe to the Podcast so that you'll get each episode downloaded automatically to your podcast device!

Hi there,  A while back, one of our Library Managers was having a conversation with me and wondered if using our Podcast would be a way of informing people in our community about our Association and at the same time could be used to capture some of the history or the organization.  Well, here we go!  This special series of eight BONUS episodes is a great way for new County Supervisors, new Association Board members, new Association staff members and most important, our patrons to learn about who we are, our history, and the services that we provide.

Each episode is less than thirty minutes long, and we plan on releasing one episode a week for eight weeks.  Here is the list of the episodes:

Episode #1 - Association History Overview

Episode #2 - Board of Directors Overview

Episode #3 - Historical Society Overview

Episode #4 - Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Overview

Episode #5 - Susquehanna Branch Overview

Episode #6 - Forrest City Branch Overview

Episode #7 - Outreach Services Overview

Episode #8 - Custodial Services, Information Technology, Support Services and a general wrap up of the series.

Be sure to subscribe to the Podcast so that you'll get each episode downloaded automatically to your podcast device!

Hi there,  A while back, one of our Library Managers was having a conversation with me and wondered if using our Podcast would be a way of informing people in our community about our Association and at the same time could be used to capture some of the history or the organization.  Well, here we go!  This special series of eight BONUS episodes is a great way for new County Supervisors, new Association Board members, new Association staff members and most important, our patrons to learn about who we are, our history, and the services that we provide.

Each episode is less than thirty minutes long, and we plan on releasing one episode a week for eight weeks.  Here is the list of the episodes:

Episode #1 - Association History Overview

Episode #2 - Board of Directors Overview

Episode #3 - Historical Society Overview

Episode #4 - Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Overview

Episode #5 - Susquehanna Branch Overview

Episode #6 - Forrest City Branch Overview

Episode #7 - Outreach Services Overview

Episode #8 - Custodial Services, Information Technology, Support Services and a general wrap up of the series.

Be sure to subscribe to the Podcast so that you'll get each episode downloaded automatically to your podcast device!

Halloween is just around the corner and we have a special BONUS episode that is a short story that our staff created and I do the narration!  We would really like to hear your comments and to know if you enjoyed it.  You can come to/go to, the anchor.fm page for the podcast and look for the leave a message.  You will need a microphone on your device to leave the message.  If you leave a message, maybe you'll win some Halloween candy!  Try it out!  It's a new feature of Anchor.fm.

 https://anchor.fm/howard-burkett/message

When you listen to the podcast, if you catch the secret code word, you can get a special Halloween treat at the Montrose main library if you come to the front counter and tell the staff member...."I know the Code Word.... it is.........."

Have a FUN, and SAFE HALLOWEEN!

Howard

Hi there,  A while back, one of our Library Managers was having a conversation with me and wondered if using our Podcast would be a way of informing people in our community about our Association and at the same time could be used to capture some of the history or the organization.  Well, here we go!  This special series of eight BONUS episodes is a great way for new County Supervisors, new Association Board members, new Association staff members and most important, our patrons to learn about who we are, our history, and the services that we provide.

Each episode is less than thirty minutes long, and we plan on releasing one episode a week for eight weeks.  Here is the list of the episodes:

Episode #1 - Association History Overview

Episode #2 - Board of Directors Overview

Episode #3 - Historical Society Overview

Episode #4 - Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Overview

Episode #5 - Susquehanna Branch Overview

Episode #6 - Forrest City Branch Overview

Episode #7 - Outreach Services Overview

Episode #8 - Custodial Services, Information Technology, Support Services and a general wrap up of the series.

Be sure to subscribe to the Podcast so that you'll get each episode downloaded automatically to your podcast device!

Hi there,  A while back, one of our Library Managers was having a conversation with me and wondered if using our Podcast would be a way of informing people in our community about our Association and at the same time could be used to capture some of the history or the organization.  Well, here we go!  This special series of eight BONUS episodes is a great way for new County Supervisors, new Association Board members, new Association staff members and most important, our patrons to learn about who we are, our history, and the services that we provide.

Each episode is less than thirty minutes long, and we plan on releasing one episode a week for eight weeks.  Here is the list of the episodes:

Episode #1 - Association History Overview

Episode #2 - Board of Directors Overview

Episode #3 - Historical Society Overview

Episode #4 - Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Overview

Episode #5 - Susquehanna Branch Overview

Episode #6 - Forrest City Branch Overview

Episode #7 - Outreach Services Overview

Episode #8 - Custodial Services, Information Technology, Support Services and a general wrap up of the series.

Be sure to subscribe to the Podcast so that you'll get each episode downloaded automatically to your podcast device!

Hi there,  A while back, one of our Library Managers was having a conversation with me and wondered if using our Podcast would be a way of informing people in our community about our Association and at the same time could be used to capture some of the history or the organization.  Well, here we go!  This special series of eight BONUS episodes is a great way for new County Supervisors, new Association Board members, new Association staff members and most important, our patrons to learn about who we are, our history, and the services that we provide.

Each episode is less than thirty minutes long, and we plan on releasing one episode a week for eight weeks.  Here is the list of the episodes:

Episode #1 - Association History Overview

Episode #2 - Board of Directors Overview

Episode #3 - Historical Society Overview

Episode #4 - Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Overview

Episode #5 - Susquehanna Branch Overview

Episode #6 - Forrest City Branch Overview

Episode #7 - Outreach Services Overview

Episode #8 - Custodial Services, Information Technology, Support Services and a general wrap up of the series.

Be sure to subscribe to the Podcast so that you'll get each episode downloaded automatically to your podcast device!

Hi there,  A while back, one of our Library Managers was having a conversation with me and wondered if using our Podcast would be a way of informing people in our community about our Association and at the same time could be used to capture some of the history or the organization.  Well, here we go!  This special series of eight BONUS episodes is a great way for new County Supervisors, new Association Board members, new Association staff members and most important, our patrons to learn about who we are, our history, and the services that we provide.

Each episode is less than thirty minutes long, and we plan on releasing one episode a week for eight weeks.  Here is the list of the episodes:

Episode #1 - Association History Overview

Episode #2 - Board of Directors Overview

Episode #3 - Historical Society Overview

Episode #4 - Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Overview

Episode #5 - Susquehanna Branch Overview

Episode #6 - Forrest City Branch Overview

Episode #7 - Outreach Services Overview

Episode #8 - Custodial Services, Information Technology, Support Services and a general wrap up of the series.

Be sure to subscribe to the Podcast so that you'll get each episode downloaded automatically to your podcast device!

Hi there,  A while back, one of our Library Managers was having a conversation with me and wondered if using our Podcast would be a way of informing people in our community about our Association and at the same time could be used to capture some of the history or the organization.  Well, here we go!  This special series of eight BONUS episodes is a great way for new County Supervisors, new Association Board members, new Association staff members and most important, our patrons to learn about who we are, our history, and the services that we provide.

Each episode is less than thirty minutes long, and we plan on releasing one episode a week for eight weeks.  Here is the list of the episodes:

Episode #1 - Association History Overview

Episode #2 - Board of Directors Overview

Episode #3 - Historical Society Overview

Episode #4 - Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Overview

Episode #5 - Susquehanna Branch Overview

Episode #6 - Forrest City Branch Overview

Episode #7 - Outreach Services Overview

Episode #8 - Custodial Services, Information Technology, Support Services and a general wrap up of the series.

Be sure to subscribe to the Podcast so that you'll get each episode downloaded automatically to your podcast device!

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2021.  We have the return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today and the next four days, presented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2021 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2022.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2022!

We hope that you have enjoyed listening to this five episode holiday repeat of The Christmas Carol.  Thank you so much to our five talented readers!  

Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2021.  We have the return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today and the next four days, presented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2021 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2022.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2022! 

Be sure to join us tomorrow for the next and final podcast of this book!

Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2021.  We have the return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today and the next four days, presented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2021 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2022.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2022! Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2021.  We have the return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today and the next four days, presented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2021 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2022.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2022! Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF.  We have a special treat for you as we end 2021.  We have the return of our five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, We are excited to share five chapters starting today and the next four days, presented by five different readers. Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.   

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so that you will get a download when each segment is released.  Thank you for all your support in 2021 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2022.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! Talk to you in 2022! Howard

Heads Up!  We will modify our OFF THE SHELF podcast format starting in January.  The focus will be more on what's NEW at the library with programs and events, a brief reminder of the on-going programs and then a quick report out on the top FIVE checked out authors from the prior month.  

As Christmas Eve approaches, we wish to share this reading of a poem that was written in 1823 by Clement Clarke Moore, The Night Before Christmas.  It's a short piece, but one of the most well known writings about Saint Nick.

Our reader of this wonderful poem is Susquehanna County Commissioner Allen Hall.  Commissioner Hall was kind enough to have recorded this with us in 2019, and we replayed it last year in 2021 and are happy to bring it to you again this year!  

And as Saint Nick says at the end of the poem......

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

Last year we did a reading of Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart.  With Halloween just a few days away, we thought it might be nice to repeat this for our new listeners.   Edgar Allan Poe published this in 1843, and it's reported that he was only paid about $10.00 for the story.  Now, almost 200 years later, it is considered one of his best short stories.  We hope you enjoy and we would enjoy hearing from you with comments about our podcasts.  Good reading and listening!

Fall is here!

We had over 5,500 titles checked out in September.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for yet another month? Are there any surprises or new authors on the list?  Are the children still reading enough books to get those authors on the list?  You'll have to listen to find out!

Don't forget to check out the "Coming Soon" list, which shows the books that we will be receiving in the next several months.  It is available on our web site and posted at our front desk, at each of our four locations.  If you see an author and a future title that you would like to read, contact the library by phone or in person to get put on the "WAIT LIST" for that title.  Now you can also place yourself on the list by going to the web site. Then when it is received and processed, you can be one of the first people to be called to come in and get it!

Drop in to Montrose and check out our new Walk By Scrabble game!  It's your chance to get in a drawing for a DUNKIN' Gift Card if you are on the winning Scrabble team!

Listen at the end of the podcast to some of the new and coming programs!

Be sure to subscribe so that you receive future episodes automatically and have a GREAT READ till we talk again!

Howard

Summer is almost over!!

We had almost 6,500 titles checked out in August.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for yet another month? Are there any surprises or new authors on the list?  Are the children still reading enough books to get those authors on the list?  You'll have to listen to find out!

Don't forget to check out the "Coming Soon" list, which shows the books that we will be receiving in the next several months.  It is available on our web site and posted at our front desk, at each of our four locations.  If you see an author and a future title that you would like to read, contact the library by phone or in person to get put on the "WAIT LIST" for that title.  Now you can also place yourself on the list by going to the web site.  Then when it is received and processed, you can be one of the first people to be called to come in and get it!

Drop in to Montrose and check out our new Walk By Scrabble game!  It's your chance to get in a drawing for a DUNKIN' Gift Card if you are on the winning Scrabble team!

Listen at the end of the podcast to some of the upcoming programs we have coming soon!

Be sure to subscribe so that you receive future episodes automatically and have a GREAT READ till we talk again!

Howard

Summer is almost over!!

We had over 6,500 titles checked out in July.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for yet another month? Are there any surprises or new authors on the list?  Are the children still reading enough books to get those authors on the list?  You'll have to listen to find out!

Don't forget to check out the "Coming Soon" list, which shows the books that we will be receiving in the next several months.  It is available on our web site and posted at our front desk, at each of our four locations.  If you see an author and a future title that you would like to read, contact the library by phone or in person to get put on the "WAIT LIST" for that title.  Now you can also place yourself on the list by going to the web site.  Then when it is received and processed, you can be one of the first people to be called to come in and get it!

Drop in to Montrose and check out our new Walk By Scrabble game!  It's your chance to get in a drawing for a DUNKIN' Gift Card if you are on the winning Scrabble team!

Now till Labor day you can come to either the Montrose or Forrest City locations to check out our special "VACATION WITH A BOOK" display and maybe you will win a DUNKIN's gift card!

Don't FORGET, it's FAIR MONTH!!!! If you visit the Master Gardener booth and mention to one of the Master Gardeners that are working the booth that you heard from either JEAN or HOWARD, that you could enter to win a FREE Amazon ALEXA device to listen to the next podcast, they will give you an entry form!  GOOD LUCK!

Have a GREAT READ!

Howard

Summer is half over!  

We had over 6,400 titles checked out in June.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for yet another month? Are there any surprises or new authors on the list?  You'll have to listen to find out!

Don't forget to check out the "Coming Soon" list, which shows the books that we will be receiving in the next several months.  It is available on our web site and posted at our front desk, at each of our four locations.  If you see an author and a future title that you would like to read, contact the library by phone or in person to get put on the "WAIT LIST" for that title.  Now you can also place yourself on the list by going to the web site.  Then when it is received and processed, you can be one of the first people to be called to come in and get it!

Be sure to check out our programs on our web page and the new gardening questions/topics podcast, "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS",  with the PSE Master Gardeners of Susquehanna County. You can email or leave a voice mail message with them and after researching and getting back to the individual, some of the questions will be included in our podcast.  It's a FREE way to get your gardening, lawn care, tree, questions addressed.

Drop in to Montrose and check out our new Walk By Scrabble game!  It's your chance to get in a drawing for a DUNKIN' Gift Card if you are on the winning Scrabble team!

We will be back in August with another "Wrapped Book" special event!  Be sure to listen next month or go to the library web site.

Have a GREAT READ!

Howard

With COVID this last year, one of our biggest fund raisers did not happen.  As we approach our summer season, which included the auction, we thought, "Can't we do an on-line auction?"  OF COURSE WE CAN!  So, this is a short test to auction off six wonderful gift baskets over a week long period, running Wednesday 23 June till noon on Wednesday 30 June.  It is your chance, regardless where you listen to this podcast and live, to see what is in the baskets, and then place a bid on one or more of the baskets.  

This podcast will describe what is in the six baskets and what the process is for you to register as a bidder and place your bid(s).  Since this is a test, you can only win one basket per bid ID, so keep that in mind.  We would use the time stamp of the last winning bid to determine which basket that you would win, IF, you happen to have the highest bid on more than one basket.  

Four of the six baskets include $18.00 worth of PA Scratcher Lottery tickets, so you might win a HUGE amount of $$$$$.  

NOTE: We are releasing this podcast on 9 June, you can request a BIDDER ID (expect a response within 24 hours) and you can place a bid before the 23'rd of June, but don't expect a response till the 23'rd.

A BIG THANK YOU, to the staff, Board members and other individuals and companies that donated the basket contents.

Thank you in advance for your support of this fundraiser!  

If you have any questions, please contact the library at any of our four locations.

BEST OF LUCK to you in the bidding and in scratching off those lottery tickets!

Wow, where did the month of May go?  I hope you had some time to read at least one new book!  

We had over 5343 titles checked out in May.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for yet another month? Are there any surprises or new authors on the list?  You'll have to listen to find out!

Don't forget to check out the "Coming Soon" list, which shows the books that we will be receiving in the next several months.  It is available on our web site and posted at our front desk, at each of our four locations.  If you see an author and a future title that you would like to read, contact the library by phone or in person to get put on the "WAIT LIST" for that title.  Now you can also place yourself on the list by going to the web site.  Then when it is received and processed, you can be one of the first people to be called to come in and get it!

Be sure to check out our programs on our web page and the new gardening questions/topics podcast, "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS",  with the PSE Master Gardeners of Susquehanna County. You can email or leave a voice mail message with them and after researching and getting back to the individual, some of the questions will be included in our podcast.  It's a FREE way to get your gardening, lawn care, tree, questions addressed.

We also have some special programs running till the end of May, that might land you a DUNKIN' Gift Card!

The  "BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK" event was a GREAT success in May.  Patrons picked a wrapped book from our special area and checked it out, took it home, unwrapped it, and spend some time with it.  For many it was a NEW author or genre, from what they normally selected.  We had almost forty, "RATE YOUR DATE" rating cards submitted, and will soon be announcing  the winners of the DUNKIN' gift cards.!    This event was held at the Montrose and Hallstead/Great Bend locations.  We will be having another event like this by the end of summer, so be ready!

At the end of June we will be having an on-line gift basket auction.  There will be a podcast release in the next few days that will describe the gift baskets and how the online process works.  Be sure to spread the word to others so that they can help with this important fund raiser.  Since four of the gift baskets contain lottery scratchers, maybe we will have a VERY BIG winner!

Have a GREAT READ!  

Howard

Welcome to May!  We are running a bit late, but it's time to see what our 20,000+ patrons were reading in the month of April 2021.

We had over 6,077 titles checked out in April.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for yet another month? You'll have to listen to find out!

Don't forget to check out our "Coming Soon" list, which shows the books that we will be receiving in the next several months.  It is available on our web site and posted at our front desk, at each of our four locations.  If you see an author and a future title that you would like to read, contact the library by phone or in person to get put on the "WAIT LIST" for that title.  Then when it is received and processed, you can be one of the first people to be called to come in and get it!

Be sure to check out our programs on our web page and the new gardening questions/topics podcast, "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS",  with the PSE Master Gardeners of Susquehanna County. You can email or leave a voice mail message with them and after researching and getting back to the individual, some of the questions will be included in our podcast.  It's a FREE way to get your gardening, lawn care, tree, questions addressed.

We also have some special programs running till the end of May, that might land you a DUNKIN' Gift Card!

1.- Help us  to "SPREAD THE WORD" about our podcasts.  It will be a chance for existing podcast subscribers and new listeners to have a chance of winning a prize by Spreading the Word about our podcasts. Listen during this podcast for a secret word provided during the podcast, that you can use when you enter on our web site.  

2.- The  "BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK" event is running till the end of the month of May.  You pick a wrapped book from our special area and check it out, take it home, unwrap it, and spend some time with it.  I might be an author or genre that is new to you.  After you are finished spending some time with it, you enter a "RATE YOUR DATE" response, which will put you in a drawing for a DUNKIN' gift card!  You can enter more than once.  This event will be held at the Montrose and Hallstead/Great Bend locations.

Hi there,

If you enjoy listening to our podcasts, "Digging for Answers" and/or "Off the Shelf", here is your chance to help us to SPREAD THE WORD about them to others and have a chance of winning a DUNKIN' gift card!

Our goal is to increase our listeners by at least 20%, which means we need at least 138 additional downloads.

Thank you for sharing with others. We hope you are subscribed and enjoying each episode.

Howard

We are off and running into the month of April and it's time to see what our 20,000+ patrons were reading in the month of March.  

We had over 6065 titles checked out in March, up over 10% from our February checkouts.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for yep another month? You'll have to listen to find out!

We enjoy getting your inputs.  You can ask a library related question or comment on our podcast.  "programs@susqucolibrary.org" is our address if you want to email us.  Don't forget to check out our "Coming Soon" list, which shows the books that we will be receiving in the next several months.  It is available on our web site and posted at our front desk, at each of our four locations.  If you see an author and a future title that you would like to read, contact the library by phone or in person to get put on the "WAIT LIST" for that title.  Then when it is received and processed, you can be one of the first people to be called to come in and get it!

Be sure to check out our programs on our web page and the new gardening questions/topics podcast, "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS",  with the PSE Master Gardeners of Susquehanna County. You can email or leave a voice mail message with them and after researching and getting back to the individual, some of the questions will be included in our podcast.  It's a FREE way to get your gardening, lawn care, tree, questions addressed.

Watch for some upcoming special programs!  

1.- A special event to "SPREAD THE WORD" about our podcasts.  It will be a chance for existing podcast subscribers and new listeners to have a chance of winning a prize by Spreading the Word about our podcasts.

2.- Our upcoming "BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK" event coming in a few weeks.  You pick a wrapped book from our special area and check it out, take it home, unwrap it, and spend some time with it.  I might be an author or genre that is new to you.  After you are finished spending some time with it, you enter a "RATE YOUR DATE" response, which will put you in a drawing for a DUNKIN' gift card!  You can enter more than once.  This event will be held at the Montrose and Hallstead/Great Bend locations soon, running till the end May. 

Are you ready for the time change coming up in early March?  That means that it won't be getting dark outside till after 7 p.m. It's going to make the day seem longer for most of us.  What a great chance to spend a bit more time reading!  It may be your favorite mystery author or maybe a book on gardening, since it is almost time to plant!  

We had over 5391 titles checked out in February, up over 2% from our January checkouts.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for yep another month? You'll have to listen to find out!  Be sure to check out our first book review from one our our patrons!  The book this month is Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance.

We enjoy getting your inputs.  You can ask a library related question or comment on our podcast.  "programs@susqucolibrary.org" is our address if you want to email us.  Don't forget to check out our "Coming Soon" list, which shows the books that we will be receiving in the next several months.  It is available on our web site and posted at our front desk, at each of our four locations.  If you see an author and a future title that you would like to read, contact the library by phone or in person to get put on the "WAIT LIST" for that title.  Then when it is received and processed, you can be one of the first people to be called to come in and get it!

Be sure to check out our programs on our web page and the new gardening questions/topics podcast, "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS",  with the PSE Master Gardeners of Susquehanna County. You can email or leave a voice mail message with them and after researching and getting back to the individual, some of the questions will be included in our podcast.  It's a FREE way to get your gardening, lawn care, tree, questions addressed.

Have a great month, keep your fingers busy turning the pages of a few good books, and keep an eye out for the Leprechaun's pot of gold!

What?  Six more weeks of winter?  (Did you see the Groundhog's remaining winter prediction?)  You need to find some good books to read!!!

We had over 5180 titles checked out in January, up several from December.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for yep another month?

We enjoy getting your inputs.  You can ask a library related question or comment on our podcast.  "programs@susqucolibrary.org" is our address if you want to email us.  I want to thank "SUE", a listener who contacted us and suggested that as we review the authors each month, that we discuss our "Coming Soon" list, which shows the books that we will be receiving in the next several months.  It is available on our web site and posted at our front desk, at each of our four locations.  If you see an author and a future title that you would like to read, contact the library by phone or in person to get put on the "WAIT LIST" for that title.  Then when it is received and processed, you can be one of the first people to be called to come in and get it!

Be sure to check out our programs on our web page and the new gardening questions/topics podcast, "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS",  with the PSE Master Gardeners of Susquehanna County. You can email or leave a voice mail message with them and after researching and getting back to the individual, some of the questions will be included in our podcast.  It's a FREE way to get your gardening, lawn care, tree, questions addressed.

Have a great month, keep your fingers busy turning the pages of a few good books, and not picking up pieces of Valentine candy!

We had a question submitted about how do you set up an on-line book club or book review, so we thought that we would do a bit of research and publish a BONUS podcast on the topic.  There are a LOT of ways that you could set up and run an on-line club, so there really isn't a right or wrong answer.  

If you do decide to set up a new club or open up your existing club to an on-line format, and you are looking for members, please let us know.  You can even create a flyer that can be posted, recruiting new members.

If you have any questions, please let us know!  See you in a few weeks for our regular OFF THE SHELF episode, as we review the ten best authors for January 2021.

Good bye 2020 and hello 2021! 

This episode will take a look at how we ended up 2020.  We had over 4,400 authors checked out in December, many of them with patrons reading holiday themed books.   Will James Patterson still be the number one author for another month?

We enjoy getting your inputs.  You can ask a library related question or comment on our podcast.  "programs@susqucolibrary.org" is our address if you want to email us.

Be sure to check out our programs on our web page and the new gardening questions/topics podcast, "DIGGING FOR ANSWERS",  with the Master Gardeners of Susquehanna County. You can email or leave a voice mail message with them and after researching and getting back to the individual, some of the questions will be included in our podcast.  It's a FREE way to get your gardening, lawn care, tree, questions addressed.

Hi there,  I'm Howard and I can't believe that we are just about to wrap up 2020 and our first season of podcasting here at the Susquehanna County Free Library.  We are going to end the year with an episode that was requested to cover, "What is a Podcast?".  We will discuss what a podcast is, what it isn't, where to find them, how to get them, and then... I'll recommend five of my current favorite ones.  

This is a great one to listen to as one year ends and another starts.  Is listening to more podcasts going to be on your New Year's resolutions list?  

Enjoy and hope to have you back in a week or so to hear our regular podcast on the Top Ten Authors for December 2020 as our regular feature of "OFF THE SHELF".  We also plan on having a podcast in January based on a request of how to hold an on-line book club.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

Howard and the Library/Historical Society Staff

P.S. Don't forget to listen to our other new podcast focused on gardening, titled, "Digging For Answers" with the Master Gardeners of Susquehanna County.

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to us over the last few months as we kicked off our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF.  We conclude our special treat for you today as we end 2020.  This is the last of a five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, Today we are releasing Stave 5 of five.  Each Stave was presented by a different reader.  Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Thank you for all your support in 2020 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2021.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Please be sure to leave us a review so we can pass comments along to our readers!

We hope that you have enjoyed listening to this BONUS five episodes of our OFF THE SHELF podcast!

Howard

As Christmas Eve approaches, we wish to share this reading of a poem that was written in 1823 by Clement Clarke Moore, The Night Before Christmas.  It's a short piece, but one of the most well known writings about Saint Nick.  

Our reader of this wonderful poem is Susquehanna County Commissioner Allen Hall.  Commissioner Hall was kind enough to have recorded this with us last year, and we had several requests this year to post it as a podcast, so here it is!

And as Saint Nick says at the end of the poem......

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to us over the last few months as we kicked off our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF.  We continue our special treat for you today as we end 2020.  We have a five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, Today we are releasing Stave 4 of five and tomorrow  we will release the last Stave, presented by different readers for each Stave (chapters).  Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Thank you for all your support in 2020 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2021.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Please be sure to leave us a review so we can pass comments along to our readers!

Talk to you tomorrow for the last Stave!

Howard

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to us over the last few months as we kicked off our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF.  We continue our special treat for you today as we end 2020.  We have a five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, Today we are releasing Stave 3 of five and the next two days we will release the remaining Staves, presented by different readers for each Stave (chapters).  Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Thank you for all your support in 2020 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2021.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Please be sure to leave us a review so we can pass comments along to our readers!

Talk to you tomorrow for the next Stave!

Howard

Happy Holidays!  We want to thank you for listening to us over the last few months as we kicked off our podcast series, OFF THE SHELF.  We continue our special treat for you today as we end 2020.  We have a five part reading of one of the most famous holiday stories,  The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.  The book was first released on 19 December 1843, Today we are releasing Stave 2 of five and the next three days we will release the remaining Staves, presented by different readers for each Stave (chapters).  Our readers are all members of our local community that have an important connection to the library.  You may know who they are by listening to them, but we are not going to tell you who they are till the end of their chapter.

Thank you for all your support in 2020 and we look forward to supporting  you in 2021.  Be SAFE and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Please be sure to leave us a review so we can pass comments along to our readers!

Talk to you tomorrow for the next Stave!

Howard