THOMASVILLE LIBRARY:
The library is open with all our resources available Monday through Saturday! Need a space to organize a meeting or a conference? Our Henry Flipper conference room and smaller conference room are available by reservation and free of charge. Our public access computer stations are operational for anyone needing Internet access or a printer. Our self-service photocopiers are available. The Genealogy Room is open to anyone interested in researching family history. Need something notarized? We’ve got you covered. Our wireless internet is free and open to everyone with excellent download speeds! And, of course, we have thousands of print, digital and audio materials available for borrowing.
Our Thomasville branch is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 6 pm and Saturday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm Our branches are open Monday through Thursday from 1:30 pm to 6 pm and are located in each city from Thomas County. Roadside service is available upon request (call your local library for details).
THOUGHTS
Are we really listening to each other?
Obviously, the answer to this question is a definite “noâ€. All it takes is scrolling through any social media platform and seeing all these people ‘talking’ but no one is really listening. It could be the consequence of being so connected but not really connected, programmed as we are to brag about our greatness, put our two cents and proclaim our uniqueness from the rest. We are not even taught to listen either. We are taught to “actively listenâ€; nod in recognition, occasionally intervene with a “yes†or “I hear youâ€, then repeat or summarize what the other person just said, forcing us not to really listen, but to bring together and to memorize without really understanding the words being spoken, let alone the meaning behind those words.
What does this give us? Where is this taking us? It doesn’t give us anything. It gives us polarity and divides us. It makes us suffer in addition to suffering. It gives us broken people, lonely individuals, disconnected humans. It pulls us into an endless circle of the same nothingness and the same lack of consciousness at all, generation after generation.
How do we really listen then? We are shutting up ; stop talking and turn our full attention to the speaker. We stop thinking about how we’re going to react. A pause in someone’s words doesn’t mean they’re done. It could be them looking for the words they want to use for what they want to say next. Not responding automatically after someone has finished speaking is good – it means we’re listening. This means that we now take into account what has been said and put our words together to respond, if a response is even required. We (including me) need to learn this.
What will listening, really listening, bring us? I think a quote from Margaret Wheatly says it well,
“Great healing is available when we listen to one another. No matter what we have been through in life, if we can tell our story to someone who listens, it is easier for us to cope with our circumstances. Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present (and it takes practice), but we don’t have to do anything else. We don’t have to advise, coach or be wise. We just have to be prepared to sit down and listen, and if we can, we create times when true healing is available. “
(An excellent book that explains the act of truly listening: “You’re Not Listening,” by Kate Murphy. Available at our Thomasville branch.)
– Samantha Hanchett, Marketing Coordinator
EVENTS
August 2 – September 14
Fall For Art – Exhibition of the artists association Pines & Palms
Stop and admire the various works of art on display by members of the Pines & Palms Artist Association. The exhibit is housed in the Henry Flipper Conference Room located in the Thomasville Library Lobby. Free visit and open to all ages!
Thursday, September 2 – September 30, 4 p.m.
Conversational Spanish 101
Have you ever taken Spanish in high school? Completely new to the language? Sign up for this free beginner’s Spanish course. This course is ideal for those who know a word or two of the language, but want to transform those words into comprehension and fluency. This course takes place every Thursday and is intended for people 18 years of age or older. It’s never too late to join! Register online or in person.
Tuesdays, 10 am-5pm
Library Friends Book Sale
For kids:
Thursday, 10:30 a.m.
Storytime for toddlers + Tykes
Story time for children aged 2 to 4 takes place every Thursday in our children’s department. Join our Head of the Kids Department, Amanda, for some story books to read aloud, catchy songs and nursery rhymes, and a fun and easy art project. A great way to meet other parents and children!
Tuesday August 31, 4 p.m.
Arts and Crafts
Let your child’s creativity run wild with a fun hour of after-school arts and crafts. We will show your child how to make puffy paint and make their inner artist shine. Intended for 4-11 year olds with their caregivers.
For teens:
Tuesday August 31 at 4 p.m.
Graphic Novel Club
Do you like graphic novels? Join the club! This group reads and discusses a new graphic novel each month. This month’s pick is “March” by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. Intended for 12-17 year olds.
In our branches:
Boston Library
Tuesdays, 2 p.m.
A Quiddler Game
Quiddler, winner of over 20 best game awards, is easy to learn and fun for everyone! The goal is to organize all the cards in your hand into one or more words. The number of cards dealt increases with each turn – starting with three cards and ending with 10 cards. High score wins, so use your strongest letters and Quiddler’s unique double letter cards, but don’t get caught with them in your hand! Take our MOT for it, it’s a game you’ll want to play over and over again!
Intended for over 18s.
Thursday September 9
Story time + crafts
Join us for a story aloud, snack and crafts anytime between 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Aimed at ages 2-4.
Ochlocknee Library
September 7-9, all day
Arts and Crafts
Stop for an arts and crafts activity for kids ages 2-11. The library will have all of the supplies available to help your child make an “I love you because …” flower to share in honor of Grandparents’ Day.
Subscribe to our podcast!
5 Questions From a Stranger is a monthly audio series that introduces you to a topic through the eyes of someone with first-hand experience. Available wherever you listen to your podcasts!
Our 2020-2021 community resource directories are here! Stop by anytime to pick up your free copy filled with helpful, up-to-date businesses and organizations to help you get what you need. These free directories are available in part thanks to Hurst Boiler.
Consult us online and on your phone!
Facebook – @ThomasCountyPublicLibrarySystem
Instagram – @tcpls
Website – www.tcpls.org
YouTube – Thomas County Public Library System
Podcast – Five questions from a stranger
GOOD READING
“Another Kind of Eden”, by James Lee Burke
“Complications”, by Danielle Steele
“Neptune”, by Ben Bova
“The last bookshop in London”, by Madeline Martin
Taylor Jenkins’ Malibu Rising
A QUOTE TO THINK ABOUT
“Patience is also a form of action.” – Auguste Rodin