South Marion Citizen - Freedom Public Library - November 20, 2009

By Carol Jones


Doris Bloodsworth to speak at writers group

On Saturday, November 21, at noon, Pulitzer-nominated writer and award-winning journalist Doris Bloodsworth is scheduled to speak at the regular meeting of the Freedom Writers Group of Florida Writers Association (FWA).



She has reported for The Wall Street Journal, Orlando Sentinel and Bloomberg News. She is the president of Crosswords Communications Co. and is the author of Images of America: Groveland, part of Arcadia Publishing’s popular, regional history series. She has edited several books and is working on her second book. Bloodsworth graduated with highest honors from the University of Florida, majoring in journalism with a minor in creative writing.

Join us for what promises to be a most informative hour.

Mom and Me Play Ocala

A local group of moms have assembled a community playgroup for tots and pre-K children. Led by Kari Coates, interesting programs are planned for Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Nov. 24 through December, or until the library‘s Storytime resumes in January.

Visitors and speakers are scheduled from the fire department, the sheriff’s office, health department, CFCC’s music department, and for their grand opening on Nov. 24, Mr. Tony, ambassador for the post office, will be on hand to instruct kids how to write letters to soldiers as well as to Santa.

For more information or to join the group, call Kari Coates at 693-3353 or email her at MomandMePlayOcala@yahoo.com

Art in the Library

Black and White with a Splash of Color is the theme for Norbert Sachs’ ShutterBugs exhibit this month. From fish and cats to vampires, this photography display surprises with its unexpected style of “splash.”

The Art Club of Oak Run spotlights Linda Glick, Artist of the Month of November, for her paints and watercolors. One row past the photography exhibit, you’ll find a wide array of her framed artwork.

Relic recovery

Relics and artifacts fill the library’s display case. Using metal detectors, the Mid Florida Historical Research & Recovery Association travels the countryside unearthing pieces of the past and displaying them for all to see.

Says Bill Beardsley, president, “Our club is composed of men and women of all ages who are interested in preserving Florida’s history,” and they use metal detectors to find these often not-so-small connections. Saws and musket balls are found alongside buttons and coins, and all can be viewed at the library.

Relics and artifacts on display


Anyone interested in attending meetings or obtaining more information is invited to contact Bill Beardsley, 352-873-9953.

South Marion Citizen - Freedom Public Library - November 6, 2009

By Carol Jones


Friends presents Crime Prevention seminar

Presented by the Friends of Freedom Public Library on Thursday, November 12, at 1 p.m., in the library’s meeting room, the Metro Crime Prevention of Florida seminar provides information that may save your life.

With the holidays fast approaching and today’s economy providing an excuse for many to steal, or worse, this seminar may help you avoid becoming a victim. Learn how you should react to a purse snatching, how a cell phone can save your life, how a burglar learns the so-called secret password for your home security system.

Can you be arrested for speeding? Do you know when a woman is most vulnerable and what to do about it? Most of us don’t, so come for this most informative session. It’s free and open to the public.

Heather’s Hi-Lites

November is here and the time has come to register for the use of the Freedom Public Library meeting room in 2010.

Registration forms are now available online at our library website, www.library.marioncountyfl.org. From the Programs and Services tab, select Meeting Room Policy. You will be able to read the Meeting Room Policy and Patron Code of Conduct, and select the application format of your choice. You can also apply by fax to 436-2582, or hand deliver your registration form to the library. Please call our Reference Desk if you have questions or need more information.

When the meeting room is not in use by the library or a library-related organization, it is available to non-profit organizations for the purpose of informational meetings that are free and open to the public. We support the use of our meeting space especially to provide educational and recreational opportunities for our community.




Authors on Exhibit

Left to right: Margery Mitchell, Colleen Gould, Roseann Galeazzo, Mary Ann Sciavillo-Lopez, Tricia Pimental, Carol Jones, writers group leader. Not shown are Delight Kilyan and Diane Podkomorski.


The Freedom Writers Group of the Florida Writers Assn. (FWA) welcomed a steady stream of visitors to their event on Tuesday, October 27. Five of the eleven exhibiting authors offered their books as door prizes and winners were drawn at the end of the day.

Two award winners in the FWA’s Royal Palm Literary Award contest showed their work and their trophies: Tricia Pimental, First Place winner in the Autobiography Unpublished category for “Rabbit Trail: How a Former Playboy Bunny Found Her Way,” and Sylvia Fiorello, Second Place winner in the Young Adult Published category for “My Best Friend Ever.”

Two members’ short stories appeared in the FWA’s first ever collection, “From Our Family to Yours”: MaryAnn Sciavillo-Lopez’s “Scents of Heaven,” and two by Carol Jones (that’s me!), “Picture of Old Zeb” which was featured in the anthology’s top ten, and “Specter of Sam.”

From the Freedom Writers Group, “Thank You to the Friends of Freedom Public Library for inviting us to share in their Art in the Library experience.”



ShutterBugs and Ocala Decorative Artists

Daisy Pena Rowell, Ray Christian, John Ware, Gary Uhley of The ShutterBugs, Oct. 20.


On Tuesday, October 20, the ShutterBugs Photography Club shared the room with the Ocala Decorative Artists and presented an outstanding array of creativity.

The ShutterBugs display monthly at the library. You’ll find their pictures toward the back and just outside the Computer Lab. They also show in many places about town, often including On Top of the World’s Master the Possibilities building.

Bea Petersen of Ocala Decorative Artists, Oct. 20

Ocala Decorative Artists work with many different media, from plates to purses and all surfaces in between. They paint Memory Boxes for various hospitals for the parents of premature babies, and Treasure Boxes for kids in the Shriner’s Hospital in Tampa.

The Art Club of Oak Run and Freedom Quilters

The many fascinating paintings and watercolors shown regularly in the library are all done by ACOR, or the Art Club of Oak Run. On October 12, their colorful creations filled the meeting room.

Freedom Quilters showed what their nimble fingers could do the first Tuesday, October 6. Jeannine Sirkoch, group president, displayed three of her quilts and demonstrated the intricacies of Brazilian embroidery. Victoria Jandreau revealed the trick to detachable padded coasters.

Thanks again from all the groups to the Friends of Freedom Public Library for the opportunity to participate in their Art in the Library event.

Library Hours

Freedom Public Library is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, closed on Sunday. Open times are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. For questions, or to arrange an appropriate time for your group, call Heather Ogilvie, 438-2580.

South Marion Citizen - Freedom Public Library column - October 23, 2009

By Carol Jones




Jeannine Sirkoch, president of Freedom Quilters, demonstrates the complicated Brazilian embroidery at the Quilters exhibit Oct. 6







Anna Kern and Bonnie Wallace show their work at the Art Club of Oak Run exhibit on Oct. 13.








October Art on parade at Freedom Public Library

If you missed the first three art shows at the library, you can still catch the last one. Tuesday, October 27, features the Freedom Writers Group of Florida Writers Association, and Creative Memories Scrapbookers.

Several of the Writers Group authors will have their books on display while others will be on hand to sign books and personally discuss their projects. Fill out a door prize ticket and drop it in the writer’s box. You could win one of their books.

Creative Memories Scrapbooker leader and library historian, Karen David, plans to display, among other things, the library’s Heritage Album history books which she organized and assembled. The project is in its third volume and growing.

Sponsored by the Friends of Freedom Public Library, admission is free to these Art at the Library exhibits and all are open to the public.

Heather’s Hi-Lites

Are you wondering what to do on Wednesdays? Here at the library, S.U.R.F.’s Up every Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Children of all ages are welcome to join us for Super Ultimate Reading Fun. We are experimenting with all sorts of crafty combinations created from the materials you find in a library -- paper, crayons, yarn, tape, paste, and other sticky things. And, of course, books! We’ll show you what’s new and what we are reading right now. Come in and find out, just for the fun of it.

Our September adventure in sleuthing was so much fun that we’re doing it again. We are seeking detectives to join our top level team of secret agents in solving a mystery. Students in grades 4 thru 6 are invited to join us in cracking the code on Wednesday, November 4, at 3 p.m. Requirements: clear thinking, careful planning, dedication to truth, and an open mind. Secret resources will be revealed as we unravel the mystery.

Registration is not required; questions are welcome. Call David, Erin, or Heather at 438-2580 for the inside scoop.

Top secret information for parents: Students will learn to navigate the vast electronic resources available at your library. Ace detectives may become Homework Experts.

Book Club Selection

The Freedom Book Club that meets the second Friday (November 13) at 1 p.m. will discuss “Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls. The meeting’s second half will be devoted to the continuing discussion of Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. For information, contact Lee Staiger at leestaiger@embarqmail.com

Ask Arnold, the Computer Coach

Q: -- Some emails I receive contain pictures but sometimes a little red “x” appears in place of the picture. Why? Also, when forwarding emails that include pictures, I sometimes get a dialog box saying ‘No pictures can be included.’ But they were already included in the email I received, so why can’t I forward them?

A: -- The little red “x” means the picture is supposed to be there but couldn’t be found, so a place for the picture was saved even if the picture wasn’t. When writing web pages, a place on the page must be reserved for the picture, but then the picture file must also be included. If the original writer of the page forgets to do that, the page shows the space without the picture.

The “x” can also occur when the picture format is one you can neither open nor send because you don’t have the supporting software program.

Some pictures may be protected and cannot be forwarded. A lot depends on how the picture was inserted into the email.

Library Hours

Freedom Public Library is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday, closed on Sunday. Open times are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. For questions, or to arrange an appropriate time for your group, call Heather Ogilvie, 438-2580.