Last month I had the pleasure of traveling to the small town of Jonesborough, Tenn., where the National Storytelling Festival takes place each year.

On the first weekend of October, this town of 4,000 is invaded by story-lovers from all over the world -- approximately 12,000 people attend the festival, supporting the preservation of the oral tradition of storytelling.

It was wonderful to immerse myself in the stories offered by storytellers from around the world, including a few of my friends from Illinois who were featured storytellers this year.

As an emerging teller, I want to share this time-honored tradition with the Marshall community.

An opportunity to do just that takes place this Saturday at 10 a.m. at the library as part of an international storytelling event -- Tellabration -- which is a day set aside each year for storytellers around the world to host storytelling events in their community.

The stories told on Saturday are for all ages and will be a mix of folk and fairy tales. All are welcome to this free event.

Some of you may remember that I announced a Parent-Child book club a few weeks back. I just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten but the project has been delayed slightly.

Thanks to the efforts of Peggy Sherman, instructor at Missouri Valley College, the Marshall Public Library will be collaborating with Peggy's and Pam Rigg's students to facilitate the Parent-Child book club.

I am very excited about the energy and enthusiasm potential from the students.

The project will take place next spring. I will be sure to spread the word once a date has been chosen.

Our first title will be "Little House on the Prairie," for a Parent-Daughter book club discussion. Future titles will include some that will appeal to a Parent-Son group.

We have a few new faces around the library as we have added some staff members recently. Please welcome Laura Long and Gretchen Roehrs as our new Library Assistants as well as Jacob Hatfield as our new shelver. We hope you will enjoy the experience and customer service focus that they bring to the library.

Thank you

We extend our thanks to Diane Dudenhoeffer for her donation to the Marshall Public Library.

New books

Fiction

-- "The Gods of Newport" -- John Jakes

-- "Dear John" -- Nicholas Sparks

-- "Keeper of the Key" -- Perri O'Shaughnessy

-- "Santa Cruise" -- Mary Higgins Clark

-- "Cross" -- James Patterson

Non-fiction

-- "The Audacity of Hope" -- Barack Obama

-- "Out of My Mind" -- Andy Rooney

-- "Faith and Politics" -- John Danforth

Library events

Preschool Story Time -- each Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Games, stories, crafts. Appropriate for children approximately 3 to 7 years old.

Pajama Story Time -- each Monday at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Wear your jammies or come as you are. Games, crafts, stories.

Wee Ones Lap Time Story Time -- for babies up to 24 months old, each Wednesday at 10 a.m. Interactive finger play and song time for mothers and babies.

Travel With Lewis & Clark Series -- every other Tuesday of the month, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Moderated by Marvin Wilhite.

How can I support the Marshall Public Library?

Bring your receipts from Patricia's into the library when you're returning or checking out books. Each month, Patricia's Foods will donate a portion of the collected receipts to the library.

When purchasing items from Amazon.com, use the link to Amazon that appears on the Marshall Public Library's website: www.marshallpubliclibrary.com. A portion of your purchase will go to support the library.

Consider joining Friends of the Marshall Libraries. Membership forms are available at the library.

Honor a mentor. Celebrate a friend. Commemorate an event.

A gift to the Marshall Public Library is a unique and enduring way to pay tribute to friends and family.

Your generosity will be a lasting source of joy and enrichment for the community.

For additional information, please call (660) 886-3391 with any questions.