Fines may be paid with pet food and with food for human consumption. Patrons are asked to bring enough food to be approximately equal in value to the amounts of their fines. 

Human and pet food items brought to the Cody Library will be distributed to the Cody Cupboard or the Park County Animal Shelter. Items collected at the Powell Branch library will be taken to Loaves and Fishes or Caring for Powell Animals. Food gathered at the Meeteetse Branch library will go to the Meeteetse Cupboard or to the Park County Animal Shelter.

Only canned or packaged dry foods in good condition can be accepted. The libraries cannot accept homemade, home canned or expired items.

The food banks and animals shelters may also need other necessary, non-food items, such as toilet paper, blankets, or soap. Patrons are advised to contact the organizations for more information.

The Food for Fines exchange is meant to wipe out overdue fines, although those who prefer may still pay fines with money. Food cannot be given in replacement for amounts owed for lost or damaged books.

Because of the economic downturn, the library system is aware that charities probably need more donations than usual. For that reason, Food for Fines is starting earlier this year and will extend through December 30.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place through all of November.

Susanne Lee is the municipal liaison for NaNoWriMo. Participants set their own word-count goals for their novels at www.nanowrimo.org. Writers may work individually or in small groups.

You win NaNoWriMo by writing to your word-count goal by midnight on November 30. There is an opportunity for winners to obtain a free proof copy of their manuscripts, according to the web site.

Lee, a Cody resident, said the objective of the national writing month is to encourage people of all ages to write. She said she has worked with people in Park County participating in NaNoWriMo for three years, but this is the first year the library has been involved.

A writer herself, Lee said she is pleased that NaNoWriMo has grown rapidly in popularity and she enjoys working with writers who join the project. Lee may be reached for more information at 899-1465.

For more information about how the Teen Library is involved in the novel-writing month, contact Waidelich at 527-1889 or at swaidelich@parkcountylibrary.org.

The program will take place both in Grizzly Hall and outside the building and is suitable for everyone 16 years of age and older.

Fleming, who is the training and fire protection officer for Park County Fire District 2, will begin the program with a lecture and slide show about fire behavior, the often-surprising speed at which fire moves, the right and wrong things to do if you are faced with a fire, and the proper use of fire extinguishers.

Rick Fleming

Afterward, he will take the audience outdoors for hands-on training with extinguishers against a live fire in a barrel. The training will proceed regardless of weather conditions except in case of heavy precipitation.

Every person attending may practice with an extinguisher, if they want to do so. Fleming said the training could help someone, who later must deal with an unexpected fire, to respond safely and with more control.

“If you can stop a fire before it spreads, you could prevent serious property damage or even save a life,” Fleming said. “Your quick reaction may even keep a firefighter from risking his life.”

He has been the district training officer for four years. Before that, Fleming was operations manager at Yellowstone Regional Airport, which included controlling fires, and was also a member of the Cody Volunteer Fire Department. His current work includes public education and he provides fire safety programs upon request.

Troxel, on guitars, bass and vocals, and Krieger, fiddle, mandolin and vocals, will play some of Troxel’s own compositions and arrangements along with some traditional fiddle and folk music.

The two often play together and have just released an album, “Spirit of Our Time.” Each began playing at an early age and both have racked up significant musical accomplishments. 

A performer, composer, singer, teacher and author, Cody native Troxel has won awards as a songwriter and as a national flatpicking guitar champion. He has written two books on guitar playing styles and is on the faculty of Rocky Mountain College in Billings and Central Wyoming College in Riverton.

Krieger, a Billings resident, began studying the violin at the age of four. At age 13 he won in an audition with the Billings Symphony Orchestra, where he continues to play. 

He also plays with a number of groups in many styles, including jazz, country, rock, fiddle, and string quartets. Along the way, he won a few fiddling championships.

While working full time as a firefighter and paramedic in Billings, Krieger still finds time for some teaching engagements, a busy performance schedule and playing background for recordings.

Individuals and non-profit groups who want to learn more about obtaining grant funding

The opening session, on Friday, Oct. 14 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. in Grizzly Hall, will be a panel discussion by representatives of local non-profit organizations who have been successful grant seekers. 

Over the next two weeks, Reference and Interlibrary Loan Librarian Carmela Conning will show the Foundation Center’s ten grant-seeking training webinars, one each day, in Grizzly Hall. The webinars are videotaped and feature Foundation Center experts.

Webinar sessions are scheduled each weekday Oct. 17-28 from noon to 2:00 p.m. People may take part in any or all of them. Sign-up is recommended and may be done at the library, or by calling the library at 527-1880, or by email at parkill@parkcountylibrary.org.

The webinar schedule is:
Oct. 17 – “Before You Seek a Grant.”
Oct. 18 – “Grant Seeking Basics.”
Oct. 19 – “Introduction to Finding Funders.”
Oct. 20 – “Introduction to Fundraising Planning.”
Oct. 21 – “Proposal Writing Basics.”
Oct. 24 – “Proposal Budgeting Basics.”
Oct. 25 – “How to Approach a Foundation.”
Oct. 26 – “Your Board and Fundraising.”
Oct. 27 – “Finding Foundation Support for Your Education.”
Oct. 28 – “Grant Seeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts.”

The Park County Library System is a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center. Cooperating Collections are free information centers that provide a core collection of Foundation Center publications plus online resources that are available only in the library.

Participants may bring a brown bag lunch or lunch from the Biblio Bistro during the webinar showings.

“Hold on to Your Hat,” N. C. Ferrington, pastel. Copyright by the artist.

Three professional artists have combined their work to make the art display at the Park County Public Library in Cody for the month of October.

N. C. Ferrington, Melody Christensen and Pat Schermerhorn work in different styles using a variety of media but all selected people and animals as their subjects for the library showing. 

“Calico Rooster,” Pat Schermerhorn, pen and ink pointillism. Copyright by the artist.

Schermerhorn is a pointillist using pen and colored inks to create dots of color to form a painting. It takes several layers and many hours to achieve the image she wants. An active artist for many years, she also works in pastels and colored pencils.

N. C. Ferrington is a relative newcomer to Cody and is showing for the first time at the library. She lived most of her life in northern Nevada in ranching communities and spent years restoring and driving horse drawn vehicles. She concentrates on horses and mules as her subjects, which she renders in pastels, watercolor and oils, and also creates sculptures in bronze.

Christensen began her love of art as a child and studied art at Northwest College and the University of Wyoming. She uses pencil, watercolor and acrylics in her quest to capture the spirit of the people she paints and the beauty of Wyoming landscapes.

Following a 30-year career with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, he now lives in Montana, where he continues to write and work in conservation.

Smith’s book, Where Elk Roam: the Conservation and Biopolitics of Our National Elk Herd, is the first book published for a general audience in 60 years about management of the famous elk herd. The first-person account mixes Smith’s personal stories and his field experiences during a 22-year span as the elk refuge biologist. Along with the scientific aspects of the herd’s ecology and management, the book centers on the winter feeding program, which was designed to sustain more elk than the winter range can support.  Smith describes the feeding program’s impacts on habitat, biodiversity, and the health of the elk, which are crowded by the thousands on the feed grounds and are at high risk for  diseases.

Written in a story-like narrative, “Where Elk Roam” is readable for anyone with a fundamental knowledge of natural science from high school age and up. Following his presentation, Smith will have copies of the book to sign and sell.

The Friends of the Cody Library will provide refreshments.

Grombacher is something of a modern troubadour whose music paints portraits and tells stories, many tied to the landscapes where he has worked and toured. He plays his guitar not only as accompaniment but also to deliver uncommon rhythms and musical forms that put a singular touch to his compositions.

He’s been playing music since childhood and began writing songs as a teenager. In addition, Grombacher has fought forest fires in Oregon, worked as a field archaeologist in New Mexico, done day work on ranches in New Mexico, Colorado and California, and worked with outfitters in Yellowstone National Park and the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Frequently heard on public radio stations, Grombacher has recorded several albums. He makes his home in New Orleans.

The Friends of the Cody Library will provide refreshments.

For the special effects images, Maier said, “I like to push the colors beyond what you ordinarily see” as a way to achieve a different effect. “Digital imaging is easier to manipulate than film, and you can be more creative.”

In 1968, when he was working in Nevada as a biologist and a range conservationist, Maier said he saw a copy of “Wyoming Wildlife” magazine, which impressed him so much that he decided to change his career. He went back to school at Utah State University for more than a year to study photography.

Wildlife and landscape photography may be personally rewarding, but it is tough to make a living at it, Maier stated recently. His advice is to do that kind of photography simply “for the joy of it.”

His photographs may also be seen at the Cody Country Art League and at North Mountain Gallery.

We’ve posted signs showing where phones may and may not be used. The change was requested by patrons and staff.

The problem is noise. Cell phone conversations, ring tones, buzzing and music can create distraction for other patrons.

“Cell phone use is high, and we are addressing issues of disturbance in the adult areas of the library,” Cody Library manager Marge Buchholz said.

“The new policy is a gentle reminder to be considerate. I am confident our patrons will help us support quiet areas where people are studying, reading, and listening,” she added.

We will try to address special needs on a case-by-case basis. It’s possible someone may need to use a cell phone while at a computer, but talking on a cell phone is prohibited in the adult computer area. Anyone in that situation must contact Buchholz or Carmela Conning, who may schedule time on a computer somewhere else in the library.

The library already has a Code of Conduct, which covers disruptive behaviors that are prohibited in the library, such as talking loudly or excessively.

The Code of Conduct may be read right here on our web site, by clicking “Acceptable Library Behavior” in the right hand menu on the front page.

“Patrons must act in a manner that does not interfere or deny others full and equal access to library materials and services,” the conduct code states. In clear language, the document explains that the consequences of misconduct may include warnings, denial of access, or loss of library privileges, and it quotes the Wyoming statutes which back that up.

Anyone who has questions or wants to discuss the new cell phone policy should contact Marge Buchholz.