Fall for Books - Where Books Live

WHERE BOOKS LIVE

For many of us, just the word “library” invokes a feeling of security and warmth, conjuring images of shelves lined with books and cozy reading nooks, and that distinct “book smell” of old tomes. This is where storytelling and books converge. Public libraries are community hubs and meeting places, centers for learning and access to virtually unlimited educational and entertainment resources, and homes to our heritage and history. They offer educational programs, art and culture, personal and professional development, access to technology, and so much more. From our earliest days attending story time to finding leisure time books and activities to keep us busy in our later years, many of us have had libraries as a constant in our life, throughout the various stages of development and wherever we may live at the time.

MARSHES OF GLYNN LIBRARIES

Here in Glynn County, we have the Marshes of Glynn Library System with its 2 branches: the Brunswick-Glynn County Library and the St. Simons Island Public Library. The system is part of the Georgia Public Library Service and a member of the PINES library consortium, which gives local library patrons access to the collections of 300 library branches and affiliated service outlets throughout the State of Georgia. That’s a shared collection of 11 million books and other materials that can be delivered to our home library free of charge! There are also digital resources available, such as Libby by Overdrive, GALILEO, eRead Kids, Mango Languages, and much more.

How do you get your passport to travel in this wide-open world of adventure? Signing up for a PINES card is free to any Georgia resident or property owner, student attending school in Georgia, or individual employed full-time in Georgia. You simply need to complete an online application and provide a valid photo ID with current address or valid photo ID with proof of current address. If you are 17 years old or younger, you need permission and valid ID of parent or legal guardian. You can register online for a digital PINES account without coming to the library, but to upgrade to a full card, you will need to visit the Brunswick or St. Simons Island library.

The Brunswick-Glynn County Library is located at 208 Gloucester Street in Brunswick. The library is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday: 9:30 am to 5:00 pm; Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 am to 8:00 pm. Phone: 912.279.3740.

The St. Simons Island Public Library is located in the St. Simons Casino Building at 530A Beachview Drive. It is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday:

9:30 am to 5:00 pm; Wednesday: 9:30 am to 7:00 pm; Saturday: 9:30 am to 1:00pm. Phone: 912.279.3750.

From children’s story times we to yoga, and English as a Second Language classes to Scrabble sessions, the Marshes of Glynn Library system offers so many programs, clubs, and activities free of charge to the community. They also have meeting rooms available, computers to use, and art on display. To see the wide variety of offerings, online catalogs of resources, or sign up for your PINES card, visit moglibraries.org.

STEADFAST SUPPORTERS

Each of the Marshes of Glynn Libraries have non-profit auxiliaries that support them by raising awareness, sponsoring programs, encouraging donations, providing financial assistance, organizing used book sales, operating used bookstores, and more. Becoming a member is a great way to support your local library and to learn about literary events in the area.

The Friends of the Library Brunswick GA operates a bookstore at the Brunswick-Glynn County Library that sells "gently used" books, audiobooks, CDs, videos, and DVDs. It is open Monday-Friday 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Their next Used Book Sale will take held in January 2023, so keep an eye out for the date. Learn more about the Friends of the Library Brunswick GA, their objectives, events, and the other services they provide at friendsbwk.org.

The Literary Guild of St. Simons supports the Marshes of Glynn - St. Simons Island Library branch through its bookstore and Fall & Spring book sales. They currently have more than 600 members. Membership dues enable them to provide books and other materials to the St. Simons Library and support our community's literacy activities. The Guild hosts free movie screenings and popular Meet the Author events at the St. Simons Casino Theatre. They also award monetary grants to local literacy programs. For a full calendar of events, bookstore hours, and information about the services provided by the Guild, visit litguildssi.org. To receive notifications of new events, follow them on Eventbrite.

Come out to the St. Simons Casino Atrium for the Literary Guild of St. Simons’ Fall Book Sale Thursday, October 20 (Member Preview 3:00-6:00 p.m.), Friday, October 21, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturday, October 22, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ($10 bag sale starts at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday). It's the perfect time to stock your bookshelves with some new-to-you reading for winter!

The Guild's Meet the Author events are free for members and $10 for non-members. Here's what they've got scheduled through November:

Wednesday, October 19 - Laura Kelly Robb visits to talk about her latest suspense novel set in St. Augustine, The Laguna Beach Research Club.

Tuesday, October 25 – 10-time Emmy Award-winning news anchor/reporter John Pruitt visits to discuss Tell It True, which draws upon his real-world experiences covering Georgia in the 1960s. 

 Tuesday, November 1 – NY Times best-selling author and founder of The Moth, George Dawes Green visits to talk about his latest whodunnit, Kingdoms of Savannah.

Tuesday, November 15 – Janisse Ray, author of bestseller Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, visits to discuss her most recently published book, Wild Spectacle.

 Monday, November 21 – Just in time for the holidays, culinary master Johnathon Barrett visits to present Cook and Celebrate, a beautiful, delectable, and nostalgic read that will invoke warm, festive memories and inspire you to celebrate life in the kitchen.

Books are available for purchase and signing at all of these events and are supplied by G.J. Ford Bookshop.

SPREADING LITERARY LOVE

If you are an avid reader who loves the feel and smell of books and adheres to the philosophy “You can never read too many books,” you do run into the very real problem of having too many books and not enough room for them. When that happens, the beauty of the book is that it has a new life in another reader’s hands. It’s the best kind of recycling!

Book donations will happily be accepted at the St. Simons Island Library and the Literary Guild Bookstore during open hours and can also be picked up from your home. There is great demand for recent bestselling fiction. They do not accept books that are in poor condition (e.g. torn, written in, dirty or water damaged) or encyclopedias, textbooks, magazines, comic books, LPs, VHS or 8-track tapes. If you have many books to donate, please box them and text/call Tony Cipolla at 609.290.8379 to arrange a pickup. Books donations are also accepted at the Friends of the Library Bookstore at the Brunswick-Glynn County Library.

Used books can be purchased in the bookstores at each of the libraries and at the seasonal book sales. Come out to the St. Simons Casino Atrium for the Literary Guild of St. Simons’ Fall Book Sale Thursday, October 20 (Member Preview) through Saturday, October 22 and stock your bookshelves with some new-to-you reading for winter. 

Another way to recycle your books is to keep a box or bag of the paperbacks you’ve read or children’s books that your kids have outgrown in your car and drop a few in the “Little Free Libraries” around the island and in Brunswick when you see them. Some easily accessible little free library locations on the island are in front of the St. Simons Land Trust office on Frederica Road, in front of St. Simons Elementary School and Oglethorpe Point Elementary School, and near the lighthouse off 12th Street. If you need help finding others, there’s a public Facebook group called Little Free Libraries of Saint Simons Island that can help. Help fill them up to keep books circulating in our community.