By John Maruskin, Clark County Public Library 

As ya’ll noticed,  the library was closed Tuesday and Wednesday last week while two major improvements were implemented — one to hardware, the other to software.

Whether you are turning in from Burns Avenue or viewing Winchester from a passing airplane, you’ll notice the hardware improvement, the resurfacing and striping of the library parking lot, along with the addition of two bright yellow speed bumps.

That fine, fast work was done by the Craig Rogers Paving Company of Winchester. They were great to work with and they made the lot look new.

Why the speed bumps?  There was a problem with drivers traveling through the lot at unsafe speeds.

Every day many children, cell phone distracted adults and senior citizens come to the library, often carrying loads of books and DVDs. At peak hours, cars already in the lot are making sharp turn out. Traffic had to be slowed to avoid accidents. “Slow Down” caution signs and 10 MPH speed limit signs had been posted, but those were regularly vandalized or stolen (?). So, the speed bumps were set in place to create a permanent solution.

If the speed bumps seem like an unnecessary irritation, keep this in mind.  If you’re driving too fast because you’re late for work or you’re upset or you’re having a terrible day, and you hit a pedestrian, or someone’s pet or heaven forbid a child, your day will instantly become unimaginably, irrevocably worse than the bad day you were having before you got in the car.

The speed bumps are in the driveway for the safety of all the friends, patrons and visitors to the library. Thanks for understanding and slowing down.

While the lot was being repaved, a major update was occurring inside the library. The TLC circulation and cataloging software was replaced by a new, faster, more efficient and less expensive system called Evolve.

Director Julie Maruskin and reference librarian Jeff Gurnee worked with Evolve for months to make this happen.  While the library was closed over Pioneer Festival/LaborDay weekend, all of the library’s computer data was “migrated” from TLC to Evolve. On Tuesday and Wednesday, David Elliott, a representative from Evolve, was in the library training staff to operate the new system. David was also here Thursday and Friday to make sure everything worked and that staff was comfortable with the new features.

While a little data migration still needs to occur, the new Evolve system is up and humming along. Come get a gander at the new look on the OPAC’s.

What’s happening this week?

— Tuesday, September 13, 10 a.m., Internet 2. Learn efficient ways to search, retrieve information and how to copy, paste and print.

— Wednesday, September 14, 10 a.m., Alzheimer’s Association Legal and Financial Planning Workshop. Sarah Rowe from the Alzheimer’s Association of Kentucky and Mary Patton from Bluegrass Elderlaw will present a workshop about legal and financial issues to consider while caring for Alzheimer patients and how to put plans in place.

— Wednesday, September 14, 2 p.m., Kentucky Picture Show presents a 2016 film starring Sally Field. A self-help seminar inspires a 60-something woman to romantically pursue her younger co-worker. Rated R for language.

— Thursday, September 15, noon, Book Lunch. It’s Agatha Christie’s birthday, so Book Lunch participants will discuss Dumb Witness, a Hercule Poirot mystery in which the world’s best detective gets sleuthing assistance from a wire-haired terrier.

— Thursday, September 15, 6:30 p.m. The WWII discussion group talks about bombing campaigns.

— Friday, September 16, 10 a.m.  The Pantsers Writing Group gets to hear the exciting conclusion of Chuck Witt’s latest Michael Tate story, set right here in Winchester.

Michael Tate is a patron at the Clark County Public Library.

Come in some time and I’ll show you where he’s usually found.