By John Maruskin

A visit to the Library will reveal lots of new reading material and new fixtures to house them.

Over the past month clear plastic book display fixtures were added to the New Books section at the front of the Library. Those fixtures allow all new books to be displayed cover forward so titles and authors are easier to read and covers easier to see. That’s had a good effect on both new fiction and non-fiction circulation. A lot more books are being checked out.

A writers section was added to the end of the non-fiction section in New Books. This section is located next to the biographies on the last set of New Books shelves in front of the Library’s nonfiction section. There are some good new writing guides there.

At the front of the Library, just to the right of New Books is a set of shelves devoted to test and study guides. New to that section is a complete set of Common Core Basics Study Guides for the GED. These guides are perfect for GED candidates and invaluable for anyone studying common core subjects.

There are Common Core Study Guides Basics for social studies, reading, writing, math, and science. There are more study guides throughout the Library in sections pertaining to specific topics. Always feel free to ask a librarian for help finding guides or books about any topic you are studying. Librarians live for book and research questions.

In the Library’s reference section and on some of the shelves and tables in the magazine reading area, there are a lot of new clear plastic fixtures displaying Bookazines. Bookazines are a new publishing medium, thick, glossy, picture packed publications devoted to a particular topic. Browse around and you’ll see there are Bookazines about natural history and science, home décor, health, spirituality, DIY, mini-farming and gardening. These have become some of the Library’s most popular check-out items because they are quick, entertaining and highly informative introductions to popular subjects.

On one of the tables in the magazine reading area you’ll now find Consumer Reports Guides and NADA car evaluation booklets. On the right hand side of the last set of magazine fixtures (facing back toward the Library’s YA section) there is a new clear plastic display bin for newspapers.

The mass market paperback section between the magazine reading area and the nonfiction section has been cleared of old worn books and new ones have been added. Paperback Westerns have been consolidated into the Western Book Section near the public access computers.

Finally, there is a new display table right in front of the circulation desk on which can be found new book, magazine, and media bundles devoted to particular topics. If you have suggestions for book bundles, please tell a librarian.

Come in and browse the New Books and Bookazines displays. The Library’s reading central and central to your reading interests.

Programs this week:

— Tuesday, August 1, 10 a.m., Internet 1. No computer experience? No problem. You’ll holler Cowabunga when you see how easy it is to surf the web.

— Wednesday, August 2, 2 p.m. Kentucky Picture Show presents a 2017 film about Antonina and Jan Zabinski, keepers of the Warsaw Zoo who helped save hundreds of people and animals when Germany invaded Poland during WWII. Rated PG-13

— Friday, August 4, 10 a.m., Write Local. A cynic sneers “everybody’s got a story.” At Write Local we say “tell us more!”

The weekend’s free. Get a cool drink and read to your heart’s content.

John Maruskin is director of adult services at the Clark County Public Library. He can be reached at john.clarkbooks@gmail.com.