Berne Library Notes for Wednesday, March 10, 2021

With sweaty palms, the brow of frustration, and the endearing words, “Mom, I’m on speaker phone” heard loud and clear from the Remote Technical Assistance Team, “TEDx-BernePublicLibrary — Life on the Hill,” hit airwaves the last Saturday in February.

After a few technological glitches, facilitator Kathy Stempel’s calm and determined demeanor reigned supreme and the deed was done. For the virtual audience, the pre-recorded sessions, interspersed with a bit of live talk and a smattering of music, trailed visitors through seven unique offerings. 

If you missed the live feed, and have internet capabilities, you can drop in for a look-see from the library’s website. Go to www.bernepubliclibrary.org and click on the “read more” icon under  “TEDxBernePublicLibrary – Link to the event.” This will spin you over to the link.

A big thank-you goes out to all the speakers and behind-the-scenes crew of this new dip into uncharted TEDx waters — Erik, Emily, Brian, Nathan, Donna and Mary. And to Becky Waldenmaier for the live intros and friendly banter along the way.

Photo contest

Another dive into uncharted territory surfaced with the library’s virtual photo contest. After being judged by two professional photographers, winners were selected in the 6th Annual Berne Library Photo Exhibit.

What’s equally exciting is the work of master craftsman Jim Burghart, who copied all the photos onto weatherproof aluminum plates so the photos can be displayed in the Berne Town Park’s StoryWalk trail for your viewing pleasure.

For the rest of March, you can pop over to see the photos in Berne’s Town Park. In April, the display will move to the Knox Town Park. Photos may also be viewed at bernelibraryfriends.org.

From a stunning 23 entries, here’s your  rundown of winners:

— “Partridge Run Pond” by Ann Perry: People’s Choice, Adult Division;

— “Fresh Produce” by Johanna Luhrman: People’s Choice, Junior Division;

— “Pantheon Oculus” by Sarah Raymond: Best of Show, Adult Division; and

— “Love Shines Bright” by Myla Evans: Best of Show, Junior Division.

There you have it. Now, go ahead and be sure to take yourself on a date to the park and enjoy this unique outdoor photo experience.

Congratulations to the Friends for successfully orchestrating this first-ever virtual event. 

March marvels

After all this successful virtualness, you may find the urge to do a little celebrating yourself. For instance you could check into stringing a banner for March’s National Celery, Reading, Nutrition, Kidney or Irish American Heritage Month. 

Or, your creative genius might whip up a poster or two to highlight National Pi day on 3.14, Absolutely Incredible Kid day on the 18th, World Poetry Day on the 21st, or Tolkien Reading day landing on the 25th.

Then, you might just want to jump for joy and utilize March’s fine-free month on all Berne library items. Plus, there is the return of limited in-library browsing back in service. It’s your day to celebrate.