By blog guest, our reviewer Vicki Rock Since 2025 is over, it’s time to look back on the books I’ve enjoyed most this past year, listed in order of publication. All the books I review are available at the library and if you click on a title in this list you can go to the catalog to place a hold on the book. I hope you find books you really enjoy on this list. Five Star Reads of 2025: Presumed Guilty , by Scott Turow, Grand Central Publishing. A retired judge’s fiancée’s s

We're excited about some major changes in our property's landscape -- the work that has been done to beautify our property, spearheaded by Dr. Roger Hanson of Meyersdale Chiropractic. It started on the 4th of July weekend. Dr. Hanson and his sons, Nick and Tyler Hanson, did an amazing job clearing away the weeds which had gotten totally out of hand, and trimming overgrown shrubbery. That alone was a tremendous improvement, and I was very thankful. But he didn't stop there

Summer has arrived, and it's hot outside. If you have time, why not come in and cool down at the library? The AC is on, the WiFi is working, and we have plenty for you to read! There are some great programs planned, too. Join us for summer stories & surprises @ your library! First, I must apologize for the condition of our library grounds. We have had great weather for growing weeds, but not-so-great weather for landscaping. We do have a major project planned for our gr

Every librarian has heard it. No matter how hard we try to get the word out about our resources and services, something comes up in conversation and someone says, "I didn't know the library had that!" My next few blog posts will feature some great things I'd like people to know that we offer. Online homework help, tutoring, and skill building: Need homework/study help? I'd really like to encourage students of all ages to try out Brainfuse Help Now , which is offered throug

Winter tends to be a slow time at the library. It's hard to plan events when the weather so often interferes. Our weekly Preschool Story Hour has managed to meet most Fridays, but the monthly Writers' Group was snowed out two months in a row. One exception to the February doldrums is our Friends of the Library group's annual Death By Chocolate fundraiser. This year, the combined efforts of bake sale and auction brought in over $3,500 to benefit the library. We managed to h

There's something new hanging on the library wall, just above my office door. Area resident Carol Saylor won First Prize in the "Events and Attractions" category of the 2024 GO Laurel Highlands Photo Contest for her photo of the Appalachian Wagon Train coming through Meyersdale in June. She was kind enough to donate the photo on canvas to the library. It reminds us of the excitement and celebration throughout our town's 150th year. 2024 was a year to remember for the peopl

By guest blogger Vicki Rock Since 2024 is coming to an end, it’s time to look back on the books I’ve enjoyed most this year, listed in order of publication. All the books I review are available at the library (with the exception of one -- not on this list -- that is still backordered). If you click on a title in this list you can go to the catalog to place a hold on the book. So get a beverage, sit in your coziest chair, and enjoy some of my 5-star reads! “ The Fury ,” by Al

“Karla's Choice: A John le Carré Novel,” by Nick Harkaway, Viking, 320 pages, Oct. 22, 2024. It is spring 1963 and George Smiley has left the Circus, the British overseas intelligence agency. He is living a more peaceful life. But Control has other plans. Mikhail Bortnik, a Russian agent, has defected, and the man he was sent to kill in London, Laszlo Banati, is nowhere to be found. Smiley reluctantly agrees to one last simple task: interview Susanna Gero, a Hungarian émigré

(Due to a technical issue, Vicki’s review this week is temporarily posted in the blog, where the Library Lady / webmaster can post from her phone. It will move when she has access to her computer again.) “The Waiting,” by Michael Connelly, Little, Brown and Company, 416 pages, Oct. 15, 2024. Renée Ballard is a detective with the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit. She is surfing before work and when she gets back to her vehicle, she finds that her badge, gun, and ID were stolen. She c

If you like history, take a look at these resources you can access from home with your library card, if you have an internet connection!

We hope you will join us for some summer library adventures!

It seems like Spring arrived here in fits and starts, with a few warm days followed by a return to colder weather. Now it's May. Maybe winter is finally gone! May is when planning for our summer program kicks into high gear. I'm putting the finishing touches on our Summer Quest brochure, and adding a registration link for our STEAM camp to its listing on our website. I'm sorry, it doesn't look like a link -- formatting issue -- but if you click on the URL (web address), it

Great things are happening in April, like A-PURRR-il Amnesty (for lost/damaged books) & the Cat's Meow (for our town's 150th Anniversary.)

Join our new monthly giving program: the MPL Express! I wonder what the founders of our library, back in 1939, would think if they saw it today? There have certainly been many changes. Some things remain constant -- the desire to serve our community by providing information resources and promoting literacy. The library remains focused on staying on-track and moving forward . However, the setting and the tools and resources certainly have changed! Every step forward comes

Our Friends of the Library's Death by Chocolate fundraiser is always a festive and enjoyable event. This year's was especially lively. The weather was lovely, we had a wonderful crowd, and some of the entries were especially noteworthy. Just look at that library cake! It's enough to warm the heart of any library director. Miranda Durst's intricate creation, OMG It's a Library Cake! tied for second place with Lindsay Baer's Dark Chocolate Expresso Torte in the cake com

This year, Meyersdale is 150 years old! People lived here before that, of course, but the actual Borough of Meyersdale was incorporated on February 19, 1874. Our library actually provides online access to a map of Meyersdale that's almost as old as the borough (as well as later maps) via Fire Insurance Maps Online (FIMO) . We encourage library card holders to log into their account on our library's online patron access catalog (OPAC) at https://www.meyersdalelibrary.org/

This week, our Library Lady turns the library blog over to reviewer Vicki Rock, who shares her 5-Star Reads of 2023. Note that the book...

With the time change, we decided it was time for a change! We've done a bit of rearranging in the juvenile fiction section of our library. The old, narrow rows of books never seemed very appealing. Space was so tight, a reader couldn't stand back and view all the titles. They also weren't accessible for anyone in a wheelchair. There really wasn't a space that elementary and middle school readers could call their own in the library. So . . . we've done some rearranging! S

Yesterday I participated in one of the most unusual library programs I've been involved in. I found myself in Lower Turkeyfoot Township,...

You've probably heard ads from the retailer whose tagline is Good Stuff Cheap! However, we can go one better: Good Stuff FREE!!!! The library has always had a lot of "good stuff," but now we have even MORE Good Stuff Free!! P reschool Story Hour is back on Friday mornings at 10 AM, with our new Children's Program Coordinator Miss Debby (who has been well trained and mentored by Miss Cindi, who led the program for almost 20 years). LEGO Club continues for kids in grades