Library of Things

We have expanded what we have available for checkout!  We now have many non-traditional items in our “Library of Things”.  The needs of our community are changing and we are changing with them.  To accommodate these changes, we are adding items to our collection to help make your days easier and more enjoyable.  Stop in today and see how we are growing and changing.

If any items are already checked out, be sure to ask us to put a hold on it for you.  We will call you when it is available.

Along with our laptops and hotspots, we now offer:

Bocce Ball Set
Snap Circuits
Yardzee
21.5 quart Canner with tools
Digital Multimeter/Voltmeter
Picasso Magnetic Tiles
Giant 4 In A Row Game
Clothing Iron
Portable Keyboard
Stud Finder
Guitar Tuner
Ukulele and Accessories
Basic Tool Set
Cordless Drill Set
Springform Pans (Set of 4)
Telescope – 70 mm Aperture 500 mm
Acoustic Guitar and Accessories
Various Shaped Cake Pans

 

 

Meeting Room to Re-Open

We are working our way back to a new normal. Our Meeting Room will be available to reserve for meetings beginning July 12. Please note, access to the small kitchen in the room is not be available.  To reserve the room, you must have a valid library card and have completed a Meeting Room Application within the last year. These can be completed at the Circulation Desk. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us by email at helpdesk@pcplibrary.org or by phone at 859-654-8535.

Monthly Newsletter

Stay up to date on whats happening at your library with our Monthly Newsletter.

Click below to see the most recent newsletter and browse the past months as well.

Newsletter

 

 

PCPL Brings the Drive-Thru Circus to Town to Celebrate Summer Reading!

To celebrate this years “Readers Are Leaders” Summer Reading Program, the Cincinnati Circus Company will present a Drive-Thru Circus performance!  This program will be free and you can drive-thru as many times as you want.  There will be Aerial Acrobatics, the Wheel of Death, a fire Performer, and a Stilt Walker.

Save the Date:
Saturday, June 12 from 11 am – 2 pm
at the Pendleton County Fairgrounds!

PCPL is hard at work preparing the activities for this year’s “Readers Are Leaders” Summer Reading Program.  Sign up will begin June 1.  We will offer both online and paper logs to include all our community members.  We encourage everyone (parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors) to read this summer and share our message: “Readers Are Leaders”!

We would love to see pictures of our community reading to family members, neighbors, even pets!

More information and details will be shared as the event gets closer.

 

 

Thank you to the Pendleton County Youth Fair for partnering with us and hosting this event at the fairgrounds.

The Kentucky Broadband Initiative

With countless Kentuckians working and learning from home, internet access is more important than ever. We need your help to build better broadband infrastructure with #SpeedTestKY. Expand access and test your internet speed at ewdc.ky.gov/Initiatives/Pages/KBI.aspx.

“The Kentucky Broadband Initiative is a network of public and private partners working to expand internet access and build a stronger digital infrastructure in urban and rural communities across the commonwealth. We are committed to the betterment of Kentucky’s workforce and public education system by way of locally-sourced data and cooperative decision-making. We believe that every home and business in Kentucky should have access to affordable, adequate, and reliable internet access in order to fully participate in a digital economy and society.​”

Read the full press release below:

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 18, 2021) – Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced today the launch of the Kentucky Broadband Speed Test, a crowd-sourcing project that will gather data from Kentuckians needed to expand internet home access for distance learning, telework and telehealth. Kentuckians can take the free, anonymous speed test from Jan. 19 to Feb. 18 at ewdc.ky.gov/Initiatives/Pages/KBI.aspx.

To participate, the device must be connected to your home Wi-Fi service and disconnected from a virtual private network (VPN) that may be connected to a workplace or school. For the most accurate results, ensure that no one else connected to your home internet is using a substantial portion of the internet bandwidth for activities such as streaming video or gaming during the test.

Individuals without Wi-Fi access in their home can visit their local library or other locations such as stores or restaurants that offer free internet access to submit the address of a home with no available service.

“We need as many Kentuckians as possible to take this internet speed test, to get an accurate picture of who has adequate internet access across the state,” said Gov. Andy Beshear. “The more speed tests taken, the better understanding we will have of our state’s internet capabilities, and the better prepared we will be to repair and expand it.”

The Governor noted that the budget proposal he recently offered up before the General Assembly contains $50 million dedicated to the last mile of broadband to areas in need. This historic investment would be the first time state money funded an expansion of broadband, which the pandemic has shown to be crucial to schools, telehealth, business and more.

This announcement comes after the Beshear-Coleman Administration first dedicated $8 million in CARES Act funding to broadband expansion in August 2020. Since then, Kentucky has reduced the number of students without internet access from 35,000 to 13,000. The speed test marks the second step in the state’s initiative to build a better Kentucky for everyone through expanded broadband access.

In addition to finding out their own upload and download speeds, Kentuckians who participate in the speed test will help detect slow spots around the state and where Wi-Fi access and affordability are lacking. The speed test can be done from any device connected to the Wi-Fi signal in your home.

“There is a digital divide in households across Kentucky, especially in rural areas, that has become even more apparent during the pandemic when so many people need it to attend school, go to work, get government services and conduct personal business from home,” Lt. Gov. Coleman said. “As an educator, I am especially concerned about the 13,000, or 2%, of Kentucky students who lack internet access at home so they are basically cut off from their teachers and classrooms. We have to do better by them.”

Although the Federal Communications Commission maps internet speeds, its results are sometimes based on the results of one location within a census block, which can cover several square miles in rural parts of the state. Those results are often inaccurate for residents or businesses in those locations.

Kentucky is partnering with geospatial engineering firm GEO Partners LLC, as well as The Center for Rural Development, to obtain actionable data.

To see images of the Speed Test in-progress, click here.

For more information about the project, visit ewdc.ky.gov/Initiatives/Pages/KBI.aspx.

PCPL Approved as KY Career Center Access Point

On Tuesday, January 12, PCPL was officially approved, by the NKY Workforce Investment Board, as a KY Career Center Access Point!

An Access Point is a physical location where job seekers and employers can receive information on how to access programs, services and
activities.  One-stop partner staff may also utilize an Access Point to meet with customers, as needed.

Kentucky Career Center provides assistance to individuals separated from employment or underemployed that helps to connect them to quality,
self-sufficient employment. Services include career coaching, job
readiness workshops, resume services, networking groups, and funding for occupational training services in high demand industry sectors. Kentucky Career Center works within
recognized industries to ensure employment is secured and maintained with a livable wage and training
credentials are secured as appropriate.

Kentucky Career Center also assists employers to meet their workforce demands through Business Services. The Business Services include Collaboration with Kentucky Career Center partners results in the following services to local businesses: FOCUS Talent Database for Employer Candidate Search, Job Candidate
Recruitment & Screening, Job Fairs, Skills Assessment, On-the-Job, Soft-Skills, Occupational Skills, and
Incumbent Worker Training. Other Employer Services include HR Seminars and Usable Labor Market Data.

Achieving the status of KY Career Center Access Point enable us to better fulfill our Mission Statement of: “The Pendleton County Public Library exists to CONNECT our community, EXPLORE the world,
IMAGINE what can be, and CREATE.”

We look forward to working with the KY Career Center and the Brighton Center to bring their services and resources to our community.

 

Tax Information Update

**February 2021 Update**

AARP volunteers will be able to provide tax help to the Pendleton County community at the Library this year.  This service will be available on Mondays by appointment only.

The program will be different than years past.  We will NOT be offering a walk in service.  To have your taxes done, you will need two appointments.  At your first appointment, all your documents will be scanned then returned to you.  You will then make a second appointment to return and pick up your completed taxes.

Wearing masks and social distancing will be required for everyone.  We ask that you not bring any guests to your appointment because we will have limited space.
Appointment calls will be accepted beginning March 1 by calling 513-202-3082. 

 

The library will not have printed tax forms available.  Forms can be printed for 0.10 cents each. 

Resources:

For information on federal forms, please visit:  www.irs.gov and click on the “forms and instructions” tab at the top.

For Kentucky State information, go to:  www.revenue.ky.gov and click on “find a form” on the left.

 

Laptop and Hotspot Checkout Update!

This is an exciting time for us and our community!  We have laptop and hotspot kits available for check out to our community.  We understand access to reliable internet and computers is vital to helping our community with workforce and educational activities.

Pendleton County Public Library has been awarded a grant from The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (EWDC) for laptop and hotspot lending programs focused on helping Kentucky residents with workforce and educational activities.

The Workforce Grant will cover the costs for 5 kits consisting of a computer laptop and Wi-Fi hotspot, as well as funding for up to two years of hotspot service for each library.

Funding for the grant came from the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ (ILMS) Grants to States Program, the largest source of federal funding support for library services in the United States.

“KDLA is pleased to assist these communities, many of which were struggling economically before the additional burdens levied by COVID-19, through this hotspot/laptop lending project. Residents of these communities will now, with the assistance of their local libraries, have the opportunity to search for employment, apply for jobs, participate in online education, and participate in community activities,” said Terry Manuel, commissioner of KDLA, state librarian, and archives and records
administrator.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and
related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services award # LS-246151-OLS-20.”

The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

 

Adult Education / Online GED Testing Program

If the COVID-19 pandemic has left you without a job, and you are struggling to find  work  because  you lack a high  school  diploma or industry training, Pendleton County GED Connection adult education program can help you get the skills you need  for a new  job – one you can support a family on.

Even if we can’t meet at the Library, the Pendleton County GED Connection is still available virtually.  For more information, call Lisa Beach at 859-823-1341.

For a limited time, your first attempt on each section of the GED® is FREE! Details and restrictions on using the promo code are in your GED.com account. You can also call your local Skills U center for details. Find your nearest learning center at https://kyskillsu.ky.gov.

The Kentucky Skills U staff have graciously created these documents to get the word out about the OP/Free GED.

KDLA OP and Free GED Document

KDLA OP Online GED Testing Guide

Porch Delivery Service

Connect, Explore, Imagine, and Create at home!

Do you want library materials delivered directly to your home? Set up a porch delivery by calling the library at 859-654-8535 or completing the form here.

Here are some testimonials from community members who use this service…

“I love when Sandy brings me books.”

“This is such a great service!”

“I can’t wait until I get my next delivery of books.”

“I love not even having to leave my house to get books.”

“Sandy does such a good job of picking out books for me.”

“Sandy knows exactly what I like to read.”

“It is nice to not have to leave my house to get books and movies.”

“Sandy does such a good job of keeping up with what I like to read and watch.”

“I don’t know why more people don’t take advantage of this service.”