Mother's Day fundraiser
The Newton County Friends of the Library is holding a Mother's Day Raffle.
Support the library by purchasing a raffle ticket. Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5 and can be purchased at the Newton County Library. The drawing for the winning ticket will be Thursday, May 6 at 4 p.m.
The raffle prize is 1 glass cake stand, 1 box cake mix, 1 can frosting, 1 porcelain teapot, 1 plate/saucer/teacup set, 1 stemmed glass, 1 box of tea, hand cream, 1 hanging air freshener, and 1 book. These items will be given away as a single prize.
Through its fundraising efforts, the FOL provides financial support for expenses not covered in the library budget.
Astronomical telescopes now available at the library
The Newton County Library in Jasper announced that library patrons are able to check out a good quality astronomical telescope to take home and enjoy.
The Arkansas Natural Sky Association (ANSA) is spearheading this Rural Library Telescope Lending Program, initially in seven counties along and near the Buffalo National River corridor. ANSA is an Affiliate of the International Dark Sky Association. ANSA first recognized the potential of the BNR to qualify for International Dark Sky Park status. They worked with the BNR management and staff to make necessary changes to park lighting practices and complete the application. In 2019, the BNR was awarded the first International Dark Sky Park certification in the state.
ANSA State Chair James “Bruce” McMath said “Our mission is to lead the effort in Arkansas to restore and preserve our natural night sky environment, free of the light pollution which has crept over much of the state in recent decades. One of our strategies for working to achieve this mission, besides working to reduce unnecessary night time lighting, is to educate, motivate, and encourage Arkansans to get outside at night and see what a treasure our night sky truly is. The counties surrounding the BNR offer outstanding night sky views, especially at the time of the new moon, without moonlight obscuring the thousands of stars visible in these less light polluted skies.”
The source of funding for these telescopes is by NASA via the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium. ANSA volunteers do the work from grant writing, ordering materials, customizing the telescopes for patron use, training library staff, and making presentations on telescope use and other night sky topics.
Each library has an ANSA affiliated volunteer amateur astronomer to guide staff and patrons in their use. According to Newton County Library’s volunteer Tutt Campbell “These telescopes are not toys, but at the same time, no prior experience is needed. Adult supervision, however, is required to get the most out of the experience and ensure safe use by children.
"We are providing the ANSA publication “Learning the Constellations” by Robert Togni, which includes simple, easy to follow instructions on use of the telescopes and an introduction to the night sky throughout the year. In addition, patrons will find links on the telescopes telling them where they can find online videos showing their use," said library director Kenya Windel. "The single most important bit of training essential for safe use is for patrons to never use these telescopes to look at the sun as permanent eye damage will result.”
In addition to the new telescopes, the library has been provided with a “Sky Quality Meter.” Patrons can check out the meter to measure the “darkness” of the night sky at their home or other locations, and provide that information to an ANSA managed database.
“We are very excited to be able to offer our patrons the opportunity to check out and enjoy these telescopes and look forward to seeing them in constant use. Patrons will be asked to confirm their address and sign a simple agreement making sure they are clear on the terms of check out and then will be allowed to check out a telescope for a two-week period. We’re really pleased to have been invited to participate in this program and would like to thank NASA, the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium, and the Arkansas Natural Sky Association for bringing them to us," Wendel said.
If you would like to find out more about the Arkansas Natural Sky Association, you can visit their website at www.darkskyarkansas.org or their Arkansas Natural Sky Association Facebook Page for more information. For more information, or to help support the ANSA Rural Library Telescope Lending Program, you may contact ANSA program coordinator Allan Staib at allan_staib@hotmail.com.
