We have a lot of fantastic digital resources, many of them courtesy of the Arkansas State Library. Because we’re a library in Arkansas, we have access to their Traveler Database. For this entire year, every month, we’re going to look at the different features available on these databases. For this month, to kick things off, we’re going to focus on how to navigate to the Research Tools on the web and also look at the General Research databases available to us.
Continue reading “Exploring Our Digital Research Tools: January”Katherine Center’s The Rom-Commers

Emma Wheeler loves rom coms and she loves screenwriting. In a different world, maybe she would have been a professional scriptwriter, but in this one, she’s a full-time caretaker for her father living in Texas and takes on writing opportunities as they come. That is, until she gets the chance to help Charlie Yates, one of Hollywood’s premier screenwriters, rework his rom com screenplay. Charlie is one of her favorite writers, so it seems like a match made in heaven. But Emma quickly realizes that this script is absolutely awful and that the jaded Charlie hates the entire genre, despises cowriting gigs, and doesn’t even believe in love. Even worse, she maybe, kind of, starts to fall in love with him anyway.
Thanks so much to Mary-Esther for recommending this book to me! I don’t usually read romances, but I trust Mary-Esther’s judgment, and when she told me I had to read this one, I did. And I am so glad I did because it was a lot of fun!
Continue reading “Katherine Center’s The Rom-Commers”Book Buzz: Navajo Mysteries, YA Fantasy, Western Short Stories, French Historical Mayhem, Victorian Dinosaurs, and the Berlin Wall
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For January, we’re looking at a mystery series set on the Navajo reservation with a supernatural twist, a YA fantasy that’s been described as The Hunger Games with magic, an anthology of Western short stories, a highly entertaining fictional series about the lead-up to the Hundred Years’ War, a nonfiction audiobook about when the Victorians met dinosaur bones for the first time, and a unique commemorative on the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Navajo Mysteries, YA Fantasy, Western Short Stories, French Historical Mayhem, Victorian Dinosaurs, and the Berlin Wall”Celebrate Berryville: January

The year 2025 promises to be a historic one for the Berryville Public library and, by extension, for the town of Berryville. Groundbreaking on the new library should happen sometime in the first quarter of the year, so the library should be finished either at the very end of the year or, more likely, in early 2026. Preparation for the new building has made us at the Berryville Library nostalgic and reflective, not just about the library’s history but also about the town’s history. Other seminal moments in Berryville Library history occurred in 1938 and 1978, so we’ll be looking back this year on what Berryville was like then, as well as what it is like now, as we also look to the future.
Continue reading “Celebrate Berryville: January”Local Roots: December
Lots has changed in the years the Berryville Library has been in our current building. We expect lots will change in the years the library will be housed in the new building we are hoping to break ground on soon. That’s why we think it is so important as we move towards this bigger, better future to remember our roots. To that end, we have created the Berryville Library Legacy Project, which lets donors highlight a piece of local history of their choice by selecting photographs to be displayed on the end of a shelving unit at the new library. We also remain committed to helping create a sense of place through our collection, so we are going to highlight our Arkansas section this year. Each month, we’ll look at some of the different books and resources in that collection that feature unique parts of the history and culture of Berryville, Carroll County, the Ozarks, and Arkansas. There’s lots to explore about this place we call home! For December, we’re looking at our collection of local interest journals and magazines.
Continue reading “Local Roots: December”Happy Holidays from the Berryville Public Library!

Hope all of our patrons and blog readers have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The library is closed today and tomorrow for Christmas. We’re also closing early next Tuesday, December 31, at 4:30 pm, and closing all of Wednesday, January 1 to welcome in 2025.
However, just because the library is closed doesn’t mean you can’t still use our resources!
Continue reading “Happy Holidays from the Berryville Public Library!”Book Buzz: Literary Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Show-Stopping Entertaining, and Series Galore
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For December, we’re looking at literary fiction set in North Dakota, Hawaii, and Sarajevo; a delightful cozy women’s fiction series about a librarian set in rural Ireland; dark fantasy; nonfiction about eye-catching charcuterie boards; and a couple of very different series of audiobook historical mysteries.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Literary Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Show-Stopping Entertaining, and Series Galore”There’s Still Time to be Part of This Story!

As many of you know, the Berryville Public Library has long needed a new building, and we have been raising money for that since 2021.
And, today, we have some very exciting news.
Continue reading “There’s Still Time to be Part of This Story!”Make Time to Play: December
This year, we’re celebrating play at the library! Everyone knows how beneficial play is for kids, but did you know that it is equally important for adults? It can be a wonderful stress reliever, boosts creativity, alleviates boredom, and may even lower your blood pressure. To that end, every month in 2024, we’re highlighting a different form of play. Each month we’ll have a bingo-style fun card. If you complete all the activities for a blackout on your card, you’ll receive a special prize. The more of the 12 monthly fun cards you complete this year, the better chance you have to win the grand prize and be crowned our annual play champion!
Continue reading “Make Time to Play: December”Local Roots: November
Lots has changed in the years the Berryville Library has been in our current building. We expect lots will change in the years the library will be housed in the new building we are hoping to break ground on soon. That’s why we think it is so important as we move towards this bigger, better future to remember our roots. To that end, we have created the Berryville Library Legacy Project, which lets donors highlight a piece of local history of their choice by selecting photographs to be displayed on the end of a shelving unit at the new library. We also remain committed to helping create a sense of place through our collection, so we are going to highlight our Arkansas section this year. Each month, we’ll look at some of the different books and resources in that collection that feature unique parts of the history and culture of Berryville, Carroll County, the Ozarks, and Arkansas. There’s lots to explore about this place we call home! For November, in honor of Family History Month, we’re looking at local history.
Continue reading “Local Roots: November”