Bridger & Books: Literacy for Life campaign wraps up Saturday with free performance by balladeer

On Saturday, the Carson City Library will officially become "Your Knowledge and Discovery Place" as part of day-long celebration that marks the end of this year's Literacy for Life campaign. The festivities take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the library, 900 N. Roop St.

The Nevada Appeal started the Literacy for Life initiative last year and was joined this year by Carson City Library and the Carson City School District with the goal of giving every student a library card and the understanding of what services they can access at no cost.

The festivities will include a performance by Hick'ry Switch, an alternative bluegrass band from Carson City, as well as a free show at 3 p.m. by world-renowned balladeer Bobby Bridger who for more than 30 years has traveled the world performing one-man shows.

An accomplished singer, songwriter, poet, playwright and author, Bridger appears dressed as a mountain man and recounts interesting stories of America's West. His performance of "Seekers of the Fleece" is sponsored by Friends of the Library. This will be the last opportunity for locals to see Bridger perform; he retires in 2011.

Amber Sady, the library's youth services manager, donned "wild costumes" and visited Carson schools to share with students the many resources available to them. Besides books and resource materials, the library offers computer access as well as an online tutoring database that students can use to receive help with school work.

"Amber's done a great job with this and of course, getting library cards into the hands of our students is an ongoing process, but we've gotten off to a pretty good start," Andrea Moore, library programming outreach manager.

A new logo, created by the library's teen art group, will be unveiled at 2:30 p.m., part of an overall re-branding campaign. The Library Board of Trustees and the Library Foundation will celebrate the library's new logo and message, "Carson City Library: Your Knowledge and Discovery Place."

"(The students) came up with the logo with the help of Carson Area Marketing & Public Relations Network (CAMPN)," Moore said. "This is a day to celebrate all that we've accomplished."

The library has installed the new radio frequency identification technology which allowed for six additional public service hours, renovated the circulation desk, opened the new downtown business branch and built a new parking lot. These stories, as well as the success in earning technology stimulus dollars, the partnership with the Hop and Mae Adams Foundation for a potential new library and other resource initiatives will also be shared throughout the day. There will also be refreshments.

"All these things are part of our story and we look forward to sharing all of this with the community," Moore said. "And the price of admission is showing your library card."

Of course, those without a card will also be allowed to attend free of charge, but are encouraged to get a library card while there.

"One of the best tools to improve literacy in a community is a great library and use of a library card," Library Director Sara Jones said. "Through the Nevada Appeal's six-week editorial focus on literacy and community initiatives designed to foster priorities on increased literacy rates, a significant outcome has placed a library card in the hands of every Carson City School District student."

The Carson City Library is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information call 887-2244 or visit carsoncitylibrary.org.