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Show A9 The Emery County Review, Tuesday, April 29, 2008 VIEWPOINT Opinion and Letters to the Editor MY VIEW Take a Trip to Anywhere by Getting Lost in the Library Josie Luke Nearly every Monday after I finish copy editing the paper before it is sent to be printed, I stop at one of my favorite places. No, it isn’t the credit union where I cash my check, or any of the places where I like to get lunch after four hours of trying to concentrate I stop at the public library to pick out a book. I love reading. I attribute that love to the adults around me who read to me or suggested books that I could read on my own. Because of having a public library in every place I have lived, I have had a ready supply of material, and I have taken advantage, reading everything from historical fiction to science fiction. I’m not positive when I became such a lover of reading, but I do remember one of my favorite books when I was young, “The Poky Little Puppy.” I also clearly remember lying with my dad and brother on by brothers’ bunk bed reading “Where the Red Fern Grows,” and watching my dad’s eyes get wet when after Ol’ Dan is killed, Li’l Ann loses her will to live and dies too. He cried even though I know he had read it before, probably a number of times. I also remember spending a summer under a tree in my grandma’s yard, tearing my way through “The Work and the Glory” series, and later staying up through the night to finish reading my first Louis L’amour book. Teachers also fed my growing passion for books. I read every Ramona Quimby book I could get my hands on in elementary, and also read “Bridge to Terabithia” which is probably still my favorite book. In junior high I read “My Brother Sam is Dead,” and I found a love for historical fiction. Then in my final year of high school, a brilliant teacher gave me the Complete Jane Austen Collection, which sent me over the edge into an obsession for reading. College served to feed it even more. I can confidently say that I have read hundreds of books, and if I didn’t have access to public libraries, that would not have been possible. So now, every week, as I go through the door, a very kind librarian at the Huntington Library, greets me and asks me what I thought of each book I bring back, which I love, because it makes me feel smart. Emery County has a wonderful public library system. Along with thousands of books, including the latest publications of best sellers, they provide internet, books on tape, DVDs and VHS movies, small copy and fax services and one of my favorites, “Story Time.” It is so important for young children to develop a love for reading. Programs like this, along with the availability of so many books, supports parents in instilling this love early on, which is linked to better performance in school. Another fantastic service that they provide is access to any of the eight Emery County Libraries for anyone with a library card. That makes it possible for people to have access to an even larger collec- tion. More than just that, they have access to Inter-library loan with public libraries throughout Utah and even the entire U.S. A new service will soon be provided at Emery County Libraries. Each library will have eight connections for those who want to communicate with soldiers. The program, supported by the governor, will be available in two to three weeks. Green River also recently receives a $5,000 grant to purchase books written in both Spanish and English, which will benefit the Hispanic population in the area. Emery County libraries can be a huge service to the local community, if used regularly, both for enjoyment and education. Library Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday- Friday, except for Castle Dale Library hours, which are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday hours at the Huntington Library from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Emery County Library website is lib.emerycounty.com. PUBLISHER’S VIEW Newspaper Continues to Pass Miles Posts as we Spread the Good News of Community James L. Davis When we started The Emery County Review a little more than a year ago, we did so with a few mileposts in mind that would let us know if we were gaining any ground in our effort to produce a locally owned, community newspaper. We passed another of those mileposts last week as The Emery County Review was accepted into the Utah Press Association. The association represents Utah newspapers and provides a service for newspapers (and their readers) as a legislative watch on issues that would impact the freedom of the media. The association has as members most established newspapers in the state, and from its web site visitors can see information on newspapers operating in the state, including information on their circulation, contact information and links to their web sites. A newspaper must be in opera- tion for a year before it can apply for membership and becoming a member was one of the mileposts we had identified on our journey to provide to our readers the best newspaper we possibly can. As a member of the Utah Press Association we will be able to take part in the association’s Better Newspaper Contest, where newspapers with similar circulation compete in a variety of categories. The contest gives newspapers the opportunity to stretch their creative muscle in everything from news stories, to page design and advertising production. At The Emery County Review we enjoy the opportunity to compete and look forward to a good, clean competition at the end of the year with other newspapers in our category. Becoming a member of the Utah Press Association has been the most recent milepost we have passed in our effort to provide the Emery County community a new look on community newspapers, Established January 2, 2007 James L. Davis, Publisher & Editor w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w w Colleen A. Davis, Co-Publisher, Office & Advertising Manager Josie Luke, Assistant Editor Lyndsay Reid, Advertising Design Charlotte Williams, Advertising Sales Kathy P. Ockey, Staff Journalist Judi Bishop, Staff Journalist but it isn’t the only milepost. We have been amazed and humbled by the support we have received in our first 16 months of operation and thank our readers and advertisers for their support. When we started the Review we knew that we wanted to produce a newspaper that put people first. It is all too easy to chase bad news for headlines, to detail the minutes of every public meeting and while bad news and public meetings (sometimes one-in-thesame) are certainly news and need to be reported, we wanted to focus on the people of Emery County and the events that impact their lives. We decided quite early that our motto would be You’re News to Us, and whenever I found myself getting off track of that message I was lucky enough to have a dedicated staff and a business partner in my wife who put me back on track. We knew when we started the Review that we would be going head to head against the Emery County Progress, an institution in the county, but we felt that we had an approach to the news of the county that gave us a different view and provided an alternative to the communities we serve. We are gratified by the response to our newspaper and the new readers who subscribe with us each week. We have been particularly gratified by the response to our Looney for a Cure campaign to benefit the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in Emery County. As a sponsor of Relay for Life, we have committed $8 of every subscription sold from January to the date of Relay on June 20 to the Relay for Life. The response thus far has been amazing, and with seven weeks to go we hope to do our part in the fight against cancer. We believe that it is the responsibility of business to be involved in a cause that benefits the community it represents and it is for that reason that we have chosen Relay for Life as our cause. In the battle for a cure for cancer, Our Vision To be a valued member of the communities we serve and to be trusted as an honest, truthful and reliable source of news. w w w Our Mission To inform, entertain and provide a public forum for the discussion of events impacting the people of the Emery County area and to inform with news and features relevant to those who call the Castle Valley area home w w w we have all been touched in one respect or another. We are blessed with an incredible staff and I know they are probably getting tired of us constantly thanking them for their efforts (they’ve told us so), but we’ll continue to do so. Lastly, another milepost that we established for ourselves was the creation of our website, TheEmeryCountyReview.com. The website went on line in June of last year and the Review webmaster, Casey Wood, uploaded the newly redesigned site last week without losing his mind, despite the best efforts of the publisher, editor, and his father, to make him do so. With 16 months behind us and a long future ahead, we look forward to providing the news of Emery County to the community we love, one story at a time. Because you really are news to us. Our Principles We will be ethical in all of our efforts to provide information to the public. We will be unbiased in our reporting and will report the facts as we see them and do our best to focus on the good news of the county, its people, history and way of life. We will be strong and active members of the community and assist in any way that we are able. We will strive to provide the best quality product possible to our readers and advertisers...always. We will verify the details of news we are reporting and if a mistake is made on our part we will correct it immediately. We will always listen to suggestions on how to do our job better. Editorial Submission Guidelines The Emery County Review welcomes and invites letters to the editor and guest opinion articles on public policy or current events. We welcome letters of thanks to individuals who have helped make our community a better place to live, work and play. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all submissions for space constraints, clarity and errors in fact. Submissions must include author’s name and contact information. Contact information will not be published. Letter’s and opinion articles can be sent to jldavis@theemerycountyreview.com, mailed to The Emery County Review, P.O. Box 487, Orangeville, UT. 84537 or faxed to 435-748-2543. |
