MTCO is Hiring!

Washington District Library resumed regular hours on June 29th with some changes to keep staff and patrons safe.

What’s Different

• Masks must be worn by patrons and staff at all times.

• Patrons and staff are expected to practice social distancing (6 feet apart) whenever possible.

• Limited capacity at both libraries.

• Meeting room and study rooms are closed.

• In-person programming is suspended.

• Games, toys and most seating have been removed to promote social distancing.

• Hand sanitizer is available.

• Public services are disinfected hourly.

• Limited computers to promote social distancing.

• Indoor bookdrops are unavailable; outdoor bookdrops remain open.

Late Fee Free

To coincide with reopening, WDL is going late fee free! Existing late fees from WDL are being erased. Anything checked out at WDL will not accumulate late fees, except equipment (like Rokus and mobile hotspots).

This applies to anything checked out at WDL no matter where the item is from, where you have a library card, or where the item is returned.

Items not returned two weeks after the due date are considered “lost” and are charged to the patron’s account until the item is returned.

The Washington Historical Society is accepting applications until August 1 for the 2020 Roots Award, which has been presented annually since 2013 when Dr. David Hunt of the Smithsonian became the first recipient. Since then, noted sportswriter David vanDyke, inventor Tejas Shastry, retired Director of the University of Oklahoma Marching Band Gene Thrailkill, Judge Kate Gorman, and others have been honored with the Roots Award. 

Acceptance of this award will be contingent on the recipient making a video to be shown to the Washington Historical Society and online. The Roots Award nominations are kept on file for three years.

The nomination forms must be returned by August 1st to the Washington Historical Society P.O. Box 54 Washington, IL 61571.  Download the nomination form at:  https://files.constantcontact.com/4ffaab70201/a8268337-6474-4d85-adb0-c6c7354ae5e8.pdf

Nominees must have spent a portion of their youth in Washington and have excelled in any of these areas: government, fine arts, charitable work, sciences, medical, business, or sports. 

Here is a fun video the Washington Chamber of Commerce produced in early June--future videos are coming!  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=740540266715392

Join the Washington Chamber of Commerce at their July 14th Business After Hours “On the Patio” at Five Points Washington!  See you there from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00  p.m.

Five Points Washington is hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, July 13th from 12:30 p.m. - 6:30 pm.  The blood drive will be held in the Five Points Community Room.  Click here and enter your zip code to find Five Points blood drive to schedule an appointment:  https://www.redcrossblood.org/

Adobe Flash Player will reach End-of-Life on December 31, 2020, and Adobe is recommending that users unistall this software prior to this date.  Adobe says that once Flash reaches the EOL date, they will remove all Flash Player download links and that all Flash-based content wil be blocked from running Full details at:  https://www.zdnet.com/article/adobe-wants-users-to-uninstall-flash-player-by-the-end-of-the-year/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=29273059374521565586646297739689&mid=12891070&cid=2243310265

Have you read or heard people talking about Google or Apple installing trackers on  smartphones?  Here is a quick article discussing how the end-user is in control of turning the feature on or off.  https://www.zdnet.com/article/no-no-one-has-secretly-installed-a-covid-19-tracker-onto-your-smartphone/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=29273059374521565586646297739689&mid=12891070&cid=2243310265

Wednesday, July 8th 

7:00 p.m. – “Tough As Nails"  (CBS)

Tough As Nails is a competition series that celebrates everyday Americans who roll up their sleeves and don’t think twice about working long hard hours and getting their hands dirty, in order to keep their country running. Competitors who consider the calluses on their hands a badge of honor will be tested for their strength, endurance, life skills and, most importantly, mental toughness in challenges that take place at real-world job sites. 

Monday, July 13th

7:00 p.m. –  "CMA Best of Fest"  (ABC)

Country Music superstar Luke Bryan hosts “CMA Best of Fest,” a three-hour retrospective airing live as a concert experience featuring more than 25 unforgettable performances having aired on television over the last 16 years of “CMA Fest.”

Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, announced it will be available on VIZIO SmartCast™ TVs and LG Smart TVs when it launches on July 15, 2020. At that time, Peacock will offer a free tier featuring more than 7,500 hours of movies, shows, and timely live and on-demand programming across news, sports, reality and late night. Peacock Premium will also be available for $4.99 per month and features more than 15,000 hours of content. Viewers may also upgrade Peacock Premium to ad-free for an additional $5.00 per month.