Juneteenth Reading Recs!
This Juneteenth, read a book or graphic novel, or watch a movie celebrating black lives and history! ❤️💛🧡💚 This list is for Young Adults. Long Way Down – Jason Reynolds An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the … Continued
Support your Community, Learn, & Have Fun!
Before the rush of Summer Reading in June and July, our Benton branch is having some amazing community events. Don’t miss out on some of these awesome programs! Baby Prom: Friday, May 9 from 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM at the Benton branch This one is just for ages 5 and under and their caregivers! … Continued
¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! 🪅 On the fifth of May, we celebrate Mexican heritage and culture and how it’s shaped America – Everything from the humble taco, to arts and media like Disney’s “Encanto!” We hope you have a wonderful Cinco de Mayo holiday. 💚🤍❤️ We’d love to share some amazing Spanish and bilingual books … Continued
The Reynolds Story
By Cody Berry There were two companies that competed for dominance in the bauxite fields of Saline County: the Aluminum Company of America, aka Alcoa, and the Reynolds Metals Company which may know as the makers of aluminum foil today. Reynolds started its life in 1928 as a subsidiary of the U. S. Foil Company. … Continued
More About Aluminum
By Cody Berry This time, I want to talk more about aluminum. Recently, I was looking for items to use in an exhibit on WWII, and I found a few small books about the Reynolds Metals Company and the Hurricane Creek Plant which operated in Saline County for many years. In a book from 1950 … Continued
From Alumina to Aluminum: The Hall-Heroult Process
By Cody Berry Last time we covered the Bayer Process which takes the alumina out of raw bauxite ore. This week we will cover the next step in the aluminum making process. In 1880, a 20-year-old first year student at Oberlin College in Ohio named Charles Martin Hall started his research into the production of … Continued
Can we make it to 16,000 followers by summer?
Our library currently has 13,000 Facebook followers. But we want to tell everyone we know about all the awesome programs, books, and materials the Saline County Library has to offer! So, we’re racing towards 16,000 followers in the most fun way possible… by fostering our community and having prize drawings! So, are you ready to … Continued
From Bauxite to Alumina: The Bayer Process
By Cody Berry Since our new exhibit is focused on the town of Bauxite, and the industry that built it, I wanted to answer some commonly asked questions. The question explored in this article: “What happens to the bauxite after it’s dug up?” Once the bauxite ore was mined, there was a complex process a … Continued
How Bauxite Built a Town
By Cody Berry We at the Gann Museum are pleased to announce that the museum has reopened after a very cold winter. Our new exhibit “How Bauxite Built A Town: 1896-1984″ pays tribute to the people who labored in and around the bauxite mines of Saline County during that time. The town of Bauxite holds … Continued
Lynda Hollenbeck: A Legend in Saline County Journalism
By Cody Berry Photo above of Lynda Hollenbeck courtesy of Destin Davis at the Saline Courier. On January 6, I learned about the passing of a legendary figure in modern Saline County history, the great Lynda Hollenbeck. Lynda was born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas on August 8, 1941, to Paul and Lillie Parnell. A graduate … Continued