Do You Know...

Do you know about the wonderful facility we have acces to in Bakersfield? How many remember a time when a time when a library checked out books, period? Great for pleasure reading, school research paper, etc.

That was about it.

Next time you are in Bakersfield and have some spare time, visit the Beale Memorial Library, located at 701 Truxtun Ave. Bakersfield, CA. It is amazing what is available to the public and the convenience of the hours.

The Mission Statement reads: Kern County Library provides access to resources that enrich lives and the Vision statement says: We nurture creativity, education and imagination to inspire. The Beale Library take s these statements seriously and follows through with various programs available through the library.

The Beale Memorial Library was the first free library in Kern Coounty and was created in 1900 by Mary Edwards Beale and her son Truxtun Beale. They dedicated the library to their husband and father, General Edward Fitzgerald Beale.

Today the library is home to extensive materials in fine arts, historic Kern Co., California maps and photographs, geology, mining and local history.

A new service provided by the Beale Library is accessed via Ipads Iphones or Android Smartphones. One can access the library 24/7, just log on to http://www.libanywhere.com to learn how to access via app on your phone.

Genealogy searches have become important in today's world. We no longer live in a world where are ancestors and relatives have resided in the same area for years. As the world becomes more mobile it has also become more difficult to locate and document ancestral information. The Beale Library has over 28 web links, giving individuals the opportunity to do comprehensive research in geological background studies. This program is free and volunteers from the Kern County Geological Society are available Tuesday through Saturday from

1 to 4 p.m.

The Genealogical study portion of the Library is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Programs and research tools are available for teens and children of all ages. A forward thinking concept the library has implemented for teens is the Rock the Vote program. The program encourages young people to become part of the voting process as soon as they are of age. Over a 20 year period the program has registered more young people than any other campaign organization.

There is the Veteran Research Center, computer focused programs, access to auto repair manuals, job and employment resources, craft and DIY resources, legal information and forms, story telling for young children and the Bakersfield Californian e-Edition, just to name a portion of the available assistance and programs the Beale Memorial Library offers Kern County residents.

We are fortunate to have such a well equipped resource facility, literally at our fingertips. The facility is impressive, staffed with knowledgeable volunteers and employees and peaceful, not just library quite but peaceful. If you have not been to the library before, take time when in Bakersfield and enjoy the experience.

The library is open Monday through Thrusday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To apply for a Kern Co. library card you may go to http://www.kerncountylibrary.org or call 661-868-0701.