The Selma-Dallas County Library kicks off

its 2004 &uot;Lunch at the Library&uot; series on Thursday, Jan. 15, with noted writer, storyteller and editor Faye Gibbons as guest speaker. Gibbons is the author of 10 books, including &uot;Night in the Barn,&uot; &uot;Mountain Wedding&uot; and

&uot;Mama and Me and the Model T.&uot;

Gibbons is also author of the first volumes in Crane Hill Publishers American Stories series &045; biographies for young readers: &uot;Hernando DeSoto: A Search for Gold and Glory&uot; and &uot;Horace King: Bridges to Freedom.&uot; The DeSoto biography chronicles the adventurous life of the explorer who discovered the Mississippi River in 1541, while the King biography is the compelling story of a 19th-century master builder who was a former slave.

Gibbons has won numerous awards, such as Child Study Children’s Book Committee Book of the Year, USA Today list of Best Books for Kids 1989, American Library Association Best Book List and a PBS Storytime title.

Also her essays and children’s stories have appeared in Old House Journal and Highlights for Children.

Librarian Becky Nichols said, &uot;We’re delighted to host Faye Gibbons as the first speaker of our regular monthly adult Lunch at the Library series in our centennial year being celebrated in 2004, since children’s services and books are a top priority. Faye is unique in her ability to write both for children and adults.&uot; Nichols is also pleased that Gibbons will hold a special workshop for area school librarians at the conclusion of the event.

Lunch begins at 12 noon and the program at 12:30. The event concludes at 1 p.m., followed by the librarians’ workshop. The cost of the lunch is $7 and reservations should be made by calling 874-1725.