The Bartow County Library System will be kicking off 2012 with its annual adult winter reading incentive program as well as opportunities for patrons to engage in lifelong learning.

"What we want to do is get people reading and we don't care what you read as long as its an adult book," said Adult Services Coordinator Colleen Knight on Curl Up With a Good Book. "... If you're reading a book that's what we want you to be doing and we think it also sets a very good example for children if they see their parents reading."

Patrons who read three books and attend one library program between Jan. 1 and March 17 will be entered to win an Amazon Kindle e-reader. Other prizes available during the reading program include a Snuggie.

On the last Saturday in January, the library's Cartersville Branch will recognize the 150th anniversary of the Civil War by inviting Company A, 2nd Battalion of the Georgia Sharpshooters led by 1st Lt. Gene Harmon.

"For most of the day they'll be set up in the Nathan Dean room in their uniforms with some weaponry. They'll have some everyday life stuff, like the stuff a Civil War soldier would actually carry on their back," Knight said. "You can actually touch and feel [the items] because they're all replicas, they're not true artifacts, so you're able to touch and feel and see exactly what the experience of going through the Civil War would have been."

Twice during the day the re-enactors will perform dry fire demonstrations of their artillery.

"I think this will appeal to all age groups, it will appeal to ages 2 to 90 because everybody's really interested now in the Civil War, especially here in the south," Knight said.

She said the library wants to provide programs of variety in order to better serve a growing and diverse community.

"We hold all kinds of programs all through the year that give people a chance to learn and whether that would be Tai Chi, Chi Fit, it's all learning and we're all about lifelong learning here at the library," Knight said. "We did Tai Chi last year and it was extremely successful ... we had just loads of people who really enjoyed it, and so we're bringing it back by popular demand," Knight said.

The library system also is providing patrons the opportunity to flex their intellectual muscles through after-hours events on Friday nights.

"They're just a lot of fun, they're a chance to come into the library after hours and give [patrons] a chance to socialize and just do fun stuff and we're going to have a trivia night and it will probably be literature based ... but there will be other questions available on trivia night," Knight said.

For a full list of upcoming library events, visit www.bartowlibrary.org.