Nikki's HPL Blog

2012-01-27T14:24:00.000-08:00

There have been all sorts of studies in the library world concerning what makes a shelf-full of books appealing to the library user. Is it a jam packed shelf? Sparsely filled? Ancient looking old tomes that appear to have been around since the grand opening in 1908? Crisp new books? Most studies have shown that the shelves readers like best are just below shoulder height and about two thirds full of clean, newer looking books.
No one likes to stretch or stoop to reach a shelf. Last week at the grocery story I saw the bread guy having difficulty rising to his feet after filling the bottom shelves. Just about the time I was ready to call for help, he made it up to his feet. He was truly embarrassed. I know just how he feels. Library users and librarians alike have the same concerns. Perhaps we could buy one of those “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” alarms to share with those of a certain age who wish to see the books that are housed at floor level. Think how much larger the library would need to be if all shelves were at easy reach. Twice as big, probably.
Since that isn’t possible, we weed our shelves regularly so that they don’t get so stuffed that no one will want to pull out a book for fear of starting a cartoon-like avalanche. We weed library shelves in the winter usually. On bad weather days there aren’t so many people in the library to see me stooping and stretching and having difficulty rising from the floor.
When we weed, we put the books we no longer need on the “free” shelves on the landing of the north stairs. They are yours for the taking. Check often, we add new stuff almost daily. Take the books home, give them away, we don’t care. If you insist, when you have finished with them, you can bring them back to the free shelf and let them live another life in a new home. One way or another, they are yours, paid for with your tax dollars. You might as well enjoy them. But, don’t be like me. With every book I weed I think about how hard the author must have worked to write it and get it published. I take too many of them home…..it’s a good thing I don’t work in an animal shelter.
We have ordered an additional Kindle. We plan to put all the upcoming books for Humboldt Reads! book club on it. Patrons will be able to check it out and give it a try. See what you think. Some readers just love them and some like the feel of a real, old fashioned book in their hands. I’ve stood firmly on the side of actual, real pages bound into a volume I can both see and feel. However, I just had a thought… Recently a new book arrived that I have waiting to read. It’s a mystery from an author with whom I am unfamiliar. This book has had all kinds of positive reviews and press. I grabbed it from Demi’s cart before she could catalog it or put on the protective cover. Thus, although I took it home, it isn’t actually checked out to me.
Whew! Otherwise I would be afraid to tell you this story. Recently I have become a devotee of Hardee’s Red Burrito nachos. A plateful makes a satisfying and inexpensive workday lunch. I carried this brand new, unnamed book into Hardee’s with me. On the first page or two I noticed a dribble or two of melted cheese had fallen from my lunch onto the book. Along about page fifteen, a blob of guacamole adorned the page I was reading. I wiped each page as well as I could and took the book home that night with me. Since I had eaten such a nutritious and filling lunch, I decided to skip dinner and snack on some popcorn. Can you guess? The popcorn variety that I had on hand at home is the extra delicious “theater style.” Extra buttery goodness. Extra greasy fingers. I was so wrapped up in the book and trying to keep the popcorn bag away from my dogs that I didn’t notice I was fingerprinting each page.
It’s a very engaging story. I’m sorry that I won’t be able to share the details with you. I’ve said too much already!

2011-11-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

Librarians have done a lot of thinking and writing and blogging and worrying about ebooks over the last few years. Ebooks are those imaginary books that one may download through the internet (from outer space) into a handheld device such as a Kindle or a Nook. These gismos are larger than a paperback book and smaller than a breadbox.
On a recent flight, a youngish business woman and I were seated on each side of a dignified, elderly gent. Even more elderly than me. He undoubtedly spent his younger years as a bouncer in a biker bar or as a blocker on a football team. His shoulders consumed the width of his seat and at least half of mine. After we reached altitude, the crew reseated the fellow and all three of us breathed a sigh of relief. I pulled my book out of my purse, found my place and settled in to read the miles away. The woman on my row seemed very relieved to be able to stretch out a little. She found her e-reader –thing, pulled her feet up into her seat and began to read. She tilted her reader, readjusted her seat, raised and lowered the window shade. She fidgeted, wiggled and moved both herself and her reader around and around again. My assumption was that she was trying to correct the glare on her reader screen, but when I told this story to a group of librarians, someone suggested that perhaps she consumed too much pre-flight caffeine or just had an itch she couldn’t scratch in public. Meanwhile, I had read a couple of hundred pages and before she truly settled in, we landed at La Guardia.
I don’t know that her experience is typical. One of my daughters owns and adores a Kindle. Almost daily someone will tell us about his/her experience with one or another of these readers. The newest issue of Consumer Reports reviews several types of e-readers. You can come into the library to read our copy or you can use our website. Below I’m going to give you directions for finding Consumer Reports on our website. You might want to cut this out and post on your refrigerator. You never know when you will want to check out microwaves or blenders or leaf blowers. Might as well do it from home. No shirt or shoes required. Or snow boots, mittens or umbrella.
1. Go to www.humboldtpubliclibrary.com
2. Click on EBSCO in the list of brown boxes on the left of screen
3. Click on EBSCO on the next screen
4. Enter our user name, Humboldtr , (note the “r” on the end of Humboldt) and the password, remote.
5. In the next screen, scroll way down and put a check beside MasterFILE Premier
6. Click continue
7. In the Search box type in the product you wish to research (e-reader, lawnmower, whatever)
8. Click on Full Text
9. Un the Publication box type in Consumer Reports
10. Hit Enter on your computer or Search on your screen

Magically (I’m old enough to think the internet is just short of miraculous), you will find a list of the most recent reviews of your chosen machine, service, device, whatever. Click on the one you wish to read and there you go. You are armed with the most up-to-date information available before you go shopping. By the way, while walking myself through the steps for the tutorial, I discovered that I absolutely must change laundry detergents. Mine is way at the bottom of the Consumer Reports list. I apologize if I have offended you with my less than clean wardrobe recently.
The library owns three different e-readers. We have a Nook, a Kindle and an Ipad. You are welcome to drop by anytime to play with them. A staff member will answer questions if time allows. We are planning to offer a program sometime after the New Year to demonstrate these to anyone who is interested. Two other staff members and I agreed to each learn one device so that we can share with you. Guess who hasn’t.
I asked that group of fifteen assorted librarians if they thought that e-readers were a passing fancy. The older of us aren’t certain. The younger ones all are sure that the dedicated, separate device, the e-reader, may not last forever, but that books in an electronic format will grow in popularity. The gismo that we read them on will change, but not the concept. Perhaps it is time for us fossils to hop on board.
Last Christmas stunned librarians everywhere. We had not anticipated that so many of our patrons would receive e-readers as holiday gifts. We weren’t prepared. We didn’t own enough e-books to keep everyone happy. This year I’m almost on my toes. If you have tried to find an e-book to check out on our NEIBORS website, you were probably disappointed in the selection available. You may have been dismayed at the numbers of people waiting for particular books. We share the content in NEIBORS with many other libraries. Annually we all throw in some money to buy the books and keep the website open and running.
Recently our library has added some e-books that are available only to Humboldt patrons. When you log in with your library card number, NEIBORS can determine (by the card number) which library is your home library. When you log in with a Humboldt card, our extra content will show up in your book search. You don’t need to look anywhere special or click any extra boxes. If someone uses an Eagle Grove or Algona card, he/she won’t see those extra copies we’ve bought. As funds allow, we will keep adding books both to the NEIBORS collection as a whole and especially to our Humboldt-only collection.
This is your library, and you are worth it!

2011-10-20T08:17:00.001-07:00

As I write this the library roof is undergoing replacement. Be forewarned: This is a noisy project. If your idea of a cozy afternoon involves reading at the library, you will be in for a shock. There have been several surprises along the way. The first surprise required a crane to remove an unusually heavy rooftop air conditioner unit. I can only hope that it will require the services of said crane to restore the unit when the roof is finished.
For your information: the taking of brief naps is permitted in the library. Snoring is forbidden.
Due to the impending arrival of my first grandchild (and my subsequent absence), Kathy, good sport that she is, handled book club this month. I didn’t even read the book and for that I feel guilty. The book was The Outlander. From what I’ve been told, it was a little hard to get into, but well worth the read. We still have copies available, if you are interested.
Now, surprise, surprise! Josephine Pearl Ehlers arrived October 19, 7 lbs. 11 oz. in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is, of course, the country’s most beautiful baby girl. Her parents are wavering on whether to call her Jo or Pearl. I offered up my own childhood copy of Little Women as a bribe to call her Jo, but, I suppose her mama will cast the winning vote. Before she was 12 hours old I had bought every teeny, tiny pink baby outfit in Fort Dodge. Including the cutest little pink suede boots, size 2. I made a similar run-through at Witz End before I left town to meet baby. I’m sure you aren’t surprised to learn that she is my very first grandchild?
Almost as important as deciding what to call baby, is what to call me….Grandma? Gran? Gram? I’m leaning toward Gram at the moment.
Coincidentally, the book for the November Humboldt Reads! book club is March by Geraldine Brooks. It was the 2006 Pulitzer prize winner in the fiction category. This is the story of the Civil War years told through the eyes of March, a Union chaplain. He is the mostly-absent father in Little Women. This book was suggested by a high school English teacher. I’m always a little wary of a book loved by an English teacher. Do I want to read something that’s good for me? Do I want to learn anything? We’ll see. Sometimes those less-loved stories make for the best book discussions. Copies are available now at the library. The discussion will be November 17 at Rustix at 5:30pm. Join us!

A Mixed Bag

2011-10-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

Often (every week?) I tell you that the very best part of my job is the opportunity to buy almost any book I’d like to read. Even better than that, I can also buy ones that I want to page through. Books that I won’t read, don’t need, but am curious about. We have a whole bunch of those on the shelves right now.
75 Chinese, Celtic & Ornamental Knots by Laura Williams and Elise Mann. I’ve never needed to know how to tie fancy knots, but this book is beautiful to behold. Even if I didn’t work here, I’d have taken this one home to page through in admiration of the folks who were patient enough to invent these knots and in awe of the ladies who compiled the pages of this book. The knots in this book are designed to be used as jewelry.
Gudrun’s Kitchen: Recipes from a Norwegian Family by Ingeborg Baugh, Irene Sandvold, Edward Sandvold and Quinn Sandvold. I am decidedly not of Norwegian heritage. I never even met anyone who was until I moved to Humboldt. This book made me wish I had a Gudrun of my own. This one didn’t hesitate to take shortcuts…pancake mix for fried chicken batter, canned tomato soup in her chili. One recipe that intrigues me is an orange jello salad with shredded carrots and onions. Carrots with onions?
The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic by Linda Carroll and David Rosner. With all the evidence in today’s news about the danger of sports-related concussions, it’s a wonder any of us (or our kids) can ever have a cogent thought or a coherent conversation. Nowadays, new parents can’t leave the hospital with their offspring unless he or she is buckled safely into a car seat. Will football helmets be the next requirement?
Can’t: No Such Word by Mervin D. Chantland. This, of course, is a local author. Sweet book full of vignettes from his life.
How To Sell Your Crafts Online by Derrick Sutton. Have you heard about Etsy? It is a gift and craft store operated online. 40,000 sellers use Etsy to peddle their wares. You can find almost anything you can imagine at www. etsy.com. This is the perfect book to make your Etsy “shop” stand out and attract customers.
Beach House Style is also new on our shelves. Pale colors, simple styles and casual, easy living are all part of a new trend in home décor. Page through this one now, and again next winter when we are knee-deep in snow. The rooms are as cozy and relaxed as beach living should be.
Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of Funny Stuff by Calvin Trillin. He’s a columnist for The New Yorker and just about the funniest guy in print today. This is a collection of his columns. You can read just one or two, or read it cover to cover. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it sitting out there on the “new non-fiction” shelf.
And, just in time to put you in an appropriate Halloween mood, The Best Horror of the Year edited by Ellen Datlow. This one is a collection of twenty, or so, of the spookiest, most scary horror stories of the year.
The Guardians by Andrew Pyper. This is fiction. It’s one of those trade paperbacks that I’m always encouraging you to try. Usually I have no patience for ghost stories but it lured me in with a plausible story for one hundred pages or so before the spooks crept in. I had a very busy week, so it took me an unreasonably long time to read such a short, well written book. It would go down great on a chilly, fall evening when you’re home alone.

2011 Ehlers Family Christmas BOok

2011-10-07T08:37:00.001-07:00

I read lots and lots of mysteries. I’m not choosy. I like police detectives, private detectives, detectives that cater, preach and practice medicine. Give me a book with a big, fat question mark by the end of the first chapter and I’m happy.
I read lots of other novels, too. About those, I am more selective. I want a tightly woven plot. I don’t want lots of characters who come in and out of the story for no apparent purpose. I don’t like books that confuse me with flashbacks or portents of the future. Just tell me a story. Make the characters vulnerable enough that they seem human. Everyone has flaws; so, author, show me where your hero acted less competently, less wisely, just human. If I don’t care about what happens to the characters, I often don’t remember to finish the book. I’ll just put it aside somewhere…..my bedside table, coffee table or car seat and abandon it.
I also like books with good stopping places. Books with chapters fifty pages long don’t fit into my stop-and-go lifestyle. If I’m ready for work early, I may read a few pages before leaving home. I read through my lunch hour. We do have a library staff policy that says if one is within ten pages of the end of a book, the staff member is allowed to finish the book before reporting back to work. I read until I fall asleep at night. I need chapters that have something to say and wrap it up succinctly.
Well, I just read the best book! I was looking for my annual Christmas book. The one that I give all my kids in the hope that they will have fodder for a sane and civil discussion amongst themselves. It’s a hard task to find a book that all my kids will read. My oldest child is about to become a first-time father, the middle two are employed and lead busy lives and my baby just started law school. It must be a truly remarkable book to interest all of them.
Not only does it need to be a book that they will be interested in, it must be something interesting enough to have caught my attention in the first place. About all the five of us (seven, if I add in my daughters-in-law) have in common is a ridiculous love of all canines and shared passion for summer sports. They spent as much time in the bleachers watching one another play baseball and softball as they did on the playing field.
The 2011 Ehlers Family Christmas Book Award goes to The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. It has a baseball thread running throughout to tie all the characters together, but it isn’t about baseball. It is about life. About the challenges each of us faces, about the quirks and foibles we all possess. About parents, children, goals and growing up.
Library staffer Demi and I have vastly different reading tastes. But, we do share a great fondness for a few particular books. I told her that the characters in this book aren’t as miserably messed up as in Memory of Running. Not as magical as in A Prayer for Owen Meany . Nor as innocent as in Boys Life, but they make for just as good a book. It’s one of the handful of books that I will read again every few years.
Give it a try. We ordered extra copies for you at your library.

2011-09-22T13:39:00.001-07:00

Once a week I receive an email newsletter from Library Journal called “Prepub Alert.” It consists of brief descriptions of upcoming books that might otherwise slip past a librarian’s attention. The person who produces this newsletter is Barbara Hoffert. At the top of the newsletter is a photo of Barbara curled up on a red sofa with a sleepingdog using Barbara’s bare feet for a pillow. For some inexplicable reason, the dog is wearing a bejeweled crown. I tell you all this, so that you may have some information to judge the gravitas of Barbara’s pronouncements.

This week she made note of a new book to be released in the spring called Cold Light by British author Jenn Ashworth. My friend Barb says that she hopes that we librarians take notice of this book because the whole mystery/thriller book industry is heavily weighted with just a few big-name authors. You know who they are. Somehow they manage to produce at least a book a month apiece. After I read that the average author receives about $3 per hardbound book sold, I began to resent the greedy so-and-sos and I try not to read what they print.

Not only did she want us to give this newish author a chance, she wanted to point out that it will be published in paperback format. Now, remember, we’ve talked about this before. These are not your grandaddy’s paperbacks. Most paperbacks these days are the larger “trade editions.” The pages are about the size of the pages of a hardback book and the print is also standard size. If you can read a newspaper or magazine, you can read a trade edition. Barbara thinks that we should all be thrilled that more and more publishers are issuing these trade editions more frequently and at a price lower than that of a hardback. It gives us a chance to get more books for our bucks. It gives us an opportunity to try out new authors without shelling out $30 for a hardback.

What she doesn’t realize is that it just doesn’t fly in Humboldt. I extol this subject at least once each year. A book in a trade edition gives us a chance to try out an author before the rest of the world jumps on his/her bandwagon. If you, like me, think of yourself as a discriminating reader, someone who can venture a step or two off the mainstream path, give a trade edition a try.
And watch out for Cold Light in March. It’s a story of a teenage suicide pact and the repercussions for years to come. After I read it, it will be available at your library.

2011-07-29T10:31:00.001-07:00

Our library has a subscription to Book Page, a tabloid-style publication chock-full of stuff about authors, new books, the world of writing and publishing. It is a sort of double-edged sword. Patrons love skimming through Book Page to see what upcoming books they will like to read. On the other hand, those very same patrons, bless ‘em, call the library to reserve those books that haven’t even been published yet. We have tried, but so far we haven’t been able to concoct a plan that would allow us to put someone on the reserve list for a book that doesn’t exist yet. Be patient; we will keep working on it.
Our subscription provides us with 50 copies each month. We used to share a subscription with the Slater Public Library. Each of us took 25 copies to share with our patrons. Recently Slater backed out---they just didn’t have 25 patrons interested enough to pick it up every month. So, now we have 50 to give away. They are free to the public. Pick one up—help us get our money’s worth.
Some of the stuff I learned in the August, 2011 edition:
Book of Fortunes Column is a new feature. A reader volunteers his/her favorite authors and type of reading. The “fortune teller”, column author Eliza Borne, will predict that reader’s newest favorite. Aw, that’s just regular old reader’s advisory prettied up to look like something new! For Melissa, a reader who likes chick-lit and thrillers and Jodi Picoult, Eliza recommended a new book by Chevy Stevens called Never Knowing. He wrote Still Missing. If you haven’t read it, you have missed a scary, late night reading binge you won’t soon forget. Rest assured; I ordered Never Knowing. I’m hoping that I can grab it straight out of the shipping box and sneak it home before anyone else knows it has arrived. Stevens is that good.
Julie Hale’s monthly Book Clubs column offers suggestions of books that are newly released in paperback and just perfect, in her opinion, for book clubs. I’ve found that most of the stuff she recommends could be described as smart or charming. That doesn’t mean that individually her book suggestions aren’t really good reads, it just means that you will rarely find anything deep, dark or mysterious to read mentioned in her column. Often, charming is just what I’m in the market for.
The Author Enablers column, written by Kathi Goldmark and Sam Barry, is advice for would-be writers. It is always interesting to look at how an author goes about the process. Often we non-writers have never given a thought to how an author manages to give us a feel for a particular time or place or character. There is a Whodunit column by Bruce Tierney that I never skip. He has the knack of making mewant to read every book he reviews. I’ve never been disappointed in a book he recommended.
There is a column called Lifestyles which reviews parenting and relationship self-help books. The Cooking column recommends what else? Cookbooks. I read about (and then ordered for the library) a new one called Heartland: The Cookbook, said to be an ode to the Midwestern kitchen.
There is a column for readers of romance, one for the best recent audio books, and one about children’s books. There are lots and lots and lots of book reviews of all sorts of new books, and several interviews with authors. There is something for any reader, writer or listener.
Stop by and pick up your complimentary copy of Book Page at your library.

Full Moon?

2011-07-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

Last week at the library was one of those weeks that sent us all home re-thinking our career choices. One of those weeks where nothing made sense, peculiar events occurred that none of us understood and most of the things that we usually expect in the library didn’t happen at all.
The summer reading program is over. The kids don’t seem to realize that and are still coming in droves. That’s great except that once they get here, they don’t seem to have any purpose but to loiter. Young people are prone to do that. Remember that malt shop on Happy Days? That’s us without the ice cream. Most of the time the staff is delighted to see kids just hanging around, paging through magazines, visiting, playing board games, visiting. Some even read. Last week they were loud and unruly. One group, when confronted, quickly confessed all their library sins and banned themselves from the library. The staff stood looking at one another wondering how this all came to pass…..children who turn themselves in, confess what they have done and assign themselves punishment?
What is going on?
Our custodian was on vacation. We have a lovely lady who has filled in for her in the past. I handed the sub a set of keys, thanked her effusively, once again grateful that she’s willing to add us to her schedule. The first day her door key wouldn’t work. Fixed that. The second day she got into the building in good order, but her key to the custodian’s supply closet didn’t work. She could empty wastebaskets but not much else. By the time we got it all straightened out, it was time for Shelly to come back to work.
I tried to do some tidying up of our computer patron files. That is the information you provided when you applied for a library card. I worked a couple of days on some cards that had messed up addresses. Since we are not perfect typists, we do make the occasional error. That went fairly smoothly, so I thought I’d run through the library cards and eliminate everyone who hadn’t used their card in five years.
When I fill out the report to the state library every year, there is this question: “How recently were patron records reviewed and brought up to date?” Boy, I thought if I zip through and delete those unused library card files, I could answer that question proudly this year! When I set about configuring a report to provide a list of unused cards, I found that I would have 1497 pages of names. The state report is due in Des Moines by October 1st, so I realized that I wouldn’t have time to work through 1497 pages of folks who have died or moved away or otherwise stopped using their library cards. I consulted with the library director in Algona who is many decades younger than I and more than a little more familiar with our computer system. Kyle guided me through the report over the phone and it was reduced to 177 pages. I’m hoping that I may live long enough to get this project done after all.
I encountered some young’ns trying to figure out how the open/closed sign works on the library door. I gave them a quick demonstration. One of the young ladies eyed me seriously and asked “Do you own this library?” I wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment or an accusation, so I gave her a quick, two sentence civics lesson about tax payer supported institutions.
Several mornings last week no one came into the library for the first half hour or so we were open. That always makes me worry that something awful has happened and that no one thought to let us know. We turned on the television. No new wars had been waged, no statewide disasters looming. I suppose our usual bustling group of morning people had all overslept.
Long about Friday we noticed that a full moon was due to arrive. Was that at the heart of our peculiar week? Must have been. This week is moving along more normally. But just in case, if you are out and about in Humboldt, please stop in to make sure we are all still sane and awake.

2011-07-08T12:34:00.001-07:00

One of the most interesting parts of a librarian’s job is also one of the most challenging: helping a patron to find something satisfying to read. In the library world it is known as Readers’ Advisory. Capital Letters no less. Every local, state and national conference I’ve ever attended had at least one session on Readers’ Advisory. Often, those sessions are even more specific: RA for Romance Readers, RA for Mystery Fans, etc. All those years when I was a library patron but not a library employee, I never once thought to ask a librarian to help me find a book to read.
For one thing, I’ve read a lot of books. I figured if I asked for assistance, she would be sure to recommend stuff that I had already read. Goodness knows, I’ve often settled down in my easy chair to read, only to discover that the new book I’ve chosen is one that I have already read. Besides, if I didn’t know what I was looking for; how could I explain it to someone else?
Often times, the best way to find something to read is to decide how you want to feel. Do you want something that will entertain you for a while? Do you want something that makes you feel glad to be you? Do you want something to take you back to your early adulthood, or even to your childhood? When you have answered that question, then ask yourself : do I want to learn something, too? Do I want a challenge? Do I want to be confronted with an ethical question with which to take sides?
Let’s say that you are in the mood for a book that will entertain you in the evenings while someone else in your household is hogging the television to watch sports. Ok, you probably don’t want anything too involved, too hard to follow. If something draws your attention to the next batter up to the plate, you don’t want to lose your place in the story.
Let’s say you have decided on something fictional. It’s always nice to read a good story. Nothing fancy. If mysteries are your drug of choice, you might like one of James Patterson’s newer books that he has co-written with a whole host of various and sundry assistants. In these, good and evil is usually clear. No complicated plot to follow. You can usually spot the bad guy right away. If you have the time to devote to a mystery that requires more attention, try a John Sanford or Jeffery Deaver or even one of James Patterson’s Cross novels.
If you like to read a story with a serious plot taken rather lightly, you can’t beat Fanny Flagg. Her characters always have some sort of a serious life crisis going on, but on the whole, her books are clever, humorous and fulfilling.
If family type dramas are your cup of tea, don’t overlook Jodi Picoult. Each of her books confronts some moral dilemma smack on. The reader can’t help but see both sides of the issue. Along the same vein are Chris Bohjalian’s books and some of those by Laura Lippman and Lisa Scottoline.
Often librarians have read a lot of books. Even those do haven’t, talk to lots of people who read lots of books. We often can be of help: Just ask!
Even when you don’t know what you want, there’s a book for that at your library.

Library Stuff

2011-06-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

We have a new quilt hanging in the library. It is called Stars ‘n’ Stripes of Love and was made by Peg Behrens. There is the sweetest story attached to the quilt. Here it is in Peg’s words: “I made this quilt for my friend who was to be married to a fellow in the service in Iraq. It was a combination birthday-wedding gift. Shortly before the wedding, he was killed in action. My friend and I were close, and had been exchanging birthday gifts for years. She really loved this quilt, and would snuggle into it always. The pieces were machine stitched, but the quilt was all hand-quilted. When she died from cancer two years ago, her family gave the quilt back to me. Now I snuggle in it on cool nights.” Stop by to look at this patriotic quilt.
Malachi Green is our Reader of the Week! Reader of the Week is a weekly drawing for participants in our Children’s Summer Reading Program. Each week the winner receives his or her own poster created by children’s librarian, Sarah Evans. There is a display of all the posters in the downstairs library lobby. Stop by and check those out, too.
This month we will say goodbye to two library board of trustee’s members. Craig Christensen has served for eight years. He has missed a meeting or two, but has attended a large majority. Donna Currier is retiring after four years. Each has been a faithful library advocate. If you see either one of the, thank them for taking care of your library. The three remaining board members are Jill Colerick, Tom Tecklenburg and Donna Day. Give them a pat on the back, too. It is a rather thankless position….not demanding of too much time, but requiring a belief in the betterment of our community through the support of our library. Our good mayor, Walter Jensen, has appointed William Schaffer and Tricia Gargano to the board of trustees. Their terms will begin in July.
A small town runs on its volunteers. Humboldt is blessed with many, many residents who generously donate their time to make Humboldt a good place to live. Last week’s Art Festival, our sixth, is another example. Youth sports, holiday parades, churches, boy and girl scouts and lots more organizations exist only because people are willing to volunteer their time.
Here is an exciting volunteer opportunity for you: the library needs volunteers to sit in the children’s library on Saturdays through the lunch hour. It’s not a very demanding position. One need only sit. That’s all. Just sit and make sure no one empties all the shelves or runs off with all the dvds. The volunteer certainly will have time to read or knit or write letters or whatever. We just need an adult presence downstairs between eleven and 1:00 pm. Give me a call if you can help.

Sumertime at the Library

2011-06-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

The summer library program for children and teens is in full swing. We opened registration the day after school let out. We had more than 80 teens and 80 children register the very first day. I haven’t checked the numbers since. There just hasn’t been time; I can tell you that there are kids of all ages all over everywhere.
Every time I venture downstairs, the foyer has been transformed into a different country. So far, China, Egypt and Australia. Italy is coming up……everything is draped with vines and grapes for an authentic vineyard look. Children’s librarian, Sarah Evans, and her helpers have done amazing things this summer. Check out their Facebook page: Humboldt Library Kids. Be sure you watch the video of crocodile hunter Jonathan Schaffer- his down-under accent is perfect!
When the children “visit” Peru on June 28, we are going to have a real live llama on the library lawn. If you have always wanted to meet one, stop by on the 28th at 10:00 am.
June 16 is our Humboldt Reads! dinner and book discussion. We’ve read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It’s a look at civil rights from a different point of view. If you haven’t read it, we still have plenty of copies. It’s worth your time.
The July Humboldt Reads! selection is Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I haven’t reqd it yet, but several people have told me how well written it is. One of those people is Darlene McKimmey. Darlene and I occasionally have completely opposite views when we read the same book. It will be interesting to find out if we agree on this one. When we don’t agree, it makes for lively conversation.
June 18 is the Humboldt Area Arts Festival at John Brown Park. From what I understand, restoration work on the park fountain is almost finished. I can’t wait to see it working again. Park fountains just say “summer to me.” As always, at the festival there will be many artists’ booths, music most of the day, good food available and lots of activities for kids. Every year the library sponsors a kids’ activity. The first year we painted with our feet. Believe me; I learned a lesson that year. Since then, our art activity has focused on the making of a bookmark---in some not-very-messy art medium. We’ve used rubber stamps, markers, stickers, glitter, etc.
This year we are being really kind to the library staff. We’ve engaged the services of a caricature artist. Duane Murray, library director at the Alexander, Iowa Public Library will be available under the children’s tent to do a sketch of the kids. Stop by and say “hi”, and watch him draw!

Backyard Birds and Rare Orchids

2011-05-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

We have a beautiful new quilt hanging in the library. It’s called Rare Orchids. Marilyn Hinners made this one and has been kind enough to loan it to us for awhile. I’ve never been brave enough to grow orchids. I’ve heard that they are fussy about soil and light and moisture. Marilyn’s quilt is all hand appliquéd….I know that is more than I can tackle. So, if you feel as I do, just come on in and join me in appreciating Marilyn’s orchids.

Since the first of April I have been spending too much time snooping on the eaglet nest near Decorah. Have you been watching? If not, you can find them at www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles. We all hovered around the computer screen watching those three eggs hatch sooo slowly, one at a time over several days. The babies looked like cute little fuzzy chicks almost from the very first. They slept most of the time the first few weeks. Then they divided their time about equally, eating and sleeping. I’ve enjoyed watching both parents tend to their trio. Each parent has snuggled in to keep them warm and they seem to divide the feeding chores fairly. Now that babies have grown up a little, they have reached that awkward adolescent stage. Their necks seem too long for their fat little bodies and they are kind of homely. I’d call them pullets, but that implies that they are female and that information has not been shared with the viewing public.

If all this eagle watching has made you more aware of the fowl in your own neighborhood, the library has just the book for you. If you want to build a home for something we have Beastly Abodes: Homes for Birds, Bats, Butterflies & Other Backyard Wildlife by Bobbe Needham. If you are only partial to birds, we have Making Birdhouses by Andrew Newton-Cox and The Complete Birdhouse Book by Donald and Lillian Stokes.

After your birdhouse is built, you might need Attracting Backyard Birds by Sandy Cortright and Attracting Backyard Wildlife by Bill Merilees. If you just want to identify the birds that you already have in your yard, give these three a try: Garden Birds of North America by Scott Weidensaul, The Bird Watcher’s Bible by George Laycock or the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds.

If butterflies are more your style, we have equal information for you, too. Don’t forget to check our wide assortment of plant and garden books—we add new ones every year.

Humboldt Reads! Book discussion group will meet May 19th at Vinny’s. This time we are reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Laacks by Rebecca Skloot. Join us!

Good News

2011-04-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

I have all sorts of good news to share this week. The first is that on Thursday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m., we will have the first adult program of the year. This program is about dogsledding. Elizabeth Meyer will talk about her experiences with her sledding dogs. She has promised to bring the dogs in for the last few minutes of her talk. Don’t miss it!
The second bit of news is that FREEGAL is finally ready to go. FREEGAL is a new service the library is offering to library card holders. It will allow you access to three FREE, LEGAL music downloads per week. For this exciting new service, the library is charged an annual flat fee. That means it is going to cost the library the same number of dollars whether you use it or not. So, you might as well help us get our money’s worth. Just go to http://www.freegalmusic.com/users/sdlogin. Eventually, there will be a button on the library website that will lead you right to that internet address. You will need your library card number to login. The last four digits of the card number are your PIN. If you don’t have one of our pretty new library cards with the picture of the library building and its crab tree in full bloom, you will need to come into the library and let us get you set up. All you need to get a library card is a driver’s license or some other official-type document that shows your current address. Fair Warning: If you have fines or overdue materials on your card, the computer knows…you will need to settle up before you can log on to anything through our website. Besides, wouldn’t you sleep better at night knowing that you have paid your debt to society?
The very biggest news of all (at least for me) is that I am going to become a grandmother! I’ve been waiting almost 37 years for this experience. Most of the time I’ve waited patiently. Sometimes I’ve whined. I’m determined to wring every ounce of pleasure out of this grandma stuff. I’ve been scouring the library for grandma books. Almost every single picture book I’ve found depicts grandmothers as old, gray, wrinkly people with glasses and a bun. What! Cried Granny by Kate Lum is an exception. That granny has purple hair instead.
The Grandma Book by Todd Parr has a red-haired grandma on the cover. She still has the eyeglasses, but she has purple dangly earrings. More my style! Parr’s book has a pretty hip looking granny on each page with just one line of text. Page one reads “Some grandmas have a lot of cats.” Each page carries on along the theme that grandmas are all different. Every few pages there is one that reads something more like this: “All grandmas are happy when you spend the night.” I ordered a copy of that book. On the page that reads “All grandmas like to hear from you” I’m going to write my phone numbers (home, work and cell) and my email address in great big letters. By the time baby Ehlers is old enough to push the buttons on a phone, he?she? will have my contact information memorized.

National Library Week

2011-04-15T13:24:00.001-07:00

Last week was National Library Week. I always try to do a little something for the library staff, flowers and balloons, usually, to let them know I appreciate the work they do. The biggest part of the success of any library is the dedication of its staff. Alas, this year I forgot all about National Library Week. I have some excuses….I took a few days off to visit my sister, various staff members have been ill, had illness in the family, been on vacation. Life just hasn’t been normal at the library for a couple of weeks. But, I am deeply ashamed that I forgot to pay tribute to the staff. They do such a terrific job. Every time one of them is out for a day or two, I realize just how much they accomplish when they are here.
“More than anything else a library reflects what a community thinks about itself”. Anonymous Baldwinville, NY resident. Isn’t that the loveliest quote? Another library posted that on its website in tribute to National Library Week. It is often so true. If a community thinks of itself as a hard scrabble, blue collar town, the library is usually a no-frills operation. There are libraries like that all around us. The building itself is usually plain, slightly out of date and simple. A community that wishes to be seen as snooty and intellectual might have lots of individual study tables with serious lighting where no one will disturb anyone else. Those libraries usually have lots of empty space and a very hushed atmosphere.
I like what our library says about Humboldt. The building is just grand enough to announce that we take books and knowledge seriously, but it isn’t so stuffy that someone would be afraid to open the doors. The building is noticeably too small. That says that our town uses its library. Once inside, you’ll usually find at least a little noise. If it’s early-out Wednesday, you’ll find a lot of noise. People of all ages can feel comfortable enough in our library to ask a question, visit with a friend, or tell a joke. Various machines humming, beeping and chugging along let you know that we have computers, printers, faxes and copiers all busily making our lives easier. I hope you will be greeted with a smile and a friendly welcome. You paid for this library, we are glad to see you using it.
That we offer all kinds of services we couldn’t begin to imagine a few years ago, lets everyone know that we value progress and are willing to spend the money necessary to keep the world from leaving us behind. We may be small town, but we aren’t narrow minded or short sighted.
When you leave the library, I want you to take with you a warm, fuzzy feeling that for all pork and boondoggles and politics that saturate today’s governments, libraries are the one thing that every community gets just right.
Next time you stop by, tell Demi and Sarah and Kathy and Linda, Martha, Virginia, George, Jan and Shelly how much you appreciate them. I know I do.

2011-04-07T10:24:00.001-07:00

This week is Humboldt Reads! book discussion at Miller’s Landing on Thursday, April 14 at 5:30. The book is Homestead by Jane Kirkpatrick. Jane is the author of inspirational fiction, but this book is the story of her experience in homesteading in the wilds of remote Oregon with her husband in 1985. Her stories of their attempts to build a new home, acquire a land-line telephone in the days before cell service and to install electricity and indoor plumbing make me tired just thinking about it. Even after our book discussion is over, we have copies of the book that you may check out. It’s worth reading.
I’ve ordered copies of The Help by Katheryn Stockett and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot for our next couple of book discussions. About 100 people have already read the library’s copies of The Help. It is the story of a young woman just home from college in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962. Even if you have already read it, checkout a copy, scan over it and join us for discussion.
Skloot’s book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, tells us about Henrietta Lacks, a poor African American woman who died in Philadelphia in 1951. Cells from her cancerous tumor were taken without her knowledge or consent and replicated many times over and over for use in countless scientific experiments. Her cells continue to be reproduced and are used in labs worldwide to this day. I haven’t read it yet, but it sounds as if it will lead to a great discussion.
New at the library:
Friendship Bread by Darien Gee. Julia Evarts and her five year old daughter Grace find a gift of Amish Friendship Bread and a bag of starter to use to make more bread, have been left on their porch. Julia would like to toss the starter out with the trash, but Gracie is determined that they bake bread and share starter with others. Through sharing the bread starter, Julia forms new friendship and confronts her painful past. This book received terrific reviews. I’m looking forward to it.
Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle by Ann B. Ross. If you haven’t read a Miss Julia story, I don’t think that I can adequately explain her to you. She is an intrepid wife, friend, substitute mother and amateur sleuth and almost as wise as Jessica Fletcher in the old Murder She Wrote tv series. She’s a hoot!
Once Upon a Time There Was You by Elizabeth Berg. Berg can be counted on to churn out at least one beautiful and moving novel every year. This one is about a long-divorced couple to come together to support their daughter when tragedy strikes.
Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy. Binchy is another author who dependably produces satisfying fiction again and again. When Noel learns that his former girlfriend is both terminally and pregnant with his child, Noel agrees to tackle single parenting. A network of friends, family and neighbors come to his rescue when a nosy social worker inserts herself in his life.
Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin. This sold a million copies in Korea. It’s a universal story of family love. The cover says “You will never think of your mother the same way again after you read this book.” Hmm.
Swim Back to Me by Ann Packer. Packer wrote The Dive From Clausen’s Pier and Songs Without Words. I enjoyed both of those so I’m looking forward to her latest book.
The Band That Played On: The Extraordinary Story of the 8 Musicians Who Went Down with the Titanic by Steve Turner. A true story!
Made for You and Me: Going West, Going Broke, Finding Home by Caitlin Shetterly. In 2008 Shetterly and her brand-new husband Dan moved to California from their native Maine. Quickly, the recession reared its ugly head and life in California became impossible for the young couple. As they made their way back to Maine, now with a baby in tow, Caitlin blogged about their situation and created audio diaries for National Public Radio. When listeners all over the country were moved by their plight, Caitlyn turned her stories into a book.
If you have a library book (or dvd, etc.) or two, or more, that is overdue at the library, bring it back to us on any Tuesday afternoon from 3:30-4:30 pm. If you ask nicely, we will erase the fine on those books. This generosity does not apply to old transactions or to fines already on your record….just to any materials that are currently overdue. They do this regularly at the Hampton Public Library. They call it “Happy Hour”.

2011-04-01T13:37:00.001-07:00

I feel just like I did when I was six years old. My mother would never let me start working on my Christmas list until Thanksgiving. Well, I’ve been wanting to write this article for at least six weeks, now. The BIG news is that the new gardening books are beginning to arrive! I haven’t wanted to share any details with you yet—I know that just hearing about flowers and plants too early can delay spring for a month. Talk about new varieties of anything with your neighbor and the last frost won’t arrive until the 4th of July.
The same thought process always postpones my annual trip to visit my sister until at least the first of April. You see, Jane lives 450 miles to our south. If I visit too early, when I get home I have to wait forever for us to catch up weather-wise. I can’t begin to tell you how heartbreaking it was to visit my North Carolina kids a few years ago. I was marking off weeks on the calendar waiting for it to warm up enough to plant pansies. …in North Carolina pansies that WINTER OVER were already blooming. My (pale) green thumb just can’t seem to lose its Oklahoma accent.
New at the library:
Miracle-Gro Complete Guide to Roses: Choosing, Planting, Growing. The book cover says this is “the rose gardener’s reference to the best varieties.” Plenty of information about growing culture, climate zones, etc. I was attracted to the pages concerning choosing low-maintenance roses.
Organic Gardening for the 21st Century: A Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs and Flowers by John Fedor. The title of this one just says it all.
Twilight Garden: A Guide to Enjoying Your Garden in the Evening Hours by Lia Leendertz. This book has the most beautiful photos. It’s worth paging through.
The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs and Other Containers by Edward C. Smith. This is my new plan….grow everything edible in pots. No weeding needed!
Midwest Home Landscaping: 46 Landscape Designs and Over 200 Plants for Your Region by Roger Holmes and Rita Buchanan. The photos are appealing, but what I appreciate the most are the plans included for each design. Each shows what type of plant, how many and how far apart each should be. All you need is a shovel.
Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces by Gayla Trail.
Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small-Scale Community in a Large-Scale World by Ross Chapin. I don’t even know how to explain this one to you, other than it’s full of charming photos of lovely neighborhoods. Some of these neighborhoods were planned in advance of construction and some developed into pocket neighborhoods organically. Either way, this book is a delight.
Container Gardening: 250 Design Ideas & Step-by-Step Techniques from the editors of Fine Gardening Magazine. This is a different sort of container gardening. Pots and tubs and flower boxes of eye candy. I’ve been admiring the big urns of plants in front of Bank Iowa for several years. I’m going for something dramatic on my own front steps this year.
Complete Guide to Water Gardens: Ponds, Fountains, Waterfalls, Streams by Kathleen Fisher. For the lazy among us, this book can serve as a coffee table book. Lots and lot of luscious pictures of garden features that I can appreciate but never replicate. For the more adventuresome of you, the diagrams and charts are complete enough that you could have a quiet pond or a gurgling brook in your back yard by Memorial Day.
If you’ve been eager to get out into your garden this year, stop by the library. We can help you grow!

Biographies for fun and profit!

2011-03-19T07:55:00.001-07:00

At this time of year I’m always eager to get outside and put to right all the gardening projects that I didn’t finish last fall. Despite having lived in Iowa since 1992, winter surprises me every year by arriving when I’m only halfway down my to-do list. Now, when my enthusiasm is at its zenith, it’s too muddy to work outside.
Thus, every year I ended up weeding inside the library since I can’t do it outside. I tackled the fiction shelves after Christmas. The greatest numbers of the books we buy are fiction, plain old made-up stories. Since we are constantly adding new ones, it’s necessary to constantly get rid of the older, less well-loved ones to make space.
The non-fiction books grow in number more slowly. Sometimes I don’t think of weeding those shelves until Kathy (gently) tells me that she can’t squeeze another volume on the shelves. Most recently it was the shelves of biographies that were causing consternation. I love biographies. I don’t read them all by any means. I just like knowing that they are there. All libraries have biographies of famous people. If you are just itching to know more information about Martin Van Buren than Wickopedia offers, you expect to find it at the library.
But, the biographies that I really treasure are the ones about ordinary people who have accomplished or endured something extraordinary. Any time I feel sorry for myself, missing my far-flung children for instance, I can pick up a book about someone who walked 100 miles across a desert to find medical care for her babies. Sick of a lo-o-o-ng Iowa winter? There’s a book about a doctor who treated herself for breast cancer while stranded at the North Pole. See how it works? Pretty quickly I begin to feel I’m blessed with good fortune and need to get up out of my comfy recliner and help someone else. Listed below are some of the biographies that are ready to leave the library for a new home. Temporarily they are housed on the “free” shelves; come in and help yourself to these or many others that are just waiting to change your life.
The Book of Kehls by Christine Kehl O’Hagan. The story of a family in which five generations have been struck by Duchene Muscular Dystrophy.
My Detachment by Tracy Kidder. Pulitzer Prize winner Kidder studied at the University of Iowa. This book is his memoir of his tour of duty in Vietnam.
A Good Dog: The Story of Orson Who Changed My Life by Jon Katz. I’m a sucker for a good dog story. I think I keep hoping that my dogs will turn me into Mother Theresa or Eleanor Roosevelt if I’m just patient enough with them.
Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock and Finding Myself by Jeanne Marie Laskas. Another one!
Ten Minutes from Normal by Karen Hughes. Another sort of biography that can’t take up shelf space too long: a story about someone who was once very newsworthy, but who has now faded into oblivion. Hughes was an advisor to George W. Bush.
The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up by Rich Blake. This one will really make you forgot your troubles. Herbert was a Buffalo city firefighter who was injured in 1995. After 10 years in a coma, he woke up. After one day, he returned to his deep sleep and never experienced another clear moment. He died one year later of pneumonia.
See how this works? There is always someone worse off than me. Stop by the library this week. Therapy at no extra charge!

Dreams of Spring

2011-03-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

If you have been paying attention, you know that we almost always have a quilt hanging in the library. Recently we took down the winter-ish quilts while we looked for a more spring like one to borrow. When the crowd of after-schoolers gathered in the library, they began to notice something wasn’t right. Quickly a young man exclaimed “Why don’t you have a quilt hanging up?”
His remark made us hustle up something appropriate. Kathy asked Judy Cochran if she had one we could borrow. Judy and many other local quilters have never turned us down. Marilyn Hinners and Jan Jaqua are among those we can count on to have on hand just the very quilt we had in mind.
When Judy brought in her quilt, it was all the best colors of a Sunday School class full of Easter dresses, pinks, blues, greens, yellows and lavenders. She said that she developed the pattern and began working on it one miserably snowy January. That year she really needed something to remind her that spring would eventually arrive. She pieced and handquilted it beautifully. Judy didn’t give the quilt a name. She told us to name it whatever we wanted. We joked about calling it Judy’s Winter Therapy, but finally named it Judith’s Dreams of Spring. Stop by the library to see it. You’ll go home with a strong case of spring fever and admiration for her handiwork.
On to books…..Oftentimes when an author is seen on tv talking about his/her new book, the library phone begins to ring. This week Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back has elicited several calls. I hadn’t ordered, but I have now. If you heard about and want to read it, give us a call. We can put your name on the list.
One I’ve seen on tv a couple of times this week is Bringing Adam Home: The Abduction That Changed America by Les Standiford. It is the story of the abduction of Adam Walsh in Florida in 1981. Adam’s dad, John Walsh went on to create the show America’s Most Wanted. Bringing Adam Home is the account of the horrible crime and all that came after. The book is written by a respectable author with help from police Detective Joe Matthews. 1981 was one of many diaper-changing years for me. They sort of all run together in a big blur. But, I remember the moment I was watching John and Reve Walsh on Good Morning America when they received the news that the little boy’s partial remains were discovered. The book has many great reviews. I’m anxious to read it.
Another book that is much touted on tv this week is The Company We Keep: A Husband-and-Wife True-Life Spy Story by Robert and Dayna Baer. This one almost seems to be right out of a Hollywood movie. Robert and Dayna were both CIA employees when they met in Sarajevo. Bob didn’t even know Dayna’s true name at the time. One of the reviews called this book “funny, frightening, ironic and deeply moving.” Sounds like this book has something for everyone.
If you have seen an author on tv, check out the library. There’s a book here waiting for you.

Books in a Series

2011-02-18T13:44:00.001-08:00

Books in a series. The bane of the public librarian’s existence! Just ask a librarian anywhere. Many, many times each week we are asked by patrons “Can you tell me which book is next in this series? Darn those bestselling authors. All they have to do is tell a story. They leave it to hard-working librarians to keep track of those stories in order.
Sitting on my desk right now is a selection of books from series of several different authors. One of the worst offenders is Gilbert Morris. The old guy is 210 years old and still cranking out dozens of new books each year. (Okay. I exaggerate a little.) His books are known in the library world as “inspirational fiction.” Inspirational fiction is often Christian-based, and always free of violence, explicit sensuality, and naughty words.
Ole Gil starts up a new series every few years. Currently on our shelves are the following Morris series: Lions of Judah, American Century, Singing River, The Spirit of Appalachia, The Creoles and Wagon Wheel. There are a few more, but that’s all I could carry in one armload. Writing on his own must be kind of lonesome because he also co-writes with several other authors which complicates my life even further.
James Patterson publishes more books than seems humanly possible. He has The Alex Cross Series, The Women’s Murder Club Series, The Michael Bennett Series among others. In addition he creates at least two more series for young adults. He has various and assorted co-writers, too.
Some series are lighthearted and frivolous like Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen Mysteries with Recipes. Her newest is Devil’s Food Cake Murder. I’ve never read any of her books, but they just must be silly and clever and fun to read. Another series I’ve always intended to try is the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. The name of the series is: The Southern Vampire Series. The cover art is so laughable, I know the books aren’t really scary stories like Jeffry Lindsay’s Dexter series. The Dexter books are about a forensic criminal blood analyst who kills off only those who really need it. They can be really frightening, but are written with a bit of a tongue in cheek tone that I appreciate.
A couple of authors insist on writing in a series, but make it easy on librarians by keeping track of the order themselves. Sue Grafton’s A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, etc. (we are up to U is for Undertow now) have never confused anyone. Janet Evanovich does the same thing. ….One for the Money and Two for the Dough, etc. in her Stephanie Plum series are in a delightfully easy to keep track of.
Our Kathy Hensch has made series-reading easy for library patrons. She puts a small little label on the spine of the book with the name of the series and the volume number on it. To make it easy for us to find the right place on the shelf to put a book away, each series is further marked with a colored dot or star. Karen Kingsbury’s Above the Line series all have a small pink dot on the spine label. James Patterson’s Alex Cross series has a green star. See how she does all the work for you?
If you ever need a list of a particular series of books in order, try putting the author’s name into Yahoo or Google. That’s how I do it when I need to know. Amazon should be helpful, but isn’t always. If the author has his/her own website he/she will surely provide a list. Authors want to make it easy for you to buy the next book. Or, you can always ask a librarian…..that’s what we are here for!

2011-02-10T14:21:00.001-08:00

Last week I was preparing for my budget presentation to the city council on the same day I needed to write this article for the newspaper. My shallow little mind can only hold one topic at a time, so I will kill two birds with one presentation. First some background information:
Public libraries in Iowa are funded, in the main, by property taxes. The code of Iowa contains some verbiage that requires every property to be taxed, at a minimum level, for library services. If a town does not have a library, the amount of library property tax collected must be given to another town’s library with which it has an agreement to share library services. Dakota City could certainly have its own library if it so chose, but instead, they give an agreed upon amount to the Humboldt Library and Dakota Cityians use the Humboldt Library. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Rural county properties are also taxed. The board of supervisors divides up that money between the six libraries in Humboldt County. So, rural citizens receive the same service as the rest of us.
Along with the contributions from Dakota City and Humboldt County, we receive a small amount of state funding. Most of what comes from the state is to compensate this library for materials and services we provide to other libraries, such as inter-library loans. The City of Humboldt provides the bulk of the library budget.
For some reason, this year the library is the last city department to go before the city council for its budget planning meeting. Those councilmen are all really nice guys, but if they’ve been sitting there for several hours listening to the other departments ask for money, they might be cranky and ready to go home to supper. I’m keeping my presentation short and sweet.
This city has always supported its library well. We are able to afford to keep up with library trends and technology and provide the services and materials our patrons use and appreciate. In return for the money you’ve spent on the library, the library staff provides you with the best books, movies, programming for kids, computers, and magazines that you’ll find in any library our size. Unless you catch us on a really rare bad day, you won’t find a more chipper, helpful staff anywhere, either.
All that being said, the library has been getting along just fine and we don’t need much of an increase in our budget. The only thing we really, really need is a new roof. It was put on in 1992 or 1993 and was built to last for fifteen years. That’s about how long it lasted before it began to leak. It seems to support a heavy snow buildup fairly well, but when things begin to melt, the water pools on the roof and leaks into the building.
Over the years we’ve had some big puddles of soggy carpet and some ceiling damage, but we haven’t lost any books or equipment. That the losses have been minimal is thanks to our city Parks department. They come over several times each winter to shovel the snow from the roof. That is service above and beyond the call of duty, and we appreciate it.
Next time you are out around town, stop in to see how your library taxes have been spent. We think you will be pleased.

Movies & More

2011-01-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

Sometimes even a librarian gets tired of reading. If, after six weeks of relentless winter, you are restless and ready for some other form of indoor entertainment, visit the library anyway. We have at least 1500 dvds just waiting to go home with you.
If you already have a library card, and have had it for at least three months, you are eligible to checkout up to fifteen items at a time. We don’t care if you have fourteen books and one dvd or 11 dvds, one audio book and three printed books. For the first three months of your first library card, you are on probation. You will be allowed four items at a time, only one of which may be a dvd. If you can remain reliable and responsible for the first three months, we figure we can trust you forevermore. Unless you prove us wrong.
Sarah chooses the children’s dvds. It seems to me that we have almost anything a kid could ever want to see. Demi chooses our adult and teen feature films. She’s the one staff member who sees enough movies to form an opinion. I get all the fantasy and made-up-stuff I can handle in the books I read. When I watch a movie, I want it to be realistic and believable, so I select the documentary-type dvds.
Babies, a 2010 documentary dvd, follows the lives of four newborns in four corners of the globe through their first year of life.
Through a Dog’s Eyes, Canine Assistants is a Georgia organization that matches service dogs to the people who need them. This dvd follows a group of service dogs and their new owners through doggy “bootcamp.”
The Quake, Correspondent Martin Smith and his team arrived in Haiti within days of the quake. This report documents the disaster and the relief efforts in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.
No Tomorrow, Profiled in the film AGING OUT, Risa Bejarano was a foster care success story. Recently graduated, with many scholarships, she left for college. Then, she was brutally murdered.
Death By Fire, Did Texas execute an innocent man?
Echo, An Elephant to Remember; Echo’s life was followed through the PBS series, Nature. This beautifully photographed story documents the end of her life.
Baseball: The Tenth Inning, This four hour film chronicles the memorable and infamous personalities, teams, games and scandals of the last 20 years of professional baseball.
The Mosque in Morgantown, This film is not the story of a struggle between Christians and Muslims, but about the struggle within the Morgantown mosque for equality between the genders. Rather than being told by a narrator, this tale is told by the people involved.
The Wounded Platoon, This is a powerful portrait of what is happening to a generation of young American soldiers who are serving multiple tours of duty in war zones.
If you happen to prefer the other kind of movies, the kind that take you out of your winter misery, the ones in which glamorous, well dressed movie stars cavort across the screen whilst earning millions of dollars, we have those, too. But ask Demi for a recommendation. I haven’t seen them.

Who Dun Its

2011-01-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

Our next book for Humboldt Reads! book discussion group is available now. We are going to read Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. It’s a story about the sins of the father, loyalty, loss and love. A family story, it is set in northern Ontario on a family farm. Our discussion will be held on February 24, so you have plenty of time to get it read. We will meet at 5:30pm at Miller’s Landing.
For the past couple of weeks, every box of new books arriving at the library has contained at least one book about a true-life crime. Soon the new gardening books will crop up like crocus, but right now, in the dead of winter, man’s inhumanity to man (and woman) is in season.
The first to arrive was Ann Rule’s newest. Rule has a way of writing a true story that makes it read like the best detective novel. Even if the crime she writes about has been carried out in public and we all know who dun it, she’ll keep you up at night turning pages. In the Still of the Night is the story of the mysterious death of Washington State Trooper Ronda Reynolds. Over the years following her 1998 demise, the coroner flip-flopped back and forth over the cause of her death, but her mother never gave up hope that the case would be solved.
Another one is Our Little Secret: The True Story of a Teenage Killer and the Silence of a Small New England Town by Kevin Flynn and Rebecca Lavoie. It took twenty years to convict a man who as a popular, clean cut New Hampshire high school student shot and killed someone he’d never even met. The reason for the shooting and the reason that no one exposed the killing should make for a very good story.
Dead But Not Forgotten: The True Story of a Cheating Husband, His Stunning Mistress and a Murder Case Gone Cold by Amber Hunt is another one that took awhile to solve. A jury finally found that cheating husband guilty after 18 years, but a judge overturned the case. He is now awaiting a second trial.
Several books are ripped right from the front pages of current newspapers. Cold As Ice: One Wife Dead, Another Missing and a Husband on Trial for Murder by Carlton Smith is the tale of the unlucky wives of Chicago area policeman Drew Peterson. Poor guy. He just can’t catch a break.
Murder in Italy: The Shocking Slaying of a British Student, the Accused American Girl, and an International Scandal by Candace Dempsey. The story of Amanda Knox who was convicted in Italy of murdering her roommate, was she guilty, framed or a victim herself? This will put you in a front-row seat at her trial. Decide for yourself.
A Date with Death: The Secret Life of the Accused “Craigslist Killer.” Author Michele McPhee gives us an inside look at the handsome young med student accused of a murder. I wonder if the author interviewed his attractive blonde fiancée. I’d like to hear her side of the story.
In addition to all these newly written crime stories, there are plenty of oldies, but goodies on the library shelves. Two of the very best books written in this genre are In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and Helter Skelter: The True Story of The Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi.
If you take your crime vicariously, stop by the library and look over what we have to offer!

Lists

2010-12-31T12:03:00.000-08:00

At the end of the year, library list-servs and message boards are always full of librarians’ lists of favorite books of the past year. Librarians like to outdo one another with odd book titles that the rest of us have never heard of. I think it makes them feel smart to have read something peculiar. I also think that if a librarian claims to find great value in a book that nobody else read, it makes the money spent to buy that library book seem less foolish.
Me (I?), I’m a pretty ordinary reader. If it’s on the New York Times Bestsellers List, I probably read it and loved it, or at least plan on reading and loving it. Two of the best books I read in 2010 weren’t brand new. The Book Thief was a terrific story of World War II Germany told through the voice of a young, female narrator. I also loved Driftless by David Rhodes. I heard Rhodes speak at a library conference. He said that he was inspired to write the book after attending the funeral of a friend. It was there he realized that each of the attendees knew the deceased in a different way. A couple of brand new books I enjoyed were Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: A Novel by Tom Franklin. The title refers to the way kids learn to spell Mississippi. The other book is Room by Emma Donoghue. These are both mysteries and are “must reads” for any mystery fan.
When I polled the library staff for their favorite 2010 books, I received a motley, assorted list of titles. Oddly enough, two suggestions from two different staff members involve elephants: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and Hannah’s Dream by Diane Hammond. The only other animal book that made anyone’s list is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. The narrator in that one is Enzo, a lab-mix. He is the side-kick of a race car driver. Even a non-dog lover would like this story about love, parenthood and following one’s dreams.
One librarian discovered author Pat Conroy this year. Several of his novels made it to her top ten list. The library owns his newest one, South of Broad. It is a good, if not particularly plausible story. Any group of high school friends that had that many shared major events and catastrophes would never make it to adulthood.
Books by many of the standard, popular writers made our lists: Danielle Steel, Jude Deveraux, Phillipa Gregory, Nora Roberts and Barbara Delinsky, for example. A couple of classics were mentioned: Giants in the Earth and To Kill a Mockingbird. And, lots and lots of mysteries by Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, Andrew Gross and Preston & Childs.
A library patron just stopped by the office. Her favorites of 2010 included Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. Not coincidentally, Crow Lake will be our February reading group selection for Humboldt Reads!. The January choice is Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos. We will meet January 20 at Vinny’s at 5:30 to discuss it, so you still have plenty of time to get it read.
Whatever your reading mood, there’s a book for that at your library.

Old Andrew

2010-12-22T12:46:00.001-08:00

Last week I read a book review that brought back such disturbing memories that I wanted to run home and pull the covers over my head. This book brought back one of those humiliating moments when I was forced to face the fact that I’m not really as smart or well-read as I like to think I am.
One frigid early January day when I worked at the Denison library, an older woman, a farm-wife who only came into town for library books and livestock feed approached me at the front desk. She had a list of ten or so book titles. She handed it to me and asked if I could find these books somewhere or other and borrow them through the state interlibrary loan program. I replied that I would do my best. The books were mostly fifty to one hundred years old and a little difficult to acquire. When the first one arrived, she came in promptly to pick it up.
“Oh, I’m so excited to get started on this” she said. “You see, I decided to study up on Andrew Jackson’s cabinet as my winter project.” Andrew Jackson’s cabinet? That type of intellectual curiosity just leaves me dumbfounded. I could (maybe) tell you in what century Jackson lived, but nothing else I ever learned about him comes to mind.
This new book is A Being So Gentle: The Frontier Love Story of Rachel and Andrew Jackson. Now that’s a title that catches my eye! It was enough of a clue to Jackson’s life that I googled him and read a short internet encyclopedia biography. Rachel and Andy were rather “free thinkers” of their day. The fact that they married while Rachel was still married to another man was quite the scandal. Eventually she was persuaded to obtain the first divorce in the (young) history of the state of Kentucky and remarry Jackson in a legitimate ceremony. Jackson fought thirteen duels, several over his wife’s honor. Charles Dickinson was the only man he ever killed in a duel, but not before Dickinson shot him near the heart. It was said about Jackson that he was shot so frequently in duels that he “rattled like a bag of marbles.”
Jackson was heartbroken when his beloved Rachel died a few weeks before he took office. He wrote the following inscription for her tombstone:
"Here lie the remains of Mrs. Rachel Jackson, wife of President Jackson, who died the 22d of December, 1828, aged 61. Her face was fair, her person pleasing, her temper amiable, and her heart kind; she was delighted in relieving the wants of her fellow creatures, and cultivated that divine pleasure by the most liberal and unpretending methods; to the poor she was a benefactor; to the rich an example; to the wretched a comforter; to the prosperous an ornament; her piety went hand in hand with her benevolence, and she thanked her Creator for being permitted to do good. A being so gentle and yet so virtuous, slander might wound but could not dishonor. Even death, when he tore her from the arms of her husband, could but transport her to the bosom of her God."
So, when it comes in, I’ll read that book, and perhaps feel a little more confident in my knowledge of Andrew Jackson. However, I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from hearing my younger sister say recently “I just read the best biography of Genghis Khan.”

2010-12-17T10:26:00.001-08:00

Last week, all week long I looked forward to finding time to pop open the December issue of Library Journal. LJ isn’t the sort of magazine that can be paged through in a few minutes. I need a stretch of quiet time, a cup of coffee, and a bright orange highlighter when I open my copy, don’t you?
I paged through the articles looking for whatever information might apply to our public library. This issue was devoted to library architectural projects that opened in 2010. Most of them are huge academic libraries or public libraries in big cities that have more in common with an airplane hangar than with our cozy building.
I scanned an article about an upcoming American Library Association meeting in San Diego. Big time authors will be there…Stewart O’Nan, Kathy Reichs and Ted Danson. Ted Danson? He’s that guy from Cheers, isn’t he? Sam Malone. Apparently as he grew older, Ted became an environmental activist with a new book about to be published. They will have to enjoy the California sunshine without me. I’ll be here shoveling.
Along about page 84 I came to the heart of the magazine….the book reviews. The first section is a prepublication alert. These are books that have created some buzz in the book industry and among those lucky folk who have access to advance reader copies. These book reviews end with statements like “Bought in a two-book deal at a hotly contested publisher’s auction” and “A real thought-provoker for book clubs” and “Essential for thriller collections.” I highlighted about one in four reviews in that section of the magazine. Those I will order for sure. A few more I marked with a question mark. Those books I will look up on Amazon.com to get a glimpse of the book cover, if it is available. Although we hear “don’t judge a book by its cover” we all do it anyway. If the cover has a robot or alien on it, nobody will pick it up and give it a chance. If a book has a muscle-bound hero and a damsel in distress on its cover, no one will check it out unless it is a small paperback that can be easily hidden from view. If a book has a fighter plane or battle ship on the cover, most women will pass right over it.
In addition to the book covers, I need to worry about the binding. I’ve written before about how library patrons will pass right over those “trade” paperbacks. They are the larger sized ones, not the kind found on a revolving rack at a truck stop. Over and over I try to explain that these aren’t (necessarily) inferior books. They can be by unknown authors. The publisher hopes it will be a big seller, but just isn’t sure enough to spring for the added expense of a hard binding. Other times it might be a terrific book that appeals to a smaller “niche” audience. Sometimes that “niche” might just be people who are smarter than average. That’s the niche I’m striving for!
Once again, I’ve been swayed by very promising book reviews for “trade paperbacks”. I’m going to throw a bunch of them in a basket and invite you all to join my niche and give a book a chance, at your library.

More About E-readers

2010-11-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

I’ve had even more questions about electronic readers, those e-book things. Several people want to surprise a loved one with an e-reader for Christmas. I will tell you what little I know. Keep in mind, I have not ever used any of them, so I’m not endorsing particular products.
The most well-know e-reader is the Kindle. It is sold in several models at Amazon.com. The only books that can be downloaded into a Kindle must come from Amazon. They must be purchased from the Amazon website. Other brands such as the Sony E-reader and the Nook sold by Barnes and Noble are compatible with books sold on their websites and with books available (for free) from NEIBORS , on the library website. Remember Beta and VHS? Reel to reel and 8-Track? It’s the same idea. Different, incompatible formats.
Before you purchase an e-reader, or put one on your own Christmas list, do a little research. The various formats of e-readers (and audio book devices, too) is explained on the NEIBORS website. You can reach it through the library’s website www.humboldtpubliclibrary.com or go directly to http://neibors.lib.overdrive.com .
Our last Humboldt Reads! book discussion for the year was held last week at Rustix. The book we read was The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. It was an interesting book, originally published for young adult readers. It takes place in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. The narrator of the story is Death. Oddly enough, by the end of the book, Death has turned out to almost be likeable. If you missed reading it in time for the book discussion, there are still copies available at the library. The crowd at our book discussion varies from month to month. Newcomers are always appreciated.
The book for the next discussion is the All Iowa Reads Book of 2011. It is chosen each year by the Iowa Center for the Book. This year’s choice is Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos. Copies of the book will be available soon at the library. We will meet for dinner and book discussion on January 20, at Vinny’s at 5:30pm. Sing Them Home is the story of a trio of adult siblings who gather in their Nebraska home town when their father suddenly dies. These three have lived with unresolved grief since their mother disappeared during a tornado when they were young. Entertainment Weekly magazine says that “the ending may leave you feeling so wistful for these strange, sad people that you find yourself fantasizing about a trip to Nebraska.”
It must be one powerful book. When Iowa is home, why would anyone want to visit Nebraska? Whatever your dreams, make them come true at your library.

2010-11-05T14:55:00.001-07:00

Non-fiction or nonfiction is an account, narrative, or representation of a subject which an author presents as fact. This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question. However, it is generally assumed that the authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition.
This, according to Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia, is the definition of nonfiction. Lots of library users never cross the aisle to read nonfiction. I understand why they might feel that way. There are so many new books published each month that even a dedicated reader can’t get through all the books that he or she might like to read. Why step over to the nonfiction section and add even more books to our “to read” lists?
I try to mix up my reading. Some from every section of the library every so often. Not only does it help me when choosing new books for the library, but it adds to my life experience. I hope that it makes me more compassionate to read about those with difficult lives. I hope to be motivated to appreciate life more. I hope to learn how to do something new or learn how to do something better. Below are just a few of the newest nonfiction books at the library.
The Beauty of Love: A Memoir of Miracles, Hope and Healing by Laura and Jorge Posada. Jorge is a professional baseball player, Laura is an attorney. Their first child, Jorge Luis, was born with craniosynostosis, a birth defect that causes an abnormally shaped skull. This book is their story of the challenges of his diagnosis and treatment.
You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know: A True Story of Family, Face Blindness, and Forgiveness by Heather Sellers. One time Heather ran up and kissed a stranger in the airport, thinking it was her husband. Can you imagine what it must be like to be unable to reliably recognize faces? It’s an illness with which I was unfamiliar. Prosopagnosia, or face blindness, may result from a severe brain injury, but 2.5% of the population has an inherited form.
The Art of Comforting: What to Say and Do for People in Distress by Val Walker. We all have felt helpless at the suffering of another human being at one time or another. This gentle little book will help us draw on our character strengths to provide just the right kind of comfort the occasion calls for.
A Brilliant Darkness: The Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Ettore Majorana, the Troubled Genius of the Nuclear Age by Joao Magueijo. Majorana was among the group of scientist who accidentally discovered nuclear fission in 1934. In 1938, he boarded a ship and was never seen again. His mother never gave up on his return. When she died many years later, in her nineties, she left him a share of her estate.
Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-Proof Girls in the Early Grades by Michelle Anthony and Reyna Lindert. Every mother of daughters could have used this book at one time or another. If your daughters are still in elementary school, it’s not too late to be pro-active by giving your child the skills she’ll need to face growing up female.
The Cure for the Chronic Life: Overcoming the Hopelessness That Holds You Back by Deanna Favre and Shane Stanford. A forty-day spiritual treatment plan to guide you out of hopelessness. If the rumors about Mrs. Favre’s famous husband are true, she’s probably a real expert on recovery from hopelessness. I’m curious to read what she has to offer.
The Grace of Silence: A Memoir by Michele Norris. Norris is a radio and television commentator. She earned both an Emmy and a Peabody award for her coverage of 9/11 for ABC news. In this book she traced her family’s roots to the deep south and unearthed some painful family secrets.
Whatever you need to learn, start at your library. There’s a book for that!

2010-10-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

The library has lots and lots of computers. Lots and lots of people use them. Every month more than 700 people use the library computers. Some are writing resumes, some checking out Facebook, some play solitaire. Whatever the rest of us do on our home and office computers, other folks do on the library computers.
When I moved to Humboldt almost nine years ago, we had three public computers upstairs in the adult and teen department. After awhile, we scooched those computers closer together and added two more. Soon five wasn’t enough so we added wireless internet (which means the computer doesn’t need to be plugged into a phone line) and bought two laptop computers that we use for especially busy times. When seven wasn’t enough, we bought two more for a high table without chairs. These will do in a pinch for patrons who “just need to check their email” or something else relatively quick. I wouldn’t want to stand there and write a research paper or balance my checkbook, ‘though.
We have finally reached capacity. I guess we could add more laptops, but anyone using them might be hard-pressed to find a comfortable chair to sit in some days. Also, when the battery is low the laptop needs to be in reach of an electrical socket.
What we have done to ease the strain, is add a new feature to our system. It’s called Envisionware. We bought this software product, something that I can’t see or touch, and had our local IT service install it. Unlike some other new gismos, this one is fairly user (librarian) friendly. What it does is lock the public computers. When someone comes in to use them, the user must log in with his/her library card number. Then, the user will receive up to one hour of computer time per day. This smart invisible system knows if you have a big fine or overdue books. You’ll be sent away to pay your debt to society before it allows you to use the computer.
Envisionware does require a Humboldt Public Library card. If someone comes to town to visit Granny for a few days, we will be happy to issue a guest pass that will allow the same computer privileges as a library card holder. I suppose that someone could come in and pretend to be passing through town and ask for a guest pass. That will work once or twice, but when we catch on you will be required to have a card.
Last week, we had a fairly new resident who hesitates to get a library card because “a bunch” of women are out to get him to pay back child support. I’m not sure how they could track him down through a library card; we don’t register them with any Big Brother Main Library or the IRS. We told the gentleman that it was his decision to make. He can continue hiding out and not use the library computers or man-up to his responsibilities and do things the right way. His choice, at your library.

What'sup @ the library

2010-09-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

Things are just hopping at the library! I have a few upcoming activities to tell you about. First is our loosely constructed book club, Humboldt Reads! We meet today, September 23 to discuss Driftless. If you haven’t read it, that’s ok- join us anyway. Rustix at 5:30. If that isn’t enough notice for you, try next month. We are going to discuss To Kill a Mockingbird on October 21, at 5:30 at Rustix.
This is the 50th anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird. If you haven’t read it since high school, pick up a copy at the library and join us for our book discussion. I always intend to re-read it every five years. I’m several decades behind on that plan. In November we will read and discuss The Book Thief. That one will also be held at Rustix on November 18th.We usually move around town to various restaurants, but right now we owe Rustix a huge favor. In September we hosted a meeting of 15 or so children’s librarians. When Sarah phoned to reserve a table for lunch, she found out that Rustix is closed at lunch time. But, they graciously opened just for our group! Isn’t that a neighborly gesture? We appreciated it!
Something new we have planned for grownups is Thrilling Tales. It’s a storytime for adults. From October through March, we’ll have an exciting story for you to listen to on the 3rd Friday of each month at 12:05pm at the library. If you are on your lunch hour, we promise to have you out in time to get back to work by 1pm. Bring your lunch in with you, if you like. We’ll have the coffee pot on. The Seattle Public Library has offered programs like this for several years. I thought it would be worth trying here, too. If nothing else, the staff is having quite an adventure reading and choosing stories to be read at the sessions. Mark it on your calendar and join us for the first Thrilling Tale on October 15 at noon.
There are two more programs remaining in our travel series. Join us on October 21 for a vicarious visit to Kenya led by John and Denise Hartford and a trip to India led by Susan Tomlinson on November 11. Each program will begin at 7pm. If you are interested in our new BYKI online language learning program, be sure to come early to the November 11 program. Paul Gillespie from Recorded Books will be here at 6pm to help you get signed up for BYKI. You will need to come in and get one of our beautiful new library cards first. The cards have a photo of our lovely old building and its crab apple tree in full bloom, so you’ll want one even if you aren’t a library user! On program nights we’ll leave the north door open for you!
New at your library:
We just received extra copies of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and extra copies of Hunger Games young adult series. If your name is on the list for one of these books, the wait will be a little shorter now.
New on DVD:
Letters to Juliet
Our Family Wedding
Marmaduke
City Island
Just Wright Prince of Persia

Never Judge a Book By Its Movie

2010-09-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

The book display at the library right now reads “Never Judge a Book By Its Movie.” Of course, it’s a word play on last week’s topic “Never Judge a Book By Its Cover”, but with a twist. Just as an illustrator can never quite accurately convey the tone and feeling of a written work onto its two dimensional book jacket, a script writer can never take a book and adequately turn it into a movie. The finished product may be terrific, but it is a different product, just not the same as the book.
Reading a book and enjoying it requires an imagination. One needs the ability to see the settings and characters in one’s head. An engrossed reader will hear the words spoken. I know this because on occasion I have answered aloud a question posed by a character in a book and I’ve screamed back at a literary villain or two over the years.
My youngest child had an imaginary friend, Cousin Freddy. Years after Cousin Freddy had stopped showing up around the dinner table, the whole family had a conversation about what he might have looked like. We had five different imaginary versions in our heads. None of our‘s even vaguely resembled the vision Cousin Freddy’s creator had in mind. I was rather startled to find that the little boy I had fed and tucked into bed for years wasn’t a redhead in overalls.
Imagine what it must feel like for an author to sit in a theater and see his/her work come to life on the big screen? Will the appearance of the actors in the movie surprise or disturb the author? I’ve read that Meryl Streep has signed on to star in the film version of Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. Assuming that she is scheduled to play the librarian (and not the cat), it’s an odd bit of casting. Dewey author and Spencer, Iowa librarian Vicky Myron is about my size, my height, my age. Oh, never mind. I understand. I, too, always wanted to be a tall willowy blonde.
Several movies coming out this fall are based on recent books. Eat, Pray, Love is in theaters right now. I tried unsuccessfully to read the book. I was irritated with the heroine who was attempting to heal a broken heart with exotic travel adventures. I wanted to tell her “Just get over it. Countless generations of us have been able to mend without a trip to Bali.” The book was a bestseller, and now a movie, so perhaps, my opinion is not shared by very many.
Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist is the story of two teens that discover the body of a teenage boy. One of the book reviews states that its “part revenge fantasy, part horror story and part police investigation gone wrong.”
The Romantics by Galt Niederhoffer is about Laura and Lila, college roommates. One girl, the maid of honor for the other, has long-hidden and complicated feelings for the groom and it seems that the groom may not be ready for the walk down the aisle, either.
The American by Martin Booth. George Clooney stars in this one-need I say more? It was previously published as A Very Private Gentleman.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. The story o f three English boarding school students now all grown up. This one is by the author of The Remains of the Day.
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. Juli first flipped for Bryce in the second grade. Six years later life is slightly more complicated.
Whatever you are in the mood for---movies, books or audio books, you’ll find what you are looking for at your library.

Meetings.....

2010-08-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

An organization I to which I belong had its regular meeting last week in Charles City. This group is called LINC. It stands for Libraries in North Central (Iowa). It is a legitimate group composed of the directors of the larger libraries in our part of the state. However, its by-laws include such items as:
PURPOSE
A. To share ideas, information and experiences among the administrators of member libraries.
B. To develop and promote administrative level continuing education opportunities.
C. To write and administer cooperative grants or preferably to encourage others to write and administer them for us.
D. To have lunch at every restaurant of acceptable quality in North Central Iowa.
So, although we do meet to share ideas and plan for the future of library service in our area, we also enjoy one another's company and have a good time in the process. This meeting had a rather somber tone. Two of the long time directors were attending for the very last time. Virginia Ruzicka of Charles City and Carol Bailey from Belmond are retiring. Virginia's acerbic sense of irony has kept us laughing through the worst of times and Carol has led us all by example in her quiet, gracious manner. I have traveled to conferences around the country with each of them. Librarians make the very best traveling companions. As a group we are patient and resourceful and not easily flustered. I will miss both of them. Each in her own way was kind and nurturing to me when I was new at my job and uncertain where to begin.

Barb Shultz, area administrator, shared information she learned at a meeting held earlier last week in Pleasant Hill. It appears that the state library's proposal to roll the library service areas into the state library will come to pass. The state legislature issued a request (demand?) last year that a plan be developed to spend less, while delivering comparable service to Iowa libraries. Apparently, this innovative new plan will save around $22,000 of a multi-million budget. The library service areas furnish us with invaluable advice, moral support and information that make every librarian's job easier and improve library service to all Iowans. I'm afraid this is a glaring example of that old adage "penney-wise, pound foolish."

On a brighter note, we learned all about our new language learning program, BYKI. If you are interested in learning to speak another language, contact the library to get signed up. After that one visit to the library, you will be free to go through the lessons on your home computer as fast or as slowly as you like. It is an amazing program and would have been unaffordable to a library our size without the help of Barb Shultz at North Central Library Service Area. Barb formed a consortium to give us group buying power. The Recorded Books Company, the provider of BYKI, had never supplied this service through a consortium before, but was willing to work with us to make it available to north central libraries. I'm working through the lessons in Spanish. I'm learning lots-mostly how much one can forget in 30 or 40 years.

You can read about BYKI and more in our newsletter found on the library's webpage www.humboldtpubliclibrary.com Just click on Bookmarks.

2010-08-12T12:47:00.001-07:00

Last week a couple of our former library kids got married. I’ve lived in Humboldt almost nine years and I watched these two grow from middle school to married couple. Kayla was a member of our Teen Advisory Board for several years. Adam was our hero when we first started video games at the library. Dance, Dance, Revolution was our first adventure into gaming. Adam knew all about it and the younger kids thought if DDR had Adam’s approval, it must be socially acceptable. Those two helped get our teen library corner and programs off the ground. We are grateful for their contributions.
Attending that wedding made me realize that this is probably the time of year I ought to tell you about wedding-planning resources at the library. I usually don’t think about it until late spring when the invitations begin to arrive in the mail. By then, summer weddings are all planned. It’s too late for the library to help out.
First, we have a subscription to Brides magazine. Sure, like any other magazine, this one is chock full of advertising. Isn’t that the fun of all fashion magazines? Even a bride on a budget can drool over the designer gowns and track down a less expensive version. Any mother of a bride could tell you that bridal magazines are expensive. Check out an armload of them at the library when planning gets underway.
One of my favorite wedding guides is Wedding Goddess: A Divine Guide to Transforming Wedding Stress into Wedding Bliss by Laurie Sue Brockway. This book is about five years old, but it hasn’t lost any of its punch. It divides the whole process into do-able chapters, beginning with a “What Is your Bridal Personality” quiz to get you started off in the right direction. A Wedding Goddess is a Bridezilla but with more grace and poise. The bride will still have the perfect day of her dreams, but she accomplishes it with tact and a winsome smile.
Green Wedding: Planning Your Eco-Friendly Celebration by Mireya Navarro is filled by ecologically sound suggestions such as : the invitations shouldn’t require trees to die, and the food should be local, seasonal and should never have said “moo”. Some of the photos in this book scream “hippy, dippy wedding” or “I got married in a cow pasture”, but many of them don’t. Many of them are gracious and classy. Whatever your style, it never hurts to hug a tree.
How to Plan Your Own Wedding and Save Thousands Without Going Crazy by Tracy Leigh is another one to consult. It’s loaded with charts and checklists. There is a short list of duties for every member of the wedding party and lots of I-probably-wouldn’t-have-thought-about it lists, such as the right time of day and location for various styles of tuxedoes.
Colin Cowie Wedding Chic: 1001 Ideas for Every Moment of Your Celebration is worth looking through for no other reason than to appreciate the lovely photos. No one I know can afford to do the stuff in this book (cuffs for the reception room drapes made of a particular variety of roses?), but it is full of many wonderful ideas that could be adapted to any budget.
The Portable Wedding Consultant by Leah Ingram is full of the practical stuff. Rules and rules of thumb for almost any decision a bride or groom may be required to make. One thoughtful nugget I read in this one says “Remember that planning the wedding is a dress rehearsal for the rest of your life.” I think that must mean that if all the members of each family are still speaking to all the members of the other family when the wedding is over, the marriage may have a pretty good chance at success.
Stop by the library. We will start you off down the aisle on the right foot.

2010-07-30T12:37:00.001-07:00

Last week the Humboldt Reads! book group met to discuss The First Desire by Nancy Reisman. It was the 27th book we’ve discussed. I’ll confess, I didn’t finish this one. I wanted to, I intended to, but I didn’t . Often when I give up on a book, someone will tell me that I should have stuck it out a few more pages because it got “really good” later on. No one said that about The First Desire. Only one of the participants loved it. She was impressed by the author’s use of language to describe characters. I think I can appreciate a good turn of phrase as well as the next reader, but please, give me a plot to go along with the pretty words!
The book choices for Humboldt Reads! took a turn down a pretty rocky road a year or so ago when I began to choose books I wanted to read, but hadn’t read yet. I grew tired of the necessity of re-reading a book so that I could remember enough about it for a discussion. I thought if I chose something I hadn’t read yet, I could experience it for the first time with the other discussers. Unfortunately, there are plenty of potholes and bad books on that road.
Our next book is Driftless by David Rhodes. It is a little longer than most of the books we choose, so we are going to skip an August meeting and convene on September 23 at Rustix at 5:30 for our book discussion. Grab a copy, give it a try and join us for dinner on the 23rd. I hope enough of us finish it so we can have a really good discussion.
The October Humboldt Reads! book is To Kill a Mockingbird. 2010 is the 50th anniversary of its publication. Although most everyone over the age of 12 has read it, how many of us have read it lately? It’s worth reading at least once per decade. It will be interesting to see if this year’s impressions of it will be any different than the other times we’ve read it.
For November I’ve chosen The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. It has been a really big hit with the teen crowd for awhile. More and more frequently an adult comes in looking for it on the recommendation of a friend or relative. It seems a bunch of book clubs in the Cities have read it and shared their enthusiasm with those of us in the hinterlands.
Humboldt Reads! is a book club without a membership list. People come and go. Last time we had two people attend for the first time. Some attendees have been coming since the very first. The crowd varies from 5-15 people. We always have a good time. Stop by the library for a copy of Driftless and join us at Rustix on September 23. I’ll save you a seat.

2010-07-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

I read an article last week on the National Public Radio website titled “Why The Next Big Pop-Culture Wave After Cupcakes Might Be Libraries.” Who knew cupcakes were at high-tide? Then, again, who doesn’t love ‘em? Can’t the same be said for libraries?
The reasons listed in the article for the growing popularity of libraries are as follows:
Libraries get in fights. Libraries stand up for your rights to information and your right to privacy about the information you seek. Libraries stand up to the powers-that-be for adequate funding to provide you with the goods and services you require. Apparently today’s librarians have a “pleasantly plucky” quality.
Librarians know stuff. The article states that as the words “geek” and “nerd” have lost their negative connotation, so have librarians. It’s no long embarrassing to “know stuff”. (Well, it’s about time!) Truly, it isn’t that librarians know everything, so much as it is that we know where to start looking to find it. And whom to ask for help if we can’t find it ourselves.
Libraries will give you things for free. We don’t actually give stuff away, we just make it available for borrowing. Cancel your Netflix account, stop ordering boxes full of books from Amazon! The library will loan you almost anything you want to read or view free of charge. Who doesn’t like free?
Libraries are green and local. Can’t argue with that one, either. Is it ecologically sound for each of us to purchase every book Nicholas Sparks spits out? No, of course not. We buy a few copies at the library and take turns with anyone in town who is interested. What is on the library shelves is chosen locally just for us. No big-box retail executive in New York sending out our reading material. A local library selects what its users want, not what someone else wants us to want to read.
Libraries are open to the public. The author of the article writes that “some days, you really have to wonder about people.” Perhaps in some libraries, but not ours. Our library is where you see the best in people. Everyone here adores little Kate who comes in with her mother to ride our alligator (elevator). We appreciate the curmudgeonly attitudes of the daily newspaper readers, except when they snore. Our library is Humboldt’s living room but without a tv and with more personal interaction.
There seems to be a preposterous level of goodwill. No one doesn’t like libraries. Even the goofiest of YouTube videos, if it is about libraries, will engender warm fuzzy feelings. One Humboldt snowbird told me this story: She was in the Minneapolis airport waiting for the last leg of the trip bringing her back to Humboldt after an Arizona winter. Her cell phone rang. It was the Humboldt Public Library with a book on hold for her. We pretty well know her schedule and we start reserving her favorite authors when we know she is on her way home. Janet said “that’s a small town, for you.” Not really, that’s just libraries.
Be sure to check out the Lady Gaga-inspired YouTube video on our website, www.humboldtpubliclibrary.com. Click on the Bookmarks Newsletter. You will see librarians in a whole new light.

Summer Mysteries

2010-06-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

For the past 102 years, your face has been your passport to the all the materials in the library. Recently we have added an actual, physical library card. If you don’t wish to carry a library card around, your smile will still work to check out books, movies and stuff. But, if you want to use all the fancy frills on our webpage you will need a real card with a barcode. Soon, all those who use our library computers will need a card, too. Our computers are used around seven hundred times each month, so even allowing for repeat users, that’s a lot of folk who may need to sign up for a card. If you or someone you know might want to use our public computers, get your card soon. There may be a big rush at the front desk when that aspect of the program kicks in.
Anyone interested in genealogy or updating your scrapbooks might want to check out http://humboldtpl.newspaperarchive.com. It is an archive of the first 130 (or so) years of Humboldt newspapers. It’s searchable by name and/or date. The content of the archive is based upon the microfilm of the old newspapers, so some of the images aren’t quite perfect. It’s loads of fun to look at the ads for various businesses around town and to read about the issues of eras past. You will need the user name of “humboldtpl” and the password “archive.” There is also a link on our webpage www.humboldtpubliclibrary.com.
Even if you don’t need anything, check out our webpage occasionally. Steve Bohan does such a nice job of keeping it up to date. He even adds a waving flag for each country we visit on our “Tour the World” travel programs. Also, you will find dates, times and location for all library programs. Check us out!
New True Stories @your library:
Denial: A Memoir of Terror by Jessica Stern. The author is a world expert on terrorism and holds a doctorate from Harvard University in public policy. In 1973, 15 year old Jessica and her 14 year old sister were raped at gun point in their Massachusetts home. The girls buried their trauma until a police lieutenant re-opened the case 30 years later.
I am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman’s Journey to Reclaim Her Heritage by Mary-Ann Kirkby. Mary-Ann was born into a reclusive, religious Hutterite colony in Manitoba, Canada. In 1969, her parents left the colony with their seven children to start a new life. She had never heard of Walt Disney, never ridden a bicycle or tasted macaroni and cheese. The transition into popular culture was overwhelming. This is a story about retracing steps and understanding how our beginnings can define us.
Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home by Laura Ling and Lisa Ling. Laura Ling and a colleague were working on a documentary about North Korean defectors when they were apprehended and imprisoned by North Korean soldiers. Laura writes of their capture and incarceration, while her sister Lisa writes of the efforts to secure their release.
New Fiction @your library:
Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo. This is the second book in a series of fictional thrillers about a small, mostly Amish community in Pennsylvania. The chief of police is the formerly Amish herself, Kate Burkholder. This one is the story of the Plank Family who recently moved to the area. On a cold October night, the entire family of seven was found slaughtered. If this one is checked out, try the first one: Sworn to Silence. It will keep you up all night!
Snowbound by Blake Crouch. I don’t know a thing about this book except what I read on the cover. It received a terrific review in Booklist magazine and several of my favorite mystery authors, John Hart, John Lescroart and Gregg Hurwitz filled the back cover with glowing praise. We have his earlier book, Abandon, too.
If you are looking for suspense, whether fact or fiction, there’s a book for that @your library.

2010-06-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

It’s summer again and June is summer’s most perfect month in Iowa. It’s warm enough that I want to be outside all day, every day, but not so hot that I can’t enjoy it once I’m out there. June is the perfect month for outdoor projects of all kinds.
A new book, Back Yard Recreation Projects, arrived last week. It’s just full of all sorts of projects, from a simple “Classic Tree Swing” to the more complicated pools, spas and tree houses. One of my daughters grew up with an enormous maple tree outside her Kentucky bedroom window. She spent an entire summer in the mid 1980s drawing plans for a playhouse to be built in that tree. She had plans to connect the tree house to her room with a swinging gangplank. She also had plans that I would build all this for her. She’s my third child and I had learned a thing or two while raising her brothers. I told Anne that I would gladly build it, but, she was responsible for financing the project. After a quick call to the lumber yard for a price check, she decided that by the time she held enough lemonades stands to pay for the tree house, she would be too old to play in it. I hope she never sees this book-she might try to hold me to the promise as there are instructions for some delightfully charming structures.
Those brothers of hers could also have profited from this book. They spent many a summer afternoon constructing a neighborhood skateboard ramp. There was always at least one component that they couldn’t scrounge from garages on the block. That would leave the whole apparatus too shaky and wobbly to hold up the smallest neighbor kid. Plans for a very sturdy version are available in the book along with plans and rules for many other games. Ever wondered how to play Bocce Ball? This book’s for you!
Another favorite outdoor summer activity is cooking on the grill. The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook by Robb Walsh is crammed full of funny anecdotes and 85 recipes. They range from the very simple (sounding) Armadillo Eggs and Atomic Deer Turds (don’t jump to conclusions) to the more complicated Republic of the Rio Grande Grilled Tuna and Grapefruit Supreme Salad. Tex-Mex Asado de Puerco requires 24 ingredients and a whole day to cook, but , wow, does it sound yummy.
If gardening is more your idea of summer fun, give a good look at Bloom’s Best Perennials and Grasses by Adrian Bloom. There are lots of photos to give a gardener some good ideas of varieties that go and grow together well. Choosing plants whose appearance and growth requirements are complementary is an art that can escape even the most serious gardener.
If you are in need of some serious summer inspiration, stop by the library…….there’s a book for that!

2010-05-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

The library staff has asked that I thank everyone for your patience as we stumble our way through the first weeks with our new system. Library users are being very kind and understanding. We promise to improve!
Don’t forget our Summer Preview Party tomorrow, May 7. Outdoor games for kids at 1:00 pm, ice cream for everyone at 2:00 pm and a rock n’ roll concert at 3:00. If it rains, we’ll have it on May 21st instead.
Also, another big event coming up is the Library Foundation’s annual pie event. This year we will have actor Duffy Hudson’s Einstein show. It is at 7:00 pm May 14 at Morehouse Hall. Tickets are $5.00. They are on sale at the library and at the door. Duffy promises that one does not have to understand mathematics to enjoy the program. Remember: buy a ticket for the event and pie and coffee afterwards are part of the package. No better deal in town!
May 20th, at 7:00 pm at the Springvale Room in the library, we will take a tour of Norway with our own Vivien Hansen as our guide. Viv used to regale us with stories of her Norwegian travels, so I know we will all have a good time. Please join us-everyone is welcome.
New @ the library:
Jenniemae & James: A Memoir in Black & White by Brooke Newman. The author’s father, James Newman, was a famous mathematician and a friend of Albert Einstein. Jenniemae was the family’s illiterate African American maid. The book is the story of their unlikely firiendship.
The Ten Things to Do When Your Life Falls Apart: An Emotional and Spiritual Handbook by Daphne Rose Kingma. Who hasn’t needed this book a time or two? I’ll give you a clue…Step One is “Cry Your Heart Out.” Apparently, I’ve been using her method all along!
This Is Not the Story You Think It Is…A Season of Unlikely Happiness: A Memoir by Laura Munson. This book is an expanded version of her essay that appeared in the “Modern Love” column of The New York Times. One of my kids told me about this column and I often read it on line. I missed her essay, but apparently it was very wise and comforting. A hint: the column is not always based on romantic love.
A Twisted Faith: A Minister’s Obsession and the Murder That Destroyed a Church by Gregg Olsen. The body of the wife of young youth minister in Bremerton, Washington was found in the burned remains of her home. It was discovered years later that she was dead before the fire even began. This one is a true story.
Paul and Me: 53 Years of Adventures and Misadventures with My Pal Paul Newman by A. E. Hotchner. Hotchner and Newman met in 1955 and remained friends until Newman’s death. It was the two of them who founded Newman’s Own food company as a prank, only to watch it grow into a major enterprise that has donated all of its $300 million profit to charities.
Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas. This one is fiction. It is the story of an avalanche that destroys everything in its path in Colorado in 1920. Every one of Dallas’s eight earlier books is worth reading, but The Persian Pickle Club is my very favorite. She has a talent of putting her readers into the moment of the book. If this one is checked out when you come in, give one of her others a chance.
The Pallbearers: A Shane Scully Novel by Stephen J. Cannell. Cannell writes terse, hard-bitten crime fiction. They are always a dependably good read. Anyone could put him/her self in the roll of Skully. It’s hard not to feel affection for the guy-he’s had a hard life.
The Mapping of Love and Death: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear. Maisie is the intrepid psychologist/detective heroine of this series set in the 1930s. Her stories are both gripping and satisfying.
The One Amazing Thing: a Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. This short little book had the most amazing reviews in Booklist and Library Journal magazines. It’s the story of nine assorted folk who find themselves trapped in a struggle to survive in an American passport office when an earthquake strikes.
Whether you need a book of inspiration, jubilation, confrontation or friendship, we have just what you need @ your library.

At long last, Beacon!

2010-04-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Next week the library will be closed Monday through Thursday while we install a new library system. I’m dreading it the way I dreaded teaching my kids to drive. My kids all learned and we will live through this transformation. While my girls still aren’t really comfortable with a standard transmission, I hope we will learn to love our new system.

Our library adopted an automated, computerized library system in 1992. It is a no-frills, workhorse of a system that is showing its age. The company that sold the system is no longer supporting it. It’s as if I were driving the same old van I drove in 1992 and GM no longer makes fan belts to fit.

Beacon is a new library system consortium. Approximately 100 school and public libraries in north central Iowa have gone together to purchase a system with all the bells and whistles that would have been prohibitively expensive for each individual library. Beacon will have lots of modern advantages for librarians such as email patron notification, simplified cataloging and a streamlined check-in, check-out system. Once Beacon is installed and running, patrons in the library will not notice any difference.

Patrons using the library’s webpage will see lots of differences. You will be able to log into your account, see what you have checked out, see when items are due, renew books online, and create lists of books you’ve read and books you want to read. The online card catalog will feature book covers, best seller lists and the option of searching not only our catalog, but the catalogs of all member libraries. Once Humboldt patrons have an actual library card they will be able to use our card at any Beacon library.

As of last week, the library has halted dvd checkout until the new system is in place. We didn’t want you to be racking up movie fines while we learned to operate the new system. We do have a large selection of donated dvds which we will loan to you on the honor system. Take a couple home with you. Watch and return to trade in for a couple more. The library will be closed next week April 19-22. The whole library staff will go for training for a day and a half. The rest of the time will be spent installing the program and making it operational. We hope to reopen at 10:00 a.m. Friday, April 23, with everything functioning perfectly. Life rarely goes that smoothly and for awhile we will be checking things into both the old system and the new one, to make sure that all checked-in items actually are removed from your account.

Nothing worthwhile comes without challenges. Bear with the library staff as we move into the new system. I promise it will be worth the wait @ your library.

Conferences, conferences

2010-03-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

My Winter of Discontent

2010-02-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

I have just had one of those Rip Van Winkle moments. I feel that I must have fallen asleep and awakened in my office chair in some future decade. Only my messy desk looks the same.
Earlier I was remembering a book my parents read when I was small. I don’t know anything about it except the title. It is called The Winter of Our Discontent. I was thinking that this, of all years, truly IS a winter of discontent. I began to wonder about that book, so I looked it up on Amazon. I typed in the title and hit “search”. I should have remembered to check the category “books”, but I didn’t and my search results sent me into a world where nothing made sense.
The book title was listed first, but then several entries followed it that I didn’t recognize. First was The Winter of Our Discontent/ Echoing Green. After a little research, I found out that Echoing Green is either a global nonprofit organization dedicated to early-stage social sector investing (whatever that means) or a rock group. I chose rock group because I didn’t want to research early-stage social sector. The next entry was The Winter of Our Discontent/Warhammer. I’m scared to look up that one, so I decided it must also be a rock group. The next entry was The Winter of Mixed Drinks by Frightened Rabbit. I couldn’t leave that alone. I was hoping it was a book of recipes of spicy, warm drinks to while away a long winter. Alas, it is another rock group.
If you are an Amazon shopper you will be familiar with the feature on Amazon that says “customers who viewed this also viewed…..”. It is a method of showing you some other related items that Amazon hopes you will buy, too. When I looked up Frightened Rabbit, Amazon suggested I might be interested in tickets to Vampire Weekend. Only $40. Seemed reasonable until I found out it was rock performance in Edmonton, Alberta on March 14. Boy, I’m not that discontent. I was a little more tempted to travel to Miami Beach on April first to see the Arctic Monkeys perform for the same bargain price.
Finally, after 20 minutes of reading everything Amazon randomly threw at me, I did find out that The Winter of Our Discontent is a book written by John Steinbeck in 1962. I would have been old enough to read it, but probably not old enough to appreciate Steinbeck. All that chasing down information is a normal trait for a librarian. We all have found ourselves still researching some bizarre fact long after the person who asked for the information has thanked us and gone home. Librarians just can’t stand not knowing something. That doesn’t mean we will necessarily remember it next time someone asks, but the second time we’ll find it faster.
About half of the library material checked out in Humboldt is children’s material. That means about half of our patrons are children. They are smaller than adults, so you wouldn’t think they would take up much space, but since they don’t stay put, they seem to command about twice as much area. They also produce about triple the decibels. Thus, all these years, early-out-Wednesdays here in Humboldt have been busy enough to try any (and every) librarian’s soul. School dismissed an hour early on Wednesdays, so we had an extra hour of chaos. Now, without asking my permission, the school district has given up early-out-Wednesdays in favor of even earlier-out-Fridays.
Not every week, but sometimes, school will dismiss at 1:00 pm. on Friday. The library closes at 5:30 on Friday. Think what that means to a child who is told “just go to the public library until mommy/daddy gets off work.” He/she/they will be here at least four hours. Is there any four hour stretch of time in a day when a child doesn’t need a snack and some physical activity? Of course not. No one, especially children, can come to the library and behave well for four hours running. The adults begin to snore after an hour or so and the kiddies lose control. Please, please, before you send your young’uns over for us to babysit after school, consider their maturity level. No child is equipped to sit quietly and calmly for long stretches of time. Please don’t ask that of your children. Nor of your library.

2010-02-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

In big city libraries with lots of branches and bookmobiles and fancy stuff, there is an ILS (integrated library system) that connects them all to one another. If you were to go into the Springvale branch, the computerized card catalog could tell you that Gone With the Wind is checked out at Springvale, but both the Dakota City and Jerry Hatcher branches have a copy on the shelf. Those big libraries will also use the ILS to order books, catalog them (put the records of the book into the card catalog) and keep track of how many times Gone With the Wind is checked out.
We aren’t so backward that we don’t have an ILS; we’ve had one in Humboldt since 1992. We just haven’t had a very modern one with all the bells and whistles. Not only is our system of the bare bones variety, the company that sold it to us not longer supports it---the warranty is up. No more customer service. Lots of libraries in our part of the state are in the same situation. We could replace our systems for around $5000 per library. Multiple that by about 50 libraries and we are talking REAL money. Enough money to buy one of those fancy systems. In addition to all of us public libraries, there are many, many schools with the same outdated system.
Hey! Let’s pool our money and buy a real Cadillac of a system! We called our baby BEACON. The schools, including Fort Dodge, began using it last August. Now, it is time to begin to merge the public libraries into BEACON. Every library is different, different books, different movies, different checkout times, different library hours, different everything. Some pretty sophisticated computer programmers were required to make it all work. Now the time has come that we cannot enter any more books into our old system. And, we can’t enter any books into the new system until mid-April.
We add around 300 new items every month. We don’t have enough storage space to stack up boxes and boxes of new books, magazines and movies until April, so we came up with a sort of work-around method to carry us through. It is very old fashioned and not at all without flaws. We will probably create a real muddle to pull ourselves out of come spring.
The Bestsellers Club is a program at our library that allows readers to sign up for every new book written by particular authors. Just fill out a short form and we will always put you on the waiting list for a new James Patterson or Danielle Steel book. You will never miss a new Nicholas Sparks or Stephen King again.
Are you beginning to see our problem? Since we won’t be able to enter new books until BEACON is up and running, we won’t be able to put your favorite books on reserve for you. We don’t want to just stack them up in a corner and deal with them in April-we buy books so that people can read them. For the duration, all Bestsellers will be up for grabs. We will try to shelve them together in one spot for you. There will be no new waiting lists. If you are on the list for a book that we already have in the library, great. We’ll call you when it’s your turn. But, if a new book comes in that should have a waiting list, it won’t.
If we could figure out any other way to do this, we would. We are going to have to ask your patience through this process. We will keep a list of books that should have had a waiting list. When BEACON is going, if you’ve missed one, just ask. We will put you on reserve for it.
Meanwhile, have patience. I promise that Beacon will be worth the wait. By the time May rolls around, all 100+ libraries will be linked with shared system. Change happens. @your library.

2010-02-02T15:27:00.001-08:00

Home Therapy: Fast, Easy, Affordable Makeovers by Lauri Ward. I was so excited when I saw that book on the library shelf. All winter long I’ve known therapy was desperately needed. I’m delighted to learn that it’s my house that’s in the doldrums, not my psyche!
This slender book has been around for a few years. It’s full of real-life home decorating stories. Each chapter tells the story of a particular room. The homeowner feels his/her room isn’t right, but can’t quite decide what needs to be changed. The author swoops in, evaluates the problem, moves a couple of furniture pieces, changes the slipcovers and the room looks like a design magazine centerfold. The real message of this book may be that it takes an unfamiliar eye to spot decorating problems. Perhaps, in our own homes, we are just too close to see things as they really are, or as they should be.
A library patron and dear volunteer, Sherri Crowley, once mentioned that she loves to move furniture. I, also, love a change, so I invited her (begged is more like it) to give my living room a new look. Like all rooms, mine has certain requirements….the tv can only be moved a short distance from the cable outlet, the rickety antique pie safe can be moved, but not too often, the front door needs room to open. Also, my house is very tiny. The backyard playhouse my daddy built for me when I was little wasn’t too much smaller.
Sherri took one look at my living room, shoved the sofa to a new wall, stuck it out at a peculiar angle, moved a few end tables and I have a whole new room! Every chapter in Home Therapy has a small section call “I never would have thought of that!” That’s just the way I felt when Sherri got through with my living room.
Every year I save a few days of vacation time “for an emergency”. Just like every year, no emergency arose, so I had those days available for a decorating project. A few years ago, I remodeled the upstairs and added a bath. Since that time Brady –the-Daschund and I have both grown older. I can still climb steps, but Brady needs to be carried up and down. This year’s emergency days can be used for a downstairs bedroom makeover. I’ll save the charming attic space for guests.
The Impatient Decorator: 201 Shortcuts to a Beautiful Home by Glenna J. Morton must have been written for me. Glenna knew I only have three days to spare. Chapter one is Color. Rule #1 is You Are the Boss of Color. Right away I knew this was a book for me. Color Rule #5: Any Color + White = Crisp. Wow! This is easy!
The first day I spent cleaning out the closet and under the bed. I found a couple of rawhide doggie treats Brady had stored when I moved the furniture out. The second day I painted a little, took a nap, finished a book (Think No Evil: Inside the Story of the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting) and started a new book. The third day I ran out of paint.
Now, I’m back at work. Not only is one downstairs bedroom unusable since I still have to finish the second coat and paint the woodwork, but the second bedroom is full of all the stuff I moved out of the other one. Watch! Someone else will have an emergency and need to sleep over. That relative or neighbor will end up on my rather short, but artfully arranged sofa.
Other books that I’m taking home to consult for decorating advice are $500 Room Makeovers by Lisa Quinn, Decorate Rich by Jo Packham and 500 Quick & Easy Decorating Projects and Ideas. Surely, I will have this room finished in no time!
If you and/or your home are in need of a little winter therapy, before you call a psychiatrist, look over the decorating books @ your library.

Winter Blues

2010-01-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

One day last week the library staff gathered to grumble about the weather. We compared notes on the length of the icicles hanging from our eaves and how many times we’ve been stuck in our own driveways. We griped about leaky roofs. We whined over scraping ice from our windshields several times in a day. I bemoaned that my short-legged dog keeps getting mired in drifts over his head and over the tops of my boots. We were feeling pretty sorry for ourselves.
All at once Demi exclaimed to Marj “I love your socks.” Marj raised her trousers a little and proudly showed off the warm-looking socks that she KNITTED HERSELF! I was so impressed. Many decades ago my left handed grandmother tried to teach right handed me to knit with very poor results. I am always amazed that anyone can knit, especially anything as complicated as the heel of a sock. Not only had she knitted her socks, she was carrying a darling little handbag that she also knitted and then felted.
Jean Holste is another quite accomplished knitter. Before Jean retired I asked for her advice on choosing a knitting magazine for the library. She suggested Creative Knitting. The first issue has arrived. It’s just full of good ideas.
If this winter seems interminably long, check out (pun intended!) some of these new books. They are sure to light a spark of creativity and imagination.
Pretty Little Presents – lots of suggestions for small homemade gifts such as honeymoon luggage tags for a new bride; magnetic bookmarks for a reader, a sleep mask for your favorite insomniac.
The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook by Erin Chase. If Curried Pumpkin soup doesn’t sound just right for your family, perhaps Pulled Pork Sandwiches or Mango Chicken might.
Tiles Gone Wild: New Directions in Mixed-Media Mosaics by Chrissie Grace. Contains some really big projects like mosaic tile tables, but also some little projects like picture frames and coasters.
Carry Me: 20 Boutique Bags to Sew by Yuka Koshizen. Laptop bags to zippered clutches, bags of all styles and degrees of complication.
One-Yard Wonders: Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric! By Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins. More bags and belts and jumpers and sundresses than you can imagine, and all from just one yard of fabric.
Paper Cuts: 35 Inventive Projects by Taylor Hagerty. I can’t give an explanation worthy of this book. This is waaay beyond paperdolls or snowflakes. This is art to be admired, not imitated.
Eco Books: Inventive Projects From the Recycling Bin by Terry Taylor. 40 innovative bookmaking projects using recycled and green materials. This is another of those that can be admired just as art-it isn’t necessary to duplicate a project to enjoy or appreciate this book.
Knitting in Plain English and Crocheting in Plain English, both books by Maggie Righetti. They promise to provide easy-to-follow, sensible solutions to problems and the only knitting (or crocheting) book you will ever need.
50 Sensational Crochet Afghans & Throws by Bobbie Matela. The projects in this book have the nicest names: Warm Weavings, Snuggle Up and Great Big Hug. Each pattern is rated by level of expertise required to complete the project.
Afghans & Throws by Luise Roberts. The patterns in this one seem a little more complex. Beaded Knitting, Crochet Appliqué Motif, and Knitted Lace are way beyond my skill set, but if you are looking for a challenge, cables and twists and cross-stitched afghans await you in this pretty little book.
We have what you need to get you through the winter @your library.

January Miscellaneous

2010-01-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

This week I have an assorted lot of news to share with you. The first is from the Humboldt Area Arts Council. Keep your calendar clear….HAAC will be offering another Valentine’s weekend dinner theater at Rustix. As is usual with the Council, dinner theater tickets will be less expensive for members. If you have never been a member, this is your year! If you pay membership fees when you buy dinner theater tickets, you will get 14 months of membership for the price of 12. What a deal! Tickets will be on sale soon at Witz End.
Also, if your email address has changed in the last year or so, HAAC needs to know in order to keep you up on the latest news and events. Contact Lisa Rasmussen at kljras@humrec.com to update your information.
Next: we are looking for a quilt to display during the month of February. Do you have something appropriately Valentine-ish that you would like to share? Give Kathy or Nikki a call at the library….332-1925. It doesn’t have to be a newly made quilt. We appreciate quilts of all ages.
This week we are having some special lighting installed to highlight the quilts we hang each month. After I made arrangements to have the lights installed, we began to worry about the extra light fading the quilt fabrics. Tom Detrick did some checking for us and found that Teflon coated light bulbs block UV rays which are responsible for fading. Isn’t that a nice bit of trivia? The bulbs were originally designed for heavy duty service, the non-fading aspect is an accidental byproduct.
Readers have been coming in to grab up the books that are under consideration for our Humboldt Reads! book club. If you read one, be sure to fill out the quick questionnaire concerning the book. Our next Humboldt Reads! dinner/book discussion is scheduled for February 12 at Family Table at 5:30. The book I had chosen for that date is turning out to be just as poor a choice as the last two. So, I’m thinking that perhaps we will just meet anyway, without a book in mind. We can discuss the various books we’ve each read in the last month or two and then choose one book for our next session.
Lastly, our winter reading program, “Books….The Other Channel” is underway. Unlike the summer reading program, this one is for everyone. Kids who are read to, teens, and grownups. There will be drawings for prizes when the program finishes up at the end of February. Adult and teen prizes will be Chamber Bucks and the grand prize in the children’s library will be a swim pass to the Aquatic Center for the whole family for the whole summer. Readers of all ages will be able to win extra credit for simply giving up television on Wednesdays. We’re calling that “Wednesdays Unplugged.” Come on in and get reading. The books are ready and waiting @your library.

Poor Choices

2009-12-30T14:47:00.000-08:00

Humboldt Reads! is the name of the book club we started a few years ago at the library. The library purchases several copies of the chosen book. Library patrons check them in and out for a month or two and then we meet for dinner at a local restaurant to discuss the book.
My book choices started off on shaky ground, but the group hung in there with me and I developed a better eye for what would make for good book talk. Recently, however, I have hit a real slump. The last two choices haven’t been very good at all.
The December book was This House of Sky by Ivan Doig. It was a memoir and it moved like molasses flowing uphill. I read about 25 pages and gave up. When it came time for the book discussion, it was the night of that awful, blowing blizzard in early December. It was cold and miserable outside. Not a good night to leave the house, but I did, anyway. Just one other person showed up. I’m not sure if it was the weather or the boring book that kept them away. The person who came was very enthusiastic about the book, so maybe I didn’t get it enough of a chance.
Tonight is our discussion of Say You’re One of Them. It was an Oprah book club selection, so I expected it to be good. Most of the books she chooses have mass appeal. Even I usually like them. This one is a group of small novellas together in one book. I’ve read about one and a half of the stories. A library patron who teaches high school English told me she started the book and said to herself “What’s the point of this?” It might be power of suggestion, but that is exactly the way I’m feeling about it, too.
So, before all the other Humboldt Reads! members abandon me and my very poor book club selections, I’m going to try something new. I’ve ordered a dozen or so books that were highlighted in Reading Group Choices 2009: Selections for Lively Book Discussions. We already owned several other books that were recommended. All of the books that are in the running will have a bright yellow band that says Humboldt Reads! Inside each will be a short questionnaire. Anyone is welcome to read one of these and fill in the questions concerning the book. The ones that are the most highly recommended will be used for book club.
Some of the choices are:
The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson …….”a terrifying and memorable work of psychological suspense.” I’ve read this one. I’m not sure January days are long enough for it. You sure wouldn’t want to read it after dark.
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo…..”a novel of great warmth, charm and intimacy.” This is one of my favorite books from the last few years.
Church of the Dog by Kaya McLaren.....”a lovely, uplifting book.”
Escape by Carolyn Jessop…. She was the third wife of the FLDS ringleader who was 32 years older than Carolyn. She eventually chose freedom.
Hannah’s Dream by Diane Hammond. …For 41 years Samson Brown has been the zoo’s elephant keeper. He won’t retire until someone equally devoted is hired to take his place.
Heart in the Right Place by Carolyn Jourdan….. This one is the memoir of Capitol Hill attorney Jourdan who returns to Tennessee to help in her father’s medical practice when her mother suffers a heart attack.
Ok; I admit I messed up badly with my last few choices. Be a good sport. Check one of these out and give me some help in starting off 2010 on a better foot.
You will find them all @ your library.

2009-12-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago, a library patron was in looking for candy recipes for the holidays. She seemed to feel that her candy repertoire could use some spice, so to speak. A couple of the books we own were checked out at the moment. I put them “on hold” for her, but then I got to thinking that we could use a few more. Anyone brave enough to try candy making shouldn’t have to wait on a library book being returned.
I ordered several. Candy Making for Dummies has been checked out continually since it arrived in early November. Who Wants Candy? By Jane Sharrock has come and gone several times since we bought it.
Thinking about candy making put me in the mood to dig out my family recipes. My kids will all be home this year. I don’t think they will all be here at the same time, thank Goodness. My house and my kitchen table are awfully small and my four babies have grown to adult size and acquired spouses. We would be a tight fit. Between them, they own my six grandpuppies, including the newest. Casey is some sort of Mastiff. She’s a year old and 100 pounds. The dogs always add to the festivities.
I pulled out my recipe box. Right away I found my favorite microwave fudge recipe. It almost always worked perfectly until the mixing bowl I used for that recipe disappeared. I have no idea what tragedy befell it, but it no longer resides on my topmost kitchen shelf. After a little searching, I found an older crock bowl that seems to work just as well.
I also made a batch of peanut brittle. The recipe was given to me by my aunt Mae Finney. She’s a treasure and so is this recipe. I’ve never know it to fail. Even tastier with cashews.
The candy I really wanted to make this year is Aunt Bill’s Brown Candy. I have my mother’s recipe and my sister tells me it isn’t all that difficult. I’ve always been afraid to try it. I remember that Mother was the envy of the neighborhood because her Aunt Bill’s turned out perfectly while most everyone else’s failed to set.
I’d always wondered about Aunt Bill. I was fairly sure she wasn’t a “real” relative, but had no idea who she was or where the recipe came from. A little “googling” produced some information. The recipe first appeared in a cooking column in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper in 1932. There was no mention of Bill’s true identity. Due to popular demand, the recipe has been printed each November for the past 77 years. The magazine Bon Appétit ran an article last year with the history of this original Oklahoma candy and a new version of the recipe. For those unfortunate ones of you who do not have roots in Oklahoma’s red clay, Aunt Bill’s is fudge-like in texture and consistency, but has a caramelized sugar color and flavor.
I tried it. I cooked and stirred and stirred for two hours. My stirring hand and arm still ache two days later. It worked! It’s perfect--truly just like Mother used to make. When I paged through Who Wants Candy? I discovered that the cookbook was compiled by a northern Oklahoman and, of course, includes the Aunt Bill’s recipe. It’s located under the heading Heirloom Recipes. The skill level rating for this recipe is EXPERT.
Wow! I’m an expert at something, at last! Copies of recipes mentioned in this article are available @your library.

I Goofed!

2009-12-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

I know that you will be shocked to read this, but every once in awhile, I goof. My daughter Anne and I have argued about this for years. She is of the opinion that I never admit that I am wrong. Well, she’s in error, of course. I much prefer the word mistaken. It’s more genteel. Men are wrong. A lady is only, very occasionally, mistaken.
My most recent transgression involved an incidence of mistaken author identity. I read a very complimentary book review in Library Journal. I ordered the book. It arrived, Demi cataloged it, Kathy checked it out to an unsuspecting patron. It was the ninth book in a series by Charlaine Harris. We don’t own books one through eight. I was thinking of another author…Carolyn Hart. We already have lots of her books.
Can you guess what happened next? That library patron and all her friends asked to have the first eight books borrowed via interlibrary loan. We haven’t found a satisfactory method of keeping track of just how many times we have borrowed a particular book from another library. We process 50 or more of these loans each month. When we do notice that we have borrowed something more than once, we usually decide to buy a copy for our own library. These eight little books are paperbacks. With our library discount, they set us back about $4.39 apiece. If we borrow one via interlibrary loan from Eagle Grove or Fort Dodge, for example, it costs the lending library a couple of books and a trip to the post office to send it. When our Humboldt reader is through with the book, we ship it back spending another couple of dollars.
Thus, is actually less expensive for us to buy the darn book. So, we did. These books are of the Susie Stackhouse series by Ms. Harris. Sookie and her boyfiend, Quinn are among the missing after an explosion at the vampire summit meeting. Not exactly my cup of tea, but apparently captivating reads.
This series (and the ones by Carolyn Hart, too) are cozy mysteries. I read this very clever definition of cozy mysteries on www.cozymystery.com :
“The crime-solver in a cozy mystery is usually a woman who is an amateur sleuth. Almost always, she has a college degree, whether she is using it or not. Her education and life’s experiences have provided her with certain skills that she will utilize in order to solve all the crimes that are “thrown her way.” The cozy mystery heroine is usually a very intuitive, bright woman. The occupations of the amateur sleuths are very diverse: caterer, bed and breakfast owner, quilter, cat fancier/owner, nun, gardener, librarian, book store owner, herbalist, florist, dog trainer, homemaker, teacher, needlepoint store owner, etc. These are just a few examples of what the amateur sleuth does…. When she’s not solving crimes, that is!
The cozy mystery usually takes place in a small town or village. The small size of the setting makes it believable that all the suspects know each other. The amateur sleuth is usually a very likeable person who is able to get the community members to talk freely (i.e. gossip) about each other. There is usually at least one very knowledgeable and nosy (and of course, very reliable!) character in the book who is able to fill in all of the blanks, thus enabling the amateur sleuth to solve the case.
Although the cozy mystery sleuth is usually not a medical examiner, detective, or police officer, a lot of times her best friend, husband, or significant other is. This makes a very convenient way for her to find out things that she would otherwise not have access to… Do you know any caterers or dog trainers who have access to autopsy reports? I don’t! (Unless you count some of my favorite cozy characters…)
At the same time, it is probably safe to say that the local police force doesn’t take the amateur sleuth very seriously. They dismiss her presence, almost as if she doesn’t exist. This of course, makes it convenient for her to “casually overhear” things at the scene of a crime. “
If a “cozy” is just what you are looking for, you’ll find these and many others @ your library.

Holiday Time, Again

2009-12-05T06:53:00.000-08:00

It’s holiday time again. The beautiful magazine covers line our shelves. It’s holiday time again. Time for me to feel inadequate again. Most of the year I feel quite fortunate and accomplished. I have a job I love, four great kids who have made good choices (so far), a roof over my head and a dachshund to keep my toes warm at night. My life doesn’t lack for any of the really important things.
But, when the holiday magazines arrive, I begin to realize what my life doesn’t have. Michelle Obama graces the cover of Glamour this month. I accept the facts. I don’t have her toned, handsome biceps or her glittering jewelry or the elegant red satin dress. The part that really bothers me is that even if I did, I have no place to wear them. Winter holidays in Iowa don’t offer many opportunities to sport sleeveless apparel.
The cover of Good Housekeeping shows artfully decorated Christmas cookies. I’ve never been very good at sugar cookies. When my children were young they could eat them faster than I could mix, roll, cut, bake and decorate, so what’s the point? Good Housekeeping’s white frosted, blue bedazzled snowflake cookies are works of art. The magazine also offers six cookie recipes that are promised to be foolproof and fabulous. When I read through them, I decided my family wouldn’t thrill to a plate of whole-grain gingersnaps or figgy bars. The brownie bites do look yummy, but require 15 ingredients to produce 24 cookies.
The cover of Midwest Living features a Christmas tree bedecked with tons of ribbons. Not the package-wrapping kind, but prize-heifer-at-the-county-fair-type ribbons, a burning fireplace and a basket of blonde and black Labrador puppies. Charming.
Family Circle depicts face-less gingerbread cookies. That’s the kind I always serve, too. There is also an article, several pages in length, of how-to holiday hair-dos. It must apply to someone. Probably the same ladies who wear a red ball gown like Michelle’s.
Country Woman magazine has a photo of several elaborately decorated gingerbread houses and their smiley builder, Johanna. My self-esteem couldn’t handle it. I didn’t even open that one. Cooking Light magazine has an elegant cake plate filled with holiday yummies. The linzer cookie looks a whole lot like the one in Good Housekeeping. How would they take the calories out to make it qualify as “light?”
Country Living usually is more my style. Anything in this magazine, from recipes to decorating is usually a little less perfect, a little more homespun. Country Living uses lots of pinecones and bark and berries, a little less glamour and glitz. Some of their recipes even sound like something my family would eat.
Martha Stewart Living has a glowing Martha holding a lap-full of happily wrapped presents. Why is it that even a prison term didn’t wipe the smile from her smug face? I rarely open her magazine. I know that the wrappings on her presents cost more than the gifts I give, but they are charmingly well done.
Better Homes and Gardens, Taste of Home Simple and Delicious and Woman’s Day are all filled with more recipes and stocking stuffers and decorating ideas. But, if you have time on your hands, McCall’s Quilting magazine has a list of gift ideas for quilters and patterns for several holiday quilts.
Whatever inspiration you need to put you in a holiday mood, you can find it @your library.

Budget Woes

2009-11-20T13:45:00.001-08:00

It’s library budget time again. Good things, like Christmas and Mothers’ Day seem to come around only once every two or three years. Things I don’t like (budgets and taxes) seem to happen at least twice as often.
You wouldn’t think preparing the library budget would be that complicated. I’ll bet you think that I dream up a really big number of dollars to buy new books and ask the city council to fork it over. Hah! Little do you know!
The first thing I consider is how old are the furnace, hot water tank, air conditioner, carpet, etc. How likely are they to make it through another year without major expense? The HVAC system never makes it without repair. That system has more motors, belts, pulleys, fans and gizmos than Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory. At any given moment, at least one item is waiting for repair or making suspicious noises. I think up an amount that I hope will be sufficient to cover repairs for a year.
I estimate how expensive the utility bills will be. I budget for capital expenditures-big ticket items like new computers. With 700 patrons using our computers each month, they need constant updating and replacement on a regular basis. At the moment we have 14 computers for public use: five regular, sit-down desk computers in the adult library, two more stand-up computers for people who just need to look something up quickly and two laptops that may be used if all the others are full. In the children’s library we have three internet computers and two more that aren’t internet, but have only games for kids.
In addition, we have one for the microfilm viewer and four that are used to search our card catalog. THEN, we have another handful that is for staff use. Computers get complicated; I budget.
I do budget for books, , but I also must factor in the costs of all the extras we have grown to expect such as dvds, books on cd, magazines, music cds, downloadable audio books, and databases. That is my current dilemma: databases and other online services. Currently we have EBSCO Host, NoveList and Tumblebooks and NEIBORS. All are available on our webpage (www.humboldtpubliclibrary.com). EBSCO Host is a database of magazines and newspapers and journals of all sorts. You can check Consumer Reports through EBSCO when you want to buy a new washing machine and you can look for the latest information on just about anything else that might have appeared in magazines, journals or newspapers.
NoveList is a database of fiction books. The library staff uses it regularly, but it is right on our webpage for anyone to use. You can look up your favorite authors to get a complete list of his/her work. You can find “read-alike” authors, too
Tumblebooks is a web service for kids. The most delightful voices read stories aloud while the pages of children’s books fly by. Give it a try. It’s fun even if you aren’t a kid, but I hope it doesn’t replace parents reading bedtime stories aloud. That was the very best part of being a kid and a parent…..cuddling up in warm footie pajamas with a new book.
NEIBORS is our downloadable audio books consortium. You can sign in at the NEIBORS site and load an audiobook into your computer, portable audio device like an Ipod or MP3 player or record the book on cds for listening at your convenience.
There are many other databases available. Would Humboldt library patrons use an auto repair reference center? A home improvement database? A genealogy site such as Heritage Quest? Let me know if there is something you would use. We’ll consider budgeting for it.
Our website is open 24/7 even when the library isn’t. Check us out! @ www.humboldtpubliclibrary.com.

Retiring Librarians

2009-11-13T12:49:00.001-08:00

Recently there has been some buzz in the library world, in magazines and email list-servs, that we baby-boomer librarians should retire to provide job openings for younger ones. I’ve noticed that my sit-in, walk-out, love-in, protesting, bra-burning generation doesn’t take kindly to such suggestion. We want to do what we want to do in the manner and time of our choosing. You can imagine the uproar this is causing. None of us is about to gracefully fade away. No; we’ll have to be carried out of libraries all over the country kicking and screaming with arms full of unread books.
However, on dreary days, gray rainy days or cold, snowy ones, I envy those of you who can curl up with an afghan, a cup of tea and the latest bestseller in the middle of the afternoon. We working stiffs arrive home after dark this time of year to take the dog out, cook supper, and throw in a load of laundry before we can collapse in our easy chairs to read. On a good day, I have an hour or so before my eyes start fluttering closed.
Between my living room coffee table, my bedside table and a spot on the kitchen cabinet by the door, I have $191.75 worth of library books. I have three quilt books to leaf through during semi-interesting tv shows. I have the book I am currently reading, Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman. It is one of his Alex Delaware mysteries that are always so good. I have The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf checked out. I can’t remember why I wanted to read it. Some book review in Library Journal or a spectacular summary on the back cover must have attracted my attention. I have Nevada Barr’s latest book waiting for me, too. I always like her work. John Grisham’s newest, Ford Country, is also on my book stack.
Last, is a book called Confessions of Edward Day by Valerie Martin. I can’t remember what it is about or what made me want to read it. The only thing I do remember is that Jane Smiley gave it a terrific review. Smiley said Confessions of Edward Day is “such a lovely book.” I so admire Jane Smiley that I am just sure to love anything she recommends. She is the Pulitzer prize winning author of A Thousand Acres and Moo, both of which are based in Iowa. Smiley received a Ph.D. at the University of Iowa and taught several years at Iowa State, although I don’t think she’s native.
If I’m really lucky, maybe we’ll have a dreary weekend. Brady-the-dachshund loves gloomy weather, too. He knows I’ll sit down somewhere and read away the afternoon. He’s always willing to share the afghan with me.
Whatever your cup of tea, we have the right book to accompany it @your library.

Six Little Words

2009-11-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

We have the most interesting little book in our teen library. It is called I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets: Six Word Memoirs By Teens Famous & Obscure. Edited by Smith Magazine.
Apparently, the thought that one could tell an entire story in just six words began with Ernest Hemmingway. Legend says that when he was challenged to write an entire novel in six words, he wrote: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Smith magazine is an online publication (http://www.smithmag.net/). It is devoted to storytelling in all forms, but it seems to have hit on a real winner with the six word theme. On its website are various categories of six word memoirs. Under Momoirs I found: “Regained sanity is 18 years away” and “Screw cancer. Mom went to Paris,”
Under Food Life I read: “About that fire in the kitchen.” And “Are you going to eat that?”
In the Six Words for America category: “For every bomb, build a school.” And “We are one nation. red, blue.”
When Demi showed me the teen book, I was mesmerized for almost an afternoon…..”Dreams too big for this town.”, “Eccentricity is not an exact science.”, “Googled what he called me. Ouch.”For a few days I worried about the poor kids who wrote those quotes. When I read ”Follow your dreams. Not your parents”, I was sure my daughter Anne had written in.
What was the child thinking who wrote “The keys I have don’t fit”? What about “A time machine would be nice”? What was that poor kid suffering through when he/she wrote?
Demi put out a small notebook for our library teens to write their own memoirs. Some of my local favorites are “Five years, math homework still overdue.” And “I’m not short, I’m fun sized.”
Inspired, I wrote some of my own: “Growing old, better than the alternative.” “People my age are older than I.” “Life’s too short for ugly shoes.”
Come on in. Whether reading memoirs of other people or writing your own, you will find what you need @your library.

2009-10-30T10:39:00.001-07:00

Last week was a mess. I had been out of the library for most of the previous week at a conference and meetings. The first week back in the office is always catch-up time. Make-up work kept me running in place, feeling as if I made no progress at all. That week was also “get ready for Humboldt Area Arts Council’s Art Encore” week. Lots of decorating takes place in the week before the event. I spent a whole rainy afternoon washing muddy pumpkins before they could be decorated for centerpieces.
Demi just stuck her head in my office door and declared “we can still see you”. I truly wasn’t trying to hide behind the piles of books on my desk; they just accumulate on every flat surface around here. By the time you read this, all should be back to normal at the library.
Those books on my desk were the new ones I hadn’t had a chance to look at while I was gone. I like to hold and touch every one before it goes on the shelf. I know that all the wisdom and information those books contain can’t be absorbed by osmosis, but, what do I have to lose?
The Way of Boys: Raising Healthy Boys in a Challenging and Complex World by Anthony Rao, Ph.D. Dr. Rao is a psychologist and expert on boyhood development. He has written a definitive handbook on what to look for and expect in normal growth. This book is a guide to what behavior is normal and what behavior might require a diagnosis and medication. He says “it’s time we stopped trying to ‘fix’ young boys” by understand the wide spectrum for normal boy development. Seems like a good plan to me.
Shake the Devil Off: A True Story of the Murder That Rocked New Orleans by Ethan Brown. Wow! Can’t believe I haven’t heard more about this book. Zackery and Addie were a hard-partying, high-spirited couple. The Iraq veteran and his artist girlfriend lived large in pre-Katrina New Orleans, but in October 2006, he leapt from the rooftop bar of a French Quarter hotel. A note in his pocket directed police to Addie’s body.
The Anatomy Murders: Being the True and Spectacular History of Edinburgh’s Notorious Burk and Hare and the Man of Science Who Abetted Them in the Commission of Their Most Heinous Crimes by Lisa Rosner. In the 1820’s William Burke and William Hare were suspects in the most atrocious murder spree of the century. I confess; I bought this one because my father’s name was William Hare. He was a very kind, engaging man, unlike any serial murderer I’ve ever read about, but could this Scottish William be a relative?
House of Cards: Love, Faith and Other Social Expressions by David Ellis Dickerson. This author landed his dream job as a greeting card writer for Hallmark Cards. He, however, found that as a fundamentalist-raised, twenty-six year old social eccentric, he was wholly unprepared to write the sentiments he was assigned. This story chronicles his bumpy journey to maturity.
In My Father’s Shadow: A Daughter Remembers Orson Welles by Chris Welles Feder. What would it be like to grow up the daughter of such a strange, intense man? Find out here!
Nothing Was The Same: A Memoir by Kay Refield Jamison. Ms Jamison is a psychologist who has battled manic-depressive illness. He husband, Richard, fought his own war against dyslexia to become one of the foremost experts on schizophrenia. This book is the story of their relationship, his death and her struggle with grief.
We Are Our Mother’s Daughters by Cokie Roberts. This book was donated by BPW in memory of Opal Christensen. The author is an Emmy-winning journalist and the daughter of Hale Boggs, a Democratic congressman from Louisiana and his wife, Lindy who replaced Hale in the House when he was killed in an airplane accident. This book reflects upon a number of female achievers who have attracted attention in the last decades including Laura Bush and Nancy Pelosi.
Beyond the Block by Crafty O’l Broads Linda K. Johnson and Jane K. Wells. This amazing book was given to the library by the Honeybee Quilt Guild in memory of member Linda Price. The quilts in this book are a joy to behold. Each is a small treasure, a work of art and a testament to the creativity of today’s quilters.
Whatever might catch your fancy, we’ll help you find it @your library.

2009-10-02T13:38:00.001-07:00

October has begun and with it a new era for the Humboldt Public Library. We have survived a week since Jean Holste retired. So far, I haven’t had to call her even once to ask “do you remember where we put xyz?” or “who do I call when we need abc?’ She trained us well.

Every morning I peek through the window into the children’s office to make sure that Sarah, our new children’s librarian showed up for work. I’m always afraid she is going to realize just how much Jean actually accomplished every day. I’m afraid Sarah will throw her hands into the air and run screaming out of the building when it becomes clear that to do the job that Jean did would require at least two average human beings. But, Sarah isn’t average. She has survived early-out-Wednesdays, several school class visits and several trips to various daycare facilities. She is still coming into work each morning with a brave smile on her face. I think we have a keeper!

As we approach Halloween, the library begins its autumnal transition. Sherri Crowley has decorated our display case for the season. Demi has hung her “scary ancestor” in the teen area. It’s one of those innocent, antique-looking portraits until you glance at it a second time. The lovely person has become something altogether less charming. Kids and adults alike enjoy its appearance every year.
Pumpkins and fall leaves begin to decorate the shelves and we start to wonder where we stored those scarecrow mannequins. This year I found them right away. We have a dozen scarecrows, but for some reason, we now only have 11 heads. I’m a glass half-full type, so I choose to think that we have 12 scarecrows, one of whom is headless.

Once again this year we are going to check them out to anyone who would like to dress one up. When we get them all dressed in Halloween finery, we will display them in a downtown window. Anyone who wants can take a look and vote for a favorite. Last year’s contest may have been rigged by a middle school boy. There were an unusual number of votes for the scarecrow made by a particular middle school girl that appeared to have been written with the same ink pen in identical handwriting. She would have won anyway; I think he just wanted to make sure that the object of his desire had it in the bag.
Because we didn’t have room to have a dozen standing scarecrows in the library (to say nothing of how they might have frightened our custodian when she comes in early in the morning) ours are made to sit down. A skirt or a pair of trousers nicely camouflages his (or her) lower half. So give it some thought. Think up a good idea and decorate a scarecrow to share with the rest of Humboldt.
Check it out @your library.

2009-10-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

I’ve been dreading this day, Jean Holste’s last day at the Humboldt Public Library. To me, and to all the children who have grown up in this town, Jean IS the library. Toddlers who encounter her at the grocery store are confused and surprised to learn that she even exists outside this building. They must think we close her up in here when we go home and night and she only comes alive when the first kiddies enter the building the next morning.

When my predecessor left, Jean jumped in and kept the library afloat until I was hired. She could have kept the director’s job, but her heart wasn’t in it. She knew that kids and stories and books were her calling, the right fit for her. She did, however, train me. She patiently answered each and every one of my questions without making me feel as if I were a preschooler asking why the sky is blue.

Jean’s programs for children are so successful that she routinely has had attendance of more than 5,000 per year. We both know that there are nowhere near 5,000 kids in Humboldt. She is so good at her job that each and every one of them comes many times per year. One summer she planned to hold a class on rock painting. What parent doesn’t have a rock painted smeary blue and red by a child in Bible school? I bit my tongue, but I thought it was a stupid idea. Kids and parents know that Jean’s programs are always fun; so many kids signed up to paint rocks that she had to hold a second session. With the help of some artsy community volunteers, Jean’s kids produced rocks that looked like VW Bugs, lady bugs, butterflies, daisies, turtles and a host of other creative ideas.

After that, I learned to trust her judgment. When it comes to kids, parents, songs, games, books and libraries, Jean really does know best. Co-worker Kathy Hensch summed up Jean’s library career with the following little story:

Once upon a time there was a very kind, very wise, and very clever lady. This lady loved children, and she loved books. She became a librarian so that she could share her love of books with children.

She read to them, taught them silly songs, and played games with them!
Teachers and parents loved her too, because she taught their children
to appreciate books and the importance of reading.

The librarian showed the children how to be creative, and use their imaginations. She planned day and night, so that she could make the books come alive for the children!

The librarian loved her books as much as she loved the children. She treated them with such care, keeping the books dusted and the shelves tidy. She bought new books to add to the shelves, and found homes for the
books that had been well read.

Others who worked at the library respected and loved her too, and were very sad when one day she told them it was time to begin a new chapter in her life. They were sad to see her go, but they were very happy for her too! They knew that she had many special plans for traveling, spending time with her family, tending her flower garden, and so many things she had dreamed of doing.

Her library family gave her hugs, shed some tears, and bid her a fond farewell. And so the very kind, very wise, very clever lady added many more wonderful chapters to her story, and lived happily ever after!

Jean, on behalf of every child whose life you have touched in your 23 years at the library, thank you.

2009-10-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Today’s topic will be music cds at the library. But, first, I want to provide an update on my very first painting. It was a birthday gift to my daughter. Before I bought the canvas, I checked the UPS website to make sure that my choice wouldn’t exceed their size requirements. The policy is very generous, so I bought a large one. It is probabl6y 30 x 36 inches. I boxed it up well with leftover cardboard scraps in several layers. I didn’t want a ski pole or pool cue that anyone else might ship to puncture it. Shoppers Supply accepts packages for UPS shipment, so I lugged the box there.
I almost hated to part with it, but it wouldn’t match my house anyway. It was carefully painted to match Anne’s Raleigh, North Carolina living room. Her birthday, from her BIRTH day, always falls on Labor Day weekend. I never let her forget it, either. She knew that I had shipped a surprise, so she ran home in the middle of the afternoon to see if it had arrived. I was in the car on my way to visit her brother and his wife in Columbia, Missouri, so we talked as she unwrapped layer after layer of cardboard. She was thrilled! She said that she had known all along that I could do it. I didn’t, but apparently she had faith in my artistic ability. She doesn’t even know Susan Witzel,
When I was back home again, we Skyped so that I could see how nice it looks above her mantel. Skype is the neatest thing! Technology lesson: my home laptop computer has a tiny little camera built in above the screen. Anne’s has one, too. When we both push all the right buttons, we can see one another on our computer s and talk via Skype. Not only was I able to see my painting, I walked outside to show her my morning glories blooming. My friendly backyard squirrel usually eats all the leaves off the plants. He sits atop a little fence, plucks those leaves, rolls them up like a green burrito and munches away until the plants all die.
Now, we are trying to figure out how to record a Skype session, so I can show Susan how nice our painting looks in its new home. There may still be openings in Susan’s class at Witz End. Call and check. You will be amazed at what you can produce with her help. Just think, Humboldt could become an artists’ colony with a gallery in every block and a bed-and-breakfast on every corner!
About music cds…..we never know what to choose. We ask people who check them out what they would like us to add. Almost never does someone make a suggestion. We usually ask Steve Bohan, our website guru, for advice. He will make suggestions from time to time. We’ve just added a Janis Joplin Woodstock album and one from the Jefferson Airplane. If you are of an age to remember Woodstock, you probably don’t remember much else about that summer, but these cds may bring some of it back. I recently saw Arlo Guthrie (of Alice’s Restaurant fame) on CNN. He has become a card carrying, Republican conservative! His father would roll over in his grave, if he had one. Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was named for a famous Democratic president. Always known as Woody, his ashes were scattered at sea in 1967.
Music cds, like everything else at the library except movies, may be checked out for three weeks. Come on in, look over our collection and tell us what you’d like to see @your library.

Quilters

2009-09-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

I like quilting. I like to look at quilts; I enjoy paging through new quilt books. I like dreaming my way through quilt shops. I like owning quilts that others have made. Once and awhile I even quilt a little myself. Quilting is number 11 of my list of interests and activities to explore more fully when I am retired. Numbers one through ten were the grandchildren I thought I would have. That isn’t looking too likely, so I should have lots of time to quilt.
I have made a few quilts myself, but mostly I enjoy quilting old quilt tops and blocks that the original maker never got around to finishing. Usually I find out just why she never finished. Often they are noticeably less than accurately constructed. Blocks may vary in size. Borders wider or narrower or nonexistent. Often there are atrocious flaws in workmanship. That’s ok. Anything I make has its share of flaws, too.
Just when I think that I’ve met every quilter in town someone tells me about another one. Right now we have the most cozy looking quilt hanging in the library. It is a scrap snowball quilt in yummy fall colors. Snowball describes the assembly of the quilt blocks, not a wintery appearance to the quilt. This one was made by Nancy Wickett. Come in to see it, you’ll be impressed.
Some newer quilt books at the library:
The Art of the Handmade Quilt by Nancy Brenan Daniel. This one is just plain charming. The quilts presented are both old favorites discovered in someone’s attic and brand new quilted wall hangings. A little history of each quilt is given plus patterns for quilt blocks and assembly instructions. The final chapters are instructions on proportion, balance and rhythm in quilts and some explanation of various pattern assembly and technique. The perfect book for choosing your first quilting project, your next quilting project or just to admire with a cup of tea on a lazy afternoon.
Encyclopedia of Classic Quilt Patterns: 101 All-Time Favorites. We bought this book for those talented barn quilt folk that needed some basic patterns. I was pleased to discover that they paint on large pieces of plywood which are then installed on the barn. I had worried about them up on tall ladders trying to paint a complicated quilt pattern in such a large size. This book is terrific for any quilter. It gives cutting, piecing and quilting directions for any number of quilts from a simple log cabin to a more complicated appliquéd Autumn Leaves quilt. Autumn leaves looks like a good way to use up all varieties of assorted fabric scraps. I panicked when I read the direction “cut 634 of leaf template in print fabrics.” I’m pretty sure that I would get bored and give up before I could cut that many. I know that I don’t have the patience to actually appliqué that many leaves onto the quilt top. It surely is pretty, ‘though.
Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts by Pam & Nicky Lintott. I suppose it’s because we subscribe at the library to a quilting magazine that we receive the occasional quilting supply catalog. I had seen such items for sale: layer cakes and jelly rolls. I hadn’t realized that each is a bundle of fabric cut into specific sizes. A jelly roll is a group of 40 coordinating fabric pieces, each two and a half inches wide. With this book and a jelly roll or layer cake (40 ten inch squares)you will have just what you need to begin to construct your own quilt. I think the whole idea is that you will have less wasted fabric if these specific cuts are just what you need. However, without any scraps, I wouldn’t have anything left to start my collection of 634 leaves.

Humboldt Reads! Again

2009-08-06T13:32:00.001-07:00

Last week we held the dinner and discussion for our most recent Humboldt Reads! book. Humboldt Reads! is a loosely formed book discussion group. Actually, it isn’t formed at all. We don’t have officers, regularly scheduled meetings or anything else resembling the formal format of a club. The library buys several copies of a book. It circulates for some various period of time. Sometimes it’s six weeks sometimes two or three months. When that time is over, we meet at a local restaurant to share dinner and to discuss the book.

Usually almost everyone who attends has read the book, but it isn’t required. There have been a couple of them that even I couldn’t get through. Sometimes I ask the group at one meeting for suggestions about what they would like to read and discuss next time. Sometimes I come across a book that is just full of stuff, good or bad, to talk about and I choose it on my own. It usually ends up that about four or five days before we meet for discussion, I realize that it has been six months or a year since I read the book. Do I remember enough about it to discuss it sensibly? Usually not, so I read it again quickly before the dinner.

The book up for discussion last week was the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It is the story of the German occupation of the island of Guernsey during World War II. The whole book is comprised of letters written by several different residents. Oddly enough, after the first few letters, the format doesn’t seem at all unusual.

We have the audio version of the book on cd. I haven’t listened to it, but Demi says that the reader’s delightful accent adds to the whole feeling of experiencing a particular place at a particular time in history.

When my daughter and her friends argued about the pronunciation of the name of a character in the first Harry Potter book, none believed me that the correct pronunciation of Hermione is her-my-knee. After listening to couple of minutes of the audio version of the book, their opinion of my intelligence increased dramatically. Goodness knows, mothers aren’t thought to be very clever until the children reach their twenties. I’m rapidly approaching normal intelligence.

I find that I’m tired of reading books twice. I have chosen the next book for Humboldt Reads! based on a review in Library Journal. The title is The Cure for Grief by Nellie Hermann. I get to use my favorite library word again. This book is a bildungsroman, a coming of age novel. It is the story of a young girl, Ruby, and her fractured family and the tragedies that befall it. That’s about all I can say since I haven’t read it yet. We will meet on September 24 at 5:30 at Rustix to discuss it. Come on in, pick up a copy and join us for food, fun and a little book talk.

Previous Humboldt Reads! books in case you missed them!

Two Old Women Rocket Boys The Secret Life of Bees
Horizontal World Three Cups of Tea Light on Snow
The Glass Castle Out of the Dust Pay It Forward
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio Tortilla Flat Rope Walk
My Sister’s Keeper Range of Motion Splendid Solution

Dollars or Donuts

2009-07-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

Some books I really love to buy for the library, and some I just hate to spend the money on. I don’t like to buy diet books. The library purchases every new fad diet book that comes along. If we don’t have it by the time it appears on Oprah or the Today show, people will start asking for it. We are active interlibrary loan participants, but it isn’t fair to expect the Algona or Eagle Grove or Fort Dodge library to supply us with diet books. I know that if we were to weigh the population of Humboldt on one giant scale, we aren’t a pound lighter than we were before we bought those diet books. They aren’t worth their weight in donuts.

Other s that I don’t like to buy are books that support parties or candidates I don’t agree with. I buy them anyway, I just don’t want to. I also hate to buy books about political candidates that will probably lose the next election. I bought a Sarah Palin biography last fall. She lost. The book doesn’t get much attention anymore. On the other hand, neither does Joe Biden’s biography.

I resent spending money on books written in a big hurry to capitalize on some current event. I hated buying The Final Years of Michael Jackson. I’ve been mad at him since he dangled that baby over the hotel balcony. When he died, I emailed my older to kids to ask if they remembered when we all learned to moonwalk together in the kitchen. Son number two replied that he still moonwalks in the kitchen (no doubt a thrill for his long-suffering wife), son number one answered that he remembers and “weren’t we cool!.” Daughter number one responded that she remembers that big brother number two was always the best moonwalker in the family. Daughter number two isn’t old enough to remember what Michael Jackson used to look like.

I bought Getting It Through My Thick Skull by Mary Jo Buttafuoco. She is the woman who was shot in the head by her husband’s teenage mistress. That part wasn’t Mary’s fault, but she forgave him and they spent many more years together while the girlfriend went to prison. I think they finally divorced and I gather from the title that she feels that she has at last wised up.

Another one I hated to buy, but did, is Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story by C. David Heymann. Aren’t there a few things that we would just rather NOT know? I couldn’t help flipping through the photos and reading the first chapter. Then I knew I didn’t want to know.

This next book may have some mothers angry with me: The Girls’ Guide to Rocking: How to Start a Band, Book Gigs and Rolling to Rock Stardom. This is everything a gal might need to know to start her own rock band. If your daughter reads it and takes it to heart, it truly isn’t all my fault. I just make the information available. Implementing it, or not, is the decision of the patron.

Some recent books I did want to buy:

-another copy of The Girls from Ames. It’s been very popular, so we added another copy to keep the waiting list short.
-Fire and Ice: A Beaumont and Brady Novel by J.A. Jance. She’s the author of two separate series. This one combines the two in the investigation of some mysterious and grisly homicides. Should be a real page turner.
-Undone by Karin Slaughter. She’s another of my favorite mystery authors. This one promises to be as good as the others.
-Jerico’s Fall by Stephen L. Carter. He wrote the novel s The Emperor of Ocean Park and New England Whte a few years ago. This time he has produced an espionage thriller. Not my usual cup of tea, but I like his other work so well, I’m going to give this one a try.
Whatever floats your boat, the water’s fine @your library.

Books and Their Movies

2009-07-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

Recently we’ve been caught short-handed (short-shelved?) when a movie based on a book is released. It seems lots of people have a hyperactive conscience-they just CAN’T see the movie until they’ve read the book. My kind of people.

It happened with Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper. That’s the book based on the premise that a couple created a baby specifically to furnish spare parts for an ailing older sister. Just before the movie opened, we were flooded with requests for the book. At least ten people were waiting to read it. I didn’t want them to miss out on the movie or the book, so I made a quick trip to HyVee for a couple of paperback copies to add to our collection. We were able to get them out to patrons the same day. I haven’t seen the movie but I understand the ending was changed. The book’s ending was a real shocker; I can’t imagine how it could have been improved.

It is happening again with The Time Traveler’s Wife. It is the tale of a man who travels in and out of time, forward and back, and the little girl he visits when he travels. I was reading it several years ago when I drove 450 miles to visit my sister in southern Missouri. I checked out the book on cd, too. That way, when I stopped for a meal I could take up the book right where I left off the cd in the car. On the way home I was almost finished, so I stopped in Fort Dodge for a late evening meal and finished it up in Applebee’s. It’s that good.

Not wanting to be caught again, I studied up on what movies-based-on books were coming out soon. The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald was a non-fiction best seller in 2000. Shortly the movie will be released. It’s the story of a financial scandal at Archer Daniels Midland. Eichenwald covered the story for the New York Times. The reviews all say that it reads like a well-written whodunit with more twists and turns than a Grisham novel.

You may have seen the tv ads for this next one. Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell is a book with a new movie due out any minute. It is the mostly true story of the author cooking her way through Julia Child’s most famous cookbook. Powell does admit that some stuff she just made up. Like most people, I guess, her story just wasn’t interesting enough on its own without adding some fictional pizzazz. Personally, I’m having some trouble picturing Meryl Streep as Child. Amazing makeup job.

Some more recent book based movies:

Marley and Me by John Grogan
The Reader by Bernard Schlink
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Some older ones still worth seeing:
Giant by Edna Ferber
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Sounder by William Armstrong
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

All available, of course, @ your library.

Summer Sampler

2009-07-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

We have a lovely small quilt hanging now in the library. It is called Summer Sampler. Jan Jaqua is its creator. It’s just the cutest combination of sunflowers, watermelon slices and wildflowers! Stop by to see it sometime soon. If you have a quilt you would like to share, just let us know. We enjoy them all-old quilts or new ones, large or small.

Another thing you might consider sharing with the library is your collections. Our display case has Jack Curran’s display of fishing jigs and flies in it right now. But when Jack takes them home, the case will be empty. Please let us know what you have to share. The library staff has displayed everything we can think of. We are out of ideas.What do you have that might be of interest? The display case is lighted and locked. Your treasures are safe with us.

Don’t forget to Touch Base @your library. We are asking everyone to update their contact information in our library database before we convert to a new system. If we don’t mention it to you, ask for the little form. Once you complete the form and return it to the library, you will be entered in our summer drawing. Remember, the grand prize is a trip to the Caribbean!

Just recently, I realized that we haven’t added any new books of house plans for several years. House plan books are like fancy, expensive, coffee table books. They are so much fun to take home and page through, wishing and dreaming of what I might do if I built a house. Knowing that I will never build a new home from scratch doesn’t take away the enjoyment of leafing through the books. New to the library are:

-Design Dream Homes: One-Story Home Plans
-Lowe’s 1-Story Home Plans
-The Bungalow Book: Floor plans and Photos of 112 Homes
-Universal Design Ideas for Style, Comfort and Safety
-A Happy Marriage by Rafael Yglesias. This one is fiction, of course. It was inspired by the death of the author’s wife. It is the story of the first weeks and the final weeks of a thirty year marriage.
-A Princess Found: An American Family, An African Chiefdom and the Daughter Who Connected Them All by Sarah Culberson. Sarah was adopted at the age of one year. In 2004 she hired a private investigator to track down her biological father. This one is a true story!
-House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street by William Cohan. This is the true story, or at least Cohan’s take on the true story of the meltdown of the world financial markets (and my secure retirement).
The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand. From the cover, one would think that this is a frivolous, summertime beach read. But the review states that it is a page-turning story of passion and suspense when a young couple dies leaving their closest friends to cope with the loss and with their two small children.
The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri. A young woman flees to her ancestral hamlet in Ireland to reinvent herself.
The Game of Opposites by Norman Lebrecht. The story of Paul Miller who escapes from a labor camp during a world war. He collapses and is taken in and restored to health by Alice. When the war is over, Paul and Alice marry, but he is haunted by his earlier life.

All new and waiting for you @your library.

Touch Base @ your library

2009-07-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

There are some big changes in store for our library in the coming months. One of the most monumental changes will be the replacement of Jean Holste. Yes, our beloved children’s librarian has announced her impending retirement. Jean is just barely older than I. I had my fingers crossed that she wouldn’t leave until I did. Alas, she seems to think that there is some fun to be had in leisure activities and wants to give it a shot. If the library were a private enterprise and not taxpayer supported, I would give her a huge retention bonus and beg her to stay a few more years.

Now we are looking for just the right person to fill the position. No one will ever fill her shoes. It’s a full time, year round position for the person with just the right combination of education and experience. To add insult to injury, Jean’s assistant, Martha Schmidt, has announced that she would rather work as an occasional library substitute than a regular part-timer. That leaves another hole in our schedule and our hearts.

Another change that may have a bigger impact on the staff than on patrons is a new ILS will be coming before the end of the year. That stands for integrated library system. That’s the computer system that organizes our card catalog and our book cataloging and our check-out system. The new system is not something that our library could have afforded on its own. We have formed a consortium of public libraries and school libraries in northern Iowa to make it affordable. The new system will be called Beacon. We want that to be an acronym and have each letter stand for something, but we haven’t made it work out just yet. You will be able to use your Beacon card at any participating library. You will be able to see the card catalog of all participating libraries on our website. It will offer lots of advantages and flexibility that we don’t have now.

Before we dump all our library records into the new system, we want to make sure that they are as accurate as we can make them. We have more than 6,000 patrons in our system. That‘s more than the population of Humboldt and I’m pretty proud of that. It would be nice if we had up to date information for each of you. We decided the best way to get you to update your library card info would be to hold a contest. Come into the library, fill out a simple form and deposit it in the large container. The little form will serve as your entry in our summer drawing.

I’m calling this project Touch Base @ your Library. All we are asking for is your name, address & phone number. You can give us your cell phone and email address if you like. Our new system will allow us to notify you by email. That will save staff time when we want to remind you that your books or movies are overdue, or if we have a special book on hold for you. So, if you are the sort of person who checks his/her email daily, that might be the most efficient contact method.

Prizes for this contest are many and varied. We have some nifty new “green” bags with our library logo on them. Actually, they are wildcat blue, but since they are reusable, they are environmentally healthy. We also have some Chamber Bucks for you to spend at any participating business in Humboldt or Dakota City and my all-time favorite library prize: an all-expense paid trip to the Caribbean! The coffee house, not the islands.

Please stop by, say hello to our enthusiastic staff, update your library card and Touch Base @ your Library!

2009-07-07T07:14:00.001-07:00

I intended to write this in time to be printed in last week’s newspaper, but I’ve spent a week at home itching and scratching and whining with a miserable case of hives. I have a new-found respect for those who suffer from this peculiar allergy.
What I had intended to write is about one of the rights guaranteed to us by the First Amendment of our Constitution. Not only our right to speak freely, but our right to read and seek information freely. Because this right is so freely accepted in our society, we give it little thought. It never occurs to us to be grateful that we are entitled to read or seek information about whatever interests us.
Recently we had a small incident at the library that brought this right to mind. For generations libraries have had a system of “reserving” a particular item for a particular patron. If you wish to read a book, but it is checked out at the moment, we electronically flag that item When it is returned to the library, a little box pops up on the computer screen with your name and a message that you are waiting to read this book. We call you. You pick up the book. It is yours to read for three weeks.
This incident happened when we left a message that a couple of books were waiting for a particular adolescent reader. A parent called to ask what the items are that we are holding for the student. On this occasion the books were both popular, highly recommended teenage fare. Nothing the average kid or parent would think twice about.
However, we have a policy, supported by the American Library Association, of not sharing that information with anyone. Not even a parent. What if the books had been about child abuse? I wouldn’t know if the kid is writing a term paper or if he is trying to determine if he or his girl friend or best buddy is being abused. What would happen if I reported those types of titles to a parent? Every reader, regardless of age, is entitled to privacy in what he/reads and in what information is sought.
Earlier in my library career, I came in contact with a young mother, the wife of a prominent community member. She was slowly working her way toward a college degree in some sort of helping profession…nursing, counseling. I don’t remember. She interlibrary loaned, that is borrowed from other libraries, stacks of books about abuse, divorce and its aftermath and child custody. College paper or life help? A very public trial and a prison sentence answered my unasked questions several years later. That woman was entitled to privacy of her research while she got her ducks in a row. What if a librarian had left a voice mail that her husband had listened to? The outcome might have been different.
Another related issue also happens, especially with the parents of adolescent children. A parent may sometimes question librarians about the “suitability” of particular books or movies for children. Before I could tell you if a book is just right for your kid, I would have to have intimate knowledge of the morals and standards of your family. Do you have neighbors who set different standards for their children than you do? Of course you do. If you wish to impose your values on your children’s’ reading material, we have a library loop hole just for you. No child is allowed to have a library card and check out materials without written permission of a parent or guardian. You may deny your child access to a library card. Then, you may accompany your child to the library and supervise what they select and check those items out on your own card.
I don’t want you to think that we just run in a book store and buy large armloads of books to fill our shelves. Nor do we just open a publisher’s catalog and start ordering whatever is new. We all read book reviews in accepted library journals. Our books are chosen based on professional reviews. Movies selected for entertainment value are G or PG-13 rated, with very few exceptions. We apply the best of our professional abilities to select interesting, appropriate library materials for our community. Come on in, look over what we have in store for you. And don’t forget to take a moment to appreciate your right to access whatever information you choose.

Rural Livin'

2009-06-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

Refresher course in email lingo: listserv=a mailing list of any number of people tied together by interest or profession. Listserv thread=the theme or topic of numerous emails shared by listserv members.

Last week on PUBLIB, my favorite national listserv for public librarians (as opposed to school, academic, government, or medical librarians) the thread was “You know you are a rural librarian when…..”
It started out fairly tame, and then became a little snarky when a gentleman in Los Angeles chimed in. I think said gentleman used to be a public librarian. Now he researches contract issues and labor laws for a pipe-fitters union. I suppose he should just keep quiet since he doesn’t work in a library. However, he has a wicked sense of humor, so no one has thrown him out.

The first entries were truisms about small towns…..all the things that make us glad we live in one.
You know you are a rural librarian
1. If the only time you lock your car is during zucchini season.
2. A freckled face kid hands you a box with a bird, a bug or a snake inside and says “can you tell me what kind this is?”
3. UPS delivers to your home when the library is closed. And vice versa.
4. A dog wanders in the library and you call its owner instead of animal control.
5. Your genealogy materials are rarely used because everyone knows each other and their family history.
6. You carry bits of paper in your pocket when going to the grocery store, etc. because someone will stop you to ask a question or to reserve or renew a library book.
7. If you ask a new library patron for his/her phone number and are only given the last four digits.
8. A patron offers a dozen eggs or a homemade pie to cover a library fine.

We definitely would erase a library fine for a home-baked pie. Or a plate of just-out-of-the-oven cookies. It was interesting how regional some of the entries were:
You know you are a rural librarian if
1. Oregon : You can’t open the library dumpster because a bear jumped on it and smashed in the lid.
2. North Carolina: All public buildings are required to provide hitching posts.
3. Missouri: A patron has to pay for books he accidentally shot while shooting at a possum in his living room.
4. Kansas: A person pays for a library book because it fell into the sheep dip.
5. Georgia: You have a waiting list of folk who want to harvest pecans from the library’s trees.

After awhile, with the assistance of the Los Angeles guy, things definitely took a turn toward the Beverly Hillbillies kind of humor. Someone finally shut him up and the thread turned toward urban libraries.
You know you are an urban librarian if:
1. You know the price of plate glass mirrors because the ones in the library bathrooms keep getting etched with gang graffiti.
2. Your library fire extinguishers keep getting stolen since any graffiti artist knows you can spray much farther if you put the paint into an extinguisher.
3. The security guard points out that the meeting being held in the library meeting room is a local gang.
4. No one writes in library books since no one knows what they are.

I was never more grateful to be a rural librarian. Come on in to see us. If we don’t know your name, we will the next time.

Library ROI

2009-06-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Our summer reading program has begun. The old building is teaming with kiddoes most hours of the day. I try to picture what Andrew Carnegie would think if he could see us now. In the portrait we have hanging in the east foyer, his eyes twinkle like Santa’s. That Andrew, I think, would be delighted to see the children so enthusiastic for books and learning. Most biographies of Carnegie portray him a little curmudgeonlier. (I wanted to use more curmudgeonly, but the spell check system on my computer disagreed.) Apparently he wasn’t all that pleasant, but very gruff and unbending. That Andrew probably wouldn’t like seeing his temple of knowledge defiled by the presence of children. Oh, well. Mr. Carnegie, we thank you for your $10,000 to get our library up and running. In the 101 years since your gift our library and the building that houses it have been molded and changed to fit the needs of our community and to provide the goods and services its citizens require.

Recently NBC’s Today Show aired a story about public libraries. The focus of that story was that in these troubled economic times people are flocking to libraries in record numbers. The Today story stated that 68% of Americans have a library card. That led me to wonder how we would compare to the national average. According to the last census the population of Humboldt is 4,452. The number of library cards held by folk within the city limits is 3,589---a whopping 80%. We always knew we were smarter than the average bear.

We do go through our patron files every couple of years to delete cards that haven’t been used recently. In Chicago there’s a saying that all the dead vote Democratic, but in Humboldt, those that die or move away don’t check out library books, so we don’t keep them in our records. We have another 900 patrons who live in rural Humboldt County, 542 in Dakota City, 29 with Algona addresses, 447 other public libraries who borrow from us through inter-library loan, one patron who lives in Ames, 125 from Fort Dodge and a bunch from other assorted communities. Our total number of current library card holders is 6651.

Check out the following website: http://www.maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm. It is a library usage calculator. You plug in the number of books you’ve checked out, the number of times your kids have attended a program, etc. and the calculator will tell you the dollar value of the services you have received from your library. I roughly calculated the value to the community of last year’s library usage. The cost would have been around $1,747,187.50. Believe me, taxpayers, you aren’t spending anywhere near 1.7 million dollars to keep the library afloat. So our return on investment is very high. If I figured correctly, for every $1 the city spends on the library, the community receives $8-10 worth of goods and services. Not a bad deal.

New on the library shelves:

Wedding Style: Hundreds of Tips and Secrets From the Professionals for Styling Your Own Big Day by Carole Hamilton

Green Wedding: Planning Your Eco-Friendly Celebration by Mireya Navarro

Wedding Chic: 1001 Ideas for Every Moment of Your Celebration by Colin Cowie

Shed Chic: Outdoor Buildings for Work, Rest and Play by Sally Coulthard

Grillin’ With Gas: 150 Mouthwatering Recipes for Great Grilled Food by Fred Thompson

A Shelter in the Garden: Playhouses, Treehouses, Gazebos, Sheds and Other Outdoor Structures by Pierre Nessmann

Outdoor Entertaining Idea Book by Natalie Ermann Russell

It's Progress

2009-06-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

If you have tried to make it to the library in the last 10 days or so, you may have encountered an obstacle or two in your path. First Avenue North just outside the library has been removed and replaced. It has been pot-hole pocked for many years. Our valiant city street department patched it regularly, but as anyone knows who has ever patched the knees in the pants of a 10 year old boy, patches only hold for so long. Now, we are to have a bright, new, shiny street. Here’s hoping that it cures the drainage issues that have created curb-side ponds in the past.

Construction workers arrived to replace our front steps and railing on the very same day. Even if you could find a parking place within walking distance, you arrived at the front door to find it blocked off by jack hammers and wet cement. The front steps had also been patched more than once. Several times we called in professionals to do it and some years Vivien Hansen and I troweled in the patching compound. Neither held for very long.

All the construction slowed down traffic at the library. We received phone calls every day: “Is the library open?”, “Where should I park?”,”Could you meet me in the parking lot, my books are overdue?”. We all did the best we could under the circumstances. Although I will admit that the day the water was shut off was a difficult one for staff.

If you were unable to get into the library to return items, call us. We can renew them and remove any accumulated fines. If we call you to tell you a book you wanted is now available, just ask us. We can meet you at the curb or drop it off at your house. We’re flexible.

Soon, all the work will be completed and we will be rewarded for the inconvenience with a smooth, new street and perfect front steps.

Do you remember Reader’s Digest Condensed books? Published from 1950 until 1997, the anthology series graced the coffee tables of almost every home in the country. Those ubiquitous books are the bane of every library that accepts donations. Once in the building, they are impossible to get rid of. No one wants them. We can’t even give them away on our “free” shelf.

I, however, have found a use for them. I reckon I need about 200 hundred Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. Actually, any book about the same size would do. I just need to make stacks and stacks and stacks of books. If you have any that you would like to part with, drop them off at the library or give me a call. I can pick them up. I’ll post a photo of my creation when I’ve finished.

Summer Reading Programs have begun. Don’t let the construction zones keep you away. It’s not too late to sign up the kiddos. Come on in, we will be glad to see you.

Retiring Books

2009-05-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

On a recent weekend I had spent the afternoon atop a ladder scraping loose paint from my house. Tired, dirty and hungry, I rummaged around my empty fridge for something for supper. Instead, I called in a pizza order. I hoped to make a quick run into the restaurant and make a fast getaway before anyone could see me in my disheveled state.

Such plans are rarely successful. Right in the parking lot I encountered two favorite library patrons. Readers can never just pass one another with a wave and a quick “hi.” We always stop to discuss what we are reading, what books we’ve just finished and what books we are planning to read next. This time one of the ladies talked about slogging her way through a book she truly wasn’t enjoying, but felt she should finish anyway.

I gave up that attitude at college graduation. No more reading books I didn’t enjoy. No more putting off reading what I really wanted to read because I had to finish something boring first. Since I’m reading for pleasure, why not? The only exception is when the information contained in the book is valuable in itself. Sometimes, knowledge is important regardless of how badly it is presented. Those types, like books about health issues or taxes or politics contain important information. I read those only when absolutely necessary.

Recently there has been a real buzz about a book called The Shack by William Young. We have two regular copies of the book, plus one in large print and one on audio cd. We can’t keep them on the shelves. Everyone who reads it tells all their friends who tell all their friends. From what I’ve been told, it sounds fascinating…..God comes into the book as a very large African American woman. I kind of like that image, so I’ve started the book two times. I never get past the snowstorm in the first few pages. Finally in talking to coworkers, I’ve decided that the book is a GSPW-a good story, poorly written. Life is too short for those, also. Someday someone will write it better. Then I’ll read it.

Otherwise, I enjoy everything I read. I don’t feel guilty stopping after a few pages or a few chapters. My “to read” list is already longer than I’ll live to finish. Don’t feel you have to finish every book you ever start. We have about 20,000 more of them at the library…..a few are surely bound to please.

New(ish) @ your library, a few of what are known in the children’s library as information books. These grownup books are just chock full of everything we might need to know about the retirement years.
Don’t Retire, Rewire by Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners. In a study conducted by Merrill Lynch, more than 60% of Americans reported that they expected to continue working into retirement. Well, thanks to Merrill Lynch, et al, the other 40% of us will probably have no choice. This little book will help us mold our careers to fit our retirement pocketbooks.

Smart Women Don’t Retire-They Break Free by Gail Rentsch. The sub-title of this one is “from working full-time to living full-time.” What a prospect! Think of all the books I can read!

Retirement Without Borders by Barry Golson. How to retire abroad- I might give this one serious consideration. Let those selfish, far-flung, childless, grownup children of mine come see me for a change. Or, just give me grandchildren and I’ll stay here and be happy.

How to Care for Your Parents’ Money While Caring for Your Parents by Sharon Burns. A frightening thought, whether you are the child or the parent. This may be the most important book on my short list. Someone needs to understand how to stretch resources to cover a whole host of possible contingencies. This book is a well-recommended resource for planning for all eventualities.

Whatever your reading desires, be it business or pleasure, find it @ your library.

Express Yourself @ your library

2009-05-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day has come and gone; most of us are back at work. Our kids are finishing up their last full week of school. Next Wednesday school gets out early and the summer fun begins at the library. We used to offer something special that first day of summer vacation…something special to entice the kids and the parents to come into the library to sign up for the summer reading program.

It became apparent that not only was a program or an event unnecessary, it got in the way! We don’t have room for a presenter or a display; the old building is rocking with kiddies, tots, parents, strollers and chaos. We add extra reinforcements to our scheduled staff, we all take our vitamins and prepare to go into the fray armed with books, movies, puppets, games and prizes to amaze and astound young readers. Even those who can’t read yet.

Last year 276 children registered for our summer reading program. Despite declining school enrollment, that number has remained fairly constant from year to year. In June and July last year the children’s library offered 25 separate programs. All together they were attended by 650 kids and parents. Where else would you find 25 FREE children’s activities? Anyone who knows Jean Holste knows that these weren’t just traditional library story hours. Every event is a performance. Last year’s theme was “Catch the Reading Bug”. The programs all revolved around creepy, crawly things.

This year the theme is Be Creative @ your library. Jean has her usual array of not-so-usual programs. Each participant will receive a reading log. This year it is shaped like an artist’s palette. ( I looked that up in the dictionary. Did you know that there are also separate definitions for palet and pallet and pallette?) For each 30 minutes the child reads or is read to, he/she colors in one paint splotch. When all the splotches are colored in, the kiddo receives a prize. Also happening will be Tot Time on Mondays, The Artsy-Smartsy Club (this one is my favorite) and six different Art Starts programs. Also happening are the every-popular Stories & More and Read-To-Me Club. Check with the children’s library for details.

Because kids eventually age-out of the children’s library, but not out of library/reading enthusiasm, we also have a program for tweens and teens. For the 6th-12th grade set, this year’s summer program is entitled Express Yourself @ your library. Every summer Sherri Crowley and I turn the teen corner into something befitting the program theme. In years past we created a haunted house and a castle. Last year’s theme was Metamorphosis. We created a gauzy, floaty-looking scene with lots of color and netting. Not sure what we had in mind at the time. This year, it’s an artist studio, complete with paint brushes and drop cloths. The corner is always adorned with artwork from our “library kids”, the ones who spend lots of time here. Now their artwork has become part of the whole stage set. Sherri and I start planning about February. We decorate and transform because we like to. That there is a summer program with a theme is a bonus for us. Gives us an excuse.

For this group we have one larger prize. No messing around with trinkets for our guys. For every 200 pages read, the kids get an entry for our drawing. The prize this year is a portable DVD player. There will be other assorted programs and activities throughout June and July.

We will also have some contests and activities for grownups. There will be a drawing for some of those reusable, recyclable library bags. They were so popular; I’ve ordered a new batch. We may come up with a large-ish adult prize, too.

Here is a creative endeavor for you to try now: go to www.jacksonpollock.org. Click on “Enter Jackson Pollock. Org. Every move of the mouse will draw. Each click will change the color you are drawing with. The longer you hold the mouse in one place, the bigger paint blob you will make. The faster you move the mouse, the thinner the line you draw. Warning: This website is hypnotizing and addictive!

If you have fun and like your creation, print it out in color and bring it in to the library. We will put it in a picture mat and hang it up. Every work of art from this website wins a prize @ your library.

2009-05-02T06:56:00.000-07:00

We are in a library lull right now. Kids and their parents and teachers are working to wrap up the school year. Librarians are finishing up spring programs, getting ready for another summer reading program in June and July.
This week we will meet to discuss our latest Humboldt Reads! book , Pay It Forward. The next selection, nonfiction this time, is The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan. Evelyn Ryan’s story is told by her daughter, Terry. Somehow, just as the family budget would hit crisis point, Mrs. Ryan would write another prize-winning jingle and win just exactly the right prize to keep her family afloat a while longer. Books are available now at the library. Check one out and join us for a lively dinner and book discussion in June.
Since there isn’t much live action in the library these days (but JUST wait until school is out!), I have some new books to share with you:
Miss Julia Delivers the Goods by Ann B. Ross – There is a whole series of Miss Julia books. Each one is more delightful than the last. Miss Julia lost her husband at about retirement age. After his death she discovered he wasn’t quite the man she had thought. Once Julia got over the shock of it all, she sets out to do good works and live life to the fullest.
The Sisters Antipodes by Jane Alison- This is a memoir of just about the craziest sounding childhood I can imagine. Two Foreign Service families, each with two little girls, become friends while living in Australia. Eventually, friendly takes on a whole new meaning and both couples divorce, swap daddies, and remarry. This book is the struggle of the four girls caught in the middle. Oh, my!
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn- If you read Flynn’s Sharp Objects, you know that she is a master of the surprise ending. Look for nothing less in her newest book.
The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women & a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffery Zaslow. This one has received quite a bit of attention here in Iowa. We women seem to hang on to our friends. It will be an interesting read to hear how these women have stayed friends through marriage, children, divorce, long distance moves, illness and even death.
Columbine by Dave Cullen – We all followed this story as it unfolded ten years ago. After years of interviews and research, Cullen tells the story of the brutality of this crime. This book has received quite a bit of early publicity. Here’s your chance to read it before everyone else is talking about it.
Southern Living Ideas for Great Kids’ Rooms – Someone donated this book to the library. The rooms are the cutest I’ve ever seen….built in beds, beds in lofts and tents, a dresser that incorporates a carousel horse, a choo choo train bed and a closet that resembles a castle. What more could you want?
Do Your Own Home Staging: Sell Your Home Faster, Sell It for More by Tina Parker – This one has a lot of good information for decluttering and depersonalizing your home when you put it on the market. There is a check list for each room in the house.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne – We all ought to read this before we see the movie. It’s the story of two little boys who make friends through the fence at a World War II concentration camp, one inside the camp, the other outside, the son of the camp’s commandant.
Spring brings lots of rainy days. Come on in and be prepared to curl up with a good book from your library.

2009-04-16T14:34:00.001-07:00

I may seem to be on a wild tangent of complaints here, what with my recent writing about those who won't pull their pants up and/or shut off cell phone ringers, but I have one more. Someone, a very nice lady, recently returned a cookbook to the library. It was that famous red one that we all get/give for wedding presents. I'm still using my mother's copy with its ragged, food-spotted pages. The lemon meringue pie page and the page for snickerdoodle cookies are almost illegible after 60+ years of use.
This cook wanted to investigate some new pasta recipes. What she discovered when she got home was that someone had removed the whole pasta section. This particular cookbook edition is the three ring binder type. It was very simple for someone to open it up and take out all the desired pages. If the next few people who checked it out wanted Key West Fruit Salad or Kielbasa and Bean Soup (Easy), they might not have noticed that the pasta pages were missing. So, we have no way to figure out who stole them. Actually, it could have happened right in the library-just open up the rings and remove all the pasta!
The nerve! I had always thought people who cook were generous, caring people. After some searching, I discovered a different edition of the book that doesn't have the ring binding system. It's been ordered, so all you novice cooks rest easy. The thief wasn't even smart enough to steal lemon meringue pie. It's really, really yummy.
Whenever librarians get together in meetings or via electronic listservs, the subject of the most stolen library books comes up. Some things are just universal. The books that get stolen here are the same ones that get stolen everywhere.
Books about the occult such as witchcraft are often missing right after we put them on the shelf. I haven't heard about any new Humboldt covens popping up, so I wonder what happens to the books. Just who it is that needs them so badly? David Pelzer's books, including A Child Called It, often disappear. For awhile we kept them behind the desk. If you wanted to read about the poor, abused child Dave says he was, you would have to ask a librarian. I wonder if the thieves would like to hear that Pelzer's siblings say that none of what he writes is true, that he writes whatever he thinks will sell books. I also wonder why Pelzer would say those things about his parents if it wasn't true.
Another section that is susceptible to larceny is books about pregnancy and childbirth. Since most women who chose to become pregnant are excited and proud, I imagine the pregnancy book thieves are underage and ill prepared. I visualize them hiding behind the shrubbery at the library to look at the books where they can't be observed. Even sadder to think about is that baby name books are amongst the hardest to keep on the shelves. It just breaks my heart.
Please, folks, don't just help yourself to library materials. Bring it to the counter like a grownup. We won't judge you by your reading matter. Witchcraft and child abuse could be the topic of a research paper. The baby names book might be needed to name a new puppy for all I know. I don't care why you check out what you do. I won't ask, but, please check it out. Stealing from the library is a crime.

2009-03-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

I keep reminding myself that libraries have changed. They aren’t those old formal places that one entered on tip toe, never speaking above a soft whisper. We’re friendly now. We’re noisy sometimes. Occasionally we’re even rowdy. That’s ok. Libraries are public property, publicly owned. The library should be exactly what the majority of its owners wants it to be. I even like them better this way. Aren’t we all more comfortable in our own homes than in more formal places like sanctuaries and courtrooms?

Some libraries even state that their mission is to be the community’s living room. How cozy! However much we want you to be comfortable in our library, some behavior that might seem ok in your own home is still not acceptable in public places. Not even in the library.

It all started a few years ago with the proliferation of personal cell phones. My problem with cell phones is that they ring. Someone speaking on a cell phone in the library is no more disturbing than a conversation between two who are actually present here together. However, that ring! It annoys everyone. If you can’t wait until you get outside to take a call, please set your phone so that it does not startle sleeping babies or set the dogs down the block howling.

Another odd thing about cell phone conversations is that it appears that some people think it has rendered them invisible and inaudible. I really don’t need your problems. Are you sure that you want me to know that you didn’t file an income tax return last year or that various portions of your anatomy don’t function as you’d like? I can hear you and so can most everyone else in the library.

Remember the “sandwich” letter that we learned to write in typing class? The letter that starts out with something pleasant, puts the unpleasantness in the middle and ends up with a complimentary paragraph. The first four paragraphs you just read were the introductory niceness. Now to the heart of the matter:

Using a library, with all its shelves high and low, all its chairs, stepstools and machines, requires bending, stooping and reaching. All this body movement can cause clothing to slip and move out of place. I realize that belting one’s trousers just under one’s chin went out of style a decade or two ago. Even I shop for clothes. I know today’s fashions are not designed to keep one’s person covered at all times.

HOWEVER, just as we would rather not hear about your anatomy, most of it we’d rather not see either. Recently as I walked behind a row of five computer users, three of the five exposed portions of their body that only a proctologist should ever see. Of these three, one was a 40-something “gentleman”, one a male teen and one a 30-ish female.
I am at a loss to know how to handle this. Thus far, I have not been able to force myself to bring this to the attention of the patrons. Don’t they feel a breeze on their nether regions? Don’t they care? Do they think that we find this fashion statement attractive?

Okay, public. This is your warning. Turn off that cell phone ringer and pull up your pants before entering the library. Aging librarians are prone to swooning into a faint at the sign of bare behinds.

2009-03-13T07:27:00.001-07:00

It’s weeding time at the library. Library weeding is just like the garden variety. Pull out the undesirables to allow the really good ones to strut their stuff and to allow space to add whatever new comes along.

For many years a slim volume produced by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission has been the weeding “bible” of the library world. It is known as the Crew Method: Expanded Guidelines for Collection Evaluation and Weeding for Small and Medium-Sized Public Libraries. I’m not sure who appointed those guys master weeders, but they developed a simple method that most libraries use. The Crew manual states that depending on shelf space, we should choose a date three to five years ago and weed any adult fiction book that hasn’t been checked out since that date. We’re crowded, so we use the three year rule. If nobody has wanted to read it in the last three years, chances are no one ever will.

It just kills me. I read several book review journals every month. I only buy books that came well recommended and reviewed. How do all these dud slip by? Perhaps I am gullible, just a real sucker for a well written book review. It also works the other way around. Every once in awhile a good book slips by me. Sometimes I will read the review and think “who cares about religious intrigue in the art world? “ Six thousand people cared enough to buy The Da Vinci Code the first day it was published. Sixty million more copies have sold since. Maybe I just need more practice.

I’ve weeded like crazy this week. The shelves by the east door that hold our new books are getting crowded. Some of the least new ones need to move onto the regular shelves and I must make way for them. Thus, there are lots of free books for the taking. They are housed on the shelves on the stair landing. A sample of what is available:

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It was published in 1989. It’s 973 pages long. Demi tried for years to persuade me to read it. When Oprah recommended it, I read it. It’s very good. The hoopla has died down and we now have an extra copy.

Love with Noodles: An Amorous Widower’s Tale by Harry Freund. I haven’t read this one. The cover says that widower Dan remained faithful to his deceased wife until a string of tantalizing women entered his life.

The Sudoku Murder by Shelley Freydont. Apparently readers didn’t stay interested in this one any longer than I did in those stupid puzzles of the same name. I never did get one to work out right.

Ten Little New Yorkers by Kinky Friedman. He’s that wacky guy that keeps running (but not winning) for governor of Texas. The cover says he lives with his five dogs and one armadillo in a little green trailer in the Texas hill country. His books just aren’t very popular around here. I think we are probably too sensible to appreciate his humor.

Also available are assorted other rejects. Some John Grisham and Julie Garwood books have been read to pieces. They will probably make it through one more reading. If you read to the beat of a different drummer, we have a free book for you. If you follow the straight and narrow reading path, we have some well worn copies for you to take home to keep and enjoy. Stop by, check out what is available FOR FREE at your library.

2009-03-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

When someone asks if I have read any good books lately, the answer is always “yes”. It’s always true, mostly because I read lots of books, but it also true because I don’t read any other kind. I start lots of bad books, but I don’t finish them. Since I read for pleasure, why bother with a book that is less than enjoyable?

Just this week I finished The Woman at the Washington Zoo: Writings on Politics, Family, and Fate by Marjorie Williams. Ms. Williams was a columnist for the Washington Post and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. The book is a compilation of her work. The longer pieces are mostly profiles of famous and not quite famous people. They range from Teddy Roosevelt’s grandson Archie to Barbara Bush. The second half of the book is shorter pieces, essays. These encompass her feelings about motherhood, politics and her battle with cancer. It was a good read. I have my name on the waiting list for her other book, Reputation: Portraits in Power. I’ve heard that it is even better.

Sometimes, I think that journalists make the best non-fiction authors. They don’t need to learn to write. They have already become accomplished at it. They know how to accept judicial editing. They just “get” how to tell a story well. Some other well loved books by journalists are:

-Tuesdays With Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by sports writer Mitch Albom. This one has become a classic, almost everyone has read it. It’s the story of a grateful student paying homage to a dying teacher.
-Anything by Rick Bragg, the former newspaper columnist. His family biographies including Ava’s Man are his best work.
-Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by In America by magazine columnist Barbara Ehrenreich.
-The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Friedman, newspaper journalist.
-Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen by Bob Greene, Chicago newspaper columnist. One of my all-time favorite books by a journalist. Greene may have been packed off in disgrace for crummy behavior, but he’s a terrific storyteller.
-Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer. A well written account of how a bar full of guys became substitute fathers and role models for a neighborhood kid.
-The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls. The story of the world’s most dysfunctional family. A must-read for anyone who still harbors a grudge against his/her own parents. I gave it to all my own kids for Christmas one year. I wanted them to realize that their childhood could have been worse.
-The Night of the Gun by David Carr. The story of a successful journalist’s fall into drugs and crime.

Whatever your reading tastes, stop by the library. We have a book for you.

2009-02-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

The March 3, edition of Woman’s Day magazine has an article that will bring tears to the eyes of even the sternest, most stoic librarian. The title of the article is “The Library Made Me Healthier.” It is the story of four disparate library users in various parts of the country.

The first is the story of Elaine who lives in San Francisco. She was waiting in the hospital oncology ward for her husband to be scheduled for surgery. It was near Valentine’s Day. The hearts and cupids decorating the hospital hallway only served to further depress her. When a nurse told her to take a break to get away from the hospital for a bit, Elaine wandered into a nearby library. Upon entering she was met by a display of library books with a romantic theme. She skipped over Romeo and Juliet and Doctor Zhivago. She chose a small book of poetry by Mary Oliver.

In that little volume she read the poem “University Hospital, Boston”, about another woman in a similar situation. She hurried back to the hospital to read and re-read that poem aloud to her husband throughout the night. Her husband finally had the surgery and they shared a hospital Valentine’s Day dinner of vending machine snacks and ice chips.

Isn’t that the sweetest story? Sometimes things happen at just the right time. I wanted to read the whole poem so I typed in University Hospital, Boston/Mary Oliver into an internet search engine and easily found it. It is beautifully written, a comfort to those facing health issues of a beloved spouse.

There are three more similarly inspiring library stories in that Woman’s Day issue. One from a younger woman who finally gave birth to her first child after several disappointing years of hoping. She was confused and concerned at her post-partum state of mind. She turned to her local library to research her issues and found that she wasn’t alone in her desperation. Medical treatment was successful and she is now a happier mother of two.

The third story concerns a recent retiree to rural Colorado. When she was diagnosed with an illness she also turned to her local library for information. At the end of her story she thanked her doctor, family and friends and her little mountain library.

The last story is written by Linda Slayton from Des Moines. Diabetes robbed her of most of her vision. After a period of depression she contacted the Iowa Department for the Blind. They put her in touch with the Library of Congress. They send audio books directly to her home. Although hers isn’t the story of a cozy little community library, a library none-the-less made a big difference in her quality of life.

We’ve all been a little grumpy around here. We’ve lost our zip, our zest, our enthusiasm. I think it is seasonal. Will this interminable winter never end? This article was just what we needed to help us remember why we are librarians.

Most days we just match up the newest James Patterson novel with an eager reader. We check out a stack of dvds to a family who is once again facing a long weekend with a bunch of rowdy, housebound children. We tell 15 phone callers that our tax preparation appointments are all full, call earlier next year. We quiet noisy children. We try to offer a smile to someone who looks like he/she needs one.

But, every once in awhile, we have the opportunity to change lives.

2009-02-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

I’m sure it will come as no surprise that our country is facing unprecedented hard economic conditions. What is even scarier is that our own personal finances have been hit hard, too. If we would all just go shopping more frequently, the overall economy might improve. Remember when we could afford to go shopping?

Difficult financial climates often result in increased library usage. After all, most of what a library has to offer is free. Tired of spending $29.95 for a hard cover book? Free at the library! What does it cost to rent a dvd these days? Yep, they are free here, too. Want to read the Algona newspaper? U.S.A. Today? The Messenger? The Register? The Independent? They are all free for your use at the library.

Tired of all the magazines piling up around the house? Let your subscription lapse and come check out ours. The current issue is always on the shelf for in-library use. Older issues, this year’s and last year’s, are here for you to check out. We have everything from Better Homes & Gardens and Backyard Living to Workbench and Writer’s Digest.

We checked out 13,216 movies last year to library users around town. If it costs $3 to rent a movie, that $39,648 that was saved by checking the library first. Folks in Humboldt checked out around 65,000 books last year. If each reader purchased his/her own copy at $29.95, it would cost almost $2,000,000. I couldn’t believe it, either. I figured it up twice on the calculator.

We have eleven computers for people to use. We even have wireless internet service if you would like to bring in your own laptop. We don’t charge for computer time, either. Most people are surprised to find out that we don’t charge for much except copies and printouts. A black and white copy is only a dime. Color copies are a quarter.

Our only other fee is our “extended use fee.” Movies are free for the first three days. If you choose to keep it longer, the extended use fee is $1 per day. Extended use fee for everything else in the library is only ten cents per day.

So, if times are tough at your house, try the library. Except if you need a baby sitter…..call your mother!

2009-02-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

Our next Humboldt Reads! book is The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown. Everyone has another week to read the book before we meet for dinner and book talk on February 26 at 5:30 at Vinny’s. I’m about halfway through the book. It is very gently written, very descriptive. One almost enters the world of Alice on her tenth birthday from the time she wakes in the morning until her birthday party ends.

If you have never participated in Humboldt Reads!,this might be the time to start. The plan is that readers share 15 copies of the book. We’ve had them for several months. One person reads it and returns it to the library so that another can check it out. No cost to the reader. Then we meet to talk about what we liked and what we didn’t like about the book. In reality, many of us have read the book. Some of us have read a portion of the book. Some just come for dinner. We do talk about the book, but we also talk about much more. We talk about whatever the books reminds us of. Sometimes it is a place we’ve visited or lived. Sometimes it is an era in history or a certain stage in life. It is always a learning experience. Come join us.

The recent short break in our winter weather has caused premature spring fever in our younger library visitors. That this weather respite corresponded with a full moon has only added to the afterschool havoc. Wednesdays are especially lively when we house your little darlings for an extra hour. Library patrons, real library users, are always welcome at the library. Library patrons are folks who use the materials and services provided by taxpayers for its citizens. If your child is just whiling away the afternoon until you stop by to pick him/her/them up, that child is a squatter, not a patron. If your child was here on February 13, ask her why she was sliding down the library banister. It was a rather unskilled slide-she fell with a thud that shook the building. Fortunately she was not injured. If this delicate little lady is not your child, ask your son why he threw rocks at library windows. You should be extra proud of him-he’s a very fast sprinter when chased by a very fleet-footed librarian. I’m almost positive nowhere in my job description are the words guard, warden or daycare provider. If these are the services your children require, look elsewhere. The library is not the right place for them.

Everyone else, please come see us. You have paid for library materials with your tax dollars. Come on in and enjoy them. The cost is just right-free!

2009-02-04T13:54:00.001-08:00

Library materials come in all sorts of formats. We have books in print, books in LARGE print, books on cassette, books on cd, downloadable audio books and recorded books on a nifty little gadget called a Playaway. We have movies on vhs and movies on dvd. We have music on cd. Some libraries have downloadable movies. We have magazines, newspapers, microfilm. About the time I have conquered a new device, another one gets invented.

You wouldn’t think that there was much that could be done to change the format of a regular, old book. But, you would be misinformed. There are two versions of paperback books. The smallest form is the mass market paperback. That’s the one we all remember from the spinning racks at the drugstore. Not only have drugstores become a thing of the past, paperback books have been reinvented. The larger format is called a “trade” edition. It is almost the same size as a regular hardbound book. The print is a nice, readable size. Not reduced to microscopic size as it is in the mass market editions. The most noticeable difference from a hardback book is that a trade edition has a soft, paper cover.

The only reason I can see for publishers to bother with trade editions is that it must be less expensive to produce. Sometimes a first book by an unknown author will first come out in a trade version. Sometimes if a more well known author writes something a little different, it will be published in a trade edition. I could easily be wrong, but my guess is that trade editions are produced when the publisher lacks confidence in the marketability of a certain book.

Something else I’ve noticed is that library users don’t check them out very often. When I was in college decades and decades ago, all those dreary novels we had to read for literature classes came in trade editions. I can assure you that we keep all those depressing classics together on a special shelf. You aren’t likely to pick one up accidentally. What we buy now in trade editions are books that have received great reviews in Library Journal or Booklist magazine. Below is a list of new ones. Some are currently on our shelves and some will be released in February.

The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal by Lily Koppel. Koppel found the journal in a Manhattan dumpster. She reads the journal and finally returns it to its original owner, now 90 years old and living in Florida.

Playing With Grownups by Sophie Dahl. The author is the granddaughter children’s author of Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal. A health crisis brings young bride Kitty back to her mother’s home. She relives her childhood as she tends her mother.

Now You See Him by Eli Gottlieb. A novel that blends suspense with long buried family secrets in this study of male friendships.

Manic: A Memoir by Terri Cheney. One review of this autobiography of a young woman fighting bipolar disorder calls it “much more than a train-wreak tearjerker.”

Give a “trade” a try!

2009-01-30T09:11:00.001-08:00

If you have been searching for a way to make Valentine’s Day extra special for your sweetie, I have just the evening for you. On February 13th and 14th the Humboldt Area Arts Council is offering You Know the Old Slaying, a murder-mystery dinner. The cast is local, many encore performers from last summer’s The Odd Couple. The venue is Rustix. In case of inclement weather, you won’t even need to leave town. Your evening will begin at 5pm with a social hour, followed by dinner at 6pm. Rustix is providing a special, upscale dinner. The performance will begin at 7pm. Tickets are $30 per person. Seating is limited to just 75 each night, so don’t put it off ‘til the last minute. Tickets are available @your library!

Many of you will have read about the Jessup Library recently. They had a patron who failed to return a library book. Shocking, isn’t it? What’s more, she refused to pay the $14.58 book replacement cost. My, my. That would never happen here! The lady was arrested for theft and held at the county jail until she could post bail. The library community is beside itself. One faction states that this is such bad publicity for all libraries. The other side argues that the Iowa Code states that failure to return library materials is theft. Plain and simple. She is an accused thief and should be treated as such.

If a large grocery store chain filed charges again someone who took $14.58 worth of merchandise, would the other grocers protest? “You’ve created bad publicity; now, all grocers look mean. “ What if a driver filled her gas tank with $14.58 worth at a convenience store and left without paying? Would we think it were unreasonable for the store to call 911?

Of course, not. Both cases are well accepted instances of theft. Failure to return a library book is also theft. It’s an even more serious form of theft. If one steals from a grocery or convenience store, the stores’ owners may raise prices to compensate for the loss. What can the library do? Our materials are available for public use at no cost. There is no price to raise. Free is free.

When a person steals from the public library, we all lose. That book or dvd is unavailable to all others who had wished to read or view it. If the library chooses to replace the item, it does so by NOT buying another title. Give the poor Jessup librarians a break. They are just trying to be wise custodians of public funds.

2009-01-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

The six library directors in Humboldt County take turns, rotating alphabetically, in appearing before the Board of Supervisors to make an appeal for funding. This year I drew the short straw. It’s not actually my turn. It is Gilmore City’s, but their director is brand new on the job. It didn’t seem fair to expect her to do it before she gets her feet wet. She can take my turn next year.

I was very nervous the first time I appeared before the Supervisors. Such an imposing building, our courthouse. Such an important-looking room. But, such a nice bunch of people. They made me feel welcome and were interested to hear what our libraries were doing with the funds they gave us.

As I sat down to type up some notes for my presentation, I thought you might like to see what I found out about Humboldt County Public Libraries.

-Our libraries are open a combined 173 hours per week.
-We have 7,845 registered library card holders.
-More than 120,000 library items checked out each year.
-There are 33 public computers in Humboldt County libraries used by almost 400 people per week.
-7,000 children attend library programs ear yearin Humboldt County.
-There are more than 65,000 items available for checkout including 4,500 movies available free.
-79,000 people enter our buildings every year.

Isn’t all that amazing? That is what we have been able to do with the limited funds available so far.
But, these are desperate economic times. Many families are struggling. Tough economic times put big demands on library facilities, materials and staff.

Many people use our library computers for job searches, to compose resumes and cover letters and to complete online job applications. Kum & Go no longer takes paper job applications. All applications must be submitted online. That, of course, requires a computer with internet service. We have both at our libraries and the service is free to the users.

We have seen an increase in library computer usage. Perhaps when someone’s home computer needed replacement, funds weren’t available. Perhaps home internet service was cancelled to save money. Sometimes a person may have both a computer and internet service at home, but the printer needs ink. At ten cents per page it’s easier to squeeze a couple of copies at the library into the budget than a $40 ink cartridge.

DVD checkouts are also on the rise. That’s one more place families can cut down. There is no charge to borrow a library dvd. We checked out more than 1200 dvds in December.

Nothing in today’s world is really free. Computers, library internet service, library staff salaries, books and movies have all been paid for by our tax dollars. Libraries are like streets and highways. They have been paid for with city, county, state and federal tax dollars, they aren’t truly free. However, there is no additional cost to the user to drive on them.

If you see your city council persons, your county supervisors, your state senators and representatives, tell them thanks for paving roads and funding libraries. Remind them that difficult times are not the right times to cut library funding. Difficult times are when we need libraries the most.

2009-01-09T12:40:00.001-08:00

We get lots of interesting questions at the library. We almost never KNOW the answer, but we usually know where to FIND the answer. If you have lost Aunt Tillie’s phone number in Timbuktu, we can find it if she has a listed number. If you want to know how tall the Taj Mahal is, we can find out. If you want to know how to spell octogenarian, we’ll look it up. But, alas, once in a while we are stumped. This week a young man of rather short stature came in to find a book about “how to talk to girls.” We sent him to his elementary school library. However, after doing a small amount of research, we discovered that a young man from Castle Rock, Colorado has just written a book with that very title: How to Talk to Girls. It was written when the author was eight years old. So, young fellow from Humboldt, we ordered the book. Check back with us in a couple of weeks. I hope she will wait that long.

There are particular areas where we tread very lightly when answering questions. Medical and legal questions are especially tricky for librarians. We aren’t trained in either field. We do have access to books and websites where you might be able to find your own answers. Another field that gives us problems is income taxes. Libraries have long provided space for stacks of tax forms, but that’s it. The IRS doesn’t give us a class in how to know one form from the other. Truly, you don’t want to take tax advice from us. None of us does her own taxes.

If, however, you know the name or number of the form you need, we know the secret website for access to all IRS tax forms (www.irs.gov). Links to that website and to the Iowa Department of Revenue are on the library’s website: www.humboldtpubliclibrary.com. Another great source for tax advice is our resident expert, Jim the Tax Guy. Jim comes to our library every Wednesday during tax season (January 28-April 15, this year) to complete tax returns and file them immediately online. Can you believe he does this voluntarily? All you need to do is call us at the library for an appointment. No charge, no income or age restrictions. Believe me; he knows more about tax law than the average librarian.

We have just launched a winter reading program: Pop Open a Good Book. It runs through February 28. The program is for readers of all ages; however the rules vary slightly for children and adults. Check with a librarian for specifics. By filling out an entry form you will have an opportunity to win great prizes including movie tickets. Stop in!

Our newest Humboldt Reads! is ready for checkout. This time we are reading The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown. This is the book chosen by the Iowa Center for the Book as the All Iowa Reads title for 2009. We usually eschew All Iowa Reads selections. They often seem a little too high-brow and unreadable for normal folk, but this one promises to be more on my level. It’s my favorite type novel, a coming-of-age story; there’s my favorite word again –bildungsroman. It is available in paperback, large print, audio on cd and in downloadable format. We will meet to discuss the book on February 26, at 5:30 at Vinny’s. Try it; I hope we like it!

2008-12-26T10:51:00.001-08:00

On this last day of the year, I have a few housekeeping items to share. It seems the appropriate time to sum up an assortment of various things before we face the New Year and all those resolutions we dread. I, at least, dread the self-discipline that will be required to keep my resolutions, or the guilt I will endure if I fail to keep them. I usually fail. The guilt doesn’t last long.

First item up for discussion is winter weather. None of us likes it. At least for very long. The first snow is always beautiful, but after that, it begins to lose its appeal. Being on the corner, the library has lots of sidewalk. The parks department works very hard to keep all our sidewalks clear and slip-free. The library staff pitches in during the day to shovel and sprinkle salt and sand. We all do our best, but this is Iowa. It is winter. We each decide just how much risk to take every time we venture out of the house.

We want you to visit us at the library. That is what we are here for. Although we do what is possible to keep the entries safe, please use caution. If we have posted a sign in the east door to advise that you use the north door, it is because the east stairs and/or sidewalk are unsafe at that moment. I made the letters on the sign large enough to be read from the street. Please cooperate. It’s your neck, or wrist , or knee at risk.

Not only does the park department staff keep our sidewalk and steps cleared, they now shovel the flat roof of the library. Last winter we had some thawing and freezing that caused an ice dam to form on the roof that blocked some drains. The resulting melting snow trickled down into the building ruining ceiling and making a mess. So, if you run into Todd Lee on the street, give him an “atta boy” for all the shoveling he does around and over the library.

The second item worth mentioning is also winter weather related. We try to keep the library open regardless of weather conditions. However, if we can’t keep the sidewalks and stairs safe for patrons, we close. If the weather is becoming so treacherous, that staff can’t travel home safely, we close. I wanted to adopt a policy that when the depth of the snow exceeds the height of my snow boots, the library would close. Unfortunately (although very generously) the staff offered to take up a collection to buy me taller boots. I dropped it.

When school dismisses early due to bad weather, many children congregate at the library. We are certainly willing to serve as a rendezvous point for parents and children. However, if weather conditions continue to worsen, the library may also close. If you choose to meet your children here, please be prompt. Bad weather can disturb small children and they worry about their safety and that of their parents. Please consider their feelings and ours.

When the library does close early, we notify KHBT. If in doubt, tune in and check.

2008-12-18T09:25:00.001-08:00

I was sick several days last week. Nothing serious, just a persistent cold. I’m not sure how I caught it, perhaps from my son in Missouri or my daughter in Georgia. They both had been suffering for a week or more. I read that once a person becomes a parent, he/she will never again be any happier than his/her most unhappy child. It must be true; I caught their colds through the phone lines.

An illness, even such a minor one, brings out the best in one’s friends. Thank you to Demi and Kathy at the library who saw to it that my three big boxes of Christmas gifts got shipped on time. And, thanks, too, to Linda, friend and neighbor, who brought orange juice and dog food so Brady and I could stay at home another day without spreading germs to the whole town, and for asking if I had enough to read.

Thinking about how nice people are brought to mind a book I read recently. The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness by Linda Kaplan and Robin Koval. I may have written about it earlier. This little book reaffirms the reasons that we are nice to one another. I asked each staff member to read it, so we have two copies. Give it a try; it will make you feel good inside.

Several other books along the mind/body theme have just arrived at the library. If your spirits are down, or you have something difficult to deal with, or Santa only left lumps of coal in you stocking, you might want to stop by to check them out:

Quiet Mind:A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation by Susan Piver. This tiny book contains six simple lessons to practice to learn to meditate. Included is an instruction cd. Among the six lessons are tranquility, practice of clear seeing, and the practice of loving kindness. Who doesn’t need more of those?

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. The cover of this one says it will show how to transcend ego to find personal happiness and end conflict That sounds like something we all can use.

A Healing Touch: True Stories of Life, Death and Hospice edited by Richard Russo.

Barbara & Susan’s Guide to the Empty Nest: Discovering New Purpose, Passion & Your Next Great Adventure by Barbara Rainey & Susan Yates. Aren’t we all looking for that “next great adventure”?

You Don’t Have to Be Wrong For Me to Be Right by Brad Hirschfield. I saw the author interviewed on television recently. He seemed very wise for a young(ish) man. I’m looking forward to reading this book.

Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression by James Gordon. The reviews and recommendations on the book jacket are all by well-respected doctors and authors. This book has something to offer.

Comfort: A Journey Through Grief by Ann Hood. Following the unexpected death of her small daughter, Ann Hood fell into deep grief. In this book she writes of the places her family found comfort during the grieving process. I opened this one to read a page or two. Ten minutes later I could barely pull myself away to finish typing. I’ll finish it and have it back on the shelf before you read this article. I’m warning you: it grips a mother’s heart.

2008-12-10T13:09:00.001-08:00

One day last week a big box of new books arrived. This particular box was brimming with shiny new children’s books. Oh, the illustrations! Children’s books get more and more captivating with every generation.

The interesting part of that book shipment lay at the bottom of the box. A fat stack of invoices meant for the Queens, New York Public Library was somehow misdirected to us. That happens every once in a while. Last time it was a bunch for some small town in Texas. Unfortunately, invoices for our own purchases always seem to arrive here promptly.

The Queens invoices made interesting reading. They were addressed to the Manager of the Urban Fiction Department. Can you imagine? Not only is urban fiction so popular that it requires its own department, but it has its own staff! It sounds fairly self-explanatory, but I had never even heard of the term urban fiction.

A few days later I came across an article from the New York Times explaining urban fiction and the storm that it is creating in libraries. The latest wave of urban fiction, also known as Street Lit or Gangsta fiction, began in the late 1990s. One article I read said that urban fiction contains all of George Carlin’s seven dirty works with all their urban variations.

Originally it was mostly self-published and sold at street vendors and newsstands. Author Pamela M. Johnson sold her first urban novel from the trunk of her car. She parlayed that one book into Macavelli Press which specializes in publishing her books and the works of other urban authors. When library patrons started demanding this genre at the Queens library, librarians were forced from their computers and fax machines out onto the street to buy up what they could find.

The Queens Public Library has the largest circulation of all libraries in the country. Last year they checked out more than 21,000,000 books and other items. Those street-wise librarians are doing something right. They are meeting the information needs and wants of their customers with the right materials purchases.

That is the goal of all librarians. To have the right book or movie for every user on the shelf at all times. It isn’t financially possible, however. When Oprah announces a new book club selection, we can’t buy 40 copies so that every reader will find one when he or she comes in. We try to make an educated guess and buy the numbers of each that we feel will best meet our community’s needs. Right now I can’t see too many Humboldt readers are ready for urban fiction. However, there are some great new books coming out in January that are right up our alley:

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. A novel that swings back and forth between 1986 and World War II era. It’s both a love story and a classic father-son story.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker. A first novel for Baker. It is the story of Truly and her sister, Serena Jane. Due to a medical issue Truly grows and grows and grows beyond normal size. One reviewer states that the book has a “plangent” quality. I looked it up….a loud reverberating sound or having an expressive quality.

They Have Killed Papa Dead: The Road to Ford’s Theatre, Abraham Lincoln’s Murder and the Rage for Vengeance by Anthony S. Pitch

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich. Evanovich started out including a number (One for the Money; Two for the Dough)in the title of each of her novels about Stephanie Plum. Apparently she was afraid she would run out of numbers before Plum ran out of adventures. She started adding a few between-the-numbers titles, too.

Don’t forget to stop in to see all the beautiful wreaths decorated by our library patrons!

2008-12-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

A few Saturdays ago, I checked out a book that came highly recommended by a person whose reading taste I admire and appreciate. I took it home, but I wasn’t sure that I would read it. It doesn’t have a very engaging cover. I hadn’t heard anything about either the book or its author. It looks like the sort of book college English professors would read. In their corduroy jackets with suede elbow patches, in front of a fireplace, sipping cognac. A book so full of symbolism and metaphors that I wouldn’t be smart enough to understand.

The book was a true surprise. It is almost 500 pages long and I was pretty busy at the time. It took almost three weeks to read it. Once I opened the cover I didn’t want to stop reading. I didn’t quite grasp all the symbolism and I’m sure I missed most of the metaphors, but I enjoyed it anyway. I felt that this book deserved a full-fledged book review, not just a quick paragraph, so, here goes:

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Translated by Lucia Graves 487p. Penguin Books, New York $15.00 9780143034902

The book opens in Barcelona, Spain, 1945. Ten year old Daniel’s bookseller father takes him to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

“According to tradition, the first time someone visits this place, he must choose a book, whichever he wants, and adopt it, making sure that it will never disappear, that it will always stay alive.”

Daniel chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. Shortly, he begins to receive very lucrative purchase offers for the book. It seems that someone named Lain Coubert has set about to destroy all copies of all the works of this author. Very few remain.

While trying to protect and preserve his copy of The Shadow of the Wind, Daniel becomes mesmerized by the life story of the author, Julian Carax. Like peeling the layers of an onion, Daniel uncovers the passions, disappointments and conflicts of Carax’s life.

Along the way Daniel has a few episodes of unrequited love, some huge conflicts and humiliations himself. He forms an arch enemy in the chief inspector of the Barcelona crime squad, Francisco Javier Fumero. He rescues another of Fumero’s victims, Fermin Romero de Torres. Fermin, who several times suffers mightily at Fumero’s hand, provides comic relief throughout the book.

Zafon effectively portrays the mood of a scene. Rain, fog, sleet. Each plays a role to evoke atmosphere. His characters are often less transparent. Each seems to harbor a secret that is difficult to discern. The need to discover the past of each of the actors in this drama is what keeps the pages turning late into the night.

On the last page comes the following quote that sums up the magic relationship readers have with their books:

“I leafed through the pages, inhaling the enchanted scent of promise that comes with all new books, and stopped to read the start of a sentence….”

2008-11-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

Did you know that our schools dismiss early every Wednesday for teacher in-service meetings? I can just see you now-slapping your foreheads like the guy in the V8 commercial. When school dismisses early for any reason, the public library is THE place to go. If your tolerance for hustle and bustle is low and your schedule is flexible, you might want to consider visiting another afternoon. The lines will be shorter, the climate more serene and staff tempers, well, more temperate.

Don’t forget to check out a wreath to help decorate the library for the holidays. You just come in, borrow a wreath just like a book or movie. Take it home. Decorate to your liking and return it to the library for display. After the holiday season, you may either “undress” the wreath and take your decorations home, or leave it decorated for us to use another season.

I usually write about books, but the library has all the latest dvds, too. We buy most newly released dvds of appropriate ratings. They can be checked out for three library days. That means that Sundays and holidays when the library is closed are “bonus” days. There is no charge for checkout. If, however, you wish to keep a dvd longer than three days, there is a one dollar per day “extended use fee”. We used to call them fines, but “extended use” just sounds more kind.

A library user of good standing may check out up to 15 items at a time. We do not limit the numbers of videos beyond that. You are welcome to check out 15 if you feel you can view them in three days. Rules for patrons with new library cards carry some restrictions for the first three months while we learn to trust you with our library materials.

We recently added some oldies, but goodies, to our dvd collection:
-Stand and Deliver and Lean on Me- both movies on one disk. Each is a film about troubled school students. Stand and Deliver involves a gifted teacher’s ability to motivate barrio kids to pass an advanced calculus placement test. Lean on Me is about a no-nonsense principal who turns his failing school around.
-Richard Simmons Sweatin’ to the Oldies-We have several versions of these. They are fun to watch, even if one doesn’t wish to participate.
-Lonesome Dove- On two cds. It’s based on the 1986 Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name. We have the book, too.
-Other westerns: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and True Grit
-Swing Dancing- Learn to swing in minutes! That’s what it says on the cover.
-The Graduate- Best Picture winner in 1967. The soundtrack is as good as the movie.
-Field of Dreams-the classic baseball movie filmed in Iowa. My kids wore out two vhs versions.
- Brigadoon –Starring Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. A Lerner and Lowe musical, famous for the song Almost Like Being in Love.
-Doctor Zhivago- We must have had more patience back in 1965. I tried to re-watch this recently and it moved so slowly. However, the breathtaking scenery and the story are just as beautiful as ever.
-Camelot- another Lerner and Loewe production. It’s hard to forget the line from the score of this movie “for one, brief, shining moment”. It has special meaning for those of us who remember that November day 45 years ago.

Grab a family-friendly movie on your way home tonight. Watch it between the parade, the turkey and the football. Your kids will thank you.

2008-11-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

Once the Halloween scarecrows left the library building we began to think about decorating for the holidays. A few years ago we discarded an old, bedraggled, artificial tree. It had been a donation from Target a decade or two ago. After the tree, none of us has been able to get very excited about holiday decorations. Suddenly, I was inspired!

Everyone so enjoyed the creativity and variety of the scarecrows, we decided to do it again. We briefly considered dressing the scarecrows as snowmen, but quickly abandoned that idea. We settled on wreaths. Within the next few days we will have a dozen or so evergreen-looking wreaths. Folks can check one out, dress it up as you please, and return it to the library the first week in December. They will grace the library until the first of January.

So, start thinking. Wreaths can be whimsical, traditional, charming or downright funny. We will appreciate and admire each for its individuality.

Don’t forget to buy your tickets for the Humboldt Area Arts Council Art Encore to be held on November 22. Tickets are available both at the library and at Sherree’s Hallmark.

Saturdays are the only times I work the checkout desk for a whole day. Other days are spent ordering books, paying library bills, attending meetings and other necessary, but less fun stuff. Every week on Saturday I get to spend the whole day talking to the people who actually read the books I buy. It’s my time to hear which ones you like, which ones you don’t like and which ones you wish I would buy. Unfortunately, if someone returns a book they just loved, I can’t resist taking it home with me. I usually cart home 5-10 books. I know that next week I will take home another armload and I know that I can’t possibly read even five books in one week. Even so, I keep hauling them home.

One book that has been repeatedly recommended to me is Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. I did take it home once. It is the story of two childhood best girlfriends. It started off well, but I was deep into another book and didn’t want to keep other readers waiting so I checked it back in unread. I confuse it with Firefly Cloak by Sherri Reynolds which I did read. It’s a bilungsroman, that word I like so much, that means a coming-of-age story. It’s the story of a young girl abandoned by her mother early in life. Well worth reading.

Among other bildungsroman at the library is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. That classic story of depression-era Alabama, of justice, race, class and the pain of growing up. I try to re-read it or watch the 1962 movie with Gregory Peck every five years or so. I never grow tired of it.

Another is Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham . This is the 1940s bestseller about one man’s search for enlightenment. Not really my cup of tea, but it’s available at the library should you choose to tackle it.

Stones of Summer was first published in 1972. Its author, Dow Mossman, is an Iowan. He wrote this one epic novel that earned him critical acclaim. Then, he disappeared into oblivion until a film maker fell in love with the book and produced a documentary recently. It might be worth reading if only to find out what so captivated book critics in the 1970s. Mossman still lives in Cedar Rapids.

Dive From Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer is one coming-of-age novel that I can heartily endorse. Amazon.com describes this book as a “journey of personal epiphany.” That seems a very good, if somewhat fanciful, way to describe all these novels. As a main character ages, he/she grows and matures in thinking until an answer or solution is reached. This one is the story of Carrie Bell’s life and how it is affected by an accident that paralyzed her fiancée.

One of the best parts of a librarian’s job is called Readers Advisory. That means matching a reader with the perfect book for just this very moment. Sometimes the same reader will be searching for humor, for tragedy, for drama. We love to help you find just what you are looking for. … a satisfyingly good read. Of course, if you’d rather look on your own, you can browse and sample all the books you like. Come on in!

Hooray, Hooray! Campaign Commercials Have Gone Away!

2008-10-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

It’s over! The election is behind us. The winning candidate-for-change will be inaugurated in January. Keep in mind that I am writing several days before the election, so I don’t know who will have won by the time you read this. Whoever he is, he campaigned on a platform for change. Change is good. What would life be without it? Can you imagine eating the same meal every day like my poor dog, Brady? All he has to look forward to is a bowl of the same old dog food, and his favorite frozen treats, ice cubes.

Change gets us up in the morning. We would all roll over and pull the covers over our heads if we knew that today would be just exactly like yesterday and tomorrow. I like change. I like to see the library grow and adapt to the changing needs of the community.

This week the biggest changes at the library are in décor and display. A new quilt has replaced Marilyn Hinner’s Dear Jane quilt. Judith Cochran made the one that is currently hanging. I couldn’t find the exact pattern in our quilt books, but it is a combination of squares and triangles in very cozy blues, browns and dark reds. Judith hadn’t named the quilt, so I did. I call it Autumn Stars. If I worked that long and hard on a project, I would certainly think it deserved a name. Come in and take a look, it’s just the change we needed.

Also changed this week is our display case. Now it houses a variety of books and memorabilia of our local Chautauqua Literary & Scientific Circle. Isn’t it incredible that this organization has continued meeting for 125 years here in Humboldt? In the display are photos of the early Chautauqua meetings held in tents at local parks. The program from the 1911 summer event is there and several of the books featured over the years are in there too.

The current membership of the local group consists of 12 members and two honorary members. The books for discussion for the remainder of the 2008-2009 season are: Pennsylvania Avenue, Losing Moses on the Freeway and The Zookeeper’s Wife. I understand that the group would welcome new members. If interested, check at the library. We can put you in contact with them.

New on the library’s shelves:

The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement by Bob Zellner. The memoir of a white guy from Alabama, grandson of Klansmen, who joined in the sit-ins and marches of the civil rights era.

Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews. I’m not sure how one writes a funny murder mystery, but Andrews and many other authors crank them out. This is the story of the murder of Santa Claus shortly before the annual Christmas parade. The book jacket says that this is “filled with outrageous Christmas spirit and mayhem.

Keeping Secrets by Gwen Madoc. Cousins and best friends keep their relationship a secret in the face of a bitter familial feud. All is complicated when they fall for the same fellow.

Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn. He wrote the book Memorial Day a few years ago. It was quite the hit, but when I ordered it, I mistakenly ordered a book of the same title by another author. Readers quickly brought it to my attention. This is the CIA and counterterrorism at its best.

An Outrageous Affair by Penny Vincenzi. The cover says that Vencenzi is the “doyenne of the modern blockbuster” and that this is her “most enthralling family saga yet.” Family sagas are just the right kind of book for coldish weather. Perfect to curl up with for a long afternoon and be transported into some other family’s problems for awhile.

2008-10-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

I had one of those miserable birthdays over the weekend. You know; one of the ones that end in a 0. The kind of birthday that scares the daylights out of the birthday girl. I’m recovering from the shock, determined to make the best of my remaining years by keeping busy at the library.

Last week we held the discussion for our last Humboldt Reads! book, The Horizontal World, by Debra Marquardt. It led to quite an interesting discussion of a person’s tie to the land of his birth. Even though Marquardt was itching to leave her rural North Dakota farm at the first opportunity, the land still calls to her. There remains a bond that appears to be permanent to the land of her childhood. It seems to be one of those universal feelings. Although I left Oklahoma many years ago, I never feel as comfortable anywhere else. There is something in that red dirt and vast, blue sky that anchors me the way rolling hills of fertile, black soil never will. About 60 library patrons read the book and another 10 or 12 attended the discussion. Thus, we will start reading another book for discussion.

Our next book is Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. It is the memoir of a man born in a rural coal mining town in West Virginia. It is the story of a young man coming of age in the 1960s. He and a few friends dreamed of launching rockets into outer space. That was a common boy-type dream in those days. The difference in this story is those West Virginia boys made their dreams come true. Homer became a NASA engineer. It is the book that the movie October Sky was based on.

We have plenty of time to get this one read. We plan to meet at the library on January 8 at 5:30pm. We will order pizza, view the movie and wrap up the evening with book discussion. It is a charming American story. Please join us.

Our scarecrow contest was a rousing success. Kaitlyn Daisy won the People’s Choice Award with her entry, Oopsa, That 70s Girl. Don’t blame Kaitlyn for the poor pun. It was mine. The scarecrows will be up through the weekend. Stop by to see them.

Lastly, tickets are on sale now for the Humboldt Area Arts Council’s Art Encore. It will be held at the events center at the fairgrounds on November 22. It’s your chance to have some fun, contribute to a good cause and go home with a real treasure or two. The night starts out at 6pm. From 6-8pm there will be complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a wine and beer cash bar. At 8pm the auction will begin. Not only will all those clever lamps be offered, there will be assorted other items you won’t be able to resist. A silent auction will also take place until 11pm. From 9-midnight the Josh Davis Band will perform. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets are available at the library, Sheree’s Hallmark or from any arts council board member.

I have a stack of tickets to sell, so help me out and pick up yours at the library. Also, when you take a gander at the lamps for auction, take special note of the pair the library staff assembled. They are perfect for anyone’s home-so delightful & original!

October Odds & Ends 10-15-08

2008-10-10T12:41:00.000-07:00

We have just one more scheduled session of this year’s Writer’s Workshop to be held at 6:00 pm on October 23 at the library. The group did decide to continue to meet informally. They will meet on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 6:00 pm starting in November, somewhere in the library, but probably upstairs in the northeast corner. Newcomers are welcome at anytime.

More entries are coming in for our scarecrow contest. We are all out of the forms we created, but if anyone else would like to join in the fun, you are welcome to come up with your own. The only requirement is that the finished scarecrow must be able to sit on a shelf. If you drive by the library after dark, you might be able to see some of these scary creatures through the east library windows.

The current Humboldt Reads! title is Horizontal World by Debra Marquart. She teaches at Iowa State. The book is a series of autobiographical essays about her growing up years in rural North Dakota. Our discussion will be held October 23, at 5:30 pm at Family Table. You still have time to read it before we meet to discuss.

A group of totally random and unrelated new books at the library:

A Simple Guide to U.S. Immigration and Citizenship – We have this both in English and Spanish.

The House That Faux Built by Adrienne van Dooren – A house in New Orleans totally redone as a method to raise money to build a Habitat for Humanity house. I haven’t read this one. I suppose they remodeled a house and sold tickets. I have looked at the photos. They are indescribable. Check out this one for yourself!

The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein and Stephen Bloom – Twenty-five years ago Peter Feldstein set out to photograph every citizen of Oxford, Iowa. All 676 of them. Twenty years later he took another photo of each. Stephen Bloom, author of Postville, who teaches at the University of Iowa, went along to write an accompanying biographical sketch. A fascinating concept.

Smoking Food: A Beginner’s Guide by Chris Dubbs – This book covers everything you need to know about smoking food over fire. Chapters range from the necessary equipment to fuels and marinades. The instructions seem reasonably easy to follow.

Swedish Christmas Crafts by Helene Lundberg – Charming, simple Christmas ornaments and decorations for every home.

How to Have Style by Isaac Mizrahi – Some days, a girl just feels frumpy. Page through this – it offers easy ways to perk up your style, makeup, jewelry, shoes and wardrobe.

Artful Musings

2008-10-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

The first entry in our scarecrow contest has been turned in. It’s an endearing representation of an old fashioned one, charmingly dressed all in purple. Joyce Crabtree is its creator. She’s a good sport! Stop by the library often to see them as they come in. We will have a vote the week of October 20-24 and some sort of wonderful grand prize for the winning entry. I don’t know what the prize will be yet, but I’m thinking.

Last week was jam-packed with activity for the library and the whole city. On Tuesday we had our Small Steps to Health and Wealth program at the library. Barb Wollan and Paulelda Gilbert of the extension service led the workshop. The turn-out wasn’t great, so, when those of us who did attend turn into ravishingly thin, wealthy beauties, we will try not to flaunt our success. Although you did have a chance to join in.

Wednesday was the wine tasting reception given by the Humboldt Area Arts Council to launch the annual ARToberfest. This year the event was held at the Humboldt Historical Museum’s Clancy Building. I’d been to the museum, but had never been in the Clancy building. It’s that long red barn-looking building. It is charming! It’s full of little vignettes of Humboldt history. An old red fire truck and memorabilia from many local businesses. It was a perfect evening from the hors d’oeuvres to the music.

ARToberfest is a month long celebration. There are four different classes being offered: hand-made kaleidoscopes, pressed flower cards, textured hand built pottery and wire wrapped silver bracelet making. Information is available on the Council website: www.artsinhumboldt.com.

The Wednesday reception was held to introduce the objets d’arte that will be sold at auction on November 22. Every year there is a theme. The first year theme was chairs. I was blown away by the creative and imaginative ways local artists transformed ordinary chairs into works of art. The second year’s theme was clocks. They, too, were spectacular. This year the title of the exhibit is “Light Up Your Imagination”. Are you surprised that this year’s works of art are lamps?

By now, the third year, I’m no longer shocked at the talent displayed. I was prepared to be awed, but once, again, the imagination that went into the lamps is startling. The library entered a pair of lamps. We call them Novel Lamps. I had a vague idea to transform some rather wobbly library lamps into something sturdier. Staffer Kathy Hensch and her husband, Harold, took my idea to completion. They are only modestly clever compared to the work of real artists, but I like to think they might be very practical for any home.

The lamps are on display at Bank Iowa. Voting for the People’s Choice award is accomplished by dropping coins (or big bills!) into a jar near each display. The voting money will be used to enhance the scholarships to promising art students that the Arts Council gives each year. So, drop in the bank, be generous with your votes, and mark November 22 on your calendar for Art Encore. It promises to be bigger and better than ever.