Snippets from the Shelves

Spring may officially be here, but as I write this the snow is blowing and the temperature is 28 degrees. There are signs though, the daffodils are blooming, the birds are singing, and the sun feels warmer.

This year many of you will be planting vegetable as well as flower gardens. The library has many wonderful books to help newcomers plan, plant, and harvest a variety of foods. If you think that a large space is a requirement for growing a vegetable garden, then please check out R.J. Ruppenthal’s book Fresh Food From Small Spaces. The author offers practical advice for gardening on porches, decks, balconies and window boxes. And what garden is complete without herbs? Essential Herbal Wisdom by Nancy Arrowsmith introduces readers to 50 herbs. She offers tips on planting, harvesting, drying and storing each plant. Newspapers Pennies Cardboard & Eggs for Growing a Better Garden by Roger Yepsen provides information on topics from composting to pests and weeds.

For flower gardeners, we have a variety of new books including Gardening on Pavement, Tables and Hard Surfaces by Tracy DiSabato-Aust, P. Allen Smith’s Bringing The Garden Indoors: Containers, Crafts and Bouquets for Every Room, Tovah Martin’s The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature and Joe Eck’s Our Life in Gardens.

For many of us, spring means only one thing, Baseball. We have added several books about the game to the collection. The Yankee >Years by Joe Torre is on the Publishers Weekly and New York Times Book Review best-seller lists. In this book, the author writes about his years as manager with the team. Allen Barra has written a biography titled Yogi Berra: Eternal Yankee that is sure to be a best seller. In Confessions of a She-Fan: the Course of True Love with the New York Yankees, Jane Heller chronicles her journey as she follows the Yankees to different baseball parks around the country. These and many others may be found on the shelves so please check them out.

Many people are coming into the library for help with resume writing and job searches. Several new titles have been added to the
collection that will be of help in both these areas. Ron Krannich has written three books for a very specific group of job hunters – ex-offenders. The author addresses the difficulties that many in this group face when re-entering the work force. Best Jobs for Ex-offenders, The Ex-Offender’s Job Interview Guide, and The Ex-Offender’s Re-Entry Success Guide will help prepare readers for a successful job search. 150 Best Jobs Through Military Training, 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs, Resumes for Re-Entering the Job Market, and Surviving a Layoff: A Week-By-Seek Guide to Getting Your Life Back Together by Lita Epstein are also valuable resources. For internet searches, try Margaret Dikel’s Guide to Internet Job Searches.

The library has approximately 1,000 DVDs in the collection and just recently added several wonderful titles including foreign films August Evening, Aviva My Love, Slumdog Millionaire, and Yella. Meryl Streep fans will not want to miss Doubt and for those who love Woody Allen, please check out Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Non-fiction titles include Autism: The Musical; Craft in America; Garden Story; NASCAR—The Ride of Their Lives, and The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. Although the library does not purchase videos, we do accept donations and have added several Young Indiana Jones episodes to the video collection. Please stop in and browse the DVD and video collections. Remember there is no fee to check out DVDs and videos, however an adult library card is required.

The library is available for all to enjoy, so please take advantage of what we have to offer. Stop in and say hello!

This is the time of year we start thinking about all the outdoor chores awaiting us and planning summer activities. While waiting for the weather to break and summer to arrive, here are few new books to peruse.

How about a debut fiction by the award-winning writer, Gerald Kolpan? His novel, about the infamous Etta Place (Etta: A Novel), is sure to spark your interest in this mysterious woman. Was Etta Place her real name and was she really the girlfriend of “Sundance Kid” as depicted in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? Kolpan writes this story as he imagines what her life was like during the early 20th century. He includes many real people in his novel and gives us a glimpse of life during this era.

Another new author, Philipp Meyer, writes about two naive high school friends who leave a small Pennsylvania steel town to embark on a cross country journey to California and the tragedy that follows. His book, American Rust, narrated by several of his characters, was even mentioned in, Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwell’s latest novel. A Reliable Wife, the debut historical novel by Robert Goolrick, takes place in the early 1900s in a small Wisconsin town. This fast-paced novel will keep you on your toes until the very end.

For mystery lovers, Cursed, the new Carol Higgins Clark novel will soon be arriving. This is her twelfth book in the Regan Reilly series. Mary Higgins Clark’s new book, Just Take My Heart, is also due out this month. We can look forward to book 10, Tea Time the Traditionally Built, in a newly released No. 1 Detective Agency mystery by Alexander McCall Smith.

Douglas Preston’s Cemetery Dance, the ninth book in the Pendergast series, Iris Johansen’s Deadlock, Look Again by Lisa Scottoline and Bill Pronzini’s Schemers: A Nameless Detective Novel are some of the other new arrivals to help pass the time until the outdoor chores and summer activities begin.

For young adults many new fiction books are arriving this month. F. Paul Wilson has a new YA novel, Jack: Secret Histories, the first in his new series. P.C. Cast’s Hunted is the fifth novel in her Night series. Francisco X. Stork’s new book, Marcelo in the Real World, is just arriving. Or, read about Max and her friends as they try to discover why millions of fish are dying and hundreds of ships are being destroyed off the coast of Hawaii. Will they be able to solve the mystery or will they be stopped by Mr. Chu and his gang? Find out in Max, the exciting new Maximum Ride adventure by James Patterson.

Young adults will also find lots of new non-fiction books on music, art, and writing to go along with this year’s Summer Reading Club theme. Our summer fun will start June 8th and continue through August 7th. For more information stop by the Fiction desk or pick up a bookmark listing the season’s activities. You and your friends are invited to join us for another exciting summer as we explore ways to “Express Yourself at Your Library”.

One of the benefits of the reference collection is that the books don’t circulate. That means when you come to the library, you’ll know the book you’re looking for is on the shelf. However, it also means you need to have a few moments to look at the information you need. While using electronic reference from home (such as the Power Library resources) gets around this issue, the vast majority of reference works are yet to be, or may never be, made available electronically.

A reference collection works because reference books, by definition, are books that you won’t sit down and read from cover to cover. We’ve probably heard about someone who read through the encyclopedia as a kid, but he or she is the exception to the rule. Reference books are here to help answer your questions or lead you to other sources of information. Most people come, find the information they need, and use it to get on with their lives.

From the practical to the whimsical, we add new and interesting items to our collection every month. Recent additions include: Profiles of Pennsylvania, which provides statistical information about cities and towns in Pennsylvania; GED 2009-2010 for test preparation; Volunteer Vacations which lists opportunities to do good while getting away; The USERRA Manual and What Every Veteran Should Know, 2009 for our servicemen and women who are returning to work or need to find help; Warman’s Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2010 for yard-salers or auction-goers; and Hometown Declarations: America’s Self-Proclaimed World Capitals, in case you’re interested in visiting the Popcorn Capital of the World (VanBuren, IN) or the fireworks Capital of the World in nearby New Castle!

Next time you’re in the library, stop and look around the Reference Section. And, if you’re one of those
exceptional people who wants to read our reference books straight through, you’re certainly welcome to do that too.

Award-winning children’s entertainer, Rachel Sumner will present a program as part of this year’s Children’ Summer Reading Club activities. Sumner has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe and is well known for her lively performances and audience participation. Singing songs and telling stories that teach as well as entertain, she has an enthusiastic following. She can be heard on children’s radio, satellite and airline programming around the world and The Learning Channel’s “Ready, Set, Learn.” Her recordings have won nine national awards, three finalist nominations and an international award given by a United Nations publication.

Sumner performs at festivals, museums, fairs, school, libraries, corporate and special events. Her concerts teach words in different languages including sign language and are intended to promote self-esteem while stimulating children’s imaginations.

Some of her award-winning titles include two recordings, I’ve Got Imagination and Join the Parade, and a book entitled Shapes With Squiggle Snake. The exact date and time of Sumner’s performance will be announced during the summer .

‘Be Creative @ Your Library’ this summer in the Children’s Room and explore the arts, music, dance, writing, books and puppetry. Summer Reading Club begins June 8th and lasts until August 7th. Artwork for this year’s theme was created by a master of illustration mayhem and frivolity, David Catrow. His familiar works of art can be seen in books such as Stand Tall Molly Lou Milon and Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs.

Open to children from toddlers to those leaving sixth grade, the reading club provides incentives, activities and concerts to make this an inspiring nine weeks for the whole family.

This year’s reading club will also bring out the budding artist in children. All activities will have a “Be Creative” theme and will be divided into a session for younger children and one for older elementary-aged children. The annual pet show which is co-sponsored by Dad’s Products is scheduled for July 11th.

To participate, a child must be a member of one of Crawford County’s libraries. Preschoolers and summer visitors will receive a card good for the summer. Special notebooks will be issued to record each reader’s (and listener’s) progress. Prizes will be awarded for completing various requirements.

For every library book read, children will get a stamp in their notebook. Preschoolers must listen to two books to get a stamp. For every four stamps, a prize may be selected from a display case in the Children’s Room. When 12 stamps have been collected, participants qualify for two chances to win a Grand Prize. Drawings for these prizes will be held during our Summer Reading Club Party August 7 at 10 a.m.

In the midst of economic uncertainties facing our world, Meadville Public Library (MPL) now more than ever, plays an important role in providing patrons of all ages access to the world of information through books, music, movies and the Internet. And a public library has even more value when personal finances are tight. That value can have many definitions: it can be measured monetarily or in terms of services. Comparing MPL with either of these definitions will give you a perspective on the library’s value to the community.

One of our employees recently conducted research on the return of investment MPL provides. Her study found that in the past 12 months, area residents received $5,161,204 worth of benefits from MPL. Every dollar invested in the library returns almost $6 in benefits to the community. If Reference materials and services such as Internet access, story hours, etc. are included, the return is even greater.

The importance of the library can also be measured by our circulation figures. During the last 12 months more than 232,000 items were circulated This represents more than six books a year to every man, woman and child in our service area. Though it is true that MPL does circulate a great deal of non-print materials the vast majority of materials checked out is still books and magazines.

Libraries also have many worthwhile qualities which are difficult to measure. What is the value of a child watching a puppet show? What is the value of a teacher tutoring a student? What is the value of simply reading a novel, browsing through a magazine, or studying a book on history?

When you combine all the library’s benefits, monetary and otherwise, it provides a wonderful return on all levels of investment. This is a treasure that anyone can come to use in good times and bad. Lately we are seeing more and more people using our services.

We hope you will consider investing in the library by donating to our Patron’s Drive. We ask for your participation with much trepidation. We know times are uncertain, that every Monday seems to bring further troublesome news and instability. Whatever investment you can make will appreciate in value and benefits to your community.

Fall has arrived with glorious colors, stunning sunsets, and crisp mornings. Of course along with the beauty of the season comes all of those tasks that we do in order to prepare ourselves and our homes for what will follow. After the gardens and flower beds have been tidied, the lawn mowed, and the leaves raked one more time, settle into your favorite chair with a cup of tea and a good book or movie. We have just what you are looking for on our shelves.

If you like football, check out Mark Bowden’s book The Best Game Ever: Giants Vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL. For you non football fans, we have Falcon Fever: a Falconer in the Twenty-first Century by Tim Gallagher; Brian Donovan’s Hard Driving: The Wendell Scott Story, The American Odyssey of NASCAR’s First Black Driver; and Chuck Culpepper’s Bloody Confused! A Clueless American Sportswriter Seeks Solace in English Soccer.

The holidays may be months away but we all know that time seems to move quickly this time of year. For those of you who are thinking of giving handmade items but need some inspiration, check out A is for Apron: 25 Fresh & Flirty Designs by Nathalie Mornu. Her designs are pretty, functional, and for many of us evoke fond memories of past holidays. Marilyn MacEwen’s Woodworking 101 for Women; Quick & Clever Christmas Cards by Elizabeth Moad, and Make It in Minutes: Party Favors & Hostess Gifts by Roxi Phillips are sure to make your gift giving more personal and fun.

For all of you true crime fans, check out For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder that Shocked Chicago by Simon Baatz and Kathryn Harrison’s While They Slept: an Inquiry Into the Murder of a Family. The Middle East continues to serve as a topic for debate. The library has added several new books to the collection that are sure to generate discussions, including: Basrayatha: the Story of a City by Muhammad Khudayyir; Sarce Makdisi’s Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation; Muhajababes: Meet the New Middle East -Young, Sexy, and Devout by Allegra Stratton; and Raja Shehadeh’s Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape.

The following are additional titles to consider: The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane; The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington by Jennet Conant; David Kaufman’s Doris Day: the Untold Story of the Girl Next Door; The Beautiful Struggle: a Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood by Ta-Nehisi Coates; and, on a lighter note, Bruce Patterson’s The Walking Tractor & Other Country Tales.

We continue to add new DVDs to the collection on a regular basis. For those of you who enjoy foreign films, we have added the following: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly; The Lives of Others ( winner for best foreign language film); Under the Same Moon; and The Year My Parents Went on Vacation. These and many others are available free of charge to our library patrons. Please stop in the library and check out what we have!

Like something out of a science-fiction novel, Meadville Public Library has an uncanny ability. It actually holds more information inside than you might expect from just looking at it. How do we do that? Is there some space-time rift allowing for the internal expansion of the library beyond the bounds of its bricks and mortar? Not exactly.

We have access to more information than could possibly fit in our three floors through our collaboration with other libraries in Pennsylvania. You probably know about our non-fiction and fiction collections for children, young adults and adults, our magazines and newspapers, our videos and music all available for you to check out when you stop by the library, but are you aware of the resources we have through our web site?

Whether you’re at MPL or visiting our web site, POWER Library is one such resource that offers
information on a range of subjects: Art, Auto Repair, Biography, Business, Children’s Resources,
E Books, Education, General Reference, Health, Literature, Music and Science plus additional magazines and newspapers. Thinking about buying a new snow blower and want to know what Consumer Reports has to say about what’s on the market? Is your child writing a school report about his or her favorite author? Looking for trustworthy information about an herbal remedy your neighbor suggested? All of these needs and more can be met through the offerings of POWER Library.

Look for the POWER Library icon on our home page or the POWER Library stations on the Main Floor. If you have questions or need assistance, remember you can always stop by the desk, give us a call, or email your questions to info@meadvillelibrary.org.

We had a wonderful summer full of many games, activities and prize give-a-ways. This year, a record number of patrons entered the summer drawing and more young adults participated in the Summer Reading Club than ever before. Our activities for young adults included a Tai Chi demonstration given by Cootie Harris. He shared some history of the art and had each of us trying basic moves for a very fun and interesting afternoon. Lynette Olson, RD, LDN, a dietician from Meadville Medical Center, shared tips on healthy eating and good nutrition. Our end-of-summer party followed the theme Metamorphosis @ Your Library and found young adults enjoying an afternoon of snacks, Dining Etiquette Jeopardy, assembling collages and many other fun activities. We would like to thank those who participated and invite everyone to join us again next summer as we explore Express Yourself @ Your Library.

As we head into cooler weather, it’s time to start thinking about all the new books to enjoy throughout the winter. The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent, a debut novel based on the author’s own family history, provides a fresh viewpoint on the Salem witch trials in this highly recommended novel. Elizabeth Peters ends her Vicky Bliss mystery series with Laughter of Dead Kings. Walter Mosley brings back Socrates Fortlow in The Right Mistake, his third novel in this suspenseful series. Look for David Baldacci’s new book, Divine Justice, a continuation of his Camel Club series, coming in November, along with Cross Country by James Patterson, Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler and Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King.

Start getting into the holiday spirit with a few of these Christmas books soon to arrive: A Christmas Grace by Anne Perry; A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber; The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck; A Christmas Star, another Cape Light novel by Thomas Kinkade; and An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor.

We now have books on CD and cassette for young adults. Some just added to the collection are Flight by Sherman Alexie, The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter and The Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer. Recorded books are a great way to enjoy a good book when busy schedules don’t allow time to sit and read. We also offer a Teen Writers’ Workshop every Wednesday afternoon, 4 to 5 p.m. Teens can join Jeanne, the Reference Librarian, to find out what other teen authors are doing and get feedback on their own writing. Stop by the Fiction desk for more information on this fun and informative workshop.

New books just arriving for young adults to enjoy are Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, the long awaited third book in the Inheritance series; Oracle of the Morrigan by Tiffany Trent, the sixth novel in her Hallowmere series; The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong; The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine by April Lurie; Santa Claus in Baghdad and Other Stories About Teens in the Arab World by Elsa Marston; All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall; Digital Art: Painting with Pixels by Ron Miller; and The Career Chronicles: An Insider’s Guide to What Jobs Are Really Like: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly From Over 750 Professionals by Michael Gregory.

A sunny sky and a cool breeze greeted the 60 pets and their families who attended the 30th Annual Pet Show sponsored by Meadville Public Library and Dad’s Products, Inc. Dad’s provided rosette ribbons, pet food samples and trophies for the pet show winners.

Chance, owned by Lita Ruhl, won the trophy for Best Cat in Show. Buddy, owned by Dante Hagberg, took the trophy for Best Dog in Show, and Abby, Cheyanne Crum’s dog, sang her way to the trophy for Most Talented.