Monday, May 21, 2012

A Day of Poetry with Bruce Dethlefsen! Poetry Reading, Open Mic, and Workshop!

Poetry Workshop, Thursday June 14, 3:30 to 5:30pm
 
Bruce Dethlefsen, the 2012 Wisconsin Poet Laureate, will head up a poetry workshop for up to 12 people on Thursday, June 14th from 3:30 to 5:30pm.  Topics covered will include what makes a good poem, how writers come to poetry, and various tools and techniques writers can use to improve their poetry.  Registration is required and space is limited.  To sign-up, please stop by the Circulation Desk or call us at (262) 363-6411.

Poetry Reading and Open Mic, Thursday June 14, 7:00 to 8:30pm

Bruce Dethlefsen will read his original work at the library on Thursday, June 14th at 7:00pm.  Following his reading, the microphone will be open to those wishing to read their own original poems.  Light refreshments will conclude the evening.  Mr. Dethlefsen, a native of Wisconsin, is an award winning and oft-publishing poet and author of the book “Unexpected Shiny Things.”

For more information for these events please stop by the Circulation Desk or call us at (262) 363-6411.

Bluegrass Jam Session

Join us on Tuesday, May 22 from 6:30-9:00pm as we welcome a troop  of local musicians who will set up shop here at the library—guitars, mandolins, and banjos in hand—and jam to the tunes of traditional bluegrass, country and “old-time” mountain music.  Stop by just to listen a while or bring your guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, dobro, bass, or harmonica and join in.  This jam session is free and open to the public.


For more information, stop by the Reference Desk or call us at (262) 363-6411.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Subscription Database: Ancestry.com Library Edition


Trace your family history using Ancestry Library Edition.  This is a special version of the well-known Ancestry.com subscription web site made available free on computers in the Mukwonago Community Library.

What is Ancestry Library Edition?
Ancestry Library Edition is a database that contains documents useful for completing genealogical research from the USA, UK & Ireland, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  These documents include:
  • Census records
  • Military records
  • Court, land, and probate records
  • Immigration records
  • Periodicals and newspapers
  • Birth, marriage, and death records (including the Social Security Death Index)
  • Biography and history
  • Reference and finding aids
  • Directories and memberships

Getting Started
Basic Search
On the home page enter the first and last names of the person you are searching for.  You may also enter birth year, places they have lived, any life events, or family members.  Click the “Search” button and a new screen will appear with your results.

Advanced Search
Click the “Advanced Search” button to include keywords, gender, race/nationality, and to restrict the search to either “historical records,” “family trees,” “stories and publications,” or “photos and maps.”

Search Tips:
·         If you don't get any matches with an exact search, try broadening your search by including less information.
·         If you have too many results, try using the advanced search options to narrow down your results.
·         Use the default settings to find soundex or phonetic matches, names that only use initials, or names with similar meanings or spellings.

Results Page
Main Results
If your search is successful then a list of results will appear.  A number of results will appear at the top of the page.  Also this list of results can then be “sorted by relevance” or “summarized by category” by clicking the appropriate dropdown in the upper right hand corner.  Move the mouse over any of the results to get a preview of the record.  Click on the result to see the full record.

Searching For
The “Searching For” option can be found on the left hand side of the page.  This option will allow you to edit your current search or to start a new search.

Narrow by Category
The “Narrow by Category” option located on the left hand side lists the categories that produced results along with the number of hits in each category.  Clicking on a specific category will refine the listed results in the center of the page and provide more specific sub-categories to continue the narrowing process.

 

Printing, Emailing and Saving Your Results

Most records have an image that you can view.  When viewing an image, the “Print” button lets you print the entire image or just the selection currently visible on your screen.

Click on the “Properties” button in the box that pops up to change the print settings.
The “Save” button in the upper right hand corner lets you save the image as a .jpeg file on your thumb drive.

The “Share” button allows you to email the document.  Emailed documents will expire a few days after they are sent.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

May's Staff Picks!

The Mukwonago Community Library features staff picks for each month of the year!    May’s featured staff members are Judy and Louis.  You can find their picks at the library by the windows behind the Reference desk or right here below:


Louis’ Favorites
Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
Joust by Mercedes Lackey
Exiles’ Honor: a Novel of Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey
Mossflower by Brian Jacques
Owlsight by Mercedes Lackey
Wheel of Time: Book 1 Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Pendragon: Before the War, Book 1 Travelers by D.J. MacHale
Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Lord of the Rings: Book 1 by J.J.R. Tolkien
Silmarillion by J.J.R. Tolkien
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Otherland Book 1: City of Golden Shadows by Tad Williams

Judy’s Favorites
Little Hide and Seek Animals
Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communications of the Dying by Maggie Callanan
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartolett
I Like Bugs by Margaret Wise Brown
Room by Emma Donoghue
Pioneer Women Cooks: Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond
Stephanie Plum Series 1-18 by Janet Evanovich
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Keff Hertzbery M.D. and Zoe Francois
Epiphany by Rita Herron, Debra Webb, and Mallory Kane
The Tale of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Won’t Take a Bath Cure by Betty MacDonald
Falling Leaves: the True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
13 Gifts by Wendy Mass
Guess Who by Diane Namm
3 Sisters Trilogy by Nora Roberts
Born in Fire by Nora Roberts
Look Me In the Eye by John Elder Robinson
Elephant Run by Roland Smith
The Help by Kathryn Stockett