I don't like getting bills-- who does?-- but one came across my desk this morning that made me chuckle. We don't do much business with the Oriental Trading Company, since most of their stuff is poorly made, yet over-priced, but sometimes we pick up small "prizes" for our various children's programs and events. Here's the rundown on our most recent OTC order:
1 Mega Notepad Assortment (250 pc)
6 Mini Sticky Hands & Feet On String (6 Dz)
4 Mini Noise Putty (4 Dz)
Mini Noise Putty? I really have to find out exactly what that is. And I can't quite shake the visual that "mini sticky hands & feet on string" pops into my brain. I hope the kids laugh at them as much as I did.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Rant or Rave: Nineteen Eighty-four
Note to self: following a book that, at its core, celebrates the human spirit while acknowledging its shortcomings with a book that unrelentingly examines the darkside of human nature is both fascinating and unsettling. But that's what I did when I followed up Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird with George Orwell's, Nineteen Eighty-four. 1984 is a profound, thought provoking masterpiece. It is also disturbing, depressing and hard to digest.
In capsule form, the strangeness of following one with the other boils down to two iconic passages, one from each book. I went from Mockingbird's: “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” to Nineteen Eighty-four's: "If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."
I do not regret reading it-- far from it, I wish I had read it sooner (slightly shamefaced admission, though I knew the gist of Orwell's classic book, I had never read it). But. It is not light fare. It is profoundly scary to think about the world Orwell describes and how it is not inconceivable even today. Hopefully the free exchange of information and ideas enabled by modern technology is making it less likely with each passing year and technological breakthrough.
Still, technology is what makes the Big Brother state of 1984 possible-- the constant surveillance of the telescreens, the ability of the Party to control the present, manipulate the past and thus determine the future-- so it is a double-edged sword. I also look to public library's as a bulwark against the type of disinformation and "doublespeak" so vital to the Big Brother state described in 1984. Still another reason why library's are important community institutions.
Though disturbing and depressing, Nineteen Eighty-four is profoundly important and still terribly relevant. It remains a book that should be on the short list of "must read" novels, and likely one that should be on the even shorter list of "must read more than once" novels.
Read it, digest it, and then go sit in the nice warm sun, free from observation by anyone and free to think and feel whatever you desire. And appreciate how lucky we are to live in a free and open society.
In capsule form, the strangeness of following one with the other boils down to two iconic passages, one from each book. I went from Mockingbird's: “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” to Nineteen Eighty-four's: "If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."
I do not regret reading it-- far from it, I wish I had read it sooner (slightly shamefaced admission, though I knew the gist of Orwell's classic book, I had never read it). But. It is not light fare. It is profoundly scary to think about the world Orwell describes and how it is not inconceivable even today. Hopefully the free exchange of information and ideas enabled by modern technology is making it less likely with each passing year and technological breakthrough.
Still, technology is what makes the Big Brother state of 1984 possible-- the constant surveillance of the telescreens, the ability of the Party to control the present, manipulate the past and thus determine the future-- so it is a double-edged sword. I also look to public library's as a bulwark against the type of disinformation and "doublespeak" so vital to the Big Brother state described in 1984. Still another reason why library's are important community institutions.
Though disturbing and depressing, Nineteen Eighty-four is profoundly important and still terribly relevant. It remains a book that should be on the short list of "must read" novels, and likely one that should be on the even shorter list of "must read more than once" novels.
Read it, digest it, and then go sit in the nice warm sun, free from observation by anyone and free to think and feel whatever you desire. And appreciate how lucky we are to live in a free and open society.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Fifty Books for Our Times
A list-- and who doesn't like lists?-- from Newsweek. How exactly they arrived at this list as being "for our times" is a little unclear, but it is an interesting list nonetheless. Of course, I've only actually read three of the books on the list.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
More Kid Suggested Web Sites
After initially poo-pooing, and then becoming instantly addicted to, thisissand.com, I restrained my knee-jerk reaction to my daughter's pronouncement that linerider.com was "super way cool" and that I had to try it. My initial reaction was "line rider"? What the heck is that and why would I care?
Turns out, line rider is a fairly simple little flash game that allows you to create a "course" for this little sled riding stick figure. Simple, but fun. You have the option of blue "normal" lines, on which the little dude accelerates downhill and decelerates uphill, and red "acceleration" lines, that give the sledder a pretty substantial momentum boost.
Keeping him on the sled is more than a little challenging, though I did manage to launch him into space, do a complete 360 flip, and land back on a line to continue sledding. For extra kicks, check out some of the movies of the truly fantastic-- and mindbogglingly complex-- courses others have developed for the little line rider. Like this one, for instance.
linerider.com. Check it out.
Additionally, my daughter and her best friend had quite a good time over the weekend at: Architect Studio 3D, a website created by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. It allows you to design a house, furnish it and even landscape it. You can view your creation as a floor plan or in a basic 3-D model.
The site even provides you with "clients" around whose needs you can design your creation. Or you can just do what you want and see how it looks. My kids, for instance, took great pleasure in placing hot tubs in the hallway. But it is fun, and creative, and does get the kids thinking about how things fit together and why.
Turns out, line rider is a fairly simple little flash game that allows you to create a "course" for this little sled riding stick figure. Simple, but fun. You have the option of blue "normal" lines, on which the little dude accelerates downhill and decelerates uphill, and red "acceleration" lines, that give the sledder a pretty substantial momentum boost.
Keeping him on the sled is more than a little challenging, though I did manage to launch him into space, do a complete 360 flip, and land back on a line to continue sledding. For extra kicks, check out some of the movies of the truly fantastic-- and mindbogglingly complex-- courses others have developed for the little line rider. Like this one, for instance.
linerider.com. Check it out.
Additionally, my daughter and her best friend had quite a good time over the weekend at: Architect Studio 3D, a website created by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. It allows you to design a house, furnish it and even landscape it. You can view your creation as a floor plan or in a basic 3-D model.
The site even provides you with "clients" around whose needs you can design your creation. Or you can just do what you want and see how it looks. My kids, for instance, took great pleasure in placing hot tubs in the hallway. But it is fun, and creative, and does get the kids thinking about how things fit together and why.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Umm... Wow
This is a pretty impressive 9 second clip of a volcano erupting. We live in a amazing times.
Rant or Rave: To Kill A Mockingbird
Guilty admission: I had never read Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. I love the movie and have seen it several times, but I had never actually read the book. So, since I am attempting this year to catch up on many of the classic books I have either never read, or don't really remember, I added Mockingbird to my list.
Top of the list, actually. But, as I have with most of my recent reading, I went with the audiobook version. A good book on CD really, really makes traveling much more enjoyable. I like music on the radio okay, I definitely like listening to Bob Uecker call a Brewers' game, and I do occassionally drop-in on talk radio, but the day I popped in my first CD audiobook was a revelatory one for me.
But I digress. To Kill A Mockingbird, as read by Sally Darling, shoots straight onto my favorite books of all time. I wish I hadn't waited so long to enjoy this marvelous book, but I'm very happy I finally took the time to do so. What a marvelous book. I do not think I can rave highly enough about this book to do it full credit.
It explores childhood, southern culture, life during the Great Depression, racism, kindness, joy, human nature, the law, schooling and more. It does so gracefully, seemingly effortlessly (though I know it took Lee a long time to write the story, with many, many revisions), and with such a gentle, easy flow that the profoundness of much of the writing seems to almost settle into the back of your brain without any conscious effort on the reader's part.
The story of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, her brother Jeremy "Jem" Finch and their father Atticus, is both timeless and timely, gentle and unabashedly direct and unflinching. It is a snapshot into the past and a benchmark for the future.
In short, it is exceptional. Read it, savor it, and share it.
Top of the list, actually. But, as I have with most of my recent reading, I went with the audiobook version. A good book on CD really, really makes traveling much more enjoyable. I like music on the radio okay, I definitely like listening to Bob Uecker call a Brewers' game, and I do occassionally drop-in on talk radio, but the day I popped in my first CD audiobook was a revelatory one for me.
But I digress. To Kill A Mockingbird, as read by Sally Darling, shoots straight onto my favorite books of all time. I wish I hadn't waited so long to enjoy this marvelous book, but I'm very happy I finally took the time to do so. What a marvelous book. I do not think I can rave highly enough about this book to do it full credit.
It explores childhood, southern culture, life during the Great Depression, racism, kindness, joy, human nature, the law, schooling and more. It does so gracefully, seemingly effortlessly (though I know it took Lee a long time to write the story, with many, many revisions), and with such a gentle, easy flow that the profoundness of much of the writing seems to almost settle into the back of your brain without any conscious effort on the reader's part.
The story of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, her brother Jeremy "Jem" Finch and their father Atticus, is both timeless and timely, gentle and unabashedly direct and unflinching. It is a snapshot into the past and a benchmark for the future.
In short, it is exceptional. Read it, savor it, and share it.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A Trip Down Memory Lane
We recently dusted off some materials that had been relegated to a high, infrequently looked at shelf-- mostly because we are totally out of lower, frequently looked at shelves, but that's part of the expansion story, forthcoming-- and found some wonderful old documents from the Library's past. I can't verify the accuracy of all of these documents, nor do I know who wrote many of them, but they are a treat to read nonetheless. Hopefully, we'll be able to highlight some of them in the display cases in the meeting room.
Here's the text from one titled "Origin of the Mukwonago Library":
Some members of the Utopian Circle, who were the originators and startersof the Mukwonago Library, met at Mrs. Lena McKenzie's on Wednesday evening, August 23rd where, after due discussion, the following statement was authorised:$125 a year from the Village coffers, with an additional $50 from the Town. That would buy us roughly 15 books these days. I also love the idea of, "...some of the girls taking turns in acting as librarians." Unfortunately, the original "Origins of the Mukwonago Library" is undated and the author is unknown.
The idea of a library for Mukwonago was suggested in April of 1917 by the members of the Utopian Circle, an organized group of young women. The membership included the Misses Ada and Vinnie Vanderpool, Mayfred McKenzie, Ida, Margaret, and Leida Weir, Ollie Ahrens, Leona Lotz, Edith and Helen Stewart, Helen Chafin, Marie Kingston, Alice Smith, Amy Swan, Mmes. Safford and John Goetsch, and several members of the school faculty, namely: the Misses Agnes Hayes, Edna Hanson, Eda Koehler, Katherine Buchann, Margaret Walsh, beside other who assisted in the work at hand.
The financial nucleus of the library was a fund of $50.00, $25.00 of which was raised by the circle, in different ways suggested by the members, the other $25.00 being donated by Miss Vinnie Vanderpool. After the first $50.00 was raised, the first thing to do was to find a place to meet. After much searching and exchanging of opinions, the library was opened in June of 1917 in the north wing of the McNulty home, where it remained for about four years, some of the girls taking turns in acting as librarians.
The first books were donated by Miss Ether Potter from the John Potter library in Milwaukee. Others followed suit until those most interested were quite proud of the display of books which adorned the shelves, which had been built by Mr. John Gudger. Among those who tendered donations of books were Mrs. Mina Lobdell, Mr. Alexander Sclanders, Dr. and Mrs. L.E. Youmans, Mrs. Agnes Betts, and groups of books were received from the Waukesha library.
It was incorporated under the State Library Association when a representative of that body came and supervised the organizing and accessioning. At first it was open on Wednesday and Saturday afternoon and evening, with Miss Leona Lotz, Miss Mayfred McKenzie, Miss Helen Chafin, and Mrs. John Goetsch acting as librarians. It was supported by voluntary subscriptions and by the membership fees which were $1.00. In order to supplement the regular books we had a traveling library. Mrs. Floyd McKenzie and Miss Betty Andrews became the librarians, Mrs. McKenzie taking charge on Wednesday afternoon and Miss Andrews on Saturday evening.
In 1921 the library was moved over to the village hall where the Study Club, having taken it over, reorganized it, continuing thus until the Village Council assumed the responsibility, and contributed $100.00 a year toward its support. These librarians continued until Miss Andrews had the misfortune to fall and break her hip, at which time Miss Leona Lotz took her place, and has continued to the present time.
The library at the present is financed by a contribution from the village of $125.00 a year and $50.00 a year from the town of Mukwonago.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Fourth of July Hours
Good grief, is it really almost the Fourth of July? I guess June went by so quickly because most of it felt like March and April. Wow, almost up to July already. Okay, so here's the scoop on the Library's hours for Saturday, July 4:
There aren't any. Nor are there any on July 3.
We will be closed both Friday and Saturday of next week.
There aren't any. Nor are there any on July 3.
We will be closed both Friday and Saturday of next week.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Expansion Presentations
The Mukwonago Community Library is pleased to announce that there will be a special Library Board meeting on Monday, June 29 for the purpose of viewing presentations by three architectural firms. The library and its board welcome community attendance for these presentations, which will be held at Clarendon Elementary School, beginning at 6 pm.
The three firms, Engberg Anderson, Uihlein Wilson, and Plunkett Raysich, will each make a 45 minute presentation to the board, with presentations to include question and answer components. These firms were selected from an initial pool of six, and the company chosen after the presentations will work with the community, library and library board to develop conceptual plans for a library expansion as well as some preliminary cost estimates. There will be an opportunity for community comment after the three presentations and before the board begins its deliberations over the selection of the final firm.
“All three firms are very well-regarded and have an excellent track record of building attractive, functional and budget-conscious library facilities,” commented Library Director, Nick Weber. “The Board and myself are really looking forward to seeing their presentations, and we hope interested members of the community will join us.”
The schedule for the evening:
5:45 Arrival and set up at Clarendon Elementary
6:00-6:45 Presentation by Engberg Anderson
6:50-7:35 Presentation by Uihlein Wilson
7:40-8:25 Presentation by Plunkett Raysich
8:30-9:00 Comments from the public
9:00- Deliberation by the Mukwonago Community Library Board
The three firms, Engberg Anderson, Uihlein Wilson, and Plunkett Raysich, will each make a 45 minute presentation to the board, with presentations to include question and answer components. These firms were selected from an initial pool of six, and the company chosen after the presentations will work with the community, library and library board to develop conceptual plans for a library expansion as well as some preliminary cost estimates. There will be an opportunity for community comment after the three presentations and before the board begins its deliberations over the selection of the final firm.
“All three firms are very well-regarded and have an excellent track record of building attractive, functional and budget-conscious library facilities,” commented Library Director, Nick Weber. “The Board and myself are really looking forward to seeing their presentations, and we hope interested members of the community will join us.”
The schedule for the evening:
5:45 Arrival and set up at Clarendon Elementary
6:00-6:45 Presentation by Engberg Anderson
6:50-7:35 Presentation by Uihlein Wilson
7:40-8:25 Presentation by Plunkett Raysich
8:30-9:00 Comments from the public
9:00- Deliberation by the Mukwonago Community Library Board
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Visit Read the Books, our new Reader's Advisory tool for children and their families. A reader can search by topic, grade, series, author, state, and time period. Give it a try. Have fun!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Be Creative @ Your Library: Children's Programs
2009 SUMMER LIBRARY PROGRAM
June 15-August 8
Be Creative @ Your Library
June 15-August 8
Be Creative @ Your Library
SPECIAL EVENTS:
BE CREATIVE @ YOUR LIBRARY SUMMER READING CHALLENGE
Registraion begins Monday, June 1st.
Open to Newborns-grade 6
Read good books, earn fun prizes.
101 BOOKS EVERY CHILD SHOULD READ BEFORE KINDERGARTEN
For parents and caregivers
Tuesday, June 23, 6:30 PM
Join Miss Jane as she shares 101 of her favorite picturebooks for preschoolers. You will take home a great reading list to use with your children all summer long. With so many wonderful books available at the library, it will be hard to limit the list to just 101!
BEDTIME BUDDIES PAJAMA PARTY
Tuesday, July 7, 6:30 PM
Wear your pajamas, grab a pillow and a "bedtime buddy" and come to the library for an evening filled with books and fun. For families of all ages. Drop in; no registration necessary.
FAMILY FILM NIGHT
Tuesday, July 28, 6:00 PM
Gather up your friends and head to the library for an evening of family fun. Bring a pillow and blanket or a bean bag chair to snuggle into and bring a snack to munch. Call the library for the movie title. For families of all ages. Drop in; no registration necessary.
SERIES PROGRAMS:
PAWS TO READ
For readers of all ages
Visit the library and read a poem, picture book, or book chapter to Scooby, B.J., or Cinnamon the Therapy Dogs. Drop in; no registration necessary.
Scooby the Golden Retriever
Mondays, 7:00-8:00 PM
June 15, July 6 & 20, August 3 & 17
Cinnamon the Afghan Hound
Thursdays, 1:30-2:30 PM
June 18, July 16
B.J. the Rottweiller
Fridays, 1:00-2:00 PM
June 19 & 26, July 10, 17, 24 & 31, August 7
LAPSIT STORYTIME
For ages newborn to 36 months
Thursdays at 10:00 AM
June 18 - August 6
This program is designed for children and their caregivers to enjoy together. It features Mother Goose, books, songs, bouncy rhymes, fingerplays and lots of fun for little ones and their caregivers.Drop in; no registration is necessary.
WONDERFUL WEDNESDAYS
For families of all ages.
Wednesdays at 10:00 AM
June 17
Mama Baer, Storyteller: Good Sense & Nonsense
June 24
Chris Fascione: Juggling Funny Stories
July 1
Kathy Luck: Silly Stories & Kooky Critters
July 8
Erock for Kids
July 15
Nature in the Parks: "Toadally" Cool Summer Adventure
July 22
Jean Andrews, Storyteller: Storylore
July 29
Tim Glander, Magician: The Magic of Reading
August 5
Mary Tooley, Educator: Creative Creatures
ONE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES FOR PEACE CLUB
For grades 3-8
Thursday at 1:30 PM
June 18-August 6
Join us as we share the legend of the Grateful Crane, remember Sadako, share peace tales, learn about wild cranes, and work together to make one thousand paper cranes as a wish for world peace by Peace Day on August 6th.
EXTRA SPECIAL FUN OPPORTUNITES:
BE CREATIVE @ YOUR LIBRARY ARTS & CRAFT CONTEST
June 15-August 8
Use your imagination to create "art" from a book checked out at the Mukwonago Community Library. Bring your artwork to the library for display throughout the summer. All entries will receive a FREE order of Domino's Cinna Stix. The Grand Prize of a $25 giftcard to Michael's will be awarded to one person in each of the following categories: grades K-3; grades 4-6; grades 7-12.
FAMILY BOOK BINGO
June 15-August 8
It's back! Complete two lines of bingo on our special game sheet and your team will be entered into a drawing to win a gift certificate to a local restaurant.
ROCKIN' READERS HALL OF FAME
June15-August 8
Be on the lookout this summer as talent scouts search the library for kids caught in the act of reading. A few select readers will be inducted into the Rockin' Readers Hall of Fame and have their portrait hung in our photo gallery. Get caught reading!
Express Yourself @ Your Library: Teen Programs
2009 SUMMER LIBRARY PROGRAM
June 15-August 8
Express Yourself @ Your Library
SUMMER READING CHALLENGE
Registration begins Monday, June 1st
Read good books, earn fun prizes.
TEEN BOOK PASS
Wednesdays at 3:00 PM
June 17 & July 15
Bring a recently read book and express your thoughts about it with other Teens. Get ideas for new books to read. Pssst! We are saving the new Young Adult books for you to check out before they reach the shelves. Open to grades 7-12. Drop in; no registration required.
"ESPRESSO SELF" AT YOUR LIBRARY: PAINTING WITH ESPRESSO
Tuesday, July 14 at 7:00 PM
We drink coffee, use it in recipes, and even use the grounds in the garden. But, paint with it? Believe it! Coffee art is truly a unique art form. Completed artwork will be displayed at the Library. Open to grades 7-12. Drop in; no registration required.
ONE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES FOR PEACE CLUB
For grades 3-8
Thursdays at 1:30 PM
June 18-August 6
Join us as we share the legend of the Grateful Crane, remember Sadako, share peace tales, learn about wild cranes, and work together to make one thousand paper cranes as a wish for world peace by Peace Day on August 6th. Drop in; no registration necessary.
TEEN TERRITORY TRIVIA CHALLENGE
June 15-August 8
Complete 50 activities and you will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win a prize such as a pizza, sporting tickets, a skateboard, or a coffee gift card to list a few. Check out the library display cases for other fun possibilities. Open to grades 7-12. The game ends Saturday, August 8 at 2:00 PM.
MUKWONAGO ROCKS! SCAVENGER HUNT
Win a rock tumbler!
Search the village of Mukwonago for unique rock formations--natural rocks, walls, cornerstones, art objects, etc. Searh high, search low. Search on foot, by bike, or by car. All rock formations can be viewed from public property; please do not enter private property. Open to families and friends of all ages. One random winner will be chose from all correct enries. Contest ends Saturday, August 8 at 2:00 PM.
BE CREATIVE @ YOUR LIBRARY ARTS & CRAFT CONTEST
June 15-August 8
Use your imagination to create "art" from a book checked out at the Mukwonago Community Library. Bring your artwork to the library for display throughout the summer. All entries will receive a FREE order of Domino's Cinna Stix. A Grand Prize of a $25 gift card to Michael's will be awarded to one person in each of the following categories: grades K-3; grades 4-6; grades 7-12.
Friday, June 12, 2009
A Timeless Treasure-- A Great Book Discussion Read
About two weeks ago a friend and I were talking books. My friend is a member of a WCTC book discussion group and she began talking-up their latest read-- the story surrounds the life of a woman who has spent her life managing a household, being an attentive wife and mother. She is a woman who feels caged by her second-place existence where everyone else comes first . On her 40th birthday she announces she is "retiring" from her responsibilites to find time for herself. The result is a conflict between her responsibility to her family and her personal freedom. Does any part of this woman's emotional being sound even a smidgen familiar? My friend went on to say that the reading group enthusiastically discussed the book in-depth.
Did it matter that the book was written in 1946? Is it significant that the setting is China? Absolutely not! Pearl Buck's "Pavilion of Women" transcends time and culture. Radical for its time, the book raises relevant questions about marriage, the roles of men and women, self-discipline and happiness.
Are you hooked? The Mukwonago Community Library is currently updating a very worn copy; it's replacement will be found in Adult Fiction with the Call number: BUCK P PAVILION.
"We read to know we are not alone!" C. S. Lewis
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A Darrin Stephens Production
Okay, this has to be one of the creepiest ads ever (click on it for a larger version): 
Doesn't it feel like something that would've happened on Bewitched? I can just see Endora encapsulating these young welps, probably the twin grandsons of Gladys Kravitz. Darrin freaks out, "Saaammm, your mother has shrink wrapped the babies!", but then later hastily scrambles together the mishap into an advertising campaign for DuPont.
Darrin's boss, Larry Tate, is duly impressed, and the young whelps are confined to their air-tight prison. Darrin pecks Sam on the cheek, gives a sharp "Hah!" to Endora, and takes a small modicum of satisfaction in her scowl.
The unsuspecting mother of the twins would later settle out of court with DuPont for unspecified damages.
Just a little something to keep in mind the next time someone talks about how wonderful things were in the past.
Doesn't it feel like something that would've happened on Bewitched? I can just see Endora encapsulating these young welps, probably the twin grandsons of Gladys Kravitz. Darrin freaks out, "Saaammm, your mother has shrink wrapped the babies!", but then later hastily scrambles together the mishap into an advertising campaign for DuPont.
Darrin's boss, Larry Tate, is duly impressed, and the young whelps are confined to their air-tight prison. Darrin pecks Sam on the cheek, gives a sharp "Hah!" to Endora, and takes a small modicum of satisfaction in her scowl.
The unsuspecting mother of the twins would later settle out of court with DuPont for unspecified damages.
Just a little something to keep in mind the next time someone talks about how wonderful things were in the past.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts
The Mukwonago Community Library is part of the Waukesha County Federated Library System (WCFLS). What this means is that we have access to a tremendous amount of materials and resources that we would never be able to provide if we weren’t part of the system. Most of the books, movies and other materials you put on hold come to us from other WCFLS libraries. Our online catalog is a joint venture with the other county libraries. Many of our online resources, including the very popular Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest genealogical databases, the Auto Repair and Small Engine Repair collections, and the Morningstar Investment Research Center are only available because of our collaboration with WCFLS.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Remembering Tiananmen
Today is the 20th anniversary of the "tank man" showdown between student protesters in Beijing and the Chinese Army. The image is iconic and the events well-worth remembering. Interestingly, a previously unpublished photo of the lead-up to the confrontation was released yesterday.
It is an interesting view of the event-- I didn't even see the "tank man" in the picture the first time I looked at the picture. But once you do see him, it is startling. He is positioned well in advance of the tanks arrival, straight-backed, undaunted. His protest was no spur of the moment action, and while everyone else is running away, he is standing. Just standing.
What do you suppose he was thinking as those tanks slowly rumbled toward him and bullets flew all about him? Was he aware of the image he created? Did he hope that his actions would have an effect on outside opinion? Or was he just saying, "Enough. No more. Enough."?
It is an interesting view of the event-- I didn't even see the "tank man" in the picture the first time I looked at the picture. But once you do see him, it is startling. He is positioned well in advance of the tanks arrival, straight-backed, undaunted. His protest was no spur of the moment action, and while everyone else is running away, he is standing. Just standing.
What do you suppose he was thinking as those tanks slowly rumbled toward him and bullets flew all about him? Was he aware of the image he created? Did he hope that his actions would have an effect on outside opinion? Or was he just saying, "Enough. No more. Enough."?
Monday, June 1, 2009
Thought for the Day
Hold on to what is good-Even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe in-Even if it is a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do-Even if it is a long way from here.
Hold on to life-Even if it is easier to let go.
Hold on to my hand- Even when I have gone far from you.-Native American Poem
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Food For Fines
Reduce your fines and help your community! From Monday, June 15 through Saturday, June 20, for every non-perishable food item brought to the library, we will credit $1 to any fines on your account. The food collected will be donated to Mukwonago’s two food pantries. Maximum reduction of fines is $20, and the reduction in fines does not apply to lost or damaged item fees or to fines from other libraries.
Food pantries can really use our help, as the economic crisis (recession? What are we calling this thing these days, other than "really scary"?) continues to disrupt livelihoods all across America. Of course, if you wish to bring in non-perishable food items even if you don't have fines, or in amounts greater than your fines, that would be most excellent as well.
Food pantries can really use our help, as the economic crisis (recession? What are we calling this thing these days, other than "really scary"?) continues to disrupt livelihoods all across America. Of course, if you wish to bring in non-perishable food items even if you don't have fines, or in amounts greater than your fines, that would be most excellent as well.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Video Rant or Rave: The Hobbit
Well, here is my first attempt at a video/YouTube version of my Rant or Rave feature:
It's okay, I think, but I did learn quite a bit from it. Namely, make sure the lighting is okay or you'll look like a reject from a Night of the Living Dead movie.
Additionally: Don't do this when your dog is around and wants to play tug-of-war with you. This is a recipe for disaster, and will likely require you to redo the whole thing several times. And sit up straight.
You'd think that having had to do it over a few times, I would've improved the lighting. You'd be wrong. Sometimes I have to be hit over the hard several times before my brain kicks into gear.
Anyway, hopefully this will be a more common occurence here, so let us know if you like the video embeds or no.
What He Said
Hard to expand on this article, detailing the importance of libraries. Also, the dangers libraries often face during municipal budget cutting phases. Key bit:
If education and information are going to provide the means as America digs itself out the great big hole we are in, the public library is handing out the shovels. Cut or kill the libraries and you yank away a shovel.
So please, Mayor IT Guy. And Mayors anywhere else, for that matter. Leave the libraries alone. Believe me. They are not a luxury, but a lifeline.
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