School's In for Autumn

With apologies to Alice Cooper, it appears that school was not out forever. In fact, it is just around the corner. As children sigh and parents rejoice, I'll just remind everyone that the library is a tremendous resource for students and their parents. Not only do we have great books and magazine, but also so outstanding online resources available at home. All you need is your library card.

To highlight just one such resource: Britannica Online provides a wealth of information on a variety of school topics including: Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. It also includes an online dictionary, atlas, in-depth analysis of countries around the globe, and a continually updated news feed from the BBC News and other sources. As a bonus, there is a search function that allows you to look up particular topics of interest with a pretty good result in most instances.

Additionally, the website is actually subdivided into age appropriate resources for Elementary, Middle, and High schoolers. The default is to the High School page, so if you want to explore the Elementary or Middle School pages, you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the front page and click on the Elementary or Middle School "buttons".

Meet Dewey Renew

Dewey isn't real, but he is cute. He's joined the library for a short time to tell everyone about the importance of renewing their library materials. If your materials are due, please return them or renew them-- you can do it online, by calling us, or by stopping into the library. This is particularly important now because beginning Monday, October 5, the library will begin charging fines on overdue children's material.

The renewal periods and fines will be the same for children's materials as they are for adult materials. As Dewey says, "Don't delay, renew today!"

Rant or Rave: Inkheart

It is a truism that movies from books are never as good as the book. There are a few that come close, The Lord of the Rings being the shining example, but even there the books outstrip the movies despite the excellence of the films. Inkheart is not the exception to the rule. I will throw out a big rave for the book-- it is an intriguing and extremely well-written book-- but the movie... not so much. As a frame of reference, the key and intriguing plot device for the book and its sequels is the ability of a few rare individuals to actually read things out of a book-- people, animals, items, etc.

Actually, Inkheart's not a bad movie, so I wouldn't say I was ranting against it. Actually, it's a rather entertaining movie, which I can say with some confidence because I saw it without having read the book and thought it was pretty good. But its downfall is trying to be a film version of an extremely good, somewhat iconic book. Were the movie a standalone creation it would be fairly entertaining, reasonably well crafted and pretty well acted.

But it IS based on a book, yet some of the key bits in the movie NEVER happen in the book and, in fact, actually run counter to what happens in the book. The chief example of this (spoiler alert for the movie) is when, in the movie, one of the main characters reads aloud from The Wizard of Oz and brings the tornado OUT of the book, thereby freeing them from captivity in a dangerous and spectacular manner. It's a good scene and fun to watch.

It is also completely and without exception NOT in the book, Inkheart. Nothing remotely like this is in the book. So, it's a bit of stretch to have a key event in the movie center on something that is made up out of whole cloth.

So, best case scenario, watch the movie before reading the book. This is what I did and I found the movie entertaining, though certainly not great. Fun and entertaining. Then read the book and appreciate just how much better it is than the movie. Alternatively, if you have already read the book but not seen the movie, check it out but realize going in that it is NOT going to be a visual rendition of the book you love so much as it is a fun story utilizing many of the same elements of the book you love.

Phew!

Apologies for the lack of blogging over the last 10 days. Things have been a bit busy here at the Mukwonago Community Library, but I hate leaving big holes in the blogosphere.

Last week Wednesday and Thursday, our architects were in the house to hear from the community on its needs, wants and concerns. We had a number of very good sessions and I think they went back to their offices with a full quota of information and feedback to digest. At the next workshop, September 8 & 9, they will be presenting a variety of different approaches to the expansion question, along with the pros and cons, and then seek further feedback on which of the proposals strike a chord, which are duds, and what elements of each spark the most positive response.

On Friday of last week, we recognized the fine work of our two high school senior artists, Anna Boelck and Jessica Schreib, for creating the beautiful Giving Tree in the lobby. The leaves on the tree recognize all of the generous individuals and businesses that have donated to the expansion fund to date-- so as we begin fundraising in the near future, we're looking to add still more leaves to our tree. The Library Board and the Friends of the Library both came out to thank the artists for creating a lovely work of art that will grace our lobby for many years to come.

Monday and Tuesday were catching up days, as the staff "reassimilated" huge quantities of materials that were returned now that the Summer Reading Program is completed. Additionally, we have already started planning for our fall events. Miss Jane has some great programs coming up later this year, and there are some fun adult programs queing up for your consideration as well.

Yesterday was Wii day, with open Wii gaming in the afternoon and the evening. The new Wii Sports Resort was a popular choice for our gamers, but some of the "classics" like MarioKart and SuperSmash Bros. were also popular. Another day of Wii play is on tap tomorrow, from 9:30-11:30 and from 2-4. Stop in and try your hand at archery, frisbee golf, 100 pin bowling (very cool!), and many more.

Last Day: Zuchinni Recipe Contest

Today is the last day for entry into our Zucchini Recipe Contest. You don't need to submit a sample today-- just the form and the recipe. Actual samples will be judged next Monday night. Remember there are three areas to enter recipes in: Breads & Muffins, Desserts, and Relishes & Other-- so give us your best! And while you're at it, submit the recipes to the Chamber of Commerce, too. They are looking for recipes for their cookbook.

Tres Cool

The Louvre is now available online. Simply visit: http://cartelen.louvre.fr/cartelen/visite?srv=crt_frm_rs&langue=en to explore the musuem's vast collection. You can search by keyword, by room or by department (paintings, sculptures, etc.). Additionally, there is a special area for new acquisitions.

The search engine itself is a little clunky-- it took me about 15 minutes to find the Mona Lisa room (room 6 of the Grande Gallerie-- that's her waaaayyyy at the end), and there is no actual image or information on the Mona Lisa or many of the other prominent holdings of the Louvre. Which is odd-- wouldn't da Vinci's works be some of the first, if not the very first, works you'd include? The only reason I can think that they haven't is preservation concerns, but there must be a way of getting a good image of the painting without damaging it, right?

Finding the Venus de Milo was easier, though still a little awkward. The close-up shots are also very cool, though not necessarily easy to spot-- they pop up off the tiny links below the image of the sculpture herself. And the captions are all in French, unfortunate but not surprising.

Despite these shortcomings, the ability to virtually "tour" much of the Louvre is very cool, and the close-up imagery of many of the world's most famous artwork is extremely cool. Hopefully, they will add the other premier works of art in the future.

Schedule for Listening Sessions

The "final" version of the listening workshops for next Wednesday and Thursday is this:

AGENDA – Day I
Wednesday, August 12

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Executive Session: Building Committee
Introductions, overview of workshop
Key issues and upcoming workshops scheduled

10:35 – 12:00 Library Staff Group I
Collection sizes
Service issues
Patron and staff program needs

12:00 – 12:45 p.m. Lunch

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Friends of the Library, Library Board, neighbors

2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Break/Working

4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Library Staff Group II
Collection sizes
Service issues
Patron and staff program needs

5:45 – 7:00 Dinner

7:00 – 8:30 Neighborhood Group Listening Session


AGENDA - Day II
Thursday, August 13

9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Municipal Staff (at village hall)

10:45 - 12:00 p.m. Business/Chamber of Commerce Group

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Working Session

3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Report out and adjourn


Most of this workshop is focused on getting input from the library staff and municipality, but we do want community feedback as well. The prinicple place for community input during this workshop is 7-8:30 on Wednesday, August 12th. If you can't make that time, however, the public is welcome to attend the 1-2:30 slot on Wednesday and the 10:45-nooon slot on Thursday. If none of those times work, stop in during one of the staff sections.

Quote for the Day

It's important to be surrounded by people who think differently than we do. We don't learn anything if we surround ourselves by people who think the same way we do.

--Ted Olson (bottom of the page)

1000 Cranes for Peace

This summer the Library is highlighting the crane, graceful birds that have been embodied in a variety of legends, poems and stories. Our "One Thousand Paper Cranes for Peace Club" has been busily folding cranes all sommer long. You can see there handiwork hanging in the library, as pictured above.

The goal is to work together to make one thousand paper cranes as a wish for world peace by Peace Day on August 6th. Next Thursday! We currently have over 700 cranes "flying" above the children's reference section, so we're getting close, and today at 1:30 still more of the beautiful, paper avians will be added. Come join the club (for 3rd through 8th grade), it's not too late!

For anyone interested in learning how to fold a paper crane, two of our club experts have demonstrated the process for us. Just click on the video below and follow along!

Attention all Cooks

The Best Zucchini Recipe Contest deadline is rapidly approaching. There are three categories to enter in: 1)Breads & Muffins, 2)Cakes, cookies & desserts, and 3)Relishes and other recipes. Entry forms are due by next Monday, August 10. Be creative and enter your best dish containing zucchini.

Or be a judge and come to sample and vote for the winners, and collect the entry recipes. A total of six prizes will be awarded; one in each of three categories chosen by a panel of appointed judges, and one each by public vote. Winners will receive a $10 gift card to The Elegant Farmer, a $10 gift card to Crate and Barrel, and a grocery tote bag.

Get your official entry form at the Library or online. Entry forms are due by Monday, August 10th. Limited to the first 30 entries. Voters from the public need not register. Judging is on Monday, August 17 at 6:00-7:00 p.m. or until samples run out.

Insert Fork

The Brewers are done. Cooked, finished, over. Playoff contending teams do not lose to the worst team in baseball two nights in a row. At home. By 5 and 8 run margins. They just don't.

All teams go through rough patches during the ridiculously long Major League Baseball season. In July, the Brewers are 7-16 and have not won a series. That's a big rough patch, but perhaps you could write it off as an anomaly, and hope for a turn-around in August and September. Certainly, in the ridiculously long MLB season, one bad month does not completely ruin your chances.

But. The Washington Nationals are easily the worst team in baseball. Before arriving in Milwaukee on Monday, they had won ten games on the road, while losing 35. Since arriving in Milwaukee they have not just won two road games in a row, they spanked the Brewers-- 14-6 and 8-3.

Since the all-star break, the Brewers are 4-8 against teams with an overall record of 171-228. That's not a rough patch. That's just bad. Bad enough to say, it is time to pack it in for 2009-- let's make some trades to keep our farm system stocked, reload and refurbish our rotation and try again next year.

Turns out, one really good starting pitcher and two all-star position players is not enough to get to the playoffs. It is, however, a very good start. If the Brewers can fill in the holes around Gallardo, Fielder and Braun, the Brewers are legitimate World Series contenders. But the clock is ticking.

There's always next year.

Sigh.

Listening Sessions on Expansion

The first workshop regarding the Library’s anticipated expansion will be on and Wed. August 12 and Thursday August 13. Much of this first session will be spent getting library and village staff input, but the later afternoon and evening of the 12^th will be devoted to listening to the needs and concerns of the community, especially the immediate neighborhood.The second workshop will on Sept. 8 and 9, and it will incorporate even more community involvement and feedback. The final session will be on Oct. 14 and 15, at which time Uihlein-Wilson will present their three approaches or concepts for expansion to the community. After the presentation, we will be able to give them more feedback, allowing them to further refine the approach.

Details on the exact times and topics for these workshops will be forthcoming, so mark your calendars and stay tuned. We want and need your input and involvement to make the library the best it can be for our community. The August and September sessions will be held in the Library’s meeting room. The location for workshop three has yet to be determined.

Well, That's a Relief

Apparently, flesh-eating robots are not in development. In a clarification that sounds like it is coming straight out of The Onion, we get this statement:

“We completely understand the public’s concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission,” stated Harry Schoell,
Cyclone’s CEO. “We are focused on demonstrating that our engines can create usable, green power from plentiful, renewable plant matter. The commercial applications alone for this earth-friendly energy solution are enormous.” (emphasis in the original)

Of course, how do you guarentee the vegetarian robot doesn't obtain a taste for meat? Bacon, say (since bacon makes everything better), and from there it's not that big a step to human flesh. Well, okay, yeah it is, but still. Although a biomass fueled robot is a cool idea.

Rant or Rave: Audiobooks

I used to be a book purist. I turned my nose up at audiobooks, Kindles and the like. Then I got this job in Mukwonago, while still living just northwest of Racine-- roughly a 50 minute drive one way. And I tried an audiobook to fill some of that driving time. Loved it.

Since then I have listened to many books, and just this year I have read all of the following classics on audiobooks: Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, The Grapes of Wrath, The Hobbit, To Kill A Mockingbird, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and The Great Gatsby. Without the ability to "read" in the car, I might-- and I stress might-- have gotten through two or three of these books. More likely I would've read one, maybe two.

And those are just the classics. In addition, I have listened to two Elmore Leonard novels, Fool by Christopher Moore, Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich, part of a Harlan Coburn novel (didn't like it), and Lion in the White House (a biography of Teddy Roosevelt).

There is no chance I would've read anywhere close to that amount of material if I wasn't able to "read" while driving. Even now that I live much closer to work, I still find audiobooks to be very useful because I do a fair amount of driving for my job and because I am inevitably ferrying my children to various events, occasions and get togethers.

So, a HUGE rave for audiobooks!

A Busy Week

On Monday, the Page Turners Book Club met in the afternoon to discuss the book Don't Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhoold. That evening Mary Blott, Executive Director of the Mukwonago Area Chamber of Commerce, talked with our patrons about Staycations-- fun, local and inexpensive vacation and relaxation opportunities during the summer.

Tuesday night was Espresso Self night, with local teens painting with espresso. The art is very cool.

Last night, the Library hosted an open mic event, and local authors, musicians and artists came out to read, sing, play and discuss their works. Fueled by some excellent coffee donated by Espresso Love, the night was a lot of fun.

This morning, Miss Jane had her lapsit storytime for our littlest patrons-- newborn to 36 months-- a session that featured quite a bit of quacking. Later today and tomorrow, there will be gatherings of the 1000 Cranes for Peace Club. 1:00-1:30 both days, the event is open to grades 3-8. Help us reach our goal of 1000 paper cranes by the end of the summer. Current crane total: 213.

Also today and tomorrow, we will have visits by our therapy dogs for the Paws to Read progam. Today at 1:30, Cinnamon will be in the house, while tomorrow at 1:30 B.J. will be available.

We are having a fun, creative summer at the Library-- come join the fun!

Rant or Rave: The Great Gatsby

Well, it isn't a rave, but I suppose it isn't really a rant, either. Pretty much a, "Huh. What's all the fuss about?"

The Great Gatsby isn't a bad book. Actually it's a pretty good book. But i wouldn't classify it as a great book, and I really don't get it being consistently included on various Top 100 Books In the ENTIRE Universe lists. I really don't.

Gatsby is an intriguing figure, but the other characters are primarily caricatures and the "twist" at the end is nearly soap operaish in both its overly melodramatic staging and its extreme unlikelihood. So how exactly it has become this masterpiece, a potential "great American novel" is beyond me. Fitzgerald is a talented writer-- perhaps the only thing saving the story from spiraling completely into absurdity-- and some of his imagery is iconic. But the story itself? Eh. Take it or leave it.

Still, I am glad I read it. It was not a waste of my time, by any means. But I can't really wrap my head around the sincere adoration the book has received from so many quarters.

Sports Tidbits

It's a library blog, so I won't spend too much time on this, but I do enjoy sports, playing and watching, so I have to pop in with these observations from time to time.

• The baseball season is WAAYYYY too long. 162 games is absolutely preposterous. 120 would be just fine, allow the season to start later and end earlier, and improve the overall product since less players would break down over the course of the season. It will never happen, of course, because the owners and the league would lose 25% of their revenue, but still.
• Ken Macha is doing a fine job with the Brewers. I agree with nearly all of the moves he's made and his calm, calculated approach to the game is a welcome breather from the tightly wound anxiety of Ned Yost. The one move I don't agree with? Having Carlos Villanueva pitching as a late reliever, occasionally even in the closer role. Villanueva is a pretty good pitcher, with some good value as a long reliever (as a former starter, he can go two or three innings semi-regularly). But he is not a closer. Or even the set up guy to the closer. Case in point, last night, when Manny Parra, recently returned from a stint in the minors, pitched brilliantly and left the game after seven innings with a precarious 1-0 lead. Enter Carlos V., supposed set up man and alternate closer. A single and a triple later, the score is tied and the flood gates are open. Brewers lose 5-1. Ugh.
  
• It is appearing more and more likely that Brett Favre will play as a Minnesota Viking next year. Unbelievable. I cannot remember a sports icon so firmly and consistently determined to trash EVERYTHING about his legacy. Two years ago, Brett Favre was a demi-god in Wisconsin and everywhere Packer nation has taken root. He was, arguably, the most popular Wisconsin sportsfigure ever-- though fans of Lombardi, Starr, and Yount might disagree. But now? The hissy fits, the Diva stomp offs, the high school histrionics and communication via cell phone. The lies, the exaggerations, the stated desire to get back at Ted Thompson no matter the cost, fans be damned. It is breathtaking. In a year-and-a-half, Favre has managed to go from beloved icon to a disliked, even hated, representative of all that is wrong in sports. And now he will likely not only play against the Packers but with one of their two biggest rivals. He will be booed at Lambeau field. Loudly and lustily I suspect. And he'll have earned all of the ill will, derision and scorn that will be heaped upon his back by people who used to adore him. Unbelievable and unbelievably sad. He could have retired as the most popular guy in the state and one of the classiest, most down to earth guys ever to have played the game. Instead, his legacy as a great QB will always be tainted by his classlessness, his disregard for the fans, his narcissism and his small-minded vindictiveness.
• As a contrast to Favre and his "me, me, look at me, aren't I great, me!" attitude, I watched the Wimbledon Final last weekend. Good heavens what a match. I cannont imagine how crushing it must have been for Andy Roddick to have played that well, for that long against the best tennis player ever... and to lose. To have his serve broken once--once!-- in five sets... and to lose. And yet afterwards he showed tremendous class and sportsmanship. He acknowledged the fans and he lauded Federer. To borrow a British expression-- it was Brilliant!

Go Brewers! Go Packers!

Best Invoice Evah!

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.

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.

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.