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Trash or Treasure? An Antiques Appraisal Event

Join renowned antiques and collectables appraiser

Mark Moran for this special event

Come to the library on Saturday, August 4^th from 10:00am to 1:00pm and watch Mark Moran appraise various preselected items from the community.  Items up for appraisal may include: fine art, furniture, ceramics, glassware, vintage photographs, folk art, toys, clocks, costume jewelry, and metalware.  Learn what to look for when it comes to determining the value of your precious keepsakes!

Mark Moran is a former senior editor of Antiques and Collectibles Books and has been a contributing editor for Antique Trader magazine, as well as a guest expert on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow.  He is the author or co-author of more than 25 books on antiques and collectibles, including the 800-page annual Warman's Antiques & Collectibles.  Mr. Moran bought and sold antiques for more than 30 years, specializing in vintage folk art, Americana, and fine art.  He has been active as an appraiser of antiques and fine art for more than 20 years.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Mukwonago Community Library and is open to all.  For more information, please stop by the front desk or call us at (262) 363-6411.

July's Staff Picks

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

Craig’s Picks

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Sounder by William H. Armstrong

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Back

Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

Small Space Organizing by Kathryn Becker

Jaws by Peter Benchley

Living Off the Grid by David Black

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

The Most Human Human by Brian Christian

Hardy Boys Mystery Stories by Franklin W. Dixon

Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn

Birdman of Alcatraz by Thomas Gaddis

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin

Good-bye Mr. Chips by James Hilton

The Ken Family Chronicles Series by John Jakes

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Little Bear’s Friend by Else Holmelund Minarik

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

An Island to Myself by Tom Neale

Island of the Blue Dolphin by Scott O’Dell

My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara

Toby Tyler by James Otis

Alive by Piers Paul Read

The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia

The Omen by David Seltzer

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

The Tower by Richard Martin Stern

 

Kelsey’s Picks

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

Firefly by Kristin Hannah

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Fireflies: A Winter’s Tale by Alice Hoffman

The View from Saturday by E.L. Koingsburg

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyers

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Pretty Little Liars Series by Sara Shepard

Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood

The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Wolves of Mercy Falls Series by Maggie Stiefvater

Running with Stilettos by Mary T. Wagner

Night by Elie Wiesel

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Quilting "Sew-In" Day

Whether you are a seasoned expert or have never sewed a stitch, stop in at the library on Thursday, June 21, 2012 as members of Mukwonago’s Crazy Quilters quilting club and other artists show you how it’s done.  You can try your own square or just watch and learn.  We’ll provide the machines and materials.  A quilt will be made from the finished squares and donated to a local charity.   

The event is free and open to all.   No registration necessary.

June's Staff Picks!

The Mukwonago Community Library features staff picks for each month of the year!    June’s featured staff members are Nick E. and our Youth Services Librarian Miss Jane.  You can find their picks at the library by the windows behind the Reference desk or right here below:

Nick E.

America’s Best Loved Community Recipes

Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Dante’s Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Awkward Family Photos by Mike Bender

End of Days: Predictions and Prophecies About the End of the World by Sylvia Brown

Secrets and Mysteries of the World by Sylvia Brown

Betty Crocker more Slow Cooker Recipes by Betty Crocker

The Watsons Go to Birmingham; a 1963 Novel by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Snow Bound by Harry Mazer

Eating Royally by Darren McGrady

Fox in Sox by Dr. Seuss

Poems by Alfred Tennyson

Gulliver’s Travels by Martin Woodside

Jane

Ice Age Trail Atlas: 105 Detailed Color Hiking Maps to Help You Connect With the Thousand-Mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail

Ice Age Trail Companion Guide, 2012

Dawn Light: Dancing With Cranes and Other Ways to Start the Day by Diane Ackerman

Graced by the Seasons: Fall and Winter in the Northwoods by John Bates

Graced by the Seasons: Spring and Summer in the Northwoods by John Bates

The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Anne Dillard

An Incontinent Truth: the Crisis of Global Warming by Al Gore

Hiking Wisconsin by Martin Hintz

The Tender Place: a Story of a Wetland Year by Laurie Lawlor

Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver

Swan by Mary Oliver

Letters From Eden: a Year at Home, In the Woods by Julie Zickefoose

The Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books!

Attention bibliophiles and bookworms!  The third annual Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books is just around the corner, celebrating books, literacy and reading, and authors.  The event will feature hundreds of local and national adult and children authors presenting sessions about their work and book signings.  Some of this year’s featured authors include: David Carter, Tawni O’Dell, Cathryn Cofell, Danielle Sosin, and Kathleen Ernst. This year’s theme is Freedom to Read.  So mark you calendars and make sure to attend this free two day event on June 15^th and 16^th at UW-Waukesha. 

The Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books is a free community-wide event organized by the UW-Waukesha Foundation in cooperation with community groups that include the Waukesha County Federated Library System, the Waukesha Public Library, the Literacy Council of Greater Waukesha and Martha Merrell’s Bookstore. 

For complete program information, schedules, and list of attending authors, check out the website: www.sewibookfest.com.

Old Fashioned Bed Turning

Crazy for quilting?  Just curious?  Discover these works of art, layer by later.  You've seen them at quilting shows; now see it at the library on Wednesday, June 13 from 2:00 to 3:00pm.  The technique used, histories, and stories behind some of these beautiful local works of art come to life as the many layers of quilts atop a bed are revealed one by one.  The artist will describe the quilt, it's features, how it came to be, and what it means to them.  See quilting in a new way at this free event open to all.  For more information for these events please stop by the Circulation Desk or call us at (262) 363-6411.

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 14^th 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 14^th 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.

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.