Spring into the the library this spring

Spring fever is starting to hit. About three weeks early. What do you do to treat your spring fever? Suggestions include to add flowers to your home or office, take a walk in the mid-afternoon, wear light clothing, add some fruit to your diet, shop!, and to stay busy. Stay busy by tackling a new project. Stay busy by visiting your local library to tackle that project or stop by one of the activities at the library.
The 8th annual Children's Healthy Fun fair will be held at the Fairgrounds from on Saturday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Computer classes started up again a few weeks ago. Computer classes in English are every Tuesday at 9 a.m. and computer classes in Spanish are every Wednesday at 10 a.m. Reservations are needed so call or stop by the circulation desk to reserve your spot.

The library received a grant to replace fiction shelving in the adult area of the library. The library will be closed Monday, March 7 until Friday, March 11 as staff get underway in relocating the fiction books, taking down the old shelves, putting the new shelves up, and getting the area back in order. The library will be open on Saturday, March 12 at 9 a.m. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

If you have items that need to be returned to the library that week, return them to the book-drops. All items may be placed in the book-drops. All activities at the library are canceled for the week.
The week will be full of books, pancakes, and paczki.

Due to the library being closed the second week of March, Library and Lunch is rescheduled for a special date, Tuesday, March 15 at noon as we discuss a special book, the Kansas Reads 2011 pick by the Kansas Center for the Book, 'What Kansas Means to Me' edited by Thomas Fox Averill.

The book consists of seventeen selections put into perspective by the editor's headnotes and introductory essay. The essays and poems are arranged from the earliest 1910s to the most recent 1990s. The book is lead by historian Carl Becker's classic 1910 essay 'Kansas' and the writers try to map the spiritual topography of Kansas and explain why this particular patch of prairie is so dear with the conviction that Kansas represents something powerful, significant, and noteworthy. So join us on Tuesday, March 15 at noon for the discussion.

The Book and Movie gang will meet on Thursday, March 17 at 6 p.m. for Kurt Eichenwald's 'The Informant.' "The FBI was ready to take down America's most politically powerful corporation. But there was one thing they didn't count on." reads the cover of this true crime story. Eichenwald, an investigative reporter, covered the story for the New York Times. A bizarre financial scandal with quite a few plot twists. A willing witness to a vast international price-fixing company. The recorded tapes should have cinched the case but the star witness was manipulative, deceitful, and unstable.

Add a biography to that spring list! Check out the latest book display in the adult area on presidential and founding fathers biographies and answer the question of 'Who's my favorite president?' I like several yet I have a fondness for Jemmy "James" Madison after hanging out with him for four years (my department was named for him) during college. Yet founding father Ben Franklin has my heart after forming the first public lending library in America.

As always, for the latest library programming take a peek at the library website or grab a newsletter from the circulation desk. Stay tuned and connected through our social media pages. If you have any questions or suggestions about books or programs don't hesitate to ask. Hope to see you at the library!

Children's Healthy Fun Fair

Excitement is mounting for the upcoming Children's Healthy Fun Fair. This will be the eighth year for this annual event. Hard to imagine that something that started out with a dedicated group of agencies back in 2004 has grown to such a marvelous event. And that dedicated group is still involved with the fair!

If you have never attended, here's what you can expect. Over 30 agencies come together to offer you the latest information for the health and wellbeing of the children in your life. Some of the agencies participating include Parents and Children Together, both the Liberal and Seward County Fire Departments, Southwest Medical Center, Southwest Guidance Center, Liberal Police Department, WIC and some other folks from the County Health Department, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Smart Start of Southwest Kansas, and many, many more.

The event takes place on Saturday, March 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ag Building on the Seward County Fairgrounds. This is the same weekend as the 2011 B107.5 Springfest Home & Fun Show at the Event Center, as well as the preliminary events for Pancake Day, so you can keep everyone in the family really involved by going from one building to the other.

Our healthy fun fair exhibitors have put together lots of great information for parents. While parents are gathering that information and talking with exhibitors, children can do some fun crafts at some of our tables, put together a healthy snack at another, and see how they measure up in the fitness challenge at the Liberal Parks & Rec booth. Strolling animal characters add to the fun of the fair as well. One can personally learned a lot about many organizations in town they are not familiar with, so it is worth your while to stop for a moment and visit with the exhibitors. You never know when you will be in need of assistance from their agency. Then you'll know just who to call.

A resource many Kansans do not know about is Kansas Health Online.The goal of Kansas Health Online is to empower Kansans to make more informed health care decisions. They strive to provide helpful information in an easy to understand way.
Here is what you will find on Kansas Health Online:

• compare hospitals
• find doctors
• compare health plans
• analyze symptoms
• get the latest information on medical conditions
• make healthy lifestyle choices
• learn more about health policy

To access this service, go to www.kansashealthonline.org. Stop by the library's booth at the fun fair for some great handouts provided by Kansas Health Online.

The library offers lots of resources for people concerned about their own health or that of their children by way of nutrition information, exercise options, cookbooks, and the like. There are even a number of children's fiction picture books that help drive home the message of better lifestyle choices in a fun way. These titles include: The Gulps by Rosemary Wells, Showdown at the Food Pyramid by Rex Barron, Burger Boy by Alan Durant, IQ Gets Fit by Mary Ann Fraser,Get Up and Go by Nancy Carlson, and Happy, Healthy Monsters: Get Moving with Grover by Abigail Tabby. In addition, our non-fiction section has a number of great cookbooks geared to cooking with youngsters that feature healthy recipe options.

The library collection contains a four-book set put out by U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Diabetes Translation, Native Diabetes Wellness Program, that centers around diabetes awareness. These titles, by Georgia Perez include Through the Eyes of the Eagle, Knees Lifted High, Plate Full of Color, and Tricky Treats.

Even if you don't have children at home, your life is probably touched in some way by children, be it as a grandparent, a caregiver, a church worker, or a neighbor. So come on out to the Ag Building and see what we have to offer. Plan to take in all the events going on at the Event Center and the Ag Building on March 5. See you at the Children's Healthy Fun Fair and at Memorial Library!

Plot a healthy heart this month... with a good book

Have you worn red this week? Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The month of February is all about the heart and is dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease and increasing knowledge about prevention. It's still the beginning of a new year and educating yourself on the dangers of the disease is a fine way to get on track with better heart health this year.

Books to assist you on your journey to heart health pulled off the non-fiction stacks might include:

Change your brain, change your body: use your brain to get and keep the body you have always wanted: boost your brain to improve your weight, skin, heart, energy, and focus' by Daniel G. Amen,
Stop the inflammation now!: a step-by-step plan to prevent, treat, and reverse inflammation - the leading cause of heart disease and related conditions' by Richard M. Fleming,
The women's heart book: the complete guide to keeping your heart healthy' by Frederic J. Pashkow,
Strong women, strong hearts: proven strategies to prevent and reverse heart disease now' by Miriam Nelson,
Syndrome X: overcoming the silent killer that can give you a heart attack' by Gerald Reaven,
Born to run: a hidden tribe, superathletes, and the greatest race the world has never seen' by Christopher McDougall.

That's an interesting book on my January to read list to empower running in the cold and non-existent snow. Did it happen? Not really. Two friends recently invested in vibram shoes and though they look a little silly I've heard that they're really comfortable. I'm not at a stage where I could pull it off.

My philosophy is to pull a great romance (oh la la) off the shelves. You can add some chocolate!  It is National Celebration of Chocolate Month. Check out our current library display entitled Love Makes The World Go Round. There's a couple of classy Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel's in addition to novels such as 'Adele: Jane Eyre's hidden story' by Emma Tennant, 'Lost in translation' by Nicole Mones, 'Lulu in Marrakech' by Diane Johnson and 'A sight for sore eyes: a novel' by Ruth Rendell. You can hit your heart with a shot (or beat) of music and pull out 'Between a heart and a rock place: a memoir' by Pat Benatar off the new book shelves as well as a collection of romance and chick lit. Apologizes to the neighbor who has been listening to the same blaring song on repeat for the past week and then voila all of a sudden Pat Benatar.

For a dose of happy heart, check out a performance by Amelia Earhart at the library this Monday, February 7 at 7 p.m. The performance is in sponsorship with the SCCC/ATS Library who will be hosting Ms. Earhart at 12 p.m. Following the performance at the college, Ann Birney of Ride into History will give a workshop on historical performances and how to choose a historical figure to research, interpret, and create. It should be an entertaining flight back to 1937, just before Earhart's disappearance over the Pacific Ocean.

For a dose of conversation, drop by Library and Lunch on Tuesday, February 8 at 12 p.m. and a discussion of Emily Giffin's 'Heart of the matter', a fitting title for the month, a layered, absorbing read or the Book and Movie Series on Thursday, February 17 at 6 p.m. for John Le Carre's 'The Constant Gardener'.

For a dose of learning heart, sign up for Beginning Chess Instruction, a workshop by Emile Darga on Saturday, February 19 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and master the game of chess. All ages are welcome.

As always, for the latest library programming take a peek at the library website or grab a newsletter from the circulation desk. Stay tuned and connected through our social media pages. If you have any questions or suggestions about books or programs don't hesitate to ask. Hope to see you at the library!