Check out a National Book Awards book

The NBAs were held over three weeks ago. National Basketball Association? No! The National Book Awards! The librarians here at the library left that night prepared to watch the awards live. Okay, we didn't end up watching them.

The fiction winner was "The Good Lord Bird" by James McBride and finalists included The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner, "The Lowland" by Jhumpa Lahiri, "Bleeding Edge" by Thomas Pynchon, and "Tenth of December" by George Saunders.

One of the ladies in my Library and Lunch group read "The Good Lord Bird" by James McBride over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Carol thought it was hilarious and she loved it. I've heard from many that it's a pretty funny book if at times dark. McBride takes a variety of liberties with true facts but it seems a believable story of John Brown's fanatical and very righteous efforts against slavery.  Speaking of Library and Lunch, the January pick is “The Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty.

"The Flamethrowers" by Rachel Kushner is beautifully written about SoHo in 1975 and motorcycle racing.  The main character Reno ends up in Italy with an amour amid her love for racing.  Some have said that her character is a blank slate that's difficult to relate to but its reasons are revealed in the end.  

One of my favorite authors, Jhumpa Lahiri also made it as one of the finalists.  I read all of her books the first or second year I moved out to southwest Kansas.  I haven't picked "The Lowland" up yet.  It's about two brothers bound by tragedy and different personalities. One brother stays in India and the other leaves home to pursue a life of scientific research in America.  When one brother learns what's happened to his sibling he goes back to India to pick up the pieces of a broken family and heal wounds.  

"Bleeding Edge" by Thomas Pychon is about Maxine Tarnow who is running a nice fraud investigation business on the Upper West Side and everything is great until she starts looking into the finances of a computer security firm and its billionaire geeky CEO. She finds herself mixes up with a drug runner in an art deco motorboard, a professional nose, a neoliberal enforcer with footwear issues, Russian mob and various bloggers, hackers, code monkeys, and enterprenuers.  This one looks like a fun read!  

The final finalist in the fiction category was "Tenth of December" by George Saunders.  It's a collection of short stories that have been described as his most honest, accessible, and moving collection yet.

 

Let's skim over the non-fiction category. The non-fiction winner was "The Unwinding: An inner history of the New America" by George Packer.  I talked to someone who is currently reading it (surround yourself with readers I say!) and they're really enjoying it.  Its focus is on the decline of America over the last thirty or forty years and is on the moderate spectrum.  No one is left smelling like roses.  The finalists included "Book of Ages: the life and opinions of Jane Franklin" by Jill Lepore, "Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields" by Wendy Lower, "The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832" by Alan Taylor, and "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief" by Lawrence Wright.

Our children's librarian, Casandra read all of the finalists in the children’s category.  I asked her her thoughts on the books.

The children's winner was "The Thing About Luck" by Cynthia Kadohata.   Kadohata is the author of the Newbery Medal-winning book Kira-Kira.  The main character is a Japanese-American girl named Summer who goes with her brother to stay with their grandparents in Kansas while their parents deal with a family problem in Japan. According to Casandra, the grandmother is a great character and they are part of a custom combining crew that travels from Kansas to Texas and other states harvesting a wheat crop. It's intended for an older audience and adults might like it more than kids. Much of the story is a "coming of age" tale involving this girl, but other parts describe quite accurately the lifestyle of the harvesters.

According to Casandra, some of the finalists were quite good on par with the winner.  

"The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man" was a really great book.  It's by the Kathi Appelt, Newbery author of "Underneath".  This book is about two raccoons that are the main characters.  They have to wake up a monster in a swamp because wild pigs are coming to devour the sugar cane. (I had to check out a more info on this one and the cover is adorable.)

"Far Far Away" by Tom McNeal is about a boy who has the ghost of Jacob Grimm following him around.  He's an outcast who becomes more so with Jacob Grimm.  He meets a girl, forms a friendship, and then they get into a little bit of trouble.  

"Picture Me Gone" by Meg Rosoff is about a girl and her father from London who go to New York City to find her father's friend who seems to have disappeared.  The girl has a power of perception. "Boxers and Saints" by Gene Luen Yang is about the Chinese revolution as told through the eyes of a Chinese peasant.  It's a hilarious book. The main character learns kung-fu and tries to defeat the foreigners.  It's not really a children's book but geared more so for older young adults.  

She also gave a shout out to "Flora and Ulysses" by Kate DiCamillo that didn't make it into the short list.  This one is about a squirrel who gets sucked up by a vacuum and develops powers of strength, flight, and poetry!

We have all of the children's books available for check out in the library!

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 question or suggestions about books or programs don’t hesitate to ask.  See you at the library this holiday season!

Play at the Library

When most parents think about the library, they think only about the books – either the ones that they check out for themselves or the books that they read to their children before bedtime every night. Many people don’t think of the library as a place to play. Liberal Memorial Library has been a Family Place Library for almost a year now, and we are starting to get the reputation as the place to go to play. Family Place Library is a program that brings the community together. It gives parents a place to learn about parenting and children the place to play. The library always has toys out aimed at children from birth to five years of age. The toys are free for all families in the community to come and use in the library at any time.

While many parents (myself included) are nervous about their children hitting the milestones on time and want to try and educate their children, research has shown that one of the most important things that a parent can do is to play with their child. Put away those flashcards and baby learning DVDs and just play. It may seem strange at first, but your child is actually learning a lot.

When a child plays with an adult, they learn new vocabulary and literacy skills. When playing with toy dinosaurs, you probably didn’t even think about it but you just taught your child the words armor, carnivore and scales. When having a tea party, making a menu together will reinforce the idea that words have meanings. When a child plays with a parent or other children, they learn team work, sharing and other social skills that they won’t get in a classroom setting or through flashcards. Pretend play gives children a place to imagine a different world and experience different roles. Parents might feel strange at first putting a strainer on their head and pretending that they are an alien from outer space, but it gets easier and your child will guide you through the scene.

Play also promotes good health, which is important when a child starts learning in the traditional way. Times have changed and children are spending less time outside and more time in front of a screen. Experts recommend at least an hour a day of physical activities for kids. While going to the park every day is ok at first, after a while both parents and children will be bored of the same old same old. Try sharing some of the games that you played in your childhood. When others in your neighborhood see you out having fun, they will join in and you will probably have enough kids to form teams.

Play is important. Some even go so far as to say that the job of a child is to play. The next time that you walk into the library and see (or hear) kids playing in the library, just remember that they are actually doing their jobs and learning.

If you still need help finding fun at the library, sign up for the next parent/child workshop, where parents and children spend an hour a week playing together for five weeks. The next one will be held in early spring. We are starting a separate Family Place Library Facebook page, so parents of young children can learn about this excellent program and keep in touch with each other. Story time and special programming are a way to have fun and are open to all. Story times incorporate music and art activities, which are another form of play. For more information or to get a schedule, stop by the library or email me at childrens@lmlibrary.org.

Graphic Novels can be "Super" Without the "Hero"

When you think graphic novels, you’re probably thinking Batman, Superman, Spider-man and Captain America. But graphic novels cover more than just the superhero genre. It can be fiction or non-fiction, comedy or romance, science fiction or western. Graphic novels can cover the spectrum of genres.

If you’re looking for a graphic novel that is different and a little more challenging, the Library has something for you. And graphic novels run the gamut – in terms of age – from children to young adult to adult.

Check out these new graphic novels at the Library.

Maus by Art Spiegelman is definitely not for kids. It may look like a kid’s book with mice and pigs and cats, but it’s not. The book tackles the subject of the Holocaust and survival in a concentration camp in graphic novel form. The characters are portrayed as animals – Jews are mice, Poles pigs, Germans cats, Americans dogs, and French frogs.

Boxers (Boxers & Saints) by Gene Luen Yang is a story about China’s Boxer Rebellion in the late 19^th century.

In 1898 China, bands of foreign missionaries and soldiers roam the countryside, bullying and robbing Chinese peasants. Little Bao has had enough. Harnessing the powers of ancient Chinese gods, he recruits an army of Boxers - commoners trained in kung fu who fight to free China from "foreign devils." Against all odds, this grass-roots rebellion is violently successful. But nothing is simple. Little Bao is fighting for the glory of China, but at what cost? So many are dying, including thousands of "secondary devils" – Chinese citizens who have converted to Christianity.

For something more traditional, Batman: Death of the Family depicts the return of the Joker and his twisted plan to gain revenge against not only Batman, but his super-hero family. Does the Joker actually succeed? It’s a suspense-filled, thrill ride right down to the final pages.

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If you’re into romance, we’ve got what you’re looking for. The Library recently received the entire six-book Harmony series written by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Jodi Thomas. The series takes place in the small town of Harmony, Texas where you’ll read about the romance and escapades of its citizens. The books are: Welcome to Harmony, Somewhere Along the Way, The Comforts of Home, Just Down the Road, Chance of a Lifetime and Can't Stop Believing.

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We’re having a book sale from Thursday, December 5 to Saturday, December 7. The book sale will be open during Library hours. There will be hundreds of books for sale – fiction and non-fiction and hardcover, paperback and large print. Hardcovers will be 10 cents while paperbacks will be five cents. First come, first serve with no reserves or holds.

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Don’t forget about our annual Gingerbread House Decorating event. Kids from to 4-11 can come down to the Library and decorate gingerbread houses for free! The event is on December 14 at 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sign-ups are required and begin on Monday, December 2.

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Musical events return to the Library in December with a Bell Ensemble and the Redskin Singers.

A Bell Ensemble will grace the Library with an assortment or holiday and instrumental music through the bells on Tuesday, December 3 at 7 p.m. Among the songs being played include Angels we Have Heard on High, Carol of the Bells, and Amazing Grace.

The Redskin Singers return to the Library once again for their annual presentation on Thursday, December 12 at 7:10 p.m. Come down and listen to the some traditional and not-so-traditional holiday fare from the local youth at Liberal High School.

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The Library will be closed until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3^rd. We will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. All due items can still be returned through the drop boxes.

Skip a jolly beat into the library this season

We’re upon the holiday season. Decorations are slowly starting to come out on lawns and the lights are going up.  The library is also getting into a festive mood.

Library and Lunch will meet on Tuesday, December 10 at 12 p.m. for holiday tales.  Read a holiday themed book and come discuss it at the library. Plan to join us over the lunch hour.

We have two musical events at the library in December.  The Bell Choir will be performing at the library on Tuesday, December 3 at 7 p.m. and we’re excited to welcome the Redskin Singers for their annual holiday appearance on Thursday, December 12 at 7:10 p.m.  Light refreshments will be served.

Our last Recipe Swap was a crockpot success! The next one combines the theme of two upcoming holidays and will be held on Monday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m.

The children’s department has plentiful activities for the kiddos the rest of the year.

Chess will be on Mondays at 6 p.m.  We have some kids who are becoming chess aficionados. Story Fun is held on Mondays at 11:15 a.m., Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m., and Thursdays at 11:15 a.m.  There will be no activities the week of December 23.

There will be a Family Place Play Day on Saturday, November 30 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.  For all the kids and their families who were a part of our two Family Place workshops this past year, there will be a Family Place Reunion taking place on Tuesday, December 10 at 6 p.m. Come mingle and play.

The library’s Annual Gingerbread House Decorating for children ages 4 through 11 will take place on Saturday, December 15, with two sessions being offered. The session times will be 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.  All materials are provided.  Make sure your kiddo wears something that’s okay in case there are any frosting explosions. Reservations are required and will open on December 2, so phone or stop by the library today to secure a spot.

Santa will be making an appearance at the library before he starts his journey on Tuesday, December 17 at 6 p.m.

The library will be closed for the Thanksgiving Day holiday on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29.  We will reopen on Saturday, November 30 at 9 a.m.

The library will also be closed part of the day on Wednesday, December 4 for staff development training. We will reopen at 4 p.m. that day.

If you’re passing by the library, everything may be returned via the book drops.  There are still individuals who ponder the return of DVDs in the book drops.  Besides e-readers and pre-literacy kits, all items may be returned to the book drops all year long.

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 question or suggestions about books or programs don’t hesitate to ask.  See you at the library this season!

We’re Reading to Your Preschooler – Are You?

This week is Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Week, a statewide event where libraries and other groups go and read the same book to preschoolers.  The book this year is Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd, which is about the messy adventure of Dog as he goes through the day picking up even more spots on his fur.  Dog’s Colorful Day is great for preschoolers because it introduces (or reinforces) both counting skills and colors.   The library will be visiting preschools and daycares around Liberal next week to read this story.  If your children aren’t in one of the area preschools, we will have story time at the library on Monday and Thursday at 11:15 AM and an evening story time on Tuesday at 6:00 PM.   Children of all ages are welcome at the library’s story times – you don’t have to be a preschooler to participate.   

The goal of Kansas Reads to Preschoolers is to promote early literacy across the state.  My goal for the week is to get the kids that I meet excited about the library.  That day, they will race home and beg you to take them to the library to get their very own library card.  If they already have a card, they are going to beg you to take them to the library to check out an armload of books.  Library cards are free, and children of any age can get a card with their parent’s permission.  If mom or dad already has a library card they just need to show their photo ID to get their child a card.  If the parent doesn’t have their own card, mom or dad needs to bring a picture ID plus a piece of official mail – for example a utility bill – to prove their address to the library.   

Giving a library card to a child is also a good way to teach responsibility.  By checking out library books, parents can help them to take care of the books they choose, keep track of them during the two weeks that you have them in your homes, and then return them on time.  Plus, if they have a card, they have access to all of the books in the library – even if it seems like your child checks out the same three books over and over again because they like them.

Reading books to your children is important.  The experts suggest reading at least twenty minutes every day.  Of course, books are an important part of those twenty minutes each day, but you can find words everywhere to read to and explore with your kids.  Street signs, newspapers and cereal boxes are all places to point out letters, words and punctuation marks to kids.  Allowing kids to read what they enjoy is also important and the library is the place to get a lot of books on so many different subjects for free. 

Hopefully during next week’s celebration of Kansas Reads to Preschoolers, parents will help to sow the seed of literacy in their children by bringing their children to the library, reading bedtime stories to their children, coming to programming at the library and giving their child access to a library card.  Access to the library is free for everyone, and access to programming is free (with no registration needed for the majority of programming), so parents can just drop by whenever they have time. 

Music soothing the community at Liberal Memorial Library

Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast,
To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.

I've read, that things inanimate have mov'd,
And, as with living Souls, have been inform'd,
By Magick Numbers and persuasive Sound.
What then am I? Am I more senseless grown
Than Trees, or Flint? O force of constant Woe!
'Tis not in Harmony to calm my Griefs.
Anselmo sleeps, and is at Peace; last Night
The silent Tomb receiv'd the good Old King;
He and his Sorrows now are safely lodg'd
Within its cold, but hospitable Bosom.
Why am not I at Peace?

--William Congreve, in The Mourning Bride, 1697

In this complicated world of ours, lately, it seems hard to find commonality. However, one thing that we can agree on is that music and song has a place in all of our lives. Whether that music is pop, rock, country, rap or classical, there is something on the music spectrum that we all enjoy and brings us all together.

The Liberal Memorial Library hosted two musical performances last month – the Swingin’ Saints Jazz Band and Scenic Roots. You couldn’t have two more diverse music styles between the two, but the community came out in force and supported both groups.

The Swingin’ Saints Jazz Band, under the direction of Seward County Community Instrumental Music Instructor Darin Workman and comprised of 14-18 community and student musicians, took the community back to the days when Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman were the kings of swing and ruled the music world.

Trombones, trumpets, and saxophones along with the piano, drums and bass brought the swing era back to Liberal as the community brought their lawn chairs and gathered out in front of the Library and listened to great music.

Scenic Roots is the sister duo of Erin and Amber Rogers from Concordia. Their music is a little bit different from the swing band, but no less toe-tapping or inspiring – it’s old fashioned bluegrass with banjos, guitars and dulcimers. The community welcomed them with open arms and packed the Library.

While the Library will take a break from the musical scene this month, we’ll kick it back up again in December. The First United Methodist Church Bell Ensemble will grace the Library with an assortment or holiday and instrumental music through the bells on Tuesday, December 3 at 7 p.m.

And a tradition continues, as the Library will once again play host to the Redskin Singers on Thursday, December 12 at 7:10 p.m.

Even though my esteemed colleague Doreen Wright wrote about this last week, it bears mentioning once again. The Liberal Memorial Library, in partnership with Southwest Kansas Library System, member libraries, and RBdigital from Recorded Books, is pleased to offer Zinio for Libraries.

It’s a free service which patrons can access through the Library’s website at www.lmlibrary.org. Click on the Zinio link, choose a magazine, set up a couple passwords and you’re ready to read on a computer or tablet.

Zinio’s unique technology digitally recreates a magazine page for page, including full color pictures, intuitive navigation, key word article search and interactive elements such as audio and video. (Insert “big name” magazines that library has) are just a few of the popular titles available.

Just remember, you need a Liberal Memorial Library card to use the service.

Events for November:

* Library and Lunch: The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison on Tuesday, November 12 at noon.

* Book Signing: You Never Know by Shyla Suddeth on Saturday, November 16 at 10 a.m.

* Hunger Games/Catching Fire party (middle school/teens) on Thursday, November 21 at 4 p.m.

* Book Chat: Thursday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m.

Free Digital Magazine Checkout and a Cornucopia of New Technology at Liberal Memorial Library

Database Spotlight

The library offers so many useful resources that some of them can be overlooked in our efforts to connect our patrons to the information that they are looking for. Some of our patrons might not be aware of the health related databases that can be reached through our website at http://www.lmlibrary.org/databases.asp or from http://www.kslib.info/librarians/eor.html. These databases are made available to all Kansas residents free of charge by the State Library of Kansas and by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

EBSCO Consumer Health Complete

Consumer Health Complete is a browsable medical database including drug information, topic fact sheets, news, magazines, medical dictionaries, and encyclopedias. It is a thorough and user-friendly resource, providing information covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to holistic and integrated medicine.

EBSCO MEDLINE

MEDLINE was created by the National Library of Medicine and offers information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more. It uses MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) indexing to search citations from over 5,400 current biomedical journals.

EBSCO Alternative Health Watch

If you’re interested in strictly alternative health information, then the EBSCO Alternative Health Watch might be more what you’re looking for. This database focuses on perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated approaches to health care and wellness. It offers full text articles for more than 180 journals and reports. There are also hundreds of pamphlets, booklets, special reports, original research and book excerpts. Alt HealthWatch provides in-depth coverage across the full spectrum of subject areas covered by complementary and alternative medicine.

If your interests are of a more scholarly nature you could use either EBSCO Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition or ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source


EBSCO Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition

This database provides nearly 550 scholarly full text journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition also features the Lexi-PAL Drug Guide, which covers 1,300 generic drug patient education sheets with more than 4,700 brand names.

ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source

This database offers reliable, comprehensive coverage of the fields of nursing and allied health including journals, video, dissertations, reference books and more.


EBSCO MedicLatina

For our Spanish speaking patrons there is also the Medica Latina, a unique collection of medical research and investigatory journals from renowned Latin American and Spanish publishers. This Spanish language database contains full text for 130 peer-reviewed medical journals in native Spanish.


New Equipment

The library was able to take advantage of a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) to purchase several new items for our patrons.

• An additional children’s computer - Having another children’s computer will please the little ones and shorten the afternoon waiting list.
• A new document scanner for the patrons – We have a new sheet fed document scanner, located downstairs in the computer lab, that patrons can use to scan their pictures or documents directly to usb, to email, or to one of the library’s computers.
• We have also upgraded our free WiFi access to make it more reliable and easier to use.
• We will soon add a Nexus 7 tablet to our small collection of eReaders and devices available for demonstration purposes. If you’re not sure if an eReader or full fledged tablet is right for you, you can come in to the library and try out some of the different devices.

Zinio – Online Newsstand

The library’s subscription to Zinio officially began October 31st. Our patrons now have access to full color, interactive digital magazines that they can download and read on their mobile devices, home computers, or one of the library’s computers. There are no waiting lists and no need to return any magazine issue that has been checked out. Magazine issues that have been downloaded to a patron’s device remain there until deleted.


Creating an account is a two part process. You have to create a library zinio account to check out and a personal zinio reading account to download and read your magazine.

Part 1: Create a library account to check out magazines:

1. Go to: http://zinio.lmlibrary.org. Browse the collection and click on a magazine to check out.
2. Click on Create New Account in the upper right hand corner to create a new account.
3. It will ask for your library card number. Liberal Memorial Library patrons will need to enter the code lici + their library card number. The number will look something like this: lici123456. Click Submit.
4.  After your library card is verified, it ask for your name, your email address, and to create a password. The email address and password will be what you use to login.
5. Once your account is created click on Check Out and then the Complete Checkout button.
6. Your magazine is now checked out and available to read on your Zinio.com account

Part 2: Create a free Zinio.com account to start reading.

1. After checking out your magazine, a Zinio.com window will open and prompt you to create a Zinio account or log in.
2. Create a new Zinio account by entering your name, email address, and a password. The email address will need to be the same as the one you created in Step 1.
3. Be sure to uncheck the Send me email about updates option if you don't want to receive emails from Zinio.
4. Click Register.
5. Your personal reading account is now activated and your magazine is available in the Your Library tab on Zinio.com.

Daylight Savings Time Ends

And just in case you haven’t already heard it a hundred times before, Daylight Savings Time ends today so remember to set your clocks back.