The Last Blog For November 2008

Did this month go by fast for you? It did for me.
So much has happened this month. I remember...a President-Elect was chosen, the economy continued to plunge, a great many people lost not only their homes but their jobs, and a dear friend of mine went into the hospital. But despite some things that might make me feel depressed, I realize there are many things I feel grateful
for.
Many of us will celebrate Thanksgiving Day on November 27th. And although Thanksgiving receives far less attention than Halloween and Christmas, in the USA it's a very important holiday.
Many of us will celebrate in our homes or the homes of friends or family. Some people will celebrate Thanksgiving Day at a local restaurant. Some will be thankful for food received from a local shelter.
Today, most of us celebrate Thanksgiving Day by enjoying turkey with "all the trimmings." Others may have traditional, ethnic, or religious recipes, or a special food item that their family always serves at Thanksgiving dinner.
Although American traditions of Thanksgiving revolve around a huge and lavish meal, we often forget that Thanksgiving Day is the time to give thanks to our God for the things He has bestowed upon us and upon this great nation. And there's no nation in the world that has more to be thankful for than us. Even in our difficult
times.
Granted, as tradition has it in most families, a special prayer of thanks precedes the meal. In many homes, family members will each mention something they are very thankful for. But often that's where the thankfulness seems to stop. Many will kick back and relax after their huge meal, watch television (football is usually on) or go to a movie. The day will come and go, and the next thought will be "Here comes Christmas."
It's been a long time since that first Thanksgiving Day in 1621 when the Pilgrims and the Indians sat down together to share their fall harvest. They, too, thanked God for the good crop and for being with them during their difficult times.
That's what I'm doing on Thanksgiving Day...being thankful for all the wonderful blessings God has bestowed upon me and, at the same time, asking Him to bless our men and women in the armed services, no matter which land they are in. There's no nation in the world that has more to be thankful for than us. And the economy will turn around, and people will get jobs again, and my dear friend in the hospital will improve.
I'm going to keep these prayers of thankfulness going all the way to the New Year...and beyond.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving, y'all.

Here's A "Find" On The Internet

I've never told you about the websites I find on the Internet that are related to books. In fact, I don't think I've ever talked about computers, except to say we have 20 for public use here at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library. However, yesterday, while checking out several library sites, ezine sites, and authors' sites, I ran across this website. It's called Fantastic Fiction and it originates in the United Kingdom.
I added it to my "Favorites," along with sites for the American Library Association, Bookreporter, Southern Literary Review, The New York Times Book Review, and the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame; stuff like that.
The Fantastic Fiction website has bibliographies for over 15,000 authors and information on over 250,000 books. I felt I'd dropped into a reader's/writer's heaven in the United Kingdom.
What I liked about the website was it showed books from the USA (latest published): new hardbacks, new science fiction, new fantasy, horror, mystery, etc. And since I've been on a "cozy" mystery kick for about two years (I'll never be able to read them all!), I searched for an author I recently discovered.
When her webpage came up, it showed her picture and gave a three-sentence biography. Best of all, it showed her new and forthcoming hardbacks and paperbacks, as well as listing the fourteen books (with dates published, so I could start at the beginning) of the mystery series I'm interested in reading.
Now, here's another best...I immediately clicked on our library website's home page and the PINES icon. In the PINES Catalog, I looked up the author to see how many of her books we have in our library. And you know what? I found there are five of her mysteries here, just waiting for me to check them out, including the very first one of the series! Talk about another reader's heaven...our library, with the books I want to read, right at my fingertips.
So, now I'm telling you that you can do the same thing. Go to http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ and find any author you like. Pull up their webpage and see the books that are listed.
But before you go out and pay all that money for a book you're interested in, go to the PINES Catalog on our library website. See if we have that book in our library. Or talk to one of our circulation clerks and order it from another library through the Interlibrary Loan. In this day and time, it's a good idea to use your library and save some money on books, audio books, DVDs, etc.
And if you think of another website I should add to my "Favorites," let me know. I'm always on the lookout for interesting book and author sites.

Food Must Be On My Mind!!!

Maybe it's because I baked a bunch of cinnamon swirl muffins for the Veterans Coffee last week. Or maybe it's because I decided (what a wrong time to do that...right before Thanksgiving!) to go back on my Weight Watchers food.
Anyhow, there I was, minding my own business, walking past the rack of returned books, when I saw this book I had to pick up...If You Give A Moose A Muffin. Isn't that cute?
It's from the Children's Library, of course, by Laura Joffe Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond. The moose on the cover is charming! What else can I say? And he's holding a stack of titillating, good-smells-rising muffins! Made my mouth water!
I took the book back to the office and sat right down to look at it. The summary said: Chaos can ensue if you give a moose a muffin and start him on a cycle of urgent request. That was very intriguing to me and I had to read the book from front cover to back.
Here's a hint about the story: If you give a moose a muffin, he'll want jam on it; and another muffin and another muffin. You'll have to go to the store to buy muffin mix; he'll want to go, but will need to borrow a sweater. And it goes on and on. Get the idea? One thing leads to another.
If you have kids, I hope you read to them, because this is a great book to read aloud.
If you don't have kids, I'd advise you to come to the Children's Library, pick out a book, and then sit and read it for a while. Your whole day will brighten UP and you'll leave with a grin on your face.
Take the time. Read a kid's book. Brighten up your day.

Our Veterans' Coffee Was A Success

Yes, it was! So successful that our director, Melody Jenkins, said we'll plan another one for next year!
Approximately 50 people arrived around 9 a.m. to attend our "Salute to Veterans," which was held in the library's Willcoxon Auditorium on Friday, November 14.
The event began with Melody welcoming everyone and telling how the Catherine M. Bryant Veterans History Project began. She said we now have 113 notebooks that hold information on more than 15,000 veterans of all wars and conflicts. She invited everyone to watch a special video presentation and enjoy refreshments.
The next speaker, Dr. Fritzie Sheumaker, director of Alternative Education with the Colquitt County Schools, told about finding her Dad's discharge card after he passed away. She said he must have been very proud to carry that card with him in his billfold for all those years. She also thanked the REACH program students for their hard work with the interviews for the video presentation.
Then Lynn Pritchett, principal of the REACH program, told about growing up as a "Navy brat." She married her husband, who was in the Army, and now they have a son in the Coast Guard. She told how the REACH students worked on their video project, and she thanked the veterans who participated.
A nice touch to the event was when the REACH students presented DVDs to the veterans they interviewed: Hoyt Holland (Army), Johnnie Shriver (Army), and Judson Mclean (Army Air Corp/Air Force). DVDs were also presented to Jack Bridwell, representative of the Museum of Colquitt County History, for placement in the museum, and Ann Glass, Veterans History Project Chairman, for inclusion in the Project.
Thanks also went to Beau Sherman, teacher of the video project, as well as the John Benning DAR and the Moultrie McNeill Chapter UDC for their help and contributions.
After the program, the guests watched the video interviews, which were shown on a large television screen. They reminisced and laughed. It was a time of sharing old war stories by many. For others, it was a time to reflect on what our veterans have given to us all...our freedom. And they continue to do so, every day.
Our veterans' coffee was just a small way to say "thank you."

Here's Some Of What We Have New At The Library

Monique is our cataloging clerk and she's always busy. When I stopped by her desk yesterday and asked what's new, she had a bunch of new entries to tell me about.

• The Children's Library has just received a stack of Junior Library Guild Books with titles like Dinosaur vs Bedtime, Too Many Toys, and Brand New Day with Mouse & Mole.
• For the adults, we have on the shelves Cross Country by James Patterson, Every Now and Then by Karen Kingsbury, Just After Sunset by Stephen King, and A Mercy by Toni Morrison (I have dibs on that one!).
• There are several gift books, including three Christian Fictions: A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber, as well as Finding Father Christmas and Engaging Father Christmas, both by Robin Jones Gunn. Also, there is a mystery, Knock'em Dead by Rhonda Pollero.
• Some new books on CDs on the racks are Testimony by Anita Shreve, The Gate House by Nelson DeMille, The Goliath Bone by Micky Spillane, and A Good Woman by Danielle Steel.
• There are also a bunch of Disney videos (VHS) that we've put out for your enjoyment.

So, like I said, Monique is always busy and she keeps adding new items every day. Stop by and see what we have to tickle your fancy. Reading and listening to books, and movie-watching, are always good from our house. All you need to get them to your house is a library card!

A Real Cute Book About A Cat And A Library

I read an article the other day about Dewey Readmore Books, a fluffy yellow cat who lived in the Spencer, Iowa library. His owner, Vicki Myron, the director of the library, finally wrote a book about him after loving him for almost 20 years and because so many people asked her to tell his stories. She said after he died, everything in the library reminded her of him. The book is "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World."
If you haven't read her account of the unforgettable cat, who became a fixture at the library, you'll be sorry you missed it. It's not only for animal lovers or library lovers. It teaches us about compassion and kindness and dedication, not only among people, but also among our small furry friends.
There was something else Vicki wrote about in her article that I liked. She wrote about "the magic of libraries."
She said, "Libraries aren't warehouses for books; they are meeting houses for human beings. A good library is less an institution than a home. It has comfortable seats, desks, computers, friendly people, and yes, sometimes even a cat. Libraries are society's great leveling agent: they offer job listings, financial information, technology, entertainment, any book you want. For free."
She hit the nail right on the head!
But I think the part I liked best was when she said: "Libraries...change lives. Everywhere in this country. Every day."
Vicky Myron worked at the Spencer Public Library for 25 years, the last 20 years as its director.
Now, we don't have a cat at our library (that we know of), but we do have Miss Norma's Library Mouse! And I'm sure Miss Norma has stories she can tell about the children who visit and the Library Mouse.
Come check us out. We're at 204 Fifth Street, S.E. in Moultrie, Georgia. And we are a library that will change your life!
(Source: Book Page, October 2008)

One Way We Honor Our Veterans

We have an ongoing project here at our library. It's called the Catherine M. Bryant Veterans History Project. It's housed in the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogical Library, in the south wing of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library. I know that's a lot of names and words, but the Project is one of our most precious collections...a collection that reminds us daily of what our veterans have done for us.
It all started in 1992, when a member of the Moultrie High School Class of 1939 was working on a veterans display at the Moultrie First Presbyterian Church. She thought, How great [it would be] to have a reunion honoring veterans of the classes of 1937 through 1940.
The four classes approved the idea and all veterans were asked to send copies of their wartime pictures. Many were received. A very successful patriotic reunion was held in June 1994 to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the Allied Forces Landing in Europe on June 6, 1994.
After the reunion, the steering committee approached the director of the Odom Library, Melody Jenkins, about creating a veterans' memorial to include all veterans who served honorably from the Civil War to present day. The project was approved. All veterans' pictures from the reunion were given to the library for permanent record. And the Moultrie High School Class of 1939 donated $700 to start the project.
The person with that first thought of a reunion to honor our veterans was Catherine M. Bryant. She worked for the library for 61 years as our Genealogy and Administrative Assistant. Catherine passed away last year.
Everyone knew Catherine's greatest library love was the Veterans History Project. And because it was her desire that veterans be honored and never forgotten, the Veterans History Project was placed in the genealogy library. She worked hard for years to raise money to support the project and acquire information about as many veterans as she could to add to the collection. Because of her dedication and appreciation of all veterans, the project was named for her.
At this time, the genealogy library is conducting a Veterans Survey in an effort to locate all military personnel - past and present. To be included in the Project, an information sheet is required. All records and/or pictures must be identified. Forms are available at the Odom Genealogical Library.
We're also working toward creating a list of the names of veterans for whom we have information, with the possiblity of publishing that list on our website. At the present time, we've compiled 113 notebooks with information on over 15,000 veterans.
The Veterans History Project is an important part of our heritage. If you have information you'd like to contribute, please contact the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogical Library at 229-985-6540 and ask for Ann Glass, Project Chairman.

We Always Check Out Other Libraries

Some of us were standing around the other day, listening to our director tell about her trip to Denver. She said she ended up going to the public library to see what it was like.
Then my coworker came back from Olympia, Washington and said she visited the library up there.
I had to laugh at that. I remembered a friend, who was a preacher's wife, who told me that she and her husband (the preacher) always had to visit churches in towns they traveled through while on vacation. "Just to see what they looked like," she said.
Another friend, the administrator of a hospital, said he always visited the largest hospital in each town where he went to a convention.
I wonder if teachers visit other schools to see what they're like, or if pharmacists check out pharmacies in other towns. Do people who work in a bookstore visit other bookstores? How about pet store employees and restaurant employees?
Anyhow, our director said she visited the Denver Public Library to see what it was like. She told us she saw the round table that was used for the G8 conference held in Denver (it's in the library Board room), and that she talked with the director about his library. He told her they see 15,000 people in one day, they have hundreds of computers, and he knew where Moultrie is.
She said that last part really surprised her. It was when they were talking about genealogy. He told her that anyone who does genealogy knows where Moultrie is. And that's because of the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library and the Scottish Weekend that was held in Moultrie.
So, you see, you never know how far information about you, or your city, or where you work, precedes you whenever you leave home.
And it's always great to visit places of interest no matter where you go...Tifton, Albany, Tallahassee, Atlanta, or even Denver and Olympia. You're never sure what you might see or who might know exactly where you're from.
But people like us - people who work in libraries - we always have to check out other libraries.
Why don't you come check us out also!

We're Thinking Of "President" This Morning

While I was getting ready for work this morning, I listened to Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. She told about some of the questions people were asked last night during the voting process. One question asked was: "Do you think your child has the chance of becoming President someday?"
Of course, like always, my brain began to tie in how either the question or the answer relates to our library.
When I got to work, I did some checking through the PINES Catalog System to see what we have about Presidents that we can offer to our patrons.
First, I wanted to see what we have for children. In our Children's Library are these books:

• The Encylcopedia of Presidents - This is a series of Junior Biographies, written by different authors, about all of the Presidents of the United States. Look for books with JB on the spine and the President's name.
• The Look-it-up Book of Presidents - by Wyatt Blassingame is a Juvenile Nonfiction (J973B) and
• Arthur Meets the President - by Marc Tolon Brown. This is an Easy Book with EB on the spine, and is one of many in the "Arthur" series.

Then for our older children, I found:

• The Modern American Presidency by Lewis L. Gould (973.9G) and
• The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents by William A. DeGregorio (973.0099D).

And not to forget the adults, there's Executive Orders, a book by Tom Clancy (Fiction Clancy), and the 2006 movie The Sentinel with Michael Douglas.

But those aren't the only items we have in this library about Presidents. There are plenty more. You just need to come to the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, 204 Fifth Street, Southeast, in Moultrie, Georgia and see what we have.

Take advantage of your opportunity. Remember, the public library is open to everyone and it's your place to learn!

Tuesday, November 4 - Our Opportunity To Vote

I suppose most everyone across this great land has one thing on their mind today...voting.
We were fortunate enough here in Georgia to have early voting, so mine was done the first part of October. Of course, I received several emails today, encouraging me to get out and vote.
In fact, an item of interest caught my attention as I closed out my Yahoo! account. I spotted a blurb telling why we vote on Tuesday. It wasn't really something I'd ever wondered about, until I saw that headline. So, I checked it out.
Why do we vote on Tuesday? It's because we used to be a nation of farmers. Congress chose November because the harvest was over and the weather wouldn't be bad enough to prevent people from traveling to vote. People used to have to travel overnight to their poling location - think "horse." And in order to avoid religious days of rest, Congress chose Tuesday, leaving Monday and Wednesday as travel days. Tuesday was voting and horse-resting days.
And now you know the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey says.
If you don't do anything right today, do this one thing right...go vote. Then sit back tonight and watch television as the making of history rolls out before your eyes.
And be proud that you were part of the making!!!
(Source: Yahoo! News)