Changes In Mid-Stream

I was going to talk today about April being Poetry Month, but right in mid-stream I changed my mind. Just stepped out of that puddle and turned around.
We're getting ready to put up the new displays for April and one of them is titled "Armchair Travel." This is one of those years when I'll be doing armchair travel. Right now it's just easier to stay closer to home.
When I pulled books for the travel display, I was amazed at what I found (not that they were lost, but they are impressive books!).
There's a whole series by Reader's Digest called "Explore America." The two that caught my eye were "America by the Sea" and "Back Roads & Hidden Corners." The colorful pictures in these books are absolutely gorgeous. I sat and browsed through the sea one yesterday, and today I'm looking at the back roads one, which takes me through Vermont, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Oregon, to name just a few places. These books are on the 917.3 shelf if you want to take a peek.
Then I found a very large book by Carl Lowe titled
"Journeys by Rail." You get to see not only the places these trains travel, but you also see what the inside of the trains look like. The journeys take you through North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Again, the pictures are outstanding.
Another really large book (check these books out more than once and you can travel for a whole month!) by National Geographic is "Journeys of a Lifetime." It shows 500 of the world's greatest trips. The book is an inch-thick, and you'll find it so interesting you won't want to put it down.
I did find three smaller books (ones lighter to carry in your book bag) that are of great interest to us travelers.
"Florida Historic Homes" by Laura Stewart and Susanne Hupp is guide to more than 65 notable dwellings open to the public. The pictures are all delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by Patrick Reed. The Alfred B. Maclay State Gardens in Tallahassee is one home listed. It's close enough for you to take a little drive to Tallahassee and see it for yourself. I've been there, and there are always flowers blooming in those gardens. Plus, you'll get to see inside the house.
One book you'll really enjoy is called "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. Even if you never travel the Appalachian Trail, you'll enjoy this hilarious book as you walk along with Bill and see what he encounters on his hike. It'll put some fun in your reading.
But for those of you who are more serious about your traveling, there's Bill Moyers' "Listening to America," a panoramic documentary that is the result of what he saw and learned in a 13,000-mile swing across the country he took. The book is a vivid chorus of the voices he heard while traveling and the places he became aware of as "A Traveler Rediscovers His Country."
I'll have to write about poetry next time, I guess. Today the travel bug bit me.
Be sure you check out the new April displays. There's something for everyone.

Thank You, Dear Reader

I have to tell you I got a real thrill this morning.
Our webmaster received an email today from a man who had read one of the Bookworm's blogs way back in September 2008. The blog was about Bibles as family treasures, and specifically mentioned a large family Bible our Odom Genealogical Library had received. Names written in the Bible on record pages were people from the Moultrie area.
I remembered writing about Bibles being treasure-keepers of family history. With this particular Bible I wondered if it had been the dearest possession someone took with them to a nursing home. Or if it had been on someone's buffet in the dining room. Who was the last person to touch it? Where was the family it should have gone to? I had so many questions.
I listed the names I found recorded in that Bible, hoping someone out there would recognize the names. And he did. So, he wrote asking about the Bible.
For me, it wasn't so much the name he asked about as it was the date of the blog he read. He was researching his family name, put it in Google, and up came that blog date and the name, which was a tag or label. That blog was written over a year ago!
I have to say, I was so pleased I listed those names and he found one he was looking for.
And I have to say, I'm so glad people are reading the blog. Thank you, dear reader. Makes this job even more fun!

Enjoy The Small Pleasures

Yesterday on Yahoo! I spied an interesting topic called "101 Small Pleasures You Can Enjoy Every Day." So I took a peek. Sure enough there were 101 small pleasures that people thought were worth more than money could buy, small pleasures said to relate to happy people.
I looked to see how many I thought could be related to our library and was surprised when I found more than I could list right here. But here are a few:
The perfect cup of coffee - Now, I have to admit our Johnnie makes a pretty good cup of coffee. And occasionally some of us bring flavored coffee to brew. Monique calls that kind her aromatherapy. Yep, that's a good one!
A genuine compliment (giving or receiving) - Since January 1st we've been following the guidelines of Random Acts of Kindness, so many of us have been on the giving or receiving end of compliments. They just seem to make a good day even better. We also pass along compliments to our patrons.
Laughing - We try to keep things fairly quiet around here where people are working and studying. But occasionally we do a fair amount of laughing when our funny bones get bumped. That kind of laughter keeps us cheerful. And you don't want to see grumpy library help. Do you?
Helping someone in need - Again, our list of Random Acts of Kindness shows we have some very kind employees working here. One occasionally buys breakfast for a needy patron. That makes her a really special employee.
Funny things that kids day - The best person in our library to tell you stories of funny things that kids say is Miss Norma, our Children's Librarian. She hears them all!
A novel you can get lost in; happy endings, even if they're fictional; great stories; reading to your child a bedtime story - All of these were mentioned. I thought people might be talking about the paper kind of books. Then again, you could find the first three online. But I think I'd rather read to my child with a wonderful, large, colorful, paper book sitting between us that we could touch.
Old friends, new friends - The first people I thought of are our Friends of MCCLS. Many of them are old friends that got together and formed the Friends organization. That made them new friends for the library. They're just what we need!
Old photographs - Some of the people who visit the Odom Genealogical Library are absolutely amazed when they find old family photos online through Ancestry.com or one of the other family search-finders. Some even cry when they see the pictures.
Inspiring blogs - I'd like to think that this blog is inspiring occasionally to those who read it. Mostly, we try to keep you informed of exciting news about our library. But we hope we've been inspiring once in a while.
So, did you find any of your small pleasures here? If not, you could take a few minutes and come up with your own list. See how many small pleasures you could turn into a happy habit. We hope you'll put visiting our library on your list.
You're on ours!

We Have New Additions In Genealogy

This morning's visit to our genealogist, Irene, really paid off. She's been working her fingers to the bone registering, logging, labeling, and reading all the new materials and books that have recently come to the Odom Genealogical Library.
Especially noteworthy is the new microfilm on the Worth County, Georgia newspapers. There are twelve boxes of microfilm dated October 1895 to May 1931. The newspapers are the Worth County Local, which was later changed to the Sylvester Local. And they're ready for you to look at and enjoy.
Not only the newspapers, but specially ordered books have arrived. See if any of these received in March might encourage you to visit the Odom Library:
***11th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry
***15th South Carolina Infantry
***3rd South Carolina Infantry Battalion
***Order of First Families of North Carolina Registry of Ancestors Vol. 2
***Colonial Families of Surry and Isle of Wright County, Virginia, Vol. 9
***Abstracts of Pasquotank County, North Carolina Deeds 1750-1770
***Wayne County, Tennessee, History & Families, Vol. I & II
***Family Maps of Henry, Barbour, Dale, Coffee, Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson County, Alabama; Family Maps of Citrus, Holmes, Jackson, Santa Rosa, Suwanee, Washington County, Florida.
What with all the reunions coming up pretty soon, now would be a good time to visit the Odom Library and make sure your genealogy papers are in order. You know how it is with reunions. People are always asking questions about relatives and you need to be prepared.
If you have any questions about the new materials, just call 229-985-6540 and ask for Irene. Or you can visit our website and contact the webmaster. You'll see the link on the home page.

There's Lots Of Work To Be Done

This is one of those days when I didn't want to come in to work this morning. Not that I don't have anything to do. But the sun was on its way to shining, and I just knew when I came out at lunch time, it was going to be warm and spring-timey.
And sure enough, it was.
I should have stayed home, I thought. I could be reading, right now, on my front porch with my Alexander McCall Smith book about The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency. I could be sipping my iced tea and reading in the warm sunshine, the kind that after a while makes you want to take a lazy nap.
But I'm here at work.
Really, that's a good thing, because I'm compiling the contact list for our authors' event that will be held in May. This will be our third annual authors' event. This year it will be called "Books & Bites," and we're planning to invite around 80 authors.
Now, that doesn't mean they are all going to show up, but we're going to invite them. They cover just about every genre that you'd want: Christian fiction, memoir, poetry, local history, children, Bible studies, fiction, and political. The writings are about revenge, serving our country, what Moultrie was like long ago, falling in love, local killings, baseball, rivers and railroads and plantations. The authors come from Moultrie, Tifton, Albany, Valdosta, Thomasville, Bainbridge, Tallahassee, and all points in between.
So, there's lots of work to be done, and we're getting close to sending out our invitations.
May is just around the corner, and we're getting excited about seeing new faces and old faces...well, maybe not old, but faces we saw last year anyhow. We'll keep you posted so you can begin getting excited about our upcoming event.
It's bound to be as spectacular as last year's...maybe even more so.

We're Big Readers Around Here

I just heard last night on the news that more girl students are interested in math now, and they've caught up with the boys in their achievement.
But when it comes to reading...well, the boys are far below the girls in achievement. The news said the boys want to read only what they're interested in, whereas the girls read most everything.
I thought I'd check that out here at the library and ask the staff what they're reading. Granted, they're all females, but just look at the wide range of authors they read.
***Johnnie reads books by Christian fiction writer Charles Martin (he's a nice looking fella) and thrillers by Steve Martini.
***Monique likes books by Nicholas Sparks, who now has several of his books made into movies, the latest one with Mylie Cyrus.
***Cray reads books by Christian fiction authors like Karen Kingsbury and Tracy Peterson, comtemporary historical author Robin Hatcher, and the famous Danielle Steele and Fern Michaels.
***Norma loves children's books by Mo Willems and Margie Palatini, science fiction by Michael Crichton, and Southern fiction by Fannie Flagg.
***Elois is big on books by media personality Glenn Beck, investor Warren Buffett, and inspirational author Joyce Meyer.
***Ann loves Augusta Trobaugh (a Georgia author with humor), James Patterson, Eugenia Price, and John Grisham.
***Melody reads Nevada Barr, Gail Fraser (we love the Lumby series), and Spencer Quinn (who is writing mysteries from a dog's point of view).
***Michelle is reading inspirational books by Charles Stanley, Khalil Gibran, and Rick Warren.
And me...well, my favorite authors are Augusta Trobaugh, Alexander McCall Smith, Gail Fraser, Fannie Flagg, and all the Southern authors I can find. Plus most anyone that writes a little cozy mystery!
I think my next survey will be when I sit at the local coffee shop. I think I'm going to ask every fellow I see who their favorite authors are. Wonder what kind of response I'll get. Interesting, huh? I'll let you know.

It's Time For The World To Wear Green

Didn't you just know I'd write about green today? I mean, every blog on the Internet will talk about St. Patrick's Day and leprechauns and green.
All I'm going to say about it is the Irish have celebrated this religious holiday for over a thousand years. They love their traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. This day, the day of "the wearing of the green," is a lot like Cinco de Mayo, Columbus Day, Mardi Gras, and Easter. It's a day of many personal celebrations.
The best thing I've seen so far...all of us who work here at the library are wearing something green, like t-shirts, beads, pins, earrings. I had fun distributing packs of gum in green wrappers with a little sign taped to it that said, "Have a luck of the Irish day!" And of course, when you walk through the entire library, you'll see all the green displays.
When I opened my window blinds at home this morning, I saw the grass outside my house had even turned green. Now do you think that was all because of St. Patricks' Day?
This Saturday is supposed to be the first day of Spring (and I use a capital for that word because Spring is very important to me). Many of us have been waiting patiently for Spring to arrive and I must say the trees and flowers, and now the grass, say it's coming. It's very close. It's almost here.
Today, St. Patrick's Day, is just another way of encouraging the greening of the Earth. That color has to be the favorite color of the entire world.
Come visit us today and look for the green we have here in the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library.
And by the way, be sure to wear your green today.

Nancy Jenkins Is On CNS Cablevision

If you have CNS cablevision, which is my channel 6, you'll be able to see Nancy Jenkins.
Who is Nancy Jenkins? you ask.
Well, Nancy Jenkins is the president of the MCCLS Friends organization and she's being interviewed by Amy Johnson, who is the Moultrie Main Street Director.
It was great to see some publicity about our Friends volunteers, and Nancy did a great job of telling about
them.
They're a fast growing organization consisting entirely of volunteer advocates, who believe passionately in the need for a strong library system to benefit the community. They focus on the library's services and needs; volunteer assistance with programs, special events, or in-library services; promote the use of library resources and programs throughout the community; and raise funds for special projects, equipment, and materials in excess of the general library budget.
As a MCCLS Friend, membership includes an ID card, discounts on library specialty items, early admission to special events, invitations to library receptions, limited fine-forgiveness, advance notice of special additions to library materials, and a cheerful Friends sign to put in your
yard.
The annual membership dues are $5 for children/students, $15 for adults, $10 for seniors/military, and $25 for family. Of course, special categories include contributors for $100, sponsors for $250, and benefactors for $500.
There are lots of volunteer opportunities such as: book detailer, reviewer, and shelver; computer assistant, display designer, front desk/reference area monitor on Tuesday evenings and Saturdays during lunch; as well as being a green thumb for the plants, a homebound book deliverer, and a homework assistant. Plus there are a few more jobs the library needs help with.
If you're interested in being a Friend of the library and have questions, you can call the library at 229-985-6540 or email friends@mccls.org. Or ask one of the officers: Nancy Jenkins at 985-1438, vice president Mary Ann Stone at 985-9453, secretary Ginger Horkan at 985-7064, or treasurer Carol Spence at 891-0651.
You'll enjoy working in a friendly environment, meeting new and interesting people, gaining a sense of satisfaction from helping others, and (my favorite) keeping up with the latest books.
So, be sure to look for Nancy Jenkins on television. She's our star performer.

Here It Comes Again...DST

Do you grumble and gripe about DST as much as I do? What is DST? That time of the year when moving my time around confuses not only me but my cats.
Daylight Savings Time. Yep, it's here again. This
Sunday.
Starting in 2007, daylight time began in the United States on the second Sunday in March and ended on the first Sunday in November. This is when the new law went into effect.
On the second Sunday in March, clocks are set ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. local standard time, which becomes 3:00 a.m. local daylight time.
On the first Sunday in November, clocks are set back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local daylight time, which becomes 1:00 a.m. local standard time.
These dates were established by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. no. 109-58, 119 Stat 594 (2005).
Not all places in the U.S. observe daylight time. In particular, Hawaii and most of Arizona do not use it. Indiana adopted its use beginning in 2006.
Many other countries observe some form of "summer time," but they do not necessarily change their clocks on the same dates as the U.S.
If you read the history of Daylight Time in the U.S., you'll see just how many times it's been changed back and forth over the years. Maybe with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 things will stay the same forever. Maybe not. Only time (ha!) will tell.
Our open time here at the public library is as follows:
Monday - Saturday we open at 8:30 a.m. On all of those days we close at 5:30 p.m., except for Tuesday when we close at 8 p.m. Sunday we're closed all day.
The Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library is open Monday - Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Be sure you change the clocks at your house, and include your wrist watch and any other item you have that shows the time.
If you're like me with favorite pets, they won't pay a bit of attention to DST. To them eating time is always the same time, year in, year out.
(Source: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/)

There's More Than One Way to Garden

My girlfriend got me to thinking about gardening the other day. Now, I'm not a gardner, but she is. And she was complaining because her apartment is in the shade, under a live oak tree, and her flowers don't want to bloom.
When I had flowers on my front porch, I complained too, but I complained because I had too much sun and everything burned up. Hence, I am not a gardner!
While thinking about her problem, I decided to look at the gardening books we have here at the library. Surely, I thought, something is here to help her. Boy, did I find some good books!
*** Successful Gardening in the Shade by Helen Van Pelt Wilson (635.95) has practical advice on having a continuous display of colorful flowers and attractive lawns for shady places.
*** Easy Plants for Difficult Places in apartments, homes and offices by Jack Kramer (635.965K). That's me and my really hot front porch!
*** The Complete Book of Patio Gardening by Jack Kramer (635.967K) is an authoritative guide that answers all your questions about designing, building, and planning your patio.
*** Plant Fun by Anita Holmes Soucie (635.9S) tells about 10 easy plants to grow indoors.
*** Rose Growing Simplified by John Melton (635.933) is a step-by-step guide to buying, planting, transplanting, pruning and caring for roses. And my friend has a ton of "Knock-out Roses" in her yard.
*** The Container Expert by Dr. D. G. Hessayon (635.98A) will show you how to plant in just about any kind of container.
But I have to admit I did find MY perfect book for gardening. It's called Gardening Without Work by Ruth Stout (I even like her name) (635.9S). It's a book For the Aging, the Busy, and the Indolent: no plowing, no hoeing, no cultivating, no weeding, no watering, no spraying. How can you beat that?
So, if you're like my girlfriend with a shade problem or me with a sun problem and you'd really like to garden, here are books to help.
There's more than one way to garden.

It's Done! The Igloo Is Finished!

Here we are looking for Springtime and our Library Igloo is finished. There's nothing that says you have to have cold weather to have an igloo.
The good thing about this igloo is that when the warm sunshine makes flowers bloom and the weeping willow green up, our igloo will still be standing in the Children's
Library.
Last week Holly from Bookmobile helped Norma, the Children's Librarian, take the whole thing apart. Remember from the last blog about it, I said it was leaning in toward its middle? And it was being taped with tons of duct tape. Well, Holly and Norma tore the whole thing down. Then over the weekend, Norma's son, Reed, helped her hot-gun glue it back together. And you know what? It's standing just perfect...just like a real igloo should stand.
There's still one thing to do, however. Norma wants to build the tunnel-entrance. She still has plenty of milk jugs to do that with, too.
But for now, it's such a pleasure to see the little children walk up to it, peek inside, and then grin like crazy when they walk in and sit down. The first thing they do is stare up at the three clear milk jugs in the very top of the ceiling. It's like a sky-light. Norma thought maybe she should put a flag outside on the top. Monique even suggested it should have a colorful light shining out the clear top. But that would be a different plan for a different day.
Anyhow, the next time you're in the library, please stop by and look at our "permanent" igloo in the Children's Library.
And thanks to all of you who donated to this project, for without you the igloo could not have been built.
By the way, Norma said she really doesn't need any more milk bottles, but thanks much.

Let's Go Look For Spring!

Thanks to the overwhelming support it has received since its introduction in 2008, the "Get Outdoors Georgia" campaign's ParkPass program has been renewed for a third year. (Well, as far as we know, it hasn't been cut from any budget!)
A joint initiative of the Georgia Public Library Service and the Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the program will enable Georgia's public libraries to continue making it easy for patrons to enjoy the great outdoors in 2010. (So, you'll have a good excuse to go look for Spring!)
With a valid library card (amazing how many things you can do with this little card!) from a participating library system (and that means ours, PINES), patrons can borrow Georgia State ParkPasses and Historic Site passes from their local libraries.
Here are some of the places you can visit:
* Military - Jefferson Davis Memorial (Fitzgerald), Fort King George (Darien), and Fort Morris (Midway).
* Plantations - Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation (Brunswick) and Jarrell Plantation (Juliette).
* Unique Homes - Roosevelt's Little White House (Warm Springs), Robert Toombs House (Washington), and Wormsloe (Savannah).
* Parks - Crooked River (St. Marys), F. D. Roosevelt (Pine Mountain), General Coffee (Nicholls), Kolomoki Mounds (Blakely), and Reed Bingham (Adel).
The passes are good for free parking or admission at more than 60 attractions across the state.
Ask at the Circulation Desk for a ParkPass folder. It can be checked out with your library card.
Get out and go look for Spring!
(Source: Georgia Public Library Service News, February 2010)

The Power Of Art Will Make You Think

We have two new displays up this month, thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities. The displays are pictures from the "Picturing America" series. The series brings some of our nation's most significant images into classrooms and libraries nationwide. It offers a way to understand the history of America - its diverse people and places, its travails and triumphs - through some of our greatest artistic masterpieces.
In the long, white hallway between the public library and the genealogical library, we've placed the picture "Quilts: 19th through 20th Centuries." Since March is National Craft Month, the picture of these quilts is very appropriate.
There are several quilts shown with patterns such as the Bars Pattern, Split Bars Pattern, Grandmother's Fan Quilt, Crazy Quilt, Diamond in the Square, and the Lone Star Pattern.
And to intrigue you, we've added some questions to make you think about the wonderful craft of quilting. The historical connections are slavery, Reconstruction, women's oral history, and the Industrial Revolution.
The picture placed in the Odom Genealogical Library is one selected by our genealogist, Irene. The painting is "The Oxbow" (1936) by Thomas Cole. It represents a view from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a thunderstorm.
Our questions to intrigue you include a search for several items in the painting, including an umbrella and Thomas Cole sketching while wearing a top hat.
This painting represents the 1830s when America's wilderness was being settled. It shows a vast area of forest, river and lowlands, as well as a gently sloping mountain in the background. The historical connections are Puritans and the idea of a city on a hill.
You'll be seeing more pictures from this interesting series, as we change the paintings to bring you a greater sense of the power of art to stimulate intellectual awakenings.
All thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities.

We're Going Green Anyway!

You're going to get tired of me talking about "Spring." It seems like it's never going to come. I really look forward to things greening up all around me, but lately, even here in South Georgia, we're still doing a winter-thing.
So, we're doing green here in our library.
Our displays in February were all red. But when you come into the library during March, you're going to see all green. Yep, that's right.
You can't imagine what kind of green things we have in the lighted display cases as you come up the steps to the main foyer. We have beads and frogs, cut glassware and books, sea glass and a bunch of tiny green cars (like those my youngest son used to carry around in his little straw hat when he was about three years old).
The foyer table has a multitude of green-covered books. Our sign warns you: "Look for Our Green," and we have lots of it showing.
The bookcase next to the circulation counter is all about "Reading for Your Spring Pleasure," a nice mixture of green-covered books, which include not only hot fiction but mysteries.
Of course, I keep trying to invite Spring to visit us. One way to help you feel like it's really coming is to give you a table full of gardening books. Look for the books not only about growing things in your yard, but also in containers. These books are located on the table as you enter the
reading area.
And the table we save to show children's books...well, we've filled that with all kinds of books with green covers also. Even "Kids Love Green," says our sign on the wall at the table.
We'll keep changing these green books for you to keep your interest up.
So, if the outdoors isn't green enough for those of you just waiting patiently for Spring, come indoors. Come visit the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library and "Look for Our Green."