News from Knowhere - 7-26-2007

Vacation Reading is over, and summer vacation is fast following. If you have a teen heading into 9^th, 10^th, 11^th or 12^th grade AP English who hasn’t done their reading yet, get them into the library today! We have most of the books on the Honors AP reading list available for checkout right now, but school starts this Monday and your student will need to have them read by then!

Do you have a teenager who’s going to be getting their driver’s license soon? Worried about how you’re going to manage to pay for the driver’s ed classes required by Joshua’s Law? Good news – the library just received a grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety that will provide our libraries with two computers each just for driver’s ed students to take classes on!

News from Screven

Everyone who came to the Harry Potter party would like to thank the Friends of the Library for funding the food and the Sylvania Junior Woman’s Club for providing the copy of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS which was given away at the end of the party to Meagan Kimbrough!

Speaking of changing schedules, storytime will be changing days starting this Tuesday, July 31. We have been having storytimes at 10 on Wednesdays during the summer, but we are now going back to our usual schedule of every Tuesday at 10 am. It’s a wonderful way to help your child learn to love reading!

Make sure to come see Jessica Mock’s wonderful origami in the lobby! It’s a delicate, precise art to turn paper into boxes, penguins and peacocks, but the results are stunning.

Did you participate in the African Mask Making workshop this summer? Make sure to come pick up your mask from the multipurpose room – they’re all so gorgeous, we’d hate for them to get damaged or lost!

News from Jenkins

Thanks to the Friends of the Jenkins County Memorial Library for providing the food for Saturday's Harry Potter party, and congratulations to Paul Herrington, who won a copy of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS!

Don’t forget to bring your kids in for our great storytime Wednesday! It’s at 11 am and it’s a great way to encourage your kids to love reading, plus they get to do a cool craft project as well.

Make sure to come see Donna Johnson’s wonderful pencil drawings. She’s got everything from celebrities to superheroes to sheds, and there’s an amazing amount of it.

Now, on to the books - and remember, just a couple of clicks are all it takes to request these!

SHOE ADDICTS ANONYMOUS by Beth Harbison. It started with an ad in the paper: “Shoe Addicts Anonymous – Are you like me? Love shoes but can’t keep buying them? If you wear a size 7 ½ medium and are interested in swapping your Manalos for Maglis, etc., Tuseday nights in the Bethesda area, e-mail Shoegirl2205@aol.com or call 301-555-5801. Maybe we can help each other.” Now, four very different women have been brought together by a common shoe size.

KNOTS AND CROSSES by Ian Rankin. Detective John Rebus was a member of the SAS, but that was a lifetime ago. Now, he just wants to leave the past behind – but when a series of murders brings old memories to mind, he just might be the only one with all the pieces of the puzzle.

HIDE by Lisa Gardner. It was the case that haunted Bobby Dodge and changed him forever. And now, the discovery of six bodies may mean that the killer he thought dead is still alive and killing. The only clue is a necklace around the neck of a dead woman – a necklace bearing the name of a woman whose childhood was spent running and hiding from a danger whose name she never knew.

THE SHAPE SHIFTER by Tony Hillerman. Lt. Joe Leaphorn comes out of retirement as his last, unsolved investigation goes from cold case to smoking gun – and he’s got to solve it without his old partners Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito.

SURRENDER by Sonya Hartnett. Gabriel is only 20, and he’s dying. He’s only made two friends in his life: his dog Surrender, and the wild boy Finnigan. But as time passes, Finnigan only gets more dangerous…

Links to the following sites and a whole lot more can also be found at www.sjrls.org

Cute Overload
If you just need the sight of cute critters to put a smile on your face, you’ll want to bookmark this one. From bunnies to bulldogs, chameleons to baby lions, if it can be described as a cute animal, it will wind up here eventually.

The Ruminant: A Daily Update on the Debates Shaping the 2007 Farm BillThis blog provides news and analysis about "the farm and food policy debates shaping the 2007 Farm Bill." Topics include environmental and conservation issues, subsidies and small farmers, and the actions of freshman legislators. From Environmental Defense.

Moore's "Sicko" Lands Blows on U.S. Health Care
This June 2007 article reviews Michael Moore's movie "Sicko," which is "an indictment of the U.S. health care system, highlighting insurance horror stories and profiling countries with universal health care." Also features an interview with Moore and links to sites with data about health care in the U.S. and abroad. From National Public Radio (NPR).

Lady Bird Johnson Final Tribute
Website created to celebrate the life and legacy of former First Lady Claudia Alta (Lady Bird) Taylor Johnson, who died in July 2007. Features a biography that includes a discussion of how "she inspired the passage of the Beautification Act of 1965 ... which cemented environmentalism as a top priority in the United States," link to an image gallery, and quotes by and about her. From the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Live Earth
Companion website to a series of international concerts in July 2007 that "mark[ed] the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection. ... to take action to solve global warming. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance and Partner of Live Earth." The site features tips and news about combating global warming.

Well, that’s it for now – see you at the library!

News from Knowhere - 07/20/07

Hi, all - would you like to win one of these?










Then join us for our Harry Potter Party! We've got one at each of the libraries, and they're both a little different, so make sure to check and see what the schedule and events are for your library. But both libraries will be giving away one free copy of the newest and last Potter book Saturday!

Did you come to the wrap-up event for the end of Vacation Reading? Illustrator Michael White shared his techniques and a lot of funny silly stories with us - and he left some pictures behind as gifts to the library too! These are just a few (the pizza python is the funniest!):

Click on the thumbnails to see a bigger picture!

The Screven-Jenkins Regional Library Board will be meeting at 4 pm on Thursday, July 26 at the Jenkins County Library.

News from Screven

Vacation Reading is over for another year, and we’ve got a bunch of very happy kids in Screven County! This year’s big winners are: Nicholas Garvin, Samantha Singleton, Evamarie Sack, Tramaine Melvin, Stephen Thompson, Morgan Peel, Rachel Roberts, Jordan Adams, Tyler Collins, Analisa Harter, Quadez Mobley, Sheldon Finch and Rodneshia Rhodes. Congratulations to all of you! If your name isn’t on this list, though, don’t think you’ve lost out – you still get a cool canvas tote bag with some very special prizes inside!

Now, just because summer reading is over, doesn’t mean that the fun is over for the year. In fact, we’re having a party this Friday and Saturday to celebrate the release of the newest and last book in the Harry Potter series! We’ll start off Friday at 3:30 with the first movie, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, then continue the movie marathon Saturday from opening at 10 am until the last movie is through. And that’s not all – we’ll also have games, refreshments and our grand prize: a copy of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS for one lucky Potter fan!

Storytime will be on Wednesdays at 10 am for the rest of the month, and will go back to being on Tuesdays at 10 am starting on July 31. If you’ve got a preschooler, bring them in to enjoy a story and a craft to help their brains grow!

If you have an infant or toddler who’s a little too young for storytime, give Miss Gina a call at 564-7526 for information about Twinkle Time, our magical lapsitting program. Mothers and babies enjoy a chance to do fingerplays, sing nursery rhymes and grow together.

Our Thursday Craft Times will continue to be every Thursday at 2 pm until the end of July, so come in this afternoon for a great craft project for all ages. It’s a wonderful way to stretch your creative muscles, so give your mind a workout of the fun kind!

News from Jenkins

This year’s big Vacation Reading winners for Jenkins County are: Chelsea Jones, Trilan Dudley, Arianna Hernandez, Corbin Crockett, Taylor Hearn, Haley Godbee, Jeremiah Wilson, Kamden Lane, Kade Johnson, Audrey Roberson, Landon Archer, Larry Young, Donico Allen, David Wade and Blake Johnson. Congratulations to all of you! Don’t feel bad if your name’s not on the list, though – you still get a cool canvas tote bag with some very special prizes inside!

Now, just because summer reading is over, doesn’t mean that the fun is over for the year. In fact, we’re having a party this Friday and Saturday to celebrate the release of the newest and last book in the Harry Potter series! We’ll start off with the first movie, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, then continue the movie marathon all day Saturday. And that’s not all – we’ll also have games, refreshments and our grand prize: a copy of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS for one lucky Potter fan!

Storytime is on Wednesdays at 4 pm. If you’ve got a preschooler, bring them in to enjoy a story and a craft to help their brains grow!

Now, on to the books!

THE BOURNE BETRAYAL by Eric Van Lustbader. Robert Ludlum invented the character, but Lustbader takes up the torch as Bourne learns that his last friend in the world, Martin Lindros, has gone missing in Ethiopia. Now, he’s off to rescue his friend by dismantling the organization which has taken him… which is exactly what they want him to do.

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN, INTO THE CHOIR by Sharon Kahn. Bad enough that Temple Rita’s latke sales aren’t going to be enough to raise money for the choir’s special train trip vacation, now one of the congregation has decided to spend more money the temple doesn’t have on a party planner to organize a Chanukah concert! And as if that weren’t enough, now the choir’s star soprano just dropped dead. What else can go wrong?

BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET by Debbie Macomber. A young widow who quit her job to escape an affair with her then-boss, a woman on the verge of calling off her wedding to her beloved because of her future mother-in-law’s wedding hysteria, and a yarn-shop owner whose life has been thrown into chaos by her niece’s carjacking. What do they have in common? A class in which more than sweaters are being knit together.

PLATO AND A PLATYPUS WALK INTO A BAR… UNDERSTANDING PHILOSOPHY THROUGH JOKES by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein. Everyone thinks of philosophy as being dry and esoteric, but there’s some basic (and funny) principles that underlie all the long rambles.

THE DIANA CHRONICLES by Tina Brown. Told by an investigative journalist who knew Diana personally, this book looks past the glossy surface of “the people’s princess” and acquaints us with a formidable female cast who shaped Diana’s life.

Links to the following sites (and a whole lot more!) can also be found at www.sjrls.org, our library home on the web

Wooster Collective
This website is "dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world." It covers graffiti, stencils, billboard liberation, environmental art, wheatpastes, stickers, murals, and other street art found around the world. Include a blog, podcasts, and related links.

Backgrounder: Healthcare Costs and U.S. Competitiveness
Backgrounder about health care costs in the U.S., where "factoring in costs borne by government, the private sector, and individuals, the United States spends over $1.9 trillion annually on healthcare expenses, more than any other industrialized country." Includes links to related websites and other material about economics and health. From the Council on Foreign Relations.

NJ Wiffleball Association (NJWA)
Website for a New Jersey group that "has helped dozens of Wiffleball Leagues and Associations around the Country get started in the World of competitive Wiffleball." Wiffleball is a baseball-like game played with a perforated plastic ball. The site features rules, pitching tips, a dictionary of terms and jargon, and field photos. Also includes links to related sites.

Speed Reading: The Best Car Books of Summer '07
Selection of summer reading selections with automotive themes, such as Los Angeles car culture, the 75th anniversary of the 1932 Ford (2007), 1930s Bugatti racers William Grover and Robert Benoist (who served in the French resistance during WWII), muscle cars, and home garage design. From Edmunds Inside Line, an automotive enthusiast website from the producers of Edmunds car buying guides.

Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance
This educational foundation is "dedicated to evoking the healing power of forgiveness worldwide." It sponsors International Forgiveness Day, celebrated on the first Sunday of August. The site includes material about Forgiveness Day observances back to 1999, tips for creating your own observance, brief profiles of people who have forgiven (such as a young girl who was paralyzed from the waist down from a gunshot), steps to forgiveness, and related material.

Well, that’s it for now – see you at the library!

News from Knowhere - 7/12/2007

Wow, is it almost the end of Vacation Reading already? It seems like it started just a week or two ago, but the big wrap-up is this Saturday! Illustrator Michael White will be bringing his quirky art and enlightening views on making one’s living with your creativity to our library! Mr. White was the artist who made “Harriet’s Horrible Hair Day” terrible and breathed life into “The Library Dragon”. He'll be sharing the fun of art at 10 am in Millen and at 2 pm in Sylvania.

The Jenkins County Memorial Library Board will be meeting at 4 pm on Wednesday, July 18 at the Jenkins County Memorial Library. The Screven-Jenkins Regional Library Board will be meeting at 4 pm on Thursday, July 26 at the Jenkins County Memorial Library.

News from Screven

The end of Vacation Reading doesn’t mean the end of our great summer crafts – for the rest of the month (including this afternoon) we will be making a cool craft project every Thursday afternoon at 2 pm. It’s a wonderful way to exercise your creativity and enjoy making something uniquely yours, so come in and join us at 2 pm.

Keep Screven Beautiful will be having another fun eco-craft and story day on Monday, July 16 at 2 pm. It’s a wonderful way to save the planet and be creative at the same time!

Storytime will continue to be Wednesdays at 10 am for the rest of July, and will change back to Tuesdays at 10 am in August. It’s the perfect chance for the little ones to learn to love reading and to enjoy making some wonderful art to take home and post on the fridge – and the perfect time for you to catch up on your email or read the paper while they’re busy!

Is anyone else out there excited about the release of the last Harry Potter book? We are – and we want to share the fun with you! If you love the series, come join us for our Harry Potter party. We’ll start Friday, July 20 at 3:30 pm with the movie HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCEROR’S STONE and continue with an all-day marathon on Saturday, July 21 showing the other three movies, plus games, refreshments and we’ll even give away one of the BRAND NEW Harry Potter books, fresh from the store, courtesy of the Friends of the Library and the Sylvania Junior Woman’s Club!

You won’t believe what we have in the display cases in the lobby! It’s some of the coolest Origami that you’ve ever seen, and it’s all made by Screven County’s own Jessica Mock! Come in and see the boxes, animals and especially the peacock made with 400 pieces of intricately folded paper.

News from Jenkins

Don’t forget Storytime on Wednesdays at 4 pm! It’s the perfect chance for the little ones to learn to love reading and to enjoy making some wonderful art to take home and post on the fridge – and the perfect time for you to catch up on your email or read the paper while they’re busy!

Is anyone else out there excited about the release of the last Harry Potter book? We are – and we want to share the fun with you! Come join us for our Harry Potter party. We’ll be having an all-day marathon on Saturday, July 21 showing the movies, plus games, refreshments and a drawing for one of the BRAND NEW Harry Potter books!

Come see Donna Johnson’s great pencil drawings – they’re really gorgeous!

Now, on to the books - and remember, you can reserve any of them with just a couple of clicks and your library card!

INNOCENT IN DEATH by Nora Roberts (writing as J. D. Robb). When the deadly ricin toxin is found in the lovingly-prepared lunch of a history teacher at a private school, Lt. Eve Dallas is called in to investigate the murder. But while his wife may be the prime suspect, his fellow teachers at the school are not above suspicion.

IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING by Catherine Palmer & Gary Chapman. It’s springtime all around – but not in the home of Steve and Brenda Hansen, whose relationship has become decidedly chilly, as everyone at the Just As I Am beauty shop knows. But when an unsavory business tries to move in next to the beauty shop, can Brenda be pulled out of her marital rut in time for her to save the shop?

SLEEPING WITH STRANGERS by Eric Jerome Dickey. Gideon is a professional hit man with a specialty: taking revenge for the brokenhearted. If he can earn a million dollars, the woman he lusts after will run away with him. But when he meets two mysterious women, he just might find out what real love is all about.

PAPERCRAFTS & PAPER FUN edited by Kate Lively. Over 300 projects with papier-mache, paper-cutting, papermaking, quilling, decoupage, and more show you how to make amazing gift cards, stationary, toys, origami and more. More than 2400 step-by-step photos and diagrams show you how to make it work.

THE EXCEPTIONAL PRESENTER by Timothy J. Koegel. Got a presentation to make? Need to give a speech? Learn how to communicate with confidence to any audience anywhere.

Links to the following sites can also be found at www.sjrls.org, our library home on the web!

2007 World's Most Ethical Companies
This ranking arose from an evaluation of "more than 5,000 companies across 30 separate industries looking for true ethical leadership" in areas such as litigation and conflict resolution, corporate citizenship, pan-industry participation, and governance. Includes a description of methodology, a list of winning companies, and brief additional material about selected winners. From Ethisphere Magazine.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Index (CAM)
Collection of material about different types of CAM, such as acupuncture, biofeedback, herbal medicine, hypnotherapy, massage, and yoga. Includes discussions of conditions (by organ and symptoms), and drug, herb, and supplement interactions and uses. From the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).

Earth Observatory Natural Hazards: Fires
Images of recent wildfires and fires set intentionally and unintentionally by humans as observed by NASA satellites. For example, includes photos of the Angora fire in South Lake Tahoe, California, (June 2007) and the Bugaboo and Big Turnaround Complex fires in southern Georgia and northern Florida (April and May 2007). From the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Document of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People: "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road"
This June 2007 document features at paragraph 61 a "Drivers' 'Ten Commandments'" that is designed to promote courteous and safe behavior while on the road. Includes background about how the commandments were developed, such as on the moral aspects of driving and Christian virtues related to driving. Also includes material about "street women" (prostitutes), street children, and homeless people. Available in several languages. From the Vatican.

Well, that’s it for now – see you at the library!

News from Knowhere - 07-05-2007

Hope you all had a great Fourth of July! We enjoyed ourselves, but now we’re back and ready to keep that Vacation Reading Program ball rolling into the end zone.

Do you have a youngster who’s participating in the Vacation Reading Program? They’d better hurry – Vacation Reading officially ends on Saturday, July 14 at 11 am in Jenkins and 2 pm at Screven, with the visit of illustrator Michael White to the library! Michael White is the man who made Harriet’s Horrible Hair Day truly hair-raising, bearded The Library Dragon in its den, and created the cute illustrations for last year’s “Once Upon a Time” Vacation Reading theme. He’ll be talking about imagination, creativity, and being a professional artist.

News from Screven

We’ll start off this afternoon at 2 pm with our great crafts program. It’s fun for all ages as we create fun and fanciful craft items from the fertile imagination of Miss Belinda. Hurry and get signed up, or you might not get to be part of the fun!

This Saturday, July 7 we have two great programs! At 11:30, the talented dancers from Shades of Art will be strutting their stuff in the multipurpose room of the library. Not quite sure who they are? Well, just think back to Relay for Life, and the youngsters dancing along to “Thriller”!

What else is happening Saturday? Why, we’re having another of our hot teen programs! Silver Screen Superheroes will be leaping out of the funny pages and onto the big screen as we watch a movie and then create our very own heroes and villains. Join us for the fun at 2 pm, and remember – with great power comes great responsibility!

Wednesday we’ll be having our great preschool storytime at 10 am. It’s the perfect chance for your little one to listen to a story and do a simple craft while you relax and check your email or read the paper.

Did you ever think that a simple piece of folded paper could become a work of art? Then you haven't seen the origami created by Jessica Mock, on display in the lobby right now!

News from Jenkins

This Saturday, July 7, we’re having another of our hot teen programs! Anime action will be going into full swing here at the library with Asian snacks and cool anime straight from Japan.

Next Wednesday we’ll be having our great preschool storytime at 11 am. It’s the perfect chance for your little one to listen to a story and do a simple craft while you relax and check your email or read the paper.

Don’t forget that next Friday, July 13 we’ll be taking our Teen Lock N participants on a trip to the Old West as they take part in the Murder at the Deadwood Saloon!

Ms Donna Johnson will be showing her wonderful pencil and colored pencil drawings at the library all through July. Make sure to come and see them!

Now, on to the books - and remember, just a click or two and your library card number is enough to reserve any of these great books!

BLAZE by Richard Bachman. Before Stephen King wrote CARRIE, he went by another name: Richard Bachman. Here, he writes of Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., a young man who was abused as a child and grew up to become a criminal, one who was willing to even threaten a baby if it got him what he wanted.

DOUBLE AGENTS by W. E. B. Griffin & William E. Butterworth IV. The MEN AT WAR series is back, and OSS officer Dick Canidy and his men have a tough job: convincing Hitler that the invasion of Europe will take place anywhere but on the shores of France.

MAMA MADE THE DIFFERENCE: LIFE LESSONS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME by T. D. Jakes. Next to God’s love, a mother’s love for her child is perhaps the strongest, most beautiful love on Earth. So says Jakes, and he shares his own stories of his mother as he gives advice and ideas to the women who are raising the next generation.

THE ABS DIET GET FIT, STAY FIT PLAN by David Zinczenko. The editor of Men’s Health is here to help you figure out what foods help you burn fat, which exercises reshape your body, and how to build firm, flat abs.

A SOUND LIKE THUNDER by Sonny Brewer. Rove MacNee is almost eighty when he decides to write his life story. From his sometimes-foggy memories emerges a tale of fathers and sons, family and betrayal, set against the eternal sea.

THE LIBRARY OF PIANO CLASSICS. Bach and Liszt, Mozart and Handel are all found in the scores contained in this collection of piano music. Musicians, you’ll want to check this one out!

Links to the following websites can also be found at www.sjrls.org

The Rosa Parks Bus at the Henry Ford Museum
"On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old African American woman who worked as a seamstress, boarded ... [a] Montgomery City bus to go home from work. On this bus on that day, Rosa Parks initiated a new era in the American quest for freedom and equality." This site provides information about the restoration of this historic bus and images of the bus. Also includes a chronology, a bibliography, and links to additional information. From the Henry Ford Museum.

National Museum, New Delhi
This Indian museum "has in its possession over 200,000 works of exquisite art, both of Indian and Foreign origin covering more than 5,000 years of our cultural heritage." The site features images of items from the collection in areas such as arms and armor, jewelry, manuscripts, paintings, and sculpture. In English and Hindi.

Use Energy Wisely
Tips for making "your home more energy efficient, thereby reducing your heating and cooling bills, and conserving resources at the same time." Includes suggestions for furnaces and water heaters, insulation, and related items. Also includes tips for conserving fuel when driving and links to related sites. From the American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil and natural gas industry in the United States.

Sudoku Classic
Archive of sudoku puzzles, published six days a week, ranging from easy to difficult. Sudoku (a puzzle popular in Japan, and now gaining popularity in the U.K. and the U.S.) has one rule, "place the numbers from 1 to 9 in each row, in each column and each 3x3 box." From the Guardian Unlimited, the online companion to the British newspaper The Guardian.

Well, that’s it for now – see you at the library!