News from KNOWhere 2/29/08

Jump for joy, it's Leap Year Day! Want to know why we have leap years and leap days? Check out this cool site!

Teens, are you tuned in? Do you love anime, prefer listening to your books rather than reading them, and seek to master the art of Google-fu? Then come to the library for a celebration of Teen Tech Week, March 3 through 8. We have a MASSIVE release of brand new DVDs like Evangelion, Macross, and Chrono Crusade, our new Playaway MP3 audiobooks, and on Thursday, March 6 at 4 pm we will have a workshop on Google-fu: the art of tracking down the best web resources for all your information and entertainment needs!

Don’t forget, if you’re looking to get your driver’s license and you need to take classes to pass Joshua’s Law requirements, we can help you do that thanks to a grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety!

News from Screven

If you’re a writer or artist and you’d like to publish your own magazine or comic book, come join us for the Zine Scene, our great series of workshops that will teach you how to publish your very own works for everyone to read! The next workshop is at 4 pm on Thursday, March 13.



News from Jenkins

As if Teen Tech Week wasn’t cool enough, we have a whole lot of children’s books coming in over the next few weeks, courtesy of a grant from The Libri Foundation, a group dedicated to making sure that children in even the smallest and most rural of towns have access to quality children’s books at their local library. Come into the library and check out some of these great kids books!

If you’re a writer or artist and you’d like to publish your own magazine or comic book, come join us for the Zine Scene, our great series of workshops that will teach you how to publish your very own works for everyone to read! The next workshop is at 4 pm on Thursday, March 13.



Now, on to the books - and while you're here, why not put one on hold?

SIZZLE AND BURN by Jayne Ann Krentz. The Arcane Society returns – but Raine Tallentyre isn’t too happy to hear that. Not because she’s afraid of their powers, since she has her own, but because the Society betrayed her family long ago. There’s just one thing that’s keeping her from writing the Society off completely: handsome investigator Zack Jones, who wants to join forces with her to track down the criminal who left a young woman bound and gagged in the basement of Raine’s family home.

SUMMER by Karen Kingsbury. Second in the Sunrise Series, which focuses on the Baxter family, this book follows actor Dayne Matthew and his new bride Katy Hart. Dayne has discovered the best way to stay faithful and still continue his areer despite the occasional love scene: he’ll just make sure that his on-screen love interest is Katy!

UNDER THE LIBERTY OAK by Paige M. Cummings. In the summer of ’64, two little girls would sneak out of the church’s children’s choir. But on the eve of Hurricane Dora, only one of those girls came home. One day, though, only one of them made it home…

GALAPAGOS: A NATURAL HISTORY by John Kricher. The birthplace of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is still wild, untamed, and mostly uninhabited, with only a few allowed to visit its delicate ecology. Here you can learn about the islands’ ecology and its history from a man who is both an ecotour guide and a Darwin scholar.

OUT OF SYNC by Lance Bass. Lance Bass was only 16 when he got the call that would change his life forever. Soon, he’d be part of one of the best-selling bands in pop history, *NSYNC, and rising to the very top of the musical world before his band dissolved, leaving him flying solo. Here, he talks about his career, his adventures, his Christian faith, and the reasons that he chose to go public as a gay man.

HARDSCAPING: HOW TO USE STRUCTURES, PATHWAYS, PATIOS & ORNAMENTS IN YOUR GARDEN by Keith Davitt. One of the most gorgeous gardening and landscaping books to cross the library’s circulation desks in a while, this book is chock-full of explanations of how to best combine plantings with hardscaping elements to make the most of your outdoor space, whether it’s a tiny terrace or a grand garden.

Click to check out these cool links!

Election 2008: Vote by Issue Quiz
This quiz helps you "[l]earn about the [2008 presidential] candidates through their platforms, not their personalities. [It] features some of the issues that have gained traction this campaign season." Also includes an "Election Issues" section (top menu, once you enter the quiz) with candidates' statements about health care, immigration, energy, Iraq, abortion, and other issues. From WBUR and the Online NewsHour.

Friends of the High Line: Planting Design by Piet Oudolf
This website shows landscapes designed by Piet Oudolf. "Based in the Netherlands, Oudolf was one of the first planting designers to introduce large-scale perennial plantings into public landscapes" and is known for his "New Wave Planting." Features numerous images of Oudolf's house and nursery in the Netherlands, sources of inspiration, and examples of his work from around the world. From a New York project that is designed by Oudolf.

The Making of a Homemaker

Presentation about comprehensive domestic guidebooks from the 19th century. "These books were primarily aimed at the middle and upper class female, who saw keeping a healthy and happy home her role in life. Not only did they detail the day-to-day activities of a homemaker, but also prescribed the appropriate moral and religious outlooks." Explore book contents on topics such as care of the sick, decorating, etiquette, fashion, and raising children. From the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

Religion & Ethics Newsweekly: Transcendental Meditation
Video and transcript of a 2005 public television news story about how "Transcendental Meditation -- TM -- [which] was widely popular 40 years ago" is flourishing in Fairfield, Iowa, the location of the Maharishi University of Management. Includes a discussion of whether TM ("a technique for relaxation and awareness using certain sounds and ways of breathing, 20 minutes, twice a day") "is it just a meditation practice or is it also a religion?"

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

News from KNOWhere 2-21-08

It’s Library Lovers Month, and the feeling is definitely mutual! Come in during the month of February to check out books, DVDs and our brand new MP3 audiobooks, the Playaways! These are portable versions of some of our most popular teen titles, ready to be checked out and listened to at home, on the bus, in the car, or anywhere else - except at school, of course!

Library quote of the week: “We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” - John F. Kennedy

News from Screven

Interested in joining the Not Yo Mama's book club? Every fourth Thursday at 4 pm we meet at the library to talk about a book. This month’s book is THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE by Rodman Philbrick, and we’ll be talking about it next Thursday, February 28. We’ll also be handing out next month’s book, ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card. If you’d like to join in, just stop by the library to pick up your very own copy – to keep!

It’s Black History Month, so come in and see the amazing exhibit created by Jackie Jones, and check out one of the many books on Black History we have on display!

Ron Blackburn and Suzanne Oliver have teamed up to create a magnificent art and photo exhibit, now available for viewing in the library’s multipurpose room. Just ask for the key at the desk!

News from Jenkins

The JCML Not Yo Mama's book club meets at the library every fourth Wednesday at 4 pm to talk about a book. This month’s book is THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE by Rodman Philbrick, and we’ll be talking about it Wednesday, February 27. We’ll also be handing out next month’s book, ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card. If you’d like to join in, just stop by the library to pick up your very own copy – to keep!

It’s Black History Month, so come in and check out one of our many books on Black History!

Now, on to the books!

THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE PINK CARNATION by Lauren Willig. Eloise is a Harvard grad student suffering a streak of bad luck when she decides to get a fresh start by going to England to do her dissertation on the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. But what she finds is evidence of another spy, one more obscure even than they – the Pink Carnation.

SIMPLY GREEN GIVING by Danny Seo. From the perfect earth-friendly way to wrap a bottle of wine to the perfect way to reuse those broken VHS tapes, there’s a ton of great gift and gift-wrapping ideas in this little book.

THE HAIR COLOR MIX BOOK: MORE THAN 150 RECIPES FOR SALON-PERFECT HAIR COLOR AT HOME by Lorri Goddard-Clark. This book starts off with the basics of how to pick the color that will make you look your hottest and how to create your own custom hue from the colors you can get at your grocery store or salon.

THE 4-INGREDIENT DIABETES COOKBOOK by Nancy S. Hughes. Quick, easy and delicious recipes for meals, treats, desserts and more that are safe and delicious for anyone with blood sugar problems.

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK by Geraldine Brooks. A rare book uncovers a mystery to Hannah Heath, one that stretches from the Inquisition to the auction houses of modern Europe. From fine art forgers and ultranationalist fanatics, Hannah will now the thrust into a world she never expected… and may not survive.

Click to check out these cool sites!

The Trial of Susan B. Anthony, 1873
Material about the trial of Susan B. Anthony for having illegally voted in New York in 1872. Features a brief biography, some of Anthony's writings and a speech about her right to vote, a trial record, her petition to Congress about her conviction, information about the 19th Amendment, suffrage cartoons, and related material. Includes a short bibliography. From a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas (UMKC) School of Law.

TV Converter Box Coupon Program
Details about this federal government program for households wishing to continue using their analog TV sets after February 17, 2009, when "all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting." Learn whether you need a converter box, how to obtain coupons to be applied towards the cost of the box, where to purchase one, and related information. Available in several languages.

Mandela: An Audio History
Website for a "five-part radio series documenting the struggle against apartheid through rare sound recordings, the voice of [anti-apartheid leader] Nelson Mandela himself, as well as those who fought with him, and against him." In addition to audio and transcripts of the series, the site features interview biographies, an audio timeline, and suggestions from educators for using the program in a classroom. From Radio Diaries, a nonprofit radio production company.

Exploring the Nanoworld
"Nano means one billionth. Nanotechnology is the study and design of systems at the nanometer scale -- the scale of atoms and molecules. ... The objective of this website is to introduce you to the tools that let us 'see' atoms, [and] manipulate them." Includes video, lesson plans, and lab manuals on topics such as what is the nanoscale and exploring the nano world with Lego bricks. From the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

A Thousand Kisses: Love Letters From the Archives of American Art
"This selection of affectionate communiqués to and from American artists [such as Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, and Michael Goldberg] gives us insight into the lives of painters, sculptors, illustrators, and others -- their relationships, perceptions, and creative energies -- from the mid-19th century to the late 20th." A companion to a 2008 physical exhibit at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.


Well, that's it for now - see you at the library!

News from KNOWhere 2/15/08

Happy Valentines Day to one and all! Did you know that February is Library Lovers’ Month? Show your love for the library by coming to see us, and borrow some of our great books, videos, DVDs, audiobooks, magazines… well, heck. We’ve got a ton of things you can do, more stuff that you can check out, and a whole lot of fun and learning just waiting for you!

We have a brand new blog just for book lovers and book clubbers – it’s the SJRLS Bookblog at sjrlsbooks.blogspot.com! Make comments on books being reviewed, suggest books for review, and see what other people are reading, all in one place!

We’re having a great week – we just won a statewide competition for children’s librarians with a very cool work of art called the “Bugsville Public Library”, created by our very own staffers Belinda Waters and Sharon Blank! Want to see what it looks like? Just click on the pic below!

Don’t forget to come in and pick up your Georgia and federal income tax forms!

Library quote of the week: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” - Sir Francis Bacon

News from Screven

Next Thursday, February 21 at 4 pm, we’ll be having our cool Not Yo Mama’s middle school book club. If you are an SCMS student, catch the bus to the library and join us as we pick a new book to read. Best of all, you’ll get to keep the book you pick!

The Thursday after that, February 28 at 4 pm, the Not Yo Mama’s high school book club will be meeting! If you’re a SCHS student who’d like to be reminded why reading is fun, come to the library between now and the 28^th. You can pick up your free copy of THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE by Rodman Philbrick, and then join us on the 28^th to talk about it!

We have an outstanding art exhibit this month, courtesy of Sylvania’s own Ron Blackburn and his niece Suzanne Oliver! They’ve got photos, paintings, and works that combine the two – but they’re all gorgeous, so come in and see what kind of talent grows on their family tree!

News from Jenkins

Next Wednesday, February 21 at 4 pm, we’ll be having our cool Not Yo Mama’s middle school book club. If you are a JCMS student, catch the bus to the library and join us as we pick a new book to read. Best of all, you’ll get to keep the book you pick!

The Wednesday after that, February 28 at 4 pm, the Not Yo Mama’s high school book club will be meeting! If you’re a JCHS student who’d like to be reminded why reading is fun, come to the library between now and the 28^th. You can pick up your free copy of THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE by Rodman Philbrick, and then join us on the 28^th to talk about it!

Now, on to the books!

WOLVES OF MEMORY by Bill James. British policemen Harpur and Iles have quite a job on their hands when they’re assigned to protect an informant who helped them catch the criminals trying an armored car heist.

BETTER HOMES & GARDENS NEW COOKBOOK. 1400 recipes – 800 of them new – and a chapter on meals that take 20 minutes or less will ensure that this book continues to be the classic used by cooks all over America.

THE DEVIL’S GENTLEMAN by Harold Schechter. Harry Cornish was the athletic director of the exclusive Knickerbocker club. Roland Molineux was the wayward son of a great Civil War general. Soon, one would be dead, and the other charged with his murder as the biggest scandal of the early 20^th century rocked New York society.

COMPLETE HOME REPAIR by Black & Decker. 350 projects and over 2000 photos will make this a very “handy” book to have!

Click to check out these cool sites!

Inscribing Meaning: Writing + Graphic Systems in African Art
This exhibition "explores the relationships between African art and the communicative powers of language, graphic systems and the written word." Exhibit sections cover body art, sacred aspects of graphic inscription, political writing, artists' books, and related topics. Includes learning activities and suggested reading. Developed by the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, in association with the Fowler Museum at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Fundamentals of Polling
"This tutorial is intended to offer a simplified glimpse into some of the fundamentals of public opinion polling. Designed for the novice, [it] provides definitions, examples, and explanations that serve to introduce interested students to the field of public opinion research." Topics include sampling, total survey error, and reading tables. Provides a glossary of polling terminology. From the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut.

Consumer Focus: Moving from Analog to Digital TV
Questions and answers about the digital television transition occurring in February 2009, where "television stations will broadcast using digital signals only, which means your old analog set won't work" (receive broadcasts) without a converter box or subscription to cable or satellite service. Discusses the basics of digital television (DTV), options for owners of analog TV sets, and resources for further reading. From the Federal Citizen Information Center, U.S. General Services Administration.

CNN.com: Valentine's Day
This special feature from 2002 touches on different aspects of Valentine's Day and romance. Includes articles about the history of Valentine's Day, romantic gifts, online matchmaker services, and joint finances and marriage. Includes links to related sites. From Cable News Network (CNN).

Well, that's it for now - see you at the library!

News from KNOWhere 2/8/08

GEORGIA TAX FORMS ARE IN! For those of you who have been chomping at the bit to get those refunds, we now have both Federal and state tax forms for you to pick up – and as always, the standard tax forms are free thanks to the fine folks in Atlanta and Washington DC.

Want to celebrate Library Lovers’ Month and Black History Month at the same time? Well the easiest way is to come to the library, where we have a lot of books on black history just waiting for you!

Library quote of the week: “A good library will never be too neat, or too dusty, because somebody will always be in it, taking books off the shelves and staying up late reading them.” ~Lemony Snicket

News from Screven

Are you a writer or artist? Do you have a subject that just fills you with enthusiasm and makes you want to share your views with everyone? Then come join the Zine Scene, a series of free workshops to help you improve your writing and give you the skills and knowledge to create your own fanzine, newsletter or comic! The first workshop will be at 4 pm on Wednesday, February 13, and ages 12 and up are encouraged to join us!

Also on Thursday the 14^th at 4 pm we will have the monthly craft day! It’s a wonderful creative time for all ages, so make sure to sign up before we run out of space!

The board of the Friends of the Screven County Library will be meeting on Tuesday, February 12 at 7 pm at the library. If you are an officer of the Friends or the head of a Friends committee, please try to make it to this meeting!

News from Jenkins

Are you a writer or artist? Do you have a subject that just fills you with enthusiasm and makes you want to share your views with everyone? Then come join the Zine Scene, a series of free workshops to help you improve your writing and give you the skills and knowledge to create your own fanzine, newsletter or comic! The first workshop will be at 4 pm on Wednesday, February 13, and ages 12 and up are encouraged to join us!

Don’t forget that we have a great storytime every Wednesday at 4 pm! Kids can listen to a story or two and then do a fun craft project that they can take home with them. It’s a wonderful way to encourage creative fun!

Now, on to the books - and remember, a couple of clicks can reserve any of these great books for you!

PROTECT AND DEFEND by Vince Flynn. Mitch Rapp is our country’s top counterterrorism agent, and after an Israeli raid leaves a radioactive crater in the middle of Iran’s second-largest city, he sees an opportunity where everyone else sees only the threat of Iran launching retribution.

SOMETHING THAT LASTS by James Jordan. David Parst, his wife Sarah and their son Jack seemed like the ideal minister’s family. But when a church project throws David into contact with businesswoman Erika Balik, things change, and send the Parsts into a decades-long struggle to find something that lasts.

SAFE HARBOR by Christine Feehan. Sheriff Jonas Harrington has been carrying a torch for Hannah Drake for years. But he’s not the only one who desires her. A dark menace has emerged from the shadows to try to claim this bewitching beauty. Can Jonas save her?

AMERICAN CREATION: TRIUMPHS AND TRAGEDIES AT THE FOUNDING OF THE REPUBLIC by Joseph J. Ellis. Over 200 years ago, a group of men who would come to be known as the Founding Fathers hammered out an agreement between a gaggle of independent colonies and laid the foundation for what became the United States. But as brilliant as they were, they were still human and flawed, and their errors still affect us today.

THE ALL-NATURAL DIABETES COOKBOOK: THE WHOLE FOOD APPROACH TO GREAT TASTE AND HEALTHY EATING by Jackie Newgent, RD. Most diabetic cookbooks rely on artificial sweeteners or substitutions that just don’t taste right to cut fat, calories and sugars. This one, though, focuses on naturally delicious fresh foods and whole foods to create all-natural, totally healthy meals that taste great and are even better for you!

Click to check out these cool websites!

Global Voices
A project "that collects, summarizes, and gives context to some of the best self-published content found on blogs, podcasts, photo sharing sites, and videoblogs from around the world, with a particular emphasis on countries outside of Europe and North America." Browse by country, topics, or contributors. Available in several languages. Founded at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)
Website for this Washington, D.C., museum (the building for which has not yet been constructed) that "aspires to tell the story of America's history through an African American lens." Features an interactive diagram of selected people and places of African American history and culture, personal memories, images from exhibitions, classroom materials, family activities, children's literature list, a timeline of African American history, and other material related to black history. From the Smithsonian Institution.

FDA Releases Recommendations Regarding Use of Over-the-Counter Cough and Cold Products
Material about the January 2008 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendation "that over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold products should not be used to treat infants and children less than 2 years of age because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur from such use." Provides a press release, public health advisory, and questions and answers for consumers. From the FDA.

The Original Harlem Globetrotters: Globetrotters History
Learn about the history of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, started in Chicago in 1926 as the Savoy Big Five and renamed the Harlem New York Globetrotters in 1930, "lending emphasis that all players were black." Click on the "History" tab near the top of the page to find a detailed timeline and biographies of important players such as Wilt Chamberlain and Meadowlark Lemon. From the Harlem Globetrotters.

An Imperfect Revolution: Voices From the Desegregation Era
The public radio series American RadioWorks "traveled to Louisville, KY and Charlotte, NC to talk with people about their memories of [racial] integration" in schools. This website features some of the stories, the full audio program and transcript, essays on school desegregation, and links to related websites. From American Public Media.

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