tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51598346170206862862024-03-05T22:29:59.941-05:00NPL Now<strong>Outside of a dog, a good book is man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too dark to read.
--Groucho Marx</strong>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-81325042353982134422012-06-22T17:16:00.000-04:002012-06-22T17:16:22.749-04:00Cooling It with the NPL A.C.!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCen-i3lIiN5CFb_MmIFW8IawHw845_0N6GO5SDa4-EZAUqD_rnzoDGDV88VS__bFxi6kvOTj_ugNzYKo-p7R224_-i5Xf_rgPfx0ZiQyBYAOPssWtNF2Cp88PIZEqnULK0bPEQIhYWGpU/s1600/dog_ears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCen-i3lIiN5CFb_MmIFW8IawHw845_0N6GO5SDa4-EZAUqD_rnzoDGDV88VS__bFxi6kvOTj_ugNzYKo-p7R224_-i5Xf_rgPfx0ZiQyBYAOPssWtNF2Cp88PIZEqnULK0bPEQIhYWGpU/s320/dog_ears.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's a Friday afternoon, and frankly, it's a little slow, considering </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the heat and humidity of the day, and what this little palace of literacy has to offer its patrons.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I moiself would have been happy to camp out in the Fiction Room these last two days. Throw down a sleeping bag after closing? For people who have even larger issues with the heat, I'd recommend the Children's Room, since our own Beth Reynolds has been hovering there in a sweater today.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A sweater!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One of the pleasures of working here has been the memories of people who've been coming here for years. They show me the footprint of the original structure and tell me how it used to be, before the addition of air conditioning. Triple digits!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As one of those sissies who starts to whine about my longing for ocean air once temperatures and the heat index begin to rise, I can only imagine. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Do remember us during your next case of the vapors. It's cool here, we have lots of books and magazines with which to while away an afternoon, and our sense of welcome is palpable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Come on down!</span></span>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-8199541230812286042012-02-18T14:39:00.002-05:002012-02-18T14:42:09.723-05:00Where Do You Stand on the Spoiler Question?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Iqo_X92A1LMmhqJeQqft26QxZRB4TWWJH-jGcIshhI6fqF8HmCR31gdFvKBnPJ2JtGOkjnVUtk-vDJQsvLnBUmYXucAXjsJRbGTLqmUyBiW90lOtyCeVzu8bYcbl6Rfotq8zSrN7K1Wv/s1600/spoilerunh+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Iqo_X92A1LMmhqJeQqft26QxZRB4TWWJH-jGcIshhI6fqF8HmCR31gdFvKBnPJ2JtGOkjnVUtk-vDJQsvLnBUmYXucAXjsJRbGTLqmUyBiW90lOtyCeVzu8bYcbl6Rfotq8zSrN7K1Wv/s200/spoilerunh+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">How surprised do you need to be in order to enjoy a story?</span></span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The topic came up last year when Ann Patchett's <i>State of Wonder </i>came out. The reviews were full of spoiler alerts, lest the final twist in plot be revealed in an untimely fashion. In a sense, spoiler alerts tell us that a surprise is in the offing--and for many, that surprise is a motivation for reading, and even purchase. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The ending to <i>State of Wonder</i> certainly did come as a surprise, not an entirely pleasant one. However, the reader in me doesn't require pleasant surprises in every book. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to research published in the journal <i>Psychological Science,</i> knowing the ending of the story before you read it needn't hurt your experience of the story. It can actually help you to enjoy the story <i>more.</i> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">How is this possible? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">According to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adoree-durayappah-mapp-mba/spoiler-paradox_b_933261.html">The Spoiler Paradox</a>, storytelling serves a number of purposes beyond entertainment. The human "theory of mind" means that our ability to attribute thoughts, desires, motivations and the intentions of others is useful in predicting and explaining the behaviors of others. Stories are part of our development of these skills. The time-honored classic tales (think Oedipus, Job) frequently communicate complex ideas. Knowing the outcome can simplify the story and enable the reader to engage more deeply in the processing of the details.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9whDIX44vHEIhBjoIRN60O_8PmXC5PbNCaesABF3fFA_koP2s-s-dN_beNkz_Y26M-aVWZOQ7P-8-YW23GB36LP54Qf1KVQw9LKWa5DPfALCFxseU0iSQU5sdpDBUz8TDlm0h1q5a5No/s1600/spoilerbible.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9whDIX44vHEIhBjoIRN60O_8PmXC5PbNCaesABF3fFA_koP2s-s-dN_beNkz_Y26M-aVWZOQ7P-8-YW23GB36LP54Qf1KVQw9LKWa5DPfALCFxseU0iSQU5sdpDBUz8TDlm0h1q5a5No/s200/spoilerbible.jpeg" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This perspective makes sense to me. I have read many, many biographies of the life of Jesus. I certainly know the "story." Yet as I read through the various interpretations of those events, I find myself more engrossed in the writers' interpretations of them as I strive to understand the concepts that have made him such a compelling historical and religious figure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not every story has the depth and complexity to survive "spoilage". Whodunits tend to depend upon the constant nudging the reader's cognitive dissonance for slogging through multiple volumes (she wrote, thinking of the Stieg Larsson trilogy). But for stories which challenge our multiple levels of understanding, surprise may take a back seat to our greater comprehension of the details that have brought us to the inevitable end.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-84779527803748117442011-12-29T13:26:00.003-05:002012-01-06T16:55:32.688-05:00Remembering Joan White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrsIVu6BELUtyqQeUNCKaz_2REEq7z9i5U-qb4YUdwq-_bOkalyAerUbcJ5OeLERM5X7QI6my2MJLZtS8e_ceHNN_ytdO3zGhJ18mBL4GfQsprM2pYDL4T6YLTvvRZkh9nehZJU15Iiv0/s1600/joanwhite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrsIVu6BELUtyqQeUNCKaz_2REEq7z9i5U-qb4YUdwq-_bOkalyAerUbcJ5OeLERM5X7QI6my2MJLZtS8e_ceHNN_ytdO3zGhJ18mBL4GfQsprM2pYDL4T6YLTvvRZkh9nehZJU15Iiv0/s1600/joanwhite.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In this dark season, NPL has lost one of its warming lights--volunteer Joan White.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Joan was a faithful occupant of a Thursday afternoon slot at the Circulation Desk, one which she filled with a cheerfulness and a willingness to help. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">She was with us through two library directors and several versions of software and their various updates, the latter probably much more challenging than the former.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Joan took a break from us to receive treatment for cancer, then returned as soon as she was able. There wasn't a patron to whom she did not extend a warm welcome. When she announced her need for a second break, we hoped against hope that we would be seeing her again soon.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Joan didn't say much about her achievements; we had to read her obituary to learn about her many academic accomplishments and her highly regarded nursing career. It simply didn't occur to her to blow her own horn. She no doubt knew that the joy was in the moment, and it was in the moment that she remained, good-natured, deeply committed to her family, and generous with her time --to our good fortune-- to Norwich Public Library. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Joan, we thank you for your many kindnesses, and we treasure your memory. </span></span>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-35550969286093844472011-06-08T16:35:00.009-04:002011-06-08T17:06:31.505-04:00So Worldly. So Welcome. Your Card.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_koABf6_gs26gtNvn7ytAtSUPwJj6wLxInleTiUs7B-DhrUhR3Ye53h38W7cEuvmgNWMaNzHGYBb4tUeHmG-jslweULObJj6himtQgsTDIDVGsTyw6b0SaxDqSCnDD-64h_FLTyaufKY/s1600/Ken+Davis+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_koABf6_gs26gtNvn7ytAtSUPwJj6wLxInleTiUs7B-DhrUhR3Ye53h38W7cEuvmgNWMaNzHGYBb4tUeHmG-jslweULObJj6himtQgsTDIDVGsTyw6b0SaxDqSCnDD-64h_FLTyaufKY/s320/Ken+Davis+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">June 20 is hurtling toward us like a meteorite.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No, the world isn't ending, but on that date our little world will go through some changes. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Since the summer of 2009 we have been using an open-source software system, Koha, and moving toward the full implementation of the consortium which includes other member libraries.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As so often is the case with big steps forward in technology and time, it'll be some time before we can pursue all the opportunities that come with such a move. We know that it is very likely that if you come </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EQjTVRmue9GmN1mDqYJ-tjofmI0dCaGB18xqNH2LYZnFne9-XFBaV69ztaqAVPTuyBuC3Fa8vGMe7H4u7-0vwmvLSZ7RuzpB05fDxzuR7snF1-0R2uz1NOfzbtnt7Wk0ENfEV5d95uuS/s1600/Libby+Tollman+1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EQjTVRmue9GmN1mDqYJ-tjofmI0dCaGB18xqNH2LYZnFne9-XFBaV69ztaqAVPTuyBuC3Fa8vGMe7H4u7-0vwmvLSZ7RuzpB05fDxzuR7snF1-0R2uz1NOfzbtnt7Wk0ENfEV5d95uuS/s1600/Libby+Tollman+1.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">to the desk and tell us that your name is Barbara Smith, every Barbara Smith in Vermont may pop up on the computer with your name... or at least every Barbara Smith who patronizes a consortium library. The presentation of your card will lead us more directly to your record.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the great pleasures of the small town library is the opportunity to get to know the names and reading interests of our patrons. We love the more personal nature that is a part of our size. Typing in the names of patrons who are without their cards has given all of us a chance to come to know you. </span><span style="font-size: large;">The knowing of our </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6WenJM-U1n56IEzzwMC84RVygVHfGiHAzCgsp-J4KkgxueAdzCDVkVvZVTr4Ae2hCRb8rol-COkF9ImgV0UALzSF06LGRbMcGFUd8rCnqBbsVDjls7l87RMwJhRvPZZHKvbrdbrbLaoW/s1600/Queen-Elizabeth-II-with-purselg_edited-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: large;">patrons makes us all the more determined to make the consortium work for both you and the library. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">In this we need your help. Please come to the library armed with your card, and should it have slipped away over the years, help yourself to one of our two new designs, <i>I read, therefore I am,</i> created by patron Ken Davis, and the warm and glowing look of the library as interpreted by Libby Tolman.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6WenJM-U1n56IEzzwMC84RVygVHfGiHAzCgsp-J4KkgxueAdzCDVkVvZVTr4Ae2hCRb8rol-COkF9ImgV0UALzSF06LGRbMcGFUd8rCnqBbsVDjls7l87RMwJhRvPZZHKvbrdbrbLaoW/s1600/Queen-Elizabeth-II-with-purselg_edited-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Both designs come as both cards and keytags. If your purse has a habit of swallowing your card, try the tag on your keychain.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclG7zxTz-YwKjRDlhc2Gah-Pa5ysqg57G_uBzPUMpxarSNfpx5JxQBqgzSJh6Gb0YcKkgnZaoJl-t5sLLKvI-XTXPeIQLco4Bxw-PCbdSvHzp0q3yAyBqRNTw-R52S3t0c9UkMIDXMxL4/s1600/Queen-Elizabeth-II-with-pursesm_edited-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: large;">It takes all of about 10 seconds to give you a new card, so let us know if you are in need of one.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Koha has already given us opportunities to extend to you. If you have signed up to receive an email when your books and DVDs are due, you are benefiting from Koha. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And your card has so much more to offer: participation in the online language lessons from Mango; use of Listen Up, Vermont! for downloading audio books and e books, where these services ask you for your library card number. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclG7zxTz-YwKjRDlhc2Gah-Pa5ysqg57G_uBzPUMpxarSNfpx5JxQBqgzSJh6Gb0YcKkgnZaoJl-t5sLLKvI-XTXPeIQLco4Bxw-PCbdSvHzp0q3yAyBqRNTw-R52S3t0c9UkMIDXMxL4/s1600/Queen-Elizabeth-II-with-pursesm_edited-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclG7zxTz-YwKjRDlhc2Gah-Pa5ysqg57G_uBzPUMpxarSNfpx5JxQBqgzSJh6Gb0YcKkgnZaoJl-t5sLLKvI-XTXPeIQLco4Bxw-PCbdSvHzp0q3yAyBqRNTw-R52S3t0c9UkMIDXMxL4/s320/Queen-Elizabeth-II-with-pursesm_edited-1.jpg" width="247" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">When I try to imagine where that venerable institution known as the library will be in the next 5 to 10 years, I am flummoxed. What I do know is that, given the cast of creative and committed people with whom I work, NPL will be leading the way to meaningful innovations.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, go look for that card! If you need a new one, we promise to treat you like royalty.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-71930455024036941852011-03-25T20:11:00.001-04:002011-03-25T20:11:57.414-04:00Teams of Rivals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrLlG4_wtHuLYcOZsXnUoPVaE0vkZBQqRRtrtyYwQio8TtT_HQLnQXj8PIuvB2JncHnTt_2ujOUvU2tEesky9SNMmFCIDEzh1kfbHFoYuXzeSTFZwzYSlplymyAo_ybnDcirUhyphenhyphenqCPAcR/s1600/spellingbeelogo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrLlG4_wtHuLYcOZsXnUoPVaE0vkZBQqRRtrtyYwQio8TtT_HQLnQXj8PIuvB2JncHnTt_2ujOUvU2tEesky9SNMmFCIDEzh1kfbHFoYuXzeSTFZwzYSlplymyAo_ybnDcirUhyphenhyphenqCPAcR/s200/spellingbeelogo.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm in trouble.</span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">It turns out that there is only one <i>s</i> in <i>impresario</i>. And I don't know what sort of beat one finds in in<i> isarithm, </i>if any at all. </span></div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">And the Marion Cross Spelling Bee is only a week away.</span></div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">I could whine about only getting my study words this week, but complaining would be hypocritical. I don't study, anyway. What I do instead is haphazardly look up words that are unfamiliar to me. </span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not all of them, mind you. Just the ones that tweak my curiosity.</span></div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Quite a few words regularly catch my eye. </span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">This year I have learned that <i>hoick</i> isn't nearly as disgusting as I had expected it to be. It means to 'yank suddenly'. Ditto <i>firnification. Jipijapa?</i> The eponym for the Panama hat, which isn't made in Panama, but in Ecuador. </span></div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can make a note of that. I did. Jack Candon, honorable emcee, please don't leave out <i>jipijapa.</i> I have my heart set on spelling it. </span></div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the coming days I'll turn to my study list, flip through the pages filled with long columns of dirty tricks played by the English Language, become immediately overwhelmed, and desultorily look up some of the words that catch my eye. </span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCjHMe4pWxzC9qd4duF0wPpbDvQ5Z_S0BgZ8v4RP50sKPe4XxWaUHQ2JaUd-LkYJ57O0I6raeGtTTlIHHfE_H36w7AmxMBCtX0CDY3e8Axvvu0KMUD0oMqRQ1EobE64lJjSeOMRUEwxRA/s1600/rivalrypuppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mRRmQghhtYHRwcfde4vSTNNyW35VZEfKdCpnNSQpPZ3DWdjJfgbI3Lzp4vmlHyAJwzsrJEpROwivFoVee5nbYjfHw4d1-mfqxcwu-eg7xCeX9RArRH-uomsUYKOo51yvNg0sFZL-_XDL/s1600/rivalryyanxsox.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mRRmQghhtYHRwcfde4vSTNNyW35VZEfKdCpnNSQpPZ3DWdjJfgbI3Lzp4vmlHyAJwzsrJEpROwivFoVee5nbYjfHw4d1-mfqxcwu-eg7xCeX9RArRH-uomsUYKOo51yvNg0sFZL-_XDL/s200/rivalryyanxsox.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">This is my way of informing the fierce competitors that make up a significant portion of the Norwich population that I'm no threat to whatever rivalries you may be developing. </span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">I know you, Norwich. You didn't rise to your current socioeconomic level without a healthy dose of competitive spirit. With all our medical professionals out there, I expect lots of the scientific terms on the list to be long mastered by some of the contestants.</span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLodK9XrvtqZf-vqpDMcZe164FGO2yei9hdqhvC0YwinXCLV5HaclLHJD1jc6UB6kECAr-ARowlyTupZeY0QwUaubNrbK77DxNQzp8PrHoucq2ErNR14W5v-oCjcT8glKmjF_JzLKmWOHi/s1600/rivalryhorses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLodK9XrvtqZf-vqpDMcZe164FGO2yei9hdqhvC0YwinXCLV5HaclLHJD1jc6UB6kECAr-ARowlyTupZeY0QwUaubNrbK77DxNQzp8PrHoucq2ErNR14W5v-oCjcT8glKmjF_JzLKmWOHi/s200/rivalryhorses.jpg" width="159" /></a></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">I expect something mighty from you, come April Fools Day. I'll be the Fool; you'll paw the ground before rearing up before the spelling bee trophy, that pretty little filly of the contest. </span></div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Back to what interests <u>me</u>.<i> Jow</i> is the tolling of a bell, or the act of tolling the bell. I can see why John Donne passed it by in his Seventeenth Meditation. "Ask not for whom the bell jows..." Never mind.</span></div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Getting clobbered by people who actually study is okay with me. Dilettantes make lousy competitors. </span></div><div style="color: white;"><br />
</div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">As for me, I'm thrilled with one of my shiny new words. A word for our times. It's <i><a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/kakistocracy">kakistocracy</a>. </i></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: white; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Is that wonderful, or what?</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: white; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: white; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: large;">The fun starts at 6:30 at the Marion Cross gym. Win or lose, it's interesting and hilarious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">p.s. to rival teams: Don't forget to capitalize <i>Quaalude.</i> </span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i> </i></span></div><div style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i> </i></span></div>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-30447351984531069762011-03-11T11:23:00.003-05:002011-03-11T11:27:17.037-05:00Rule, Brittania!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddE0DaM1sOQHaW-EXUOCEQaPyXUBPQ2Uh1enaCDBkmbMMCxfe0QpDZJ4jWB42Vi0VmN2w0-1PUXOnCRCnkZmn15BJN9kKJ1Zpc3SUUo63vREnv1ZCekLJwygxY_EU03-sahEGrBAfPtyv/s1600/3britssm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddE0DaM1sOQHaW-EXUOCEQaPyXUBPQ2Uh1enaCDBkmbMMCxfe0QpDZJ4jWB42Vi0VmN2w0-1PUXOnCRCnkZmn15BJN9kKJ1Zpc3SUUo63vREnv1ZCekLJwygxY_EU03-sahEGrBAfPtyv/s320/3britssm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Call the library on any Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, and you're likely to get an Anglophile's dream--a British accent.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anglophiles, I know you're out there. Recently a patron requested a list of all the mystery novels written by British authors, "because they just do a better job."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Please excuse me while I put an ice pack on my wounded American pride. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Recently I've noticed an interesting little phenomenon: on Monday, volunteer Jean Lawe <i>(left)</i> answers the phone, only to correct the caller, who assumes that she's Sophia Crawford, a Friday stalwart <i>(center)</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">They exchanged some good-natured banter at our recent volunteer party on patrons' </span><span style="font-size: large;">assumptions that </span><span style="font-size: large;">one-Brit-accent-fits-all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That is, except for Kenneth Cracknell, <i>(right), </i>Wednesday volunteer and treasurer of the Friends of the Library. Nobody mistakes Kenneth for Sophia.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">What these three share, besides their accents, are </span><span style="font-size: large;">a conviction that libraries matter, community spiritedness and </span><span style="font-size: large;">ready wit, along with a super-sized dose of intelligence. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Patrons, here's your cheat sheet: Jean on Monday, Kenneth on Wednesday, Sophia on Friday.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">We're thankful for them all. </span></div>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-60828856650646888642010-10-29T12:16:00.000-04:002010-10-29T12:16:09.576-04:00Celebrating a Natural Connection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7WA7cGojLzSkbRmumi419l_ErAbVPJYMVuZT3dX4OXBGDTtBJb_TjmuvX7_FBCVDxg_en7jvN1Hp8VMRRTr4y32KEYyffxHg-0go3QzLTkcUkQegFluoCZe07AKDYWMe7SyeHaR_FVcJ/s1600/read-eatpear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7WA7cGojLzSkbRmumi419l_ErAbVPJYMVuZT3dX4OXBGDTtBJb_TjmuvX7_FBCVDxg_en7jvN1Hp8VMRRTr4y32KEYyffxHg-0go3QzLTkcUkQegFluoCZe07AKDYWMe7SyeHaR_FVcJ/s200/read-eatpear.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Some of my fondest memories of my youth are <span id="goog_1616743934"></span><span id="goog_1616743935"></span>associated with reading and eating. (I say <i>youth</i> because in those days I could combine these two joys with impunity</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">)</span></span>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's therefore no surprise that I greeted the fall fundraiser, <a href="http://www.norwichlibrary.org/bookfeast/inside.htm"><i>BookFeast, Read It and Eat,</i></a> with more than a glimmer of recognition. A story walk that's combined with breakfast crepes! A master baker who writes cookbooks! Foodies who blog! The possibilities are endless.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7dVm2srW-6BoodYKtP-SjXTgbthQgllFgpFpeb10j-OfU9tjupd_wS1T5b4kxMTLfBIXDTyjGozNmLUvwiWXZOAI7T3zr_JvgN6_TeQPHCNEmxe5iWOYVPLHq1TIZLxe9i335A7cMcVB/s1600/read-eat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7dVm2srW-6BoodYKtP-SjXTgbthQgllFgpFpeb10j-OfU9tjupd_wS1T5b4kxMTLfBIXDTyjGozNmLUvwiWXZOAI7T3zr_JvgN6_TeQPHCNEmxe5iWOYVPLHq1TIZLxe9i335A7cMcVB/s320/read-eat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I even found a blog entry that focused on <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/inspiration/the-best-and-worst-foods-to-eat-while-reading-044531">the best and worst foods to eat while reading</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Along with the events that comprise this fundraiser, we have some amazing books on display. One that I find most compelling is <i>What I Eat, </i>a series of photographs of people and their basic diets. Also available are such diverse treatments of food themes as <i>Eat My Words: Reading Women's Lives through the Cookbooks They Wrote, What Einstein Told His Cook: Food Science Explained, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, My Year of Meats, and Confessions of a Closet Master Baker. </i>Add to these titles those from our considerable collection of cookbooks<i> </i>and our subscriptions to <i>Cook's</i> and <i>Bon Appetit, </i>and you have just about everything you need to personalize this connection. <i> </i></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw9IdKDNrxVmCdLfzxkdI37cORzC7vtYJcGQqnWtN0NaQtE5d7sJnQkH741pe5QgtkMz0kJSnzCH_ZMPjee5LKD4BWRCOkhh5Jd3Hxu5k7OFY1ovubK0bm9AxrYGS_Q4v3IuBR8-SAGP9/s1600/BOOKFEASTLOGOsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Clearly there are lots of ways to bake this cake.The events take lots of forms, too: Tuesday, Nov. 2 Jeffrey Hamelman talks about his life as a baker with King Arthur, with a lunch catered by King Arthur and Lisa Cadow. Thursday, Nov.4, Lucinda will lead kids and parents on a story walk with breakfast crepes to be prepared by Lisa Cadow. (Definitely an event for the Dawn Patrol, since it begins at 7:15 a.m. on the library lawn.) Friday night, Nov. 5 will be foodie-movie night in the Community Room, featuring <i>Mostly Martha</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">And on we go, eventually heading for the Gala cocktail</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw9IdKDNrxVmCdLfzxkdI37cORzC7vtYJcGQqnWtN0NaQtE5d7sJnQkH741pe5QgtkMz0kJSnzCH_ZMPjee5LKD4BWRCOkhh5Jd3Hxu5k7OFY1ovubK0bm9AxrYGS_Q4v3IuBR8-SAGP9/s1600/BOOKFEASTLOGOsmall.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbw9IdKDNrxVmCdLfzxkdI37cORzC7vtYJcGQqnWtN0NaQtE5d7sJnQkH741pe5QgtkMz0kJSnzCH_ZMPjee5LKD4BWRCOkhh5Jd3Hxu5k7OFY1ovubK0bm9AxrYGS_Q4v3IuBR8-SAGP9/s200/BOOKFEASTLOGOsmall.jpg" width="154" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> party Nov. 18, from 6-8, the <i>piƩce de resistance, </i>featuring both cocktails and <i>hors d'oeuvres </i>to die for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the meantime, don't be distressed if someone at the circulation desk tells you that the item you're checking out is restricted. It only means that you've won a chocolate doubloon from Champlain Chocolates.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That kind of restriction I could definitely live with. </span></span></div>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-38348824104553475912010-09-17T16:12:00.003-04:002010-09-17T16:19:26.723-04:00The Day of the Pelican: Dive Right In<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbvwN6Yybfu4Nb0ANf8Aw4noyPpfv2dSdLm-9RP_W32tfPHfd2CL2YReuX7h9oul1fSZByTHePKb9bVjdYfE4l-rF0Q2u62OBTOWop0Zx3vRwvchneWMO-oIcryBVOYGq0cou-vR0jwVr/s1600/dayofpelican.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a transplanted coastal person, my affection for </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UCqAIQLJ8ypsskI8aC8tMOgvLDdNvFiK3a4CYmJsTJdgMpHkEuk7DuwDzwr5d3wKwdgnTBAxomkT2bTJisxAP58cz1Uj4SyiFmDi7oN6-qfd5ClkkCUUKr85mQyy7jonfJCJ5eE3m0dN/s1600/PelicanDive.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UCqAIQLJ8ypsskI8aC8tMOgvLDdNvFiK3a4CYmJsTJdgMpHkEuk7DuwDzwr5d3wKwdgnTBAxomkT2bTJisxAP58cz1Uj4SyiFmDi7oN6-qfd5ClkkCUUKr85mQyy7jonfJCJ5eE3m0dN/s320/PelicanDive.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">pelicans goes 'way back.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> I worried about their survival in the 1960s, when they were on the Endangered Species list. I rejoiced at the regeneration of their numbers when I visited the Oregon Coast last year and saw them flocked in the hundreds everywhere we went.</span></span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've spent many happy hours watching pelicans dive; their dive is the oddest combination of clumsiness and grace. You can't feel bad when you are watching pelicans dive. </span></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I know that Katherine Paterson's Day of the Pelican is more about refugees than birds, but I can't help but take pleasure in the title. It's my read for this weekend, and perhaps it's yours, too. In the last week 75 copies have flown out of here, all for free, all simply taken rather than checked out, with the understanding that they might well find their way into many homes rather than simply one, as the community reads this novel as a shared experience.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8H08O3OO8Mj1cpZwcS8SlTTjXcCricWwOqdkTNoVcPqEH9p_EjfHJyuG7D8yStwkbeGBmKpCSGcXfoqcmBERO60zXUK_twbLQxOmOLxfd1S1aVG8lUWNZNU_5L6zBpWO0MFs0_k3o2nO/s1600/KatherinePaterson_sm_2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8H08O3OO8Mj1cpZwcS8SlTTjXcCricWwOqdkTNoVcPqEH9p_EjfHJyuG7D8yStwkbeGBmKpCSGcXfoqcmBERO60zXUK_twbLQxOmOLxfd1S1aVG8lUWNZNU_5L6zBpWO0MFs0_k3o2nO/s200/KatherinePaterson_sm_2.jpg" width="164" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">It's pretty common knowledge hereabouts that Katherine Paterson is a Vermont author, a Barre resident. She also is a wonderful storyteller. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Long ago and in another country I watched groups of otherwise well mannered elementary teachers come almost to blows as they sparred to add her <i>Bridge to Terabithia</i> to a district's core reading list. Would it be assigned to grade 4, grade 5, or grade 6? I listened to teacher after teacher argue for its placement in her grade, her classroom, so passionate was each to have the pleasure of sharing Paterson's little masterpiece with her students.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And so it's off I go to my weekend encounter with another Paterson gift. If you should have one of the Pelicans, I urge you to enjoy, then to pass on to a friend, neighbor, or family member. If you haven't gotten a copy and a neighbor has, ask to be next on the list. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UCqAIQLJ8ypsskI8aC8tMOgvLDdNvFiK3a4CYmJsTJdgMpHkEuk7DuwDzwr5d3wKwdgnTBAxomkT2bTJisxAP58cz1Uj4SyiFmDi7oN6-qfd5ClkkCUUKr85mQyy7jonfJCJ5eE3m0dN/s1600/PelicanDive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Let's send these books throughout the delightful </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbvwN6Yybfu4Nb0ANf8Aw4noyPpfv2dSdLm-9RP_W32tfPHfd2CL2YReuX7h9oul1fSZByTHePKb9bVjdYfE4l-rF0Q2u62OBTOWop0Zx3vRwvchneWMO-oIcryBVOYGq0cou-vR0jwVr/s1600/dayofpelican.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbvwN6Yybfu4Nb0ANf8Aw4noyPpfv2dSdLm-9RP_W32tfPHfd2CL2YReuX7h9oul1fSZByTHePKb9bVjdYfE4l-rF0Q2u62OBTOWop0Zx3vRwvchneWMO-oIcryBVOYGq0cou-vR0jwVr/s200/dayofpelican.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">community that is Norwich, and then, when the frost is on the pumpkin, let's get together and share our impressions. Beth Reynolds will be gathering with our kids, and Stephanie Smith will be conducting a discussion with adults, sometime around or just after Halloween. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No tricks; just treats.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-7184496673214434432010-09-08T17:07:00.001-04:002010-09-08T17:09:16.998-04:00Happy to Share<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckz8ezojMXAsNphAfNR9Pln498uDrrLik-XMqag-8T1W74ago4kynYL_Rp96ZE3lZdqebUB7bEeaPa5ioFowAzHzkp3xp-Ciz0mDtVOXcutn_73tRBdeZsWj-RunPnZ26CgjYklsPDAAz/s1600/wifi_library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckz8ezojMXAsNphAfNR9Pln498uDrrLik-XMqag-8T1W74ago4kynYL_Rp96ZE3lZdqebUB7bEeaPa5ioFowAzHzkp3xp-Ciz0mDtVOXcutn_73tRBdeZsWj-RunPnZ26CgjYklsPDAAz/s200/wifi_library.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For some time I have been noticing people parked in their cars and bent over their laptops and PDAs early in the morning before we open. It's a sight that makes me smile, because our wireless signal transcends our ordinary schedule. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our latest public survey tells us that many people would like it if the library were open (check each that applies) earlier, later, and on Sundays. We'd like that too, in the better world that lies out there in the vapors. (Vapors are notoriously short on cold, hard cash).</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So it surprised us to learn of <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/25/gamer-busted-for-borrowing-library-wifi-after-hours/">a library in Alaska</a> that actually encourages the police to arrest those who access its wi-fi when it's closed. Where's the harm?</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfx6KD6sAkX8hRi7As2Nq25f2s4HrVPJI9KqLV2q-faiK7kD3FkK7qlOE31kP_mRkSHdGrVOSRZ6GlOjwF3b7l9zTQwNi08hhYLGzLvsBCC3eCCV0S9WlksQBx5_jjO9lhnO1KPdi0jEN/s1600/wireless-networking.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfx6KD6sAkX8hRi7As2Nq25f2s4HrVPJI9KqLV2q-faiK7kD3FkK7qlOE31kP_mRkSHdGrVOSRZ6GlOjwF3b7l9zTQwNi08hhYLGzLvsBCC3eCCV0S9WlksQBx5_jjO9lhnO1KPdi0jEN/s320/wireless-networking.jpeg" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Concerned that I was missing some subtle library point, I asked Lucinda. After all,<i> I'm</i> not a Real Librarian, and I wondered if I was being loose with resources, rather like a kid who works in an ice cream parlor and wants to give free cones to all her pals.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The boss was puzzled. "Why would they do that?" she asked. "I like knowing that there's something we can offer the public 24-7."</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">She went on to tell me that some libraries do turn off their wi-fi when they close, because they don't want the public "using" their signals, as if they could somehow wear them out.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">They can't. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So come ahead, Norwich. The boss says it's all right. If we could be open more hours, we'd be delighted. In the meantime, if a cup of joe in a travel mug and an email check-in in our parking lot is helpful, we are more than happy to share.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Chief Robinson, it's cool.</span></div>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-56941567148511391212010-06-23T16:34:00.000-04:002010-06-23T16:34:06.894-04:00Dive Right In!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5_paO9GMDEFYX_pfUulDMnAlkZZiV5EKHJR2ql5rSEurL28RhvrlgXAT8lMxUf9q1nOz61CXlxjEahQggbWlghUF6E1EUnXVhy69SvD6lJtjknl6KzT8nsUbp-ifqh-F_U7e7yqpw0pc/s1600/bookvortexwave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5_paO9GMDEFYX_pfUulDMnAlkZZiV5EKHJR2ql5rSEurL28RhvrlgXAT8lMxUf9q1nOz61CXlxjEahQggbWlghUF6E1EUnXVhy69SvD6lJtjknl6KzT8nsUbp-ifqh-F_U7e7yqpw0pc/s320/bookvortexwave.jpg" /></a></div>Those Friends of ours.<br />
<br />
They're Friends with a capital F, to be sure, as in the Friends of the Norwich Public Library, and on Friday and Saturday of this week they'll be selling quality used books at bargain basement prizes in the Community Room here at the library.<br />
<br />
Hours for the sale are 3-8 p.m. on Friday, June 25, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, June 26. Everything is half price after 1 p.m. on Saturday. <br />
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As is so often the case, we've been inundated by quality donations, so you can count on a great selection.<br />
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On Friday I'm sure I'll see a line of buyers trailing from the top of the stairs to the door of the Community Room. We see a lot of book sellers come through who are eager to re-stock their inventory.<br />
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You come, too. We like to see the best bargains go to our wonderful patrons.<br />
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Surf's up!Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-77481774477564196242010-06-16T11:19:00.001-04:002010-06-16T11:19:55.953-04:00No Secret Handshake Required<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSr9MfwW-s1DKpYNsKThS30eLuE6tGbAhblSv4BjN1-e8FFloqgZeAxt1-X6UMr3DHp4sQ2AGw6RLm8r2JFtMs7s2bvrJhqHL2-lWpDr3u6b1AX4a0X_UOS8E25WR6kkJuhkwT6tDBsCX/s1600/secrethandshake3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSr9MfwW-s1DKpYNsKThS30eLuE6tGbAhblSv4BjN1-e8FFloqgZeAxt1-X6UMr3DHp4sQ2AGw6RLm8r2JFtMs7s2bvrJhqHL2-lWpDr3u6b1AX4a0X_UOS8E25WR6kkJuhkwT6tDBsCX/s400/secrethandshake3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's really simple, our new </span><b style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">adult summer reading club</b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">. You just sign up, toss down a bit of chocolate to seal the deal (not required, but yummy), and go about your business.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There'll be weekly drawings for prizes--a gift certificate from a local business, a pretty plant, a product from a local crafts person. Something grand at the end of the season (September 3, just before Labor Day weekend, to be exact.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There'll even be a couple of small, tasteful get-togethers to chat with one another about what we're reading and what we might read in the future, and a discussion group around the novel </span><i style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Look at Me,</i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> by Jennifer Egan, featured in our newest book bag.</span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yes, yes--very nice. But how does this prize business work?</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just drop a slip into the jar at the desk each week with your name and the name of the book you've read, and we'll have a Friday drawing. We'll keep the undrawn slips from each week and apply them toward the grand prize drawing on September 3.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aX-Yta2heHcE-dHX7BhogI2_09W3UjplMq7C5jNgTzn9jtxXTzIGDarlB14KhiTOUdENJjXfKYTSKfsfQyThf9uUpb24ZRBvYGDRTEc4zD4jewNqUSljfYmpXHAJ6MsJsDChKKXRkBlS/s1600/SecretHandshake1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aX-Yta2heHcE-dHX7BhogI2_09W3UjplMq7C5jNgTzn9jtxXTzIGDarlB14KhiTOUdENJjXfKYTSKfsfQyThf9uUpb24ZRBvYGDRTEc4zD4jewNqUSljfYmpXHAJ6MsJsDChKKXRkBlS/s320/SecretHandshake1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The more you read, of course, the greater the number of little slips to be drawn for the various prizes.</div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do join us! It's going to be fun. And we'll keep our word about the no deadlines, no pop quizzes, and no secret handshakes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just pleasant and stress-free summer reading.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ahhh!</span>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-69755649638826075642010-06-16T11:02:00.002-04:002010-06-16T11:58:56.129-04:00Feel the Power!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">As I pore over the comments from the surveys so many of you took the time to fill out, I can't help but notice that we have work to do when it comes to communicating the existence of services we already offer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm_56KSHMv-9of31GvOjQQdy6spepviv1WKOf-30RrHCjUoaoF_0y2ICztcZZHXISCyENcBb-TTTOboTfwZ3NAcO5WyLybR2jlmUH63vyojrhfn2jloBqHnMfd9ps0r7P-SZv9bEisMbv/s1600/Strong-Man-Posters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm_56KSHMv-9of31GvOjQQdy6spepviv1WKOf-30RrHCjUoaoF_0y2ICztcZZHXISCyENcBb-TTTOboTfwZ3NAcO5WyLybR2jlmUH63vyojrhfn2jloBqHnMfd9ps0r7P-SZv9bEisMbv/s200/Strong-Man-Posters.jpg" width="148" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">I learned, for example, that many patrons wish that we'd provide services like online notification of impending due dates and electronic notifications that books on hold have come in. Patrons also want to be able to place items on hold and renew them online.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Guess what! We already <i>do</i> offer these options. They are some of our well-kept secrets, not that we mean them to be.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Follow these guidelines, and you'll feel as empowered as this hunk of burning love (although perhaps not as fortified by symbolic back-up. We're the library, and we can do only so much.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Your first item of business has to be to come into the library, (or if you're feeling cavalier about revealing your log-in and password, to give us a call. We can help you over the phone.) We need to modify your record to establish our online relationship.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">(Oh, dear. That sounds like e-dating, doesn't it? Fraught with potential disappointment!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;">This option is much more promising than e-compatibles. Once you've set up your account, then you can Exercise Your Options. Do you want to be forewarned and forearmed about due dates for your books and DVDs? Just check the box asking for an email that will do so. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9HSB1PU_Rq6hmkskv9bE3Erc4KpUfnNgY-PeQ35klasD6nJ21DguOw_8FpunsPqxmijGlg6EIwGBUFgH1Q9iHEfV4e4b_Tv9w0LTXfpt3_s6XY5ia1U94nZSUQ_vsDBCF8JeklrqGzjH/s1600/modifykoharec+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9HSB1PU_Rq6hmkskv9bE3Erc4KpUfnNgY-PeQ35klasD6nJ21DguOw_8FpunsPqxmijGlg6EIwGBUFgH1Q9iHEfV4e4b_Tv9w0LTXfpt3_s6XY5ia1U94nZSUQ_vsDBCF8JeklrqGzjH/s320/modifykoharec+copy.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-91246582415292877292010-05-03T18:14:00.005-04:002010-05-03T18:34:28.939-04:00Taking to the Skies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-RODi-AMMw_xmalA5tzwjHnJ2yso9Gu_itb7PZJxR8TthvsKeq062okWdnHYJAxOs8Yadb0Ihoofa0k7EGKBEl3jkdjS7ax5gwWYBme20Ximbv_yzKoYfLt9ynLyBGm39Y76N3JHf-NT/s1600/kite-flying-kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-RODi-AMMw_xmalA5tzwjHnJ2yso9Gu_itb7PZJxR8TthvsKeq062okWdnHYJAxOs8Yadb0Ihoofa0k7EGKBEl3jkdjS7ax5gwWYBme20Ximbv_yzKoYfLt9ynLyBGm39Y76N3JHf-NT/s320/kite-flying-kids.jpg" tt="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Kites and children have so much in common.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For one thing, there's their beauty. Both are inherently gorgeous. For another, both are capable of soaring, one physically, the other spiritually.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We're having a delightful spring as we get together with our Norwich children for a series of kite-making workshops.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We worked with about 20 children on Saturday at the Rubber Duckie Race, and what a thrill it was to see them color and build their kites, then take them for test flights across Huntley Meadow! We couldn't help but cheer.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On Wednesday, the 5th of May, we will meet with children after school for another round of kite building workshops. We'll be making sled kites, bird kites, and delta kites.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We'll invite the kids to join us at Huntley Meadow on Wednesday, May 12, to send them aloft. This get-together isn't to be confused with the kite days formerly held by Marion Cross School. We haven't the resources to walk everyone to Huntley Meadow, as the entire school used to do. The sixth graders won't be passing out popsicles to the entire student body. (It gives me no pleasure to note this last fact.) This will be a smaller group, and we ask that children under 8 be accompanied by a parent or otherwise responsible adult. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We'll be there from 12:30 to 2 p.m., (it's an early release day) and then, alas, we library types must return to our library duties. Older students may want to stay on, weather permitting. Children will otherwise need transportation home or to their next adventure of the day.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of weather, we haven't scheduled a rain date, should Mother Nature withhold the necessary support for good flight. If we must cancel, we'll be in touch with Marion Cross staff by 11 a.m.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let's hope that we're greeted with blue skies and sweet breezes. Those kites fly pretty nicely with just a little encouragement.</span>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-83576752299052204572010-04-22T15:09:00.005-04:002010-04-22T21:12:57.025-04:00The Lord Loves a Duck, and So Should You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfHqwfID7hYkpvH-I_sz3KHzrZApRlKvUMnc0MRpZqwpAqHH_g7Iap0Wz9dVQfXQ5OihjgxlxJxjSy3m8zbdQBSC_E7BX3gXG9MCJeDE-doLesWXwZbwzE7WeiEItAdsyIC6y472YC8Yc/s1600/duckyrace1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItUSkEtxiPKn0ri1yAbvtocQlzA6g11Zm-VA0r5isI8xfjaHRo0f_5Ra9EZnHiBFAAPro4Sb0n5Qfq6wwBVfkz-cdlGWebPamyzW6Xe2unABMC6TeEGnnzXvLgvFWnWMfs2-ez_LF9XV2/s1600/wheatiesduck_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItUSkEtxiPKn0ri1yAbvtocQlzA6g11Zm-VA0r5isI8xfjaHRo0f_5Ra9EZnHiBFAAPro4Sb0n5Qfq6wwBVfkz-cdlGWebPamyzW6Xe2unABMC6TeEGnnzXvLgvFWnWMfs2-ez_LF9XV2/s320/wheatiesduck_small.jpg" /></a></span><span style="font-size: large;"> What a thrill it must be to back a champion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since Hannah Kearney already has sponsors, those of you looking for a little vicarious local sporting glory might consider sponsoring a promising young quacker in the upcoming Rubber Ducky Race, brought to you by the Friends of the Norwich Public Library.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their first-ever Great Rubber Ducky Race, to be held Saturday, May 1, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. offers you a shot at the spotlight, however reflected.Meet us on the Blood Brook side of Huntley Meadow to join in the fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Claim bragging rights (and a hundred bucks) when the ducky you've sponsored crosses the finish line first! Or enjoy the comfy Red Sox Rocker that currently graces our lobby. (That's second prize, but I have a patron who would happily take it over first prize, so obsessed is he with the Red Sox.) You can whip up a batch of goodies from one of the several cookbooks provided by King Arthur's Baking Store, or you can win a $25 gift certificate for the Friends' upcoming Mother's Day plant sale.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfHqwfID7hYkpvH-I_sz3KHzrZApRlKvUMnc0MRpZqwpAqHH_g7Iap0Wz9dVQfXQ5OihjgxlxJxjSy3m8zbdQBSC_E7BX3gXG9MCJeDE-doLesWXwZbwzE7WeiEItAdsyIC6y472YC8Yc/s1600/duckyrace1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfHqwfID7hYkpvH-I_sz3KHzrZApRlKvUMnc0MRpZqwpAqHH_g7Iap0Wz9dVQfXQ5OihjgxlxJxjSy3m8zbdQBSC_E7BX3gXG9MCJeDE-doLesWXwZbwzE7WeiEItAdsyIC6y472YC8Yc/s200/duckyrace1.jpg" width="185" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">Of course, champions are made, not born. I suggest that you sponsor a duck for $5 (or six for $25) and then do what all good coaches do these days: focus on the fundamentals, and supply affirmations and winning visualizations to psyche your ducky up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can sign up to sponsor a duck at the circulation desk of the library, and then the mental work will be up to you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Race day ought to be hilarious. Do take an hour or two off from the Nearly New Sale and head down to Huntley Meadow to cheer on your favorite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And may the best duck win!</span>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-80533167373938868432010-04-02T12:10:00.004-04:002010-04-02T14:45:47.409-04:00More than Just Pretty Faces<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92ng2V5gUT4NBAk6HN3TaiDMb6dD1nlBD3Lu5IOnm6WX8r1U2KzB7B7wfDO6CPyXm8ndilISrWxdLf3hdQsUL_rKBU2clkekEyKz2yXuKgOZsBVjmEIoYOCthv8b_JrPVMh6kvNmACXP5/s1600/Ken+Davis+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV6BQwawWEwkV8kSL93rYGjspz4JRQAdh5ZQe5k8LvRlTrhSy2pcJlp2sfrIoGrEGg3Q-lBGsHSUZIxToPk4rtmZZeOVUHo3AfoEL5p0ecDAKKrjCkteJLy3LEm09x2Ej1WoRMDnocDQ8/s200/Libby+Tollman+1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">What a pleasure it was to work with volunteer Anne Goodrich at the Circulation Desk last Saturday. She's an amazing person, and I always learn something from her. (She's also lots of fun, but that's another story.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">As we checked people in and out, I noticed how frequently Anne encouraged patrons to get the new library cards. I have been pretty laid back on their promotion, but I noticed that by promoting them, she was raising patrons' awareness on what we actually offer now. Talk about a marketing natural! Anne, you could sell me my own car, and I'd see it as new!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">You don't actually have to trade in your old library card to get some of our new offerings, but the new card is emblematic of what has some with it: new software that empowers the patron. So why not make it a package deal?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;">Once you come in to perform the old card switcheroo, you can sign up for some of our new services. By giving yourself a log-in name and password, you will be able to search the catalog for the item you want and place a hold on it. Once you've checked the item out, you will be able to renew it online. If you give your account additional settings, the software will even send you an email of its due date in advance. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: small;">As my Uncle Al used to say, about the only thing this software doesn't do is fluff up your hair and tell you how pretty you are. </span></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92ng2V5gUT4NBAk6HN3TaiDMb6dD1nlBD3Lu5IOnm6WX8r1U2KzB7B7wfDO6CPyXm8ndilISrWxdLf3hdQsUL_rKBU2clkekEyKz2yXuKgOZsBVjmEIoYOCthv8b_JrPVMh6kvNmACXP5/s1600/Ken+Davis+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92ng2V5gUT4NBAk6HN3TaiDMb6dD1nlBD3Lu5IOnm6WX8r1U2KzB7B7wfDO6CPyXm8ndilISrWxdLf3hdQsUL_rKBU2clkekEyKz2yXuKgOZsBVjmEIoYOCthv8b_JrPVMh6kvNmACXP5/s200/Ken+Davis+2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">As you can see here, we offer two new designs, the I Read, Therefore I Am motif by Ken Davis, and the glowing facade of the library by Libby Tolman. They come with an additional key tag for people who are weary of rummaging through their bags for their cards, but who always have their keys at the ready.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Are you sentimental about your old purple card? Some people are, and you can still access the opportunities described above. Just ask to set up your account so that you can conduct library business from your home computer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Next time you're in, avail yourself of the account, if not the new card. Better yet, make it both.</span>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-56947126626640647772010-03-29T17:19:00.003-04:002010-03-29T17:49:33.421-04:00Under a Spell of Sorts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn51plJ3O0Ez31MCL6FwCdJ_kbCrJqcfRHVVJRbyxm0n2Uv-cAGzM46TbtaNO4cr2ityP5jGw7ZqrYwnKcC7eRoSQq9sry1xFAQSrylo4Q4jvOTMaolzuUWWFinIMw8fScsD20WkuZObV/s1600/spellchicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn51plJ3O0Ez31MCL6FwCdJ_kbCrJqcfRHVVJRbyxm0n2Uv-cAGzM46TbtaNO4cr2ityP5jGw7ZqrYwnKcC7eRoSQq9sry1xFAQSrylo4Q4jvOTMaolzuUWWFinIMw8fScsD20WkuZObV/s320/spellchicks.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">How do you spell <i>dumbbell</i>?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That was the first challenge for the teams among which the Buns of Steel competed this year. In that Mulligan round the Buns alone provided the correct number of Bs, but Mulligan rounds being what they are, we went on to bomb out in the Regular round on <i>moiety.</i> (Moral of the story: never forsake an honest diphthong.)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Buns this year were made up of Captain Lisa Milchman, Friends Treasurer Kenneth Cracknell, and buck-private Stephanie Smith. Kenneth's ducky-chapeau created the fashion statement of the evening, and he delighted in pressing a button near his temple that resulted in a resounding series of quacks. He was publicizing the upcoming Friends' Rubber Duckie Race May 1. (Be there or be square!)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBU8vkGuCLWYvd_yeMZtZl326RjYrcxQ5JwEr3mVzMnn2AXv-SreQ3pC4a1Tt9XLfECl2Zk5ApwH2PYU1cmfgtT42XD3WL9f-eJGpbVpNyW7lNono4kgPslJRiXV7h7tL6AHI__Rvvb81/s1600/spell_bunz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBU8vkGuCLWYvd_yeMZtZl326RjYrcxQ5JwEr3mVzMnn2AXv-SreQ3pC4a1Tt9XLfECl2Zk5ApwH2PYU1cmfgtT42XD3WL9f-eJGpbVpNyW7lNono4kgPslJRiXV7h7tL6AHI__Rvvb81/s320/spell_bunz.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"K.C.," observed Buck Private Smith, "You seem to have found your voice." He did not disagree. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As usual, victory eluded us, and above you can see Nancy Dean, Priscilla Vincent, and Sandra Dell savoring their win. The Spell Chicks of the Norwich Women's Club were delighted, as were we. That organization does so much for the community.</div><br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here we are, performing the 2010 version of our signature "Shh!" cheer, which was accompanied by a sort of seated choreography.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Spelling Bee has become one of my favorite events. It has just the right balance of silliness and stimulation to capture my heart. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Maybe we'll study next year. Who knows?</div>Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-24365113137027686492010-03-17T11:54:00.014-04:002010-03-18T15:08:25.861-04:00TTBOOK Explores the Fascinating Nooks and Crannies of Living and Thinking<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSd-HoPmE08Fog80ks-TRrvH6RGG7SIjBc5m4KK4KSGqbIz5pTO5fE1E0sFetcUqtOwyCWOIm2Ic8qUrfzSJl907Crv6SjKQYTTrJbnq84Quj1Rjw6fLR8NBG7fJFRDzwat0vsjArdst1/s1600-h/strainchamps_anne1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSd-HoPmE08Fog80ks-TRrvH6RGG7SIjBc5m4KK4KSGqbIz5pTO5fE1E0sFetcUqtOwyCWOIm2Ic8qUrfzSJl907Crv6SjKQYTTrJbnq84Quj1Rjw6fLR8NBG7fJFRDzwat0vsjArdst1/s320/strainchamps_anne1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449634548248236866" /></a> This post isn't about the library.<br />
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I'm breaking form to sing the praises of a most stimulating new show on Vermont Public Radio, To the Best of Our Knowledge. It's the creation of a team of very bright people in Wisconsin, one of which is the daughter of our patrons Edmond and Susan Strainchamps, interesting people in and of themselves, as so many NPL patrons are. That's the lovely, lively, and very bright Anne Strainchamps in the photo.<br />
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You can catch To the Best of Our Knowledge, (shortened to TTBOOK for acronymic convenience)at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoons. If you find yourself away from the radio on Saturday afternoon, you can catch the podcast at your convenience through ITunes.<br />
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TTBOOK, which features Jim Fleming as the anchor and Anne Strainchamps and husband Steve Paulson as principal interviewers, organizes episodes around themes. Yesterday I did my quilting to a show organized around physics, and another on the hive mind. This morning I listened to a podcast on writers and writing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMAgg3-fTg8XZKHYIX3yrlC8HLw6sxwLXR2odQlvsQEmYVv4hQyKlhTiJk5CliVrLHLqohKCa61r7JnEGDc7WgA7ucS5qFaZeqpjiVoTHy2Sx2BuHFJHH58GsKoBns7wfuNlexkuVPVpE/s1600-h/paulson1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMAgg3-fTg8XZKHYIX3yrlC8HLw6sxwLXR2odQlvsQEmYVv4hQyKlhTiJk5CliVrLHLqohKCa61r7JnEGDc7WgA7ucS5qFaZeqpjiVoTHy2Sx2BuHFJHH58GsKoBns7wfuNlexkuVPVpE/s200/paulson1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449639942876636210" /></a><br />
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The physics show focused on physics in all directions--the necessity of physics knowledge for the President of the US, a profile of the family of High Everett, who hatched the theory of parallel universes, a discussion of eccentric physicists, and physics-based literature, including a novel on Newton and physics poetry.<br />
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The Hive Mind featured everything from an expert on honeybees to swarm intelligence to a critique of the hive mind in a culture impacted by communications technology. An episode on the writing life featured an interview with John Cheever's biographer, an interview with novelists Elizabeth Strout and Marilynne Robinson, and one with writing workshop diva Natalie Goldberg. Great stuff!<br />
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I've subscribed to TTBOOK's podcasts. They're wonderfully enriching and energizing. Anne, Steve, and Jim are able interviewers, and I both admire their skill and envy them the opportunities they create for themselves in pursuing such fascinating topics.<br />
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Susan and Edmond, you must be terribly proud. As for me--I'm addicted.Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-70314222300258912712010-03-05T15:17:00.006-05:002010-03-05T16:09:56.778-05:00Embracing Hannah-Mania<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJ2jfYNPjsvx76vMhdibwCvNUPtBn0Ozt2veKaQAQBsE9iYlAABKTZ-Uk831jHGtYDSXuzF6VWm7w19ZquWb6CeVoPLxxXtt6q27KbXviRyGK3CgpsypWkqp7c7a2dvHY57iTZkwuEyHV/s1600-h/Hannah_Kearney.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJ2jfYNPjsvx76vMhdibwCvNUPtBn0Ozt2veKaQAQBsE9iYlAABKTZ-Uk831jHGtYDSXuzF6VWm7w19ZquWb6CeVoPLxxXtt6q27KbXviRyGK3CgpsypWkqp7c7a2dvHY57iTZkwuEyHV/s320/Hannah_Kearney.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445246704487221970" /></a><br />Don't ever mistake us bookish types as being indifferent to Olympic glory, especially when it's rooted in our community.<br /><br />Like Hannah Kearney fans everywhere in the Upper Valley, we were excited about her triumphant parade through the towns that claim her. Lisa very graciously agreed to tend the fort while Lucinda, Wendy, and I went in shifts to celebrate with the rest of the town.<br /><br />I took the early shift, and in came Hannah, in a blaze of VW Bug glory, waving while the children (I count myself among these) yelled and waved. Hannah did us one better--taking pictures of the crowd on her own camera. She hopped out of the car and walked down the street, high-fiving the children who reached out to her, accepted a hat in the shape of a Seuss-like birthday cake, and headed for the bandstand while she graciously listened to everybody older than she say nice things about her. I hopped around with the library's digital camera, firing away, reveling in the beauty of the community and the talent, spunk, and tenacity of the young woman we were celebrating.<br /><br />At that point my shift was up, and sighing, I returned to my library duties. I handed off the camera to the arriving Lucinda and came back, delighted by the very warm and delightful Olympic champion who knew just how to connect with kids, who quickly donned the signed tee shirt that Dan Frasier gave her, and who seemed the very ideal of the hometown girl who knows where she came from. I went home and raved about what a wonderful person she seemed to be, how like the good-hearted community she came from.<br /><br />A few days rolled by, and as I was working the desk, a young woman came in with a poster rolled up under her arm. She waited patiently while I checked out a book. I thought she was one of the many people who come in seeking bulletin board space for posters. "May I help you?" I asked.<br /><br />"I just wanted to leave this poster for the library," she said, handing it to me, along with an envelope that said, "For NPL from Hannah Kearney."<br /><br />That magic name! I asked, "Oh, Hannah Kearney! How is she? Where is she?" hoping for a little news.<br /><br />"Uh, right here. I'm Hannah," she said.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Great visual memory, Lulu.</span> I'd only watched her perfect moguls run a dozen times on the Internet. Maybe if she'd come in in helmet and goggles... Hannah grinned at my gaffe and shook my hand and asked my name. Very personable, as lovely up close as she was from the bandstand the week before. <br /><br />The poster I'd assumed was for the bulletin board turned out to be a signed and suitable for framing picture of Hannah; the envelope contained the proceeds of the Hannah bumper sticker sale at Dan & Whit's.<br /><br />WOW! <br /><br />We will be framing the poster. We are most grateful for the donation. Most of all, we are warmed by the down-to-earth spirit of our town's young champion. <br /><br />If you needed to create a perfect Olympic champion, full of heart and mind, of agile and disciplined body, you couldn't do better than the young woman we already have.<br /><br />Thanks, Hannah. All your stars are out, and it couldn't happen to a nicer person.Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-39024993695114908422010-02-08T15:00:00.006-05:002010-02-08T15:27:11.091-05:00The Food-Fine-Forgive Connection<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4V_GG2vcGOqD5JldNGQqUuz6YMnZPoP30VofcsgGp0fEuVdea3olgD4HNrO_t9BWcMgiv1InTC1w_fbs0ufPV3PDicTSq3mLrUF71yDk66KHR9i7ldfqAQMulHdAKnFLlY5ywmx-t6wdV/s1600-h/food-drive.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 145px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4V_GG2vcGOqD5JldNGQqUuz6YMnZPoP30VofcsgGp0fEuVdea3olgD4HNrO_t9BWcMgiv1InTC1w_fbs0ufPV3PDicTSq3mLrUF71yDk66KHR9i7ldfqAQMulHdAKnFLlY5ywmx-t6wdV/s200/food-drive.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435970930009624914" /></a><br />This is the week of the Norwich Lions' food drive on behalf of the Haven, and NPL is playing a modest role as drop-off point for contributions of comestibles. <br /><br />We're kicking up our commitment to the drive with this offer: in return for an item of food from the Lions' recommended list, we'll waive a fine on an individual item.<br /><br />What items are recommended? Juices top the list as most-needed. Also on the list:<br />cereal<br />jelly<br />pasta<br />Mac&Cheese<br />rice side dishes<br />canned fruit<br />canned vegetables<br />baked beans<br />canned beef stew<br />canned chili<br />peanut butter<br />instant mashed potatoes<br />tuna<br />canned tomatoes<br />baking mixes<br />baby formula<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaJ4DSRrM2hJuh_3Ow7yg5sRyR_Ylid1Tq3khXJIbBGCEnbT1yciOaFJaZJBFJJaKA2AwCVCv2iZyW-QiytTSRqiHWiQ2TKhpCsKdwjPIMVndawtGG2hoPA5VPVgj4Ja6vEwhGHD21xJo/s1600-h/LionsBlue.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaJ4DSRrM2hJuh_3Ow7yg5sRyR_Ylid1Tq3khXJIbBGCEnbT1yciOaFJaZJBFJJaKA2AwCVCv2iZyW-QiytTSRqiHWiQ2TKhpCsKdwjPIMVndawtGG2hoPA5VPVgj4Ja6vEwhGHD21xJo/s200/LionsBlue.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435970131541051442" /></a><br />So drop by with your items. The donation box is set up by the circulation desk. Give us a heads-up, and we'll remove a fine on an item for you. Bring in two recommended items, and we'll remove two fines, three and we'll remove three fines, and so on.<br /><br />Thanks in advance. In these times your generosity is especially appreciated.Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-87489273126560091802010-01-15T14:59:00.002-05:002010-01-15T15:22:29.844-05:00The New Year's Must-Have Accessory<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfP15yINAvRhCnqeAB00tZ9CWCH-4k7ARqaigahbbXF6AexTIFqkZzPplAjpkk3Fuy3upAdx2iriRcKFWaMEs-_p5QnpLAllWwVFdO8X78GihgIBzxMQS_PrmsF2HCUZuclGvBbm1FZsY/s1600-h/norwitch.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfP15yINAvRhCnqeAB00tZ9CWCH-4k7ARqaigahbbXF6AexTIFqkZzPplAjpkk3Fuy3upAdx2iriRcKFWaMEs-_p5QnpLAllWwVFdO8X78GihgIBzxMQS_PrmsF2HCUZuclGvBbm1FZsY/s320/norwitch.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427059072554773058" /></a><br />It's great to have a secret pal, especially one with special powers.<br /><br />Ours has the power to send sweet-faced people bearing tidy little sums of money into the library.<br /><br />The Norwitch, as s/he signs on the local list serve, has launched a campaign of unity and good will that includes the library. Request one of the keen bumper stickers, and the Norwitch will slip over to the main post office at White River Junction, someone told me, the better to keep his/her identity secret. The request? Walk into the library and give 'em five bucks for each sticker.<br /><br />We have nothing to do with the production and distribution of the sticker, but we seem to be beneficiaries. How nice is that?<br /><br />And so this week we have have the pleasure of a variety of patrons walking up to the Circulation Desk, bearing the cash that corresponds to the number of bumper stickers sent their way. <br /><br />The Norwitch is a sort of post-holiday Secret Angel. Someone out in the vast tracts of Norwich's lovely and lively acres has figured out a way to bring a smile to our little librarians' lips. <br /><br />Who is our benefactor? It's as much fun to guess as it is not to know. After all, not knowing makes everyone a potential library supporter. I do have my suspicions, but they are all I have.<br /><br />The generosity of the Norwitch and the willingness of holders of the bumper sticker to carry the kindness forward certainly send us into 2010 with a spring in our step.<br /><br />Just another reason that this non-resident holds this community close to her heart.Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-80790039963727748322009-12-18T13:25:00.002-05:002009-12-18T13:33:46.840-05:00A One-of-a-Kind Gift<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENFixCdnEKYxphJZ7dS5s6K912vQNtBWMElOzAItusf-juB6Lq2lMpAaHZKPes0MznuEmhomjd-klrDz375U-gVcaCZ7fo54UhzepYpmjDI4ncIJ5K2uZJ1iUX8EBV-j4HZ4ef-ehjjPi/s1600-h/pursepic.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENFixCdnEKYxphJZ7dS5s6K912vQNtBWMElOzAItusf-juB6Lq2lMpAaHZKPes0MznuEmhomjd-klrDz375U-gVcaCZ7fo54UhzepYpmjDI4ncIJ5K2uZJ1iUX8EBV-j4HZ4ef-ehjjPi/s320/pursepic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416644426379940802" /></a><br /><br />At the risk of sounding a little "too, too--" I have to say that for those of us of modest means, it's a challenge to find a one-of-a-kind gift for a special someone.<br /><br />Here's a great opportunity for the bookish person in your life: the raffling off of an altered book in the form of a handbag.<br /><br />Nothing says Christmas like Dickens, and here he is in a stylish purse, ready to make any number of fashion statements. Dickens, of course, made many statements, fashionable and otherwise, in the course of his rich, creative life.<br /><br />This little number will be raffled off tonight at Norwich Night, that frisky celebration of the frolics and foibles of one of the Upper Valley's most interesting towns.<br /><br />Chances are a dollar apiece, or 6 for five dollars.<br /><br />Who will win this wonderful bag?Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-28293933495420379972009-11-05T14:19:00.009-05:002009-11-05T15:07:40.642-05:00Book Bags at Last!They've been a long time coming--book bags to serve the needs of local reading clubs. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p1D6c4tsUef_NyWhpAFgYnXC0eGrw_xQM2tcVFDAEEjU7dSuoFGosqGh-eBYNxMfEOIogVEKolETcEAFVQglKDpC9lG4AazmUnjLha65WMLbfWh0x9Mlf8_Z0IRGqORpk-bhCJNQCEbK/s1600-h/IMG_0608.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p1D6c4tsUef_NyWhpAFgYnXC0eGrw_xQM2tcVFDAEEjU7dSuoFGosqGh-eBYNxMfEOIogVEKolETcEAFVQglKDpC9lG4AazmUnjLha65WMLbfWh0x9Mlf8_Z0IRGqORpk-bhCJNQCEbK/s320/IMG_0608.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400701429574281938" /></a><br />It's as I told the Mascoma Foundation when I wrote the original grant application: members of a book club adopt a title for reading and discussion, then they fan out to their library, hoping to be among the first to check it out. A hold queue forms, with six-seven members, all waiting for their turn at the book. Patrons who are waiting then wonder whether they will attend their next meeting with the book unread.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvLXcTdP6-mHMprnCmiQ6Ta6dJDjHZrmSOiIOxa1LUr9H-EIWHT6KFMRymkZciEjYiNWIjAQYtbNVG2DV77LbwmReERyOr9mWsi4sric-eZNIVI-pnt64Z0sHFarmrKv8qrBLkyPIuOFD/s1600-h/geobliss.gif.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvLXcTdP6-mHMprnCmiQ6Ta6dJDjHZrmSOiIOxa1LUr9H-EIWHT6KFMRymkZciEjYiNWIjAQYtbNVG2DV77LbwmReERyOr9mWsi4sric-eZNIVI-pnt64Z0sHFarmrKv8qrBLkyPIuOFD/s200/geobliss.gif.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400709125255625378" /></a><br />We haven't been the first to identify and tackle this community need: the Howe Library in Hanover deserves that credit. Their Books To Go program is the inspiration for ours. Our more modest effort is launching with several initial offerings, with more to come, thanks to the Mascoma Foundation and NPL's own Friends of the Library.<br /><br />Our book bags come with discussion and resource guides. Our bag for <span style="font-style:italic;">Loving Frank</span> includes a set of discussion questions and a resource guide of homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Our bag for <span style="font-style:italic;">the Geography of Bliss</span> has lots of fun material from the International Center for the Study of Happiness in the Netherlands on how one determines one's level of happiness--on a national level! <br /><br />Other bags include one on <span style="font-style:italic;">Mayflower</span> by <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxy5iULEqjnhbEJjDRDJsUN71Lf2O5j32pkdkct-3HIRwqxq8rR6k5MjGPQ0j2tDbs5vVAbmSruvAXL8lCTSkLKRc0Uld7FeAkuWgSwRPw8fU-nHCTxjdYCKGs2Io0bs0Zk36viml1tDq/s1600-h/oscar-wao1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxy5iULEqjnhbEJjDRDJsUN71Lf2O5j32pkdkct-3HIRwqxq8rR6k5MjGPQ0j2tDbs5vVAbmSruvAXL8lCTSkLKRc0Uld7FeAkuWgSwRPw8fU-nHCTxjdYCKGs2Io0bs0Zk36viml1tDq/s200/oscar-wao1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400713159687423682" /></a>Nathaniel Philbrick (just in time to revisit the first Thanksgiving) and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,</span> by Junot Diaz, last year's Pulitzer Prize winner. <br /><br />At your next book club meeting, share this information with your members, and then see if 10 copies of a book, plus a discussion guide and resource materials won't increase the enjoyment and decrease the logistical headaches of your next get-together.<br /><br />P.S.: We're planning to increase our book bag collection and welcome your suggestions.Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-43274090031818344082009-10-30T14:48:00.008-04:002009-10-30T15:14:28.658-04:00Reveling in Story Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuCf21R4TQXOyhF1rN0p-BVJw8sqjvoRjCpl4YjfK2jFbqT600m9A6VmvQw4EOFu3iRHQz_qa8qf-ig0ZRYXI9dLxRdqLLEUip9XTh5PVzecTJZ-puPEMpCN6xVXDO3_zYOHdyp0NIGxo/s1600-h/jane&simon.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuCf21R4TQXOyhF1rN0p-BVJw8sqjvoRjCpl4YjfK2jFbqT600m9A6VmvQw4EOFu3iRHQz_qa8qf-ig0ZRYXI9dLxRdqLLEUip9XTh5PVzecTJZ-puPEMpCN6xVXDO3_zYOHdyp0NIGxo/s200/jane&simon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398471825222410834" /></a><br /><br /><br />One our regulars came in today, and leaned forward. "What are all the cars doing here?" she whispered. "What's going on?"<br /><br />It didn't seem like such a deal to me, but I'm used to Fridays. "It's Lunch at the Library," I said. "Story time and a craft."<br /><br />Children's librarian Beth Reynolds really packs them in. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNS7Qj1-vjlOb8FLjb5QJnNyGnwTyqp110_R5VeeN7G1I7UfNwfqTj3XjxidhwvstTaPyeU8jfTyUzIpcz1guOOTI1d8mVCwQn0HaDgpHhoHnXZDHMl0X2AW8qAnfjRozfZiaIkpgMMBK/s1600-h/cooldonutduo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNS7Qj1-vjlOb8FLjb5QJnNyGnwTyqp110_R5VeeN7G1I7UfNwfqTj3XjxidhwvstTaPyeU8jfTyUzIpcz1guOOTI1d8mVCwQn0HaDgpHhoHnXZDHMl0X2AW8qAnfjRozfZiaIkpgMMBK/s200/cooldonutduo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398472357805323362" /></a><br />You can count on a cluster of topic-related children's books and a craft to follow, once your bag lunch is consumed. Participants have made everything from paper flowers to bats to donuts. Lunch at the Library is best suited to children between 3 and 6 years old.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaj_JSF01OaNW9-u31mR4AZ2pAja8CKPd2NlnESg6Y_FrqF5yMNZDJXGbzljjORf7UtR8OLwSPM2JQLcogb7aUoxUXQ058Mx2D_BPFWcT6sSpc00jq4pOTX4u9Z9AXc0V1arAX-3cVASA/s1600-h/babydino.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgaj_JSF01OaNW9-u31mR4AZ2pAja8CKPd2NlnESg6Y_FrqF5yMNZDJXGbzljjORf7UtR8OLwSPM2JQLcogb7aUoxUXQ058Mx2D_BPFWcT6sSpc00jq4pOTX4u9Z9AXc0V1arAX-3cVASA/s200/babydino.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398472045545621682" /></a><br />For the younger set (infants to age 3), there's Word Play. That's on Wednesday mornings at 10:30. As I sit and type the songs rise from the Community Room and bless this space. Beth offers stories and songs and other forms of word play for developing little talkers. Recently they've also had a chance to offer sneak previews of their Halloween costumes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHEgdfNHJPjhptUDg-ib4brgIsFcat1idg-ENfWtGTKlhfnCP4Ma_PKD7B6mMYkopHDBPiQ2OeNVEBZNpctWlvszeZHLNoQPi5H6pTT6WHgJwmPfdRaElmnnrYnzaLCHXIS44mgNXXuOO/s1600-h/babyfroggie.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 118px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHEgdfNHJPjhptUDg-ib4brgIsFcat1idg-ENfWtGTKlhfnCP4Ma_PKD7B6mMYkopHDBPiQ2OeNVEBZNpctWlvszeZHLNoQPi5H6pTT6WHgJwmPfdRaElmnnrYnzaLCHXIS44mgNXXuOO/s200/babyfroggie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398473437529987922" /></a><br />Working in a library has no shortage of pleasurable moments--delightful patrons, fascinating volunteers, amiable colleagues, numerous books. But for jaw-dropping awww, nothing beats the children coming in and out for story time.Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-57528291114597601002009-09-25T11:50:00.005-04:002009-09-25T12:15:03.298-04:00In the Mood to Circulate? We need you at the desk.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-zxaGwJt4p-4mhRSZ6QDfHk6hDtvxgGq924VtN1mWt0B8cOrqvuAUe17opZ-hm2wBtNyFW9DUKgixevCysSCKqvlpmuun00FraKUcLr8JDFQsEa6EierUiVf6mjUD3xHD0VwZXfwju_w/s1600-h/sophiadesk.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-zxaGwJt4p-4mhRSZ6QDfHk6hDtvxgGq924VtN1mWt0B8cOrqvuAUe17opZ-hm2wBtNyFW9DUKgixevCysSCKqvlpmuun00FraKUcLr8JDFQsEa6EierUiVf6mjUD3xHD0VwZXfwju_w/s320/sophiadesk.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385437103017438866" /></a><br />The seasons change. Volunteers come, some of them go. <br /><br />Repetition is the rhythm of the universe.<br /><br />At NPL we find ourselves at a crossroads of sorts. We've lost a couple of Saturday volunteers and are in the market for new people to staff the circulation desk.<br /><br />What's involved? For most people one Saturday (or fraction thereof) per month. Our Saturday hours are 10-3. Some volunteers split Saturdays, one working 10-12:30, the other taking the 12:30-3 shift.<br /><br />For October we're covered, but come November, we're going to need some new (fill in the blank--<em>talent? blood? energy?</em>)--all of the above.<br /><br />Give us a call at 649-1184 if you can help out. To work at the desk you should not get a case of the vapors from being around computers. (We can otherwise train you). You should like people and present a friendly face to the world.<br /><br />It's actually a lot of fun, according to our volunteers. You see the people you know (in Norwich, a generally delightful experience), get sneak previews of our latest books, CDs, and DVDs, are in on the scuttlebutt of our current programs, activities, and general mischief. We work hard, but we do laugh a lot here. In addition, we ply you with your choice of freshly brewed coffee or tea. You, in turn, develop a sense of indispensability, for volunteers are the life blood of this library.<br /><br />Interested? Call Stephanie Smith at 649-1184. She will thank you kindly.Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159834617020686286.post-83995082924092871442009-07-22T16:34:00.004-04:002009-07-22T17:05:22.391-04:00Calling All Artists, Young and Old(er)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4Pf7WZBlhKhulVQejsOr7VfuDlCTGdU86LWoi3IvFGEacowAwImk7VOe9KCA1umY94kEeukf_WyVtEKzYo_Ts_qpG7KTs-eLmA9jKOT2J5K6CqeLE1_oZApwZD6Jed24iTNm53Bml96C/s1600-h/library+card+contest+art(1).png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4Pf7WZBlhKhulVQejsOr7VfuDlCTGdU86LWoi3IvFGEacowAwImk7VOe9KCA1umY94kEeukf_WyVtEKzYo_Ts_qpG7KTs-eLmA9jKOT2J5K6CqeLE1_oZApwZD6Jed24iTNm53Bml96C/s320/library+card+contest+art(1).png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361385773115147650" /></a><br /><br />NPL is in search of a few good library cards. <br /><br />Okay-- that statement doesn't exactly conjure up images of Tom Cruise throwing out his chest, resplendent in uniform, but the sentiment remains true.<br /><br />As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of NPL's expansion, we find ourselves in our usual state of growth. That's what working with the L-Team of Lucinda and Lisa brings: lots of learning--these women have definite pioneer tendencies. NPL is the first library in the state to go over to the state-of-the-art web-based Koha software, the benefits of which I will extol in a future blog. For now, suffice it to say that this milestone calls for another creative effort from our amazing community.<br /><br />So it is that NPL launches its library card design contest. Shiny new software fairly begs for a great new card, or two.<br /><br />The contest calls for two new cards: a Youth card (to age 15), and an Adult card (ages 16 and over). <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Deadline for submissions is September 1.</span> Entries will be displayed at our Tenth Anniversary Party September 12, and the public will have a chance to vote on the entries till October 1.<br /><br />We're hoping for lots of entries. Guidelines are available at the circulation desk.<br /><br />Please take your best shot at a modest form of immortality and think about how the phrase "My Library" resonates for you.Lulu, the Dewey Damehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18219202729912930645noreply@blogger.com0