Hearts and Hands

If you want to fall in love with a whole group of people at one time, get to know some volunteers.

It's often said that busy people get more done, and that has to be the case with our bunch.

They're from everywhere: England, France, Holland, Scotland, and beautiful downtown Vermont. (Someone once said that the whole state's a small town.)

They do and have done everything: parenting, painting, poetry-writing, proof-reading, engineering, musicologizing, theologizing. And I'm not even started!

This afternoon a group of third-graders is outside, taking leaves and picking up fallen branches.

Last night Mike was here paying bills, and Anne and Stefanie were running the circulation desk. They were chatting with Sandi about the Mother's Day plant sale, which they will run under the auspices of the Friends organization. (More about that group soon.)

They're all amazing people with the energy of community. We're incredibly lucky.

Thanks, volunteers.

NPL Volunteer Writes from along the Trail

Some of the most interesting people I've ever met are NPL volunteers. I"ve met grandmothers, techies, lawyers, doctors, theologians, and veterans, just to name a few. They are truly an outstanding group.

We just received a card from Linda Pierce, book wrapper extraordinaire. Linda was writing from Indian Creek Falls (pictured here) in the Great Smoky Mountains. Linda, a nurse at DHMC, has zoomed in regularly to wrap our books in the protective wrappings that help them to survive being loved by many different readers.

I say has zoomed in because we are Linda-less for the next six months, while Linda hikes the 2173-mile Appalachian Trail, all on her own. Linda is a hardy lass, aglow with fitness and good health, and I have no doubt that she will be successful in her quest. I have fretted about the isolation and safety aspects of the journey, but after the video I just borrowed from NPL's collection, I feel a little better.

The DVD is Walking in Freedom, and it's a film made by a hiker who made the journey. I was glad to see that hikers may set out alone, but in the process of taking on this challenge, they quickly bond with others who may be just the helping hand they will need in a tough spot.

There are people in towns along the trail who welcome hikers to rest a bit, to take the half-gallon challenge (eat a half-gallon of ice cream in a sitting), or to consume platter-sized pancakes, since calories are no object. Hiker-friendly boarding houses and camp shelters bring people together, too.

No one can fail to recognize the daunting challenge that hikers face, but it's good to know that there will be some supportive souls along the way. Check out the DVD and take a peek at Linda's journey.

Poets Circle to Meet Again April 15

The Poets' Circle, an ongoing group for writers of poetry, will meet again on April 15, from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Community Room.

Anne Shivas, coordinator of the group, spearheaded its creation in order to create a community of poets in the Upper Valley.

Activities of the group vary from meeting to meeting. They all brought love poems to share during the February meeting.

During the April meeting members will bring a favorite poem by a published poet for discussion.

A Worthy Tradition: Poetry Night is April 20

Here we go again! Join us Friday, April 20, for the merriment that brings together two of life's finest offerings: poetry and dessert, for the Poetry Potluck. We'll start reading and munching at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room.

This event is open to everyone: grandparents, grandkids, and everyone in between. Bring a dessert to share, and a favorite poem--yours, if you write them; someone else's if you are a reader-enthusiast.

This is our second annual event, one that we hope to turn into a cherished tradition. Last year over 30 poetry lovers of all ages joined us to celebrate the music of the spoken word.

NPL, hoping to provide local poets with a gathering place, also hosts the Poetry Round Table one Sunday a month. In that group, poets bring their work to share in a supportive group environment. More about that group in an upcoming blog.

Life Preserving Information

You have no doubt read about the big recall of pet food manufactured by Menu Foods. It's huge. And the culprit has turned out to be rat poison.

Rat poison!

You won't find a can of Menu Foods Kitty Giblets in your pantry, but you may see Menu-supplied Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Ol' Roy, and others. Menu is quite a supplier to many familiar brands.

By now the recalled foods have been pulled from store shelves. But it's important for us all to check our pantries. Did we buy any of the trainted foods before word got out?

Alert library friend and volunteer Stefanie Bernstein provided us with specific information on the recall. We printed it out and have placed it at the Circulation Desk for your convenience. She also provided us with a link to web sites for manufacturers impacted by the recall.

Click on the linked headline above to go to the web site. You'll find specific information and additional links to Iams, Eukanuba, and Science Diet.

Here's to the health and safety of our pets!

Targeted for Censorship: This Year's 'Champs'

A storybook based on an incident in the Central Park Zoo has attracted the most challenges for 2006, according to the American Library Association's Office on Intellectual Freedom.

And Tango Makes Three has drawn fire in children's libraries and elementary schools for what critics call its "favorable portrayal of homosexuality." It's about a pair of male penguins who parent an egg from a mixed sex pair of penguins who have one egg too many.

The Top Ten challenged books include, along with their recorded complaints:

• And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• Gossip Girls series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language;
  
  
• Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language;
  
  
• The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity;
  
  
• Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.
  
  
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group
  
  
• Beloved by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group;
  
  
• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.

The ALA logged 546 challenges last year. The organization defines a challenges as a formal writen complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. Public libraries, schools, and school libraries report the majority of challenges. Not all challenges are reported, however.

Children's librarian Beth Reynolds reports that NPL owns a copy of Tango. "It goes out all the time, because it's a nice story," she says.

Unplugged Fun

As you might imagine, Norwich Public Library is happily involved in Norwich Unplugged, a celebration that's grown from a week to the entire month of March. Join us at the library for these fun family events:

Monday, March 12--Book Character Party. Conspire with your children to create book character costumes, then join us from 3:30-4:30 p.m. to enjoy the results. For elementary aged children.
Monday, March 26--Library Night! Come play board games from 6 to 8 p.m. Parents and kids welcome!
Thursday, March 29--Scrap Booking at NPL. Bring some photos and put them into the fun format of a scrap book. It's from 7 to 8 p.m. For parents and children.

Consider the library as a resource for other Unplugged activities as well. We have lots of jigsaw puzzles (March 20), and our Friends Book Sale is the perfect follow-up to Floribunda on March 17. You can even pick up cards at Floribunda that will entitle you to a 10% discount at the book sale. The No Homework, No Meetings Night of March 21 can be enhanced with some of our magazines. We have them for all ages.

It's your library. Let us work for you!