Vol. 8 No. 49 Dec 21, 2006

OFF THE SHELF
A WEEKLY LIBRARY NEWSLETTER
Vol. 8 No. 49 Dec 21, 2006

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah ! Gung hay fat choy! Shalom! Salaam!
Peace...to all people everywhere.

Holiday Greetings to all of our readers from the Staff and Trustees of the Reading Public Library.

The Library will be closed on Saturday, December 23 and on Monday, December 25 for the Christmas holiday. The Library will re-open at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 26.


QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned, and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting.”

Louisa May Alcott
Little Women, Chapter 2


LAST CALL FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPING
There are only a few days left to pick up great holiday gifts at the Library! The Friends of the Library holiday store features a number of children’s and adult titles at significant discounts. All of the books on sale were personally selected by librarians, so you can be assured that the recipient will be delighted! Hurry in soon before they are gone!


BIBLIOBABBLERS: THE BOOKSELLER OF KABUL

“There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away,”
Emily Dickinson

The next selection for Bibliobabblers, our Adult Book Discussion Group is The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, a book which is guaranteed to take you to “lands away” and to provide you with an astounding reading experience!

Asne Seierstad, a Norwegian female journalist, had the extraordinary opportunity to live with and write a book about the extended family of Sultan Khan, bookseller and entrepreneur in the city of Kabul. Her powerful account tells of the tragedy, contradictions, rivalries, and daily frustrations of this family, and of all Afghani families living under fundamentalist Islam. Seierstad lived with Khan's family for months, experiencing first-hand Afghani life as few outsiders have seen it. Stepping back from the page, she allows the Khans to speak for themselves, giving us a genuinely “gripping and moving portrait of a family, and of a country of great cultural riches and extreme contradictions.”

Bibliobabblers will meet on Tuesday evening, January 9 at 7:00 p.m. The discussion of this compelling book will be led by Cherrie Dubois. All are welcome. Books are available now at the Circulation Desk.


UPCOMING EVENTS FOR ALL OF YOU LIVEWIRES!
We have been so delighted by the initial response to LiveWires, our new program for active, older adults. Our first two programs were very well attended and successful. We look forward to presenting two more exciting programs in January!

LIVEWIRES PRESENTS
JANUARY 16: NOBODY’S FOOL STARRING PAUL NEWMAN
Nobody’s Fool is the first event in our book and film series, highlighting topics of interest to active, older adults. In Nobody’s Fool, Paul Newman gives an unforgettable performance as Sully, a cantankerous aging man living in a small, snowbound town in New York. At a much younger age, Sully walked out on his family. Now, his son and grandson have dropped back into his life, and it’s finally time to make things right….

This movie will provide rich material for discussion… about the commitments we make to ourselves and others, the importance of independence, the resposnibility we have to our families, and the ability to make amends. The discussion will be led by Roberta Taylor, a certified life coach, who has specialized in working with people at midlife and beyond.

It’s a heartwarming story told with intelligence and humor, and we hope the discussion will provide a stimulating and enriching experience for all who attend! A light dinner will be provided at 6:00 p.m., followed by screening of the film at 6:30, and then the discussion.

For those people who are not able to attend the dinner and screening, the Library has purchased additional copies of the film which you can check out for previewing. Those who can't attend the entire program are most welcome to come just for the discussion which will begin at approximately 8:15 p.m. Hope to see you at the movie!


COFFEE AND MORE
JANUARY 23: BALD AS A BEAN FEATURING AUTHOR NANCY PARSONS
Nancy Parsons developed alopecia areata totalis (total hair loss over the entire body) in 2003 and after experiencing a number of emotions (horror, fear, embarrassment, depression, grief and loss) she made the decision to accept the reality of her baldness. Writing was part of the acceptance process, and her book, Bald as a Bean, was the result.

Ms. Parsons will be joining us on January 23 to talk about her book, her experiences with alopecia, and her spiritual and emotional journey to acceptance. She has come through the terrible ordeal of total hair loss a much wiser woman. Although we may never experience alopecia ourselves, there are few among us who will not suffer some type of unexpected adversity in our lives. How do we learn to cope and to accept? We can learn from each other, and Nancy Parsons has much to teach us all. The program will begin at 10:00 a.m. and light refreshments will be served.

Copies of Bald as a Bean are available to check out now. Look for them where you will find other LiveWires books and materials in the fiction area, near the Copy Machine. All books purchased with funds from the LiveWires grant are identified by a special “thunderbolt” logo. If you have any difficulty locating the LiveWires collection or specific titles, just ask! We are always happy to help you!


TECH TIP
MAKE THOSE TOOLBAR BUTTONS BIGGER!
by Andrea Mercado, Reference & Techie Librarian

Let's say you're sitting at your computer, using Microsoft Excel. Maybe you're trying to manage your holiday gift budget, figuring out some last minute financials for the 2006 fiscal year, or updating your mailing list for the annual newsletter. As if Excel isn't confusing enough on its own, the buttons in the toolbar are just... so... *small*.

There's a way to fix this.
1. Go to Tools, then click on "Customize".
2. Click the tab at the top titled "Options".
3. Under "Other" in the bottom half of the dialog box, check the Large Icons box.
4. Click the Close button.

Voila! Your buttons are now bigger and more legible. As a bonus tip, holding your mouse cursor over any button for a second or two will pop up a little box with text that tells you what that button does.

You can use this tip at home, at work, or even here in the library. This option also seems to appear in most of the other Microsoft Office applications, and you get to it using the same instructions as listed above. There, now eye strain is one less thing to worry about around the holidays. Happy merry!


WE’RE FAMOUS!
You may have heard about blogs and RSS feeds, you may be a regular blog reader, or you may even be a blogger yourself! Libraries increasingly use blogs and RSS feeds to reach out to users, while many librarians blog daily on a range of personal and professional topics. Our own Reference and Techie librarian, Andrea Mercado, is well-known as a blogger in the Library world, and is co-manager for the official blog of the Public Library Association. Andrea has been in the forefront of providing and promoting the newest technological developments, such as blogs and RSS feeds, and is well known as a conference presenter. We are extremely proud to have Andrea on our staff.

Andrea (and the Reading Public Library) are featured in a newly published book, entitled Blogging and RSS: A Librarian's Guide by Michael P. Sauers (Information Today, 2006). This book is a professional guide for librarians, and is likely to be read by librarians all across the United States.

Off the Shelf also receives two minutes of fame by its inclusion in Mr. Sauer’s book. Did you know that Off the Shelf is a blog? I use blogging software each week to post Off the Shelf to the Library’s website: http://www.readingpl.org/weblog/offtheshelf.htm . Mr. Sauer’s book includes several excerpts from Off the Shelf, which is presented as an example of a “useful and interesting blog.”


CHILDREN’S MUSEUM CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS
Recently the Boston Children’s Museum announced its biggest expansion project ever. The museum will be adding 23,000 square feet and renovating the existing Museum in order to provide a new outdoor park, as well as expanded services and programs inside the Museum. The construction will begin on January 1, 2007 and will take approximately three to four months. The Museum will be closed to visitors during this time.

As the Museum will be closed, we have discarded the discount coupons for January 1 through April 31. The Library will be receiving additional coupons when the Museum reopens to compensate for the closure.

You can read all about the plans for the new museum at http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/newmuseum/


WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
TRACK SANTA
http://www.noradsanta.org/
Did you know that for the past 50 years, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) has been tracking Santa? When will Santa be coming to your house? Check out NORAD'S SantaCam to find out!

How does it work? Starting early in the morning of 24 December, NORAD personnel will be picking up Santa on their consoles. Based on careful record-keeping from years past, and employing highly skilled radar and satellite technicians, NORAD can usually determine exactly where Santa is throughout Christmas Eve.

A map of the world will be posted on www.noradsanta.org on Christmas Eve that will pinpoint a few of the thousands of places Santa visits. NORAD will be updating the map all night long, showing you where Santa is at every moment, where he's been and where he's going. Clicking on that map will display SantaCam videos of his journey. This site also provide lots of great activities (including Christmas puzzles, coloring pages, and Christmas music) for kids, parents, and teachers.

Obviously, tracking Santa is serious business. It requires a lot of expensive equipment and people working very hard around the clock to monitor his whereabouts. Thanks to the men and women of the United States Military, who take the time, and have the heart and the sense of humor, to create this wonderful website for children.


DO YOU KNOW A GREAT WEBSITE?
If you have a favorite website, send it in! If we feature it in Off the Shelf, you'll get either $1.00 worth of free photocopies, or $1.00 worth of free computer printouts. Plus you will be listed as an official Off the Shelf contributor in the next issue! Just send your entries to RPLfeed@noblenet.org.


NEW BOOKS, MOVIES, AND MORE
To see the list of library materials purchased this month, follow this link: http://www.readingpl.org/lists.html


TEEN SPOT TIDBITS
What to do over Christmas vacation? There’s a lot going on for teens at the Library. Come on in and check it out:

Movie Event!
The Reading Public Library will be showing the complete “Lord of the Rings” trilogy during the school vacation week. Although this is a Teen Services sponsored event, we welcome everyone to join us on our trip to Middle Earth (please note these are all rated PG-13).

•Fellowship of the Ring—Tuesday, December 26 @ 2-5:30 p.m.
•Two Towers—Wednesday, December 27 @ 2-6 p.m.
•Return of the King—Thursday, December 28 @ 2-6 p.m.

DDR is Back!
The Library has Dance Dance Revolution game pads and you can play here for FREE! On December 30, we will be having an "Open Play” session where everyone can participate and it’s just for fun. So kick off your shoes and show us what you can do! The fun is from 2:00-4:00 p.m., in the large Meeting Room. This event is for teens in grades 6 through 12.

Check out the teen page on the Library’s website to check out the new teen books for November, and to see a list of all the videogames now available. What else is available for teens at the Library? Homework help, magazines, graphic novels, downloadable audiobooks, museum passes, music CD’s , computers with Internet access, online resources for fun and research, comfortable chairs in the Teen Spot, vending machines for drinks and snacks, wireless access anywhere in the Library, and so much more!

For more news on teen services and programs, great recommended reading, and homework help on the web, pick up a copy of “Teen Spot Tidbits” in the Teen Spot!


WHAT’S HAPPENING @ YOUR LIBRARY!
All events listed take place at the Reading Public Library, 64 Middlesex Avenue, Reading, unless otherwise noted.

Saturday, December 23 – Monday, December 25: Library Closed for Christmas Holiday

Tuesday, December 26: Word of Mouth. Informal chat about books with Reference Librarian, Kathy Miksis, in the Conference Room. 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday, December 26: Movie Event: Fellowship of the Rings. Looking for something to do during vacation? Join us for a public showing of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings. Refreshments will be served. This PG-13 movie is a free event and no registration is required. 2:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 27: DDR for Kids. Kids in grades 1-5 can come and dance, dance, dance with Dance Dance Revolution! Teen experts will be on hand to help out. Free. No registration necessary. 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Wednesday, December 27: Movie Event: The Two Towers. The quest continues as we show the next in this award winning trilogy Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. This PG-13 movie is a free event and no registration is required. Refreshments will be served. 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 28: Movie Event: The Return of the King. Join us for a showing of the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's Academy Award Winning PG-13 movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Refreshments will be served at this free event. 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 30: Announcement of the new title for Slackers Book Club—the book club for people who don’t want to be committed!

Saturday, December 30: Dance Dance Revolution. Teens in grades 6-12 are invited to join us at this 'Open Play' event. Show us your moves as we DDR Extreme and To the Max! Refreshments will be served and no registration is required for this FREE event. 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Monday, January 1: Library Closed for New Year’s Holiday

Friday, January 5: Infant/Toddler Sing-a-long with Peter Sheridan. No registration is necessary. Sponsored by the Friends of the Reading Public Library. 10:15 a.m.


That’s all for now,
Elizabeth


LIBRARY HOURS
Mondays 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Tuesdays 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Wednesdays 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Thursdays 1 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Fridays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturdays 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.


Please drop us a line at rplfeed@noblenet.org to let us know what you think.
Visit the RPL website at www.readingpl.org