Vol. 9; no. 30; August 23, 2007

OFF THE SHELF
A WEEKLY LIBRARY NEWSLETTER
Vol. 9; no. 30; August 23, 2007


QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I cannot remember a time when I was not in love with them — with the books themselves, cover and binding and the paper they were printed on, with their smell and their weight and with their possession in my arms,captured and carried off to myself.”

Eudora Welty



SING, MOVE, CREATE!
On Tuesday, August 28, children ages 4 to 8 are invited to enjoy a visit from Michele DeMartinis, director of Michele's Music School, as she presents a program of singing, movement, hands-on instrument play, simple music theory activities, drama and more! Just drop in! The program is from 10:15 to 11.a.m.



BEST BOOK I READ THIS SUMMER
Last week, I invited Off the Shelf readers to write in and share their favorite book of the summer. What was I thinking? Of course, Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows beat all the competition hands down! Here are a few other books that our readers have enjoyed:

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan.
Plato and a Platypus...Walked into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Lean, Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
Leviathan: The History of Whaling In America by Eric Jay Dolin
The Maytrees by Annie Dillard
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Hard Way by Lee Child
Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey.

Don’t forget that the Adult Summer Reading Program ends tomorrow! This is your last chance to participate! Drop your entry form in the “(Flip)Flop House ” near the Information Desk, or submit your entry online from our Readers' Advisory webpage. All entries must be submitted by 5:00 p.m., Friday, August 25. The winner will receive a great prize!



MAGIC SUMMER READING PROGRAM
Another wonderful summer of reading, listening and magical activities for children is almost over. Kids, make sure all reading and listening time is logged in by 5:00 pm. on Saturday, August 26, the last day of this year’s Summer Reading Program. Congratulations, Readers and Listeners!



COFFE AND MORE PRESENTS
ALAN FOULDS, AUTHOR OF BOSTON'S BALLPARKS AND ARENAS
Most Reading residents know Alan Foulds. He has been a Reading resident for 27+ years, and is currently Reading Town Moderator. He also chaired Reading's 350th anniversary celebration committee, and is well known as a local historian. Mr. Foulds has written articles on Reading and New England history, and is a contributing author to At Wood End, the Historyof Reading which was published in 1994.

But did you know that Alan Foulds is also the author of a very unique and unusual sports book? In 2005, Boston’s Ballparks and Arenas was published by he University Press of New England. It is a breezy and engaging overview of sports, especially baseball, in Boston told through the stories of its parks and arenas.

From the South End Grounds to Fenway Park, from Boston Garden to Gillette Stadium, the history of sports in Boston has been tied to the parks and arenas in which the teams have met and the athletes competed. Beloved but abandoned sites such as the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Braves Field, and the Garden are recalled by Boston fans with the same fondness Brooklynites feel for Ebbets Field, while contemporary stadiums maintain the region’s proud athletic tradition. This is the first book to tell the story of sports in Boston through the stories of these venues, and it is
both entertaining as history, and chock full of interesting sports stories, tidbits, and sidebars.

On Tuesday, September 11, Mr. Foulds will be our guest and will speak about his book, and the stories it tells. This program is sponsored by LiveWires, the Library’s program for people age 55 and up. It will be of interest, however, to sports fans of all ages, history buffs, and aspiring authors. Please join us. All are welcome! The program begins at 10:00 and as always coffee and refreshments will be served.



TECH TIP: NEED BASIC SKILLS? CREATE YOUR OWN COMPUTER CLASSES AT THE LIBRARY!
by Andrea Mercado, Reference & Techie Librarian

In reviewing the responses to our computer class survey, the greatest demand is for basic and intermediate computing classes. If you want to learn more about general computing, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, web, and more, the library can help!

You can create your *own* class, on your *own* schedule, through our Netguides program here at the library.

Basic classes were once a staple in the regular computer class schedule, but my experience has been that people learn the basics best when they have one-on-one instruction, so I've moved those classes out of the regular schedule, and they will no longer be taught in a group setting. Instead, through the Netguides program, you can make an appointment that works with your schedule, and receive a personalized 1-hour session on your topic of choice.

And, you can make as many appointments as you want, on any given topic. No more getting locked out of classes, no more leaving without having your specific questions answered, and no more wishing there were just one more session to help you get it just right.

It's your class, on your time! And the best part is that it's FREE. The Netguides will be taking a break in September, but they'll be back in October. If you'd like to request an appointment in the meantime, please visit the Netguides page, click on the "Make an appointment" link, and fill out the form at:http://www.readingpl.org/netguides.html. As for the regular class schedule, I'll be posting that in early September. If you have any questions, or want to recommend a class, feel free to email me at mercado@noblenet.org.



FIRST FRIENDS MEETING
A message from Friends of the Library President, Lynne Freeman:

I hope that everyone has been enjoying the warm summer months. It is hard to believe that it is already August, and that the fall is just around the corner!

With the Fall, comes the start of the Friends 2007/2008 year. Our first meeting will be held on Monday, September 10th at 7:30 in the Library Conference Room. We ended last year with a lot of enthusiasm and great ideas. I am looking forward to seeing many familiar faces, and welcoming new Friends members. I hope that you can make it!!

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Lynne


The Library needs Friends and deeply appreciates all that the Friends contribute to the programs, services and collections of the Library. The Friends welcome new members and need your support. Won't you join the Friends today? It's only $15 for an individual membership and $25 for a family. For information about how to join the FRIENDS, go to ref="http://www.readingpl.org/membership.html">http://www.readingpl.org/membership.html


WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
BOOK CUT SCULPTURE

http://www.sublackwell.co.uk/gallery.php?id=1
I love when art is created about books–especially when it’s beautiful. This book-cut sculpture is not only about a book, it’s made from a book. Su Blackwell, an English artist, has taken books and created fantastic art images out of their pages. She has created sculptures of many famous books, including The Secret Garden, Alice In Wonderland, The Quiet American, and more. These sculptures are very personal, elegant, and have a magical quality about them. Unfortunately, the pictures on her website are small and so make it difficult to see the intricacy and detail of the artwork. Nevertheless, these sculptures are incredible and well worth a look.



NEW BOOKS, MOVIES, AND MORE
To see the list of library materials purchased this month, follow this link:

http://www.readingpl.org/lists.html


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

Thursday, August 23: Pajama Storytime. Wear your PJs to the Library! Bring your teddy too and enjoy some great stories! For ages 4 - 7. No
registration necessary. 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Friday, August 24: Storytime at the Parker Tavern. Pack a lunch and join us on the lawn of the Parker Tavern for a magical storytime, weather permitting. Sorry, no rain date! For children ages 4 to 7 and their caregivers. 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., then lunch

Saturday, August 25: Last Day for the M.A.G.I.C. Summer Reading Program. Make sure you log in all your reading and listening time by 5:00 p.m.
Congratulations, Readers and Listeners! 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Monday, August 27: Last Drawing for the Children’s Summer Reading Weekly Raffle. 9:00 a.m. Winners will be posted.

Tuesday, August 28: Sing, Move, Create & Groove! Enjoy a visit with
Michele DeMartinis, director of Michele's Music School For ages 4 to 8
with adult! Free, no registration necessary. 10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m

Tuesday, August 28: Word of Mouth. Informal monthly discussion of what
people have been reading lately 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.



That’s all for now,
Elizabeth Dickinson
Assistant Director



LIBRARY HOURS
Mondays 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Tuesdays 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Wednesday 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