Vol. 9; No. 42 November 21, 2007

OFF THE SHELF
A WEEKLY LIBRARY NEWSLETTER
Vol. 9; No. 42 November 21, 2007



QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.”

W. J. Cameron



THE LIBRARY WILL CLOSE AT 5:00 P.M. ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, AND WILL
REOPEN AT 9:00 A.M. ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!



WE SAY THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEENS
Another fabulous Summer Reading Program has come and gone, but our gratitude for the many Volunteens lives on far past the warm weather and trips to the beach. The Reading Public Library would like to thank the many summer Volunteens for their hours of volunteering that made our reading programs a tremendous success.

The "M.A.G.I.C.” program for children preschool age through sixth grade and the "Get Graphic!" program for young adults entering sixth grade through twelfth grade were the two programs that utilized the Volunteens. Volunteens are students entering sixth grade or above, who volunteered to work at least ten hours over the summer assisting librarians in the Children's Room, the Teen Spot or Adult areas of the library. This year 62 students joined the program.

The following 35 students worked a total of 356 hours in the Children's Room:

Lucy Armstrong, Cinzia Ballantyne, Rekha Basra, Maureen Baynes, Patrick Baynes, Anubha Bhargava, Elysa Bond, Asia Bradlee, Maggie Breen, Bridget Bukovich, Emily Bukovich, Jenna Cooper, Jacqui Cote, Katie Donnelly Moran, Alicia Druid, Lauren Emmons, Rachel Emmons, Alexander Hubik, Sam Kurker, Ellen Lowry, Amanda Maffa, Matt Maffa, Becky Maitland, Brendan Murphy, Molly O’Donnell, Mikayla Panneton, Julia Parker, Conor Reid, Matt Rubin, Jackie Saunders, Carly Snydeman, Julia Stackhouse, Lindsay Tango, Conner Traugot, Suzie Tuvell,

In the Teen Spot, the following 27 students volunteered 350 hours:

Jared and Luke Beaulieu, Katie Corbett, Julia and Dan Finlayson, Sara Hank, Stella He, Meagan Jamieson, Amy Jiang, Calvin Kolenik, Olivia Mandica-Hart, Caylin Marotta, Greg McRae, Margaret and Matthew Metzger, Drew Mignosa, Caroline O’Neill, Thomas Plano, Matthew Rio, Thomas and Dennis Smith, Ruby Struble, Jennifer and Emily Torman, and Billy Tucker.

In addition, Lauren Almeida served as a Volunteen in the office of the Library Director and Kate Snell served in the office of the Assistant Director.

We honored their outstanding contribution to the Library at a Volunteen Pizza Party in September. It was a wonderful party and the participants were treated like kings and queens. Thank you once again to all the Volunteens. We are very fortunate to have you as part of our summer reading programs!

The Teen Department would also like to extend an enormous thank you to the local businesses that contributed to the Teen Summer Reading Program. They include: Dynamik Sports, Domino Pizza, and the Reading YMCA.



AND THANKS TO OUR FRIENDS!
The Friends of the Library provide funding for so many wonderful programs throughout the year! Wouldn’t now be a GREAT time for you to show your appreciation for all they do? You can join the Friends today! It’s easy to do. Just go to their new updated Membership page

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

It’s now possible to pay your membership fee online, in addition to the traditional mail-in method.



WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
THANKSGIVING CALORIE CALCULATOR

http://walking.about.com/library/cal/blthanksgivingcalories.htm

Use the Thanksgiving calorie calculator to total your Thanksgiving feast calories and see how far you must walk in steps, miles and kilometers to walk it all off.You might be surprised!



THE FRIENDS HOLIDAY STORE IS NOW OPEN!
What is the best present you can give (or get) during the holiday season? A book, of course! Or even better, LOTS of books. Do your holiday book shopping at the Library! The Friends of the Library Holiday Store features a wonderful selection of adult books and children's classics--all at deeply discounted prices!

Available titles include Animal,Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, The Best American Short Stories 2007 edited by Stephen King,and Stephen Colbert’s hilarious bestseller, I Am America (and So Can You!) Just in time for the holidays, there are also new titles from popular authors such as Ken Follett and Bill Bryson. Children’s titles include such favorites as Let it Snow by Hollie Hobbie and Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy. And there’s LOTS more!

Come in and take a look at the complete selection. The Holiday Gift Store is located directly across from the Circulation Desk, and will be open throughout the month of December. All proceeds support the Friends of the Library’s funding of library programs and services. So pick up a gift for yourself (and all of your favorite readers) and help support the Library.

Purchases may be made by cash or check. Sorry, we can not accept credit cards or debit cards. Checks should be made out to the Friends of the Reading Public Library. Quantities are limited, so shop early!



MEMORY TREE
Again this year, the Garden Club is sponsoring the "Memory Tree" on the Library's front lawn. A donation of $5.00 purchases a light in memory of an individual or commemorates a special event. A lighting ceremony will take place on Sunday,December 2, at 4:00 p.m. at the Library. The names of the people honored with lights on the tree will be read out at the lighting ceremony. All are welcome and encouraged to attend For those not able to attend the lighting ceremony, a memory book, located near the Information Desk on the main floor, provides a record of all contributors and those they have honored.

If you are interested in purchasing a light for the Memory Tree, stop by the Library and pick up a donation form. This form must be returned to the Reading Garden Club by November 30. All proceeds from the Memory Tree are applied toward Garden Club projects. The Library especially wishes to thank members of the Garden Club for their work on maintaining the library gardens throughout the year, and making the Library more beautiful throughout the holiday season!



COFFEE AND MORE: HANDLING THE HOLIDAYS
Not enough money? Not enough time? Not enough chairs to sit on? Too many presents? Too many relatives? Too much food? Expectations and obligations run high during Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s --- and so does stress, and sometimes even depression. Handling the holidays calls for a sense of humor, perspective, creativity, and a little help from your friends!

Join us on Tuesday, December 11, at 10:00 a.m. for a special holiday program with life coach and psychotherapist Roberta Taylor. Roberta will help us all find ways to hurry less, worry less, to enjoy more, and to celebrate more peacefully. So grab a cup of coffee and let’s talk!

Like all programs at the Library, this program is free and is open to adults of all ages. Funding for this program has been provided by the Friends of the Library and by anonymous donations to the LiveWires program. We thank them for their generous support.



SPEAKING OF LIVEWIRES…
Our first LiveWires focus group was held on November 13 and was attended by twelve people. We had a great discussion which generated lots of ideas for future programs. Nancy and I want to express our appreciation to those who participated. Your input is so important and valuable!

For those of you who were not able to attend the first session, there will be one last chance. On Tuesday evening, November 27, past, present, and future members of LiveWires are invited to attend the final focus group. If you would like to attend, just email me at dickinso@noblenet.org or Nancy at aberman@noblenet.org.

Livewires is for all adults who are interested in lifelong learning at the Library. We would love to hear your ideas! The group will meet at 7:00 p.m.and is scheduled to last about an hour.



TEEN EVENTS: COMING IN DECEMBER
December will be another lively month for teens at the Library. Check out the Library website for information on upcoming movies, holiday crafts, and other fun activities. On Saturday, November 24, teens and tweens are invited to drop in at the Library to test drive our new Nintendo Wii. Refreshments will be provided. All games are rated ‘T” for Teen and under.

Upcoming Teen Advisory Board Meetings;
Thursday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m.
OR
Saturday, December 15 at 3:30 p.m.
Teens/Tweens in any grades may attend one or both meetings.



NEED A RIDE? WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
Get a lift to the Library! Beginning on Monday, November 26, Reading Elder Services will be providing transportation for seniors from their homes to the Reading Public Library. Meet up with friends, borrow books, use the computers--- it’s all happening at the Library! This service will be available on the last Monday of every month. Trips TO the Library will be at 9:00 a.m. and return trips will be at 11:00 a.m. To schedule a ride, call 781-942-6794. at least two days in advance.

Please help spread the word about this great new service to any seniors that you know! Thanks!



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, November 22: Library Closed for Thanksgiving

Tuesday, November 27: Word of Mouth. Informal monthly discussion of what people have been reading lately 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 27: Lifelong Learning Opportunities Focus Group.
Reading residents, please join us to discuss future programming ideas for adults. Sign up in person at the Information Desk, by e-mail to rdgref@noblenet.org or call 781-942-6703. 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 28: Computer Class — “Getting Started with eBay.” If you’ve heard of eBay, but you don’t have the slightest idea of how to start buying or selling, this is the class for you. Just in time for holiday shopping! Pre-register at the Information Desk, via e-mail, or call 781-942-6703. 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 29: Conversation Group. 7:00 p.m. – 8:45 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.


If you have any questions or suggestions for the editor, or if you would like to be added or removed from this mailing list, just send a message to rplfeedback@noblenet.org

To access the Library website, go to:http://www.Readingpl.org