Dorchester County Library

Storytime Variety- The Spice of Life

2012-02-13T11:55:00.006-05:00

This year we have two new Storytimes to add to the variety here in Summerville. With our morning sessions filling up fast we decided that it would be a good time to offer a drop in Afternoon Family Storytime on Tuesdays from 3:00pm-3:45pm. This Storytime is suited for children under seven and their families and does not require registration. Drop in, come by, and have a great time.

The other exciting news is the addition of a Family Spanish Storytime with the help from our friends at Charleston Southern University. On Friday, February 17th from 11:30-12:30pm we will be reading some of your favorite stories in Spanish. This is a great opportunity for children to have a good time while getting exposed to a foreign language. This is a drop in Storytime for children under the age of 7 and their families.

We hope you enjoy variety in Storytime and hope you venga en, y tienen un gran momento!!

BE NICE TO THE BOOKS….

2012-01-24T09:09:00.003-05:00

Books are precious to us all. I have heard them described as treasures, as portals into other worlds. But just like any treasure or portals, books have to be kept in good conditions. Here are just a few rules about the care and keeping of these treasures that we hold so dear to our hearts….

1. First off, remember that water and paper are not compatible. Having a liquid refreshment while reading a book is not a bad idea. It only becomes a bad idea when it sits next to the book or on top of the book. Be careful where the drinks are sitting. Water damaged books are a high percentage of the damaged materials we get back here at the library. Food is also included in this. Orange food stains in a book tell the next reader that you were eating
Cheetos and you did not have a napkin.

2. Dogs love books. They may not be able to read the story of the Three Little Pigs but they sure do enjoy chewing on the piggies. It is a good idea to keep books away from the pets. Keeping the books away from animals ensures that you won’t be charged for a damaged book because of the destructive power of your pets teeth. Baby teeth included.

3. Some books are not meant to be bent. I like the idea of bending the cover back and reading my book, but this wears out the binding of the book. This results in pages breaking out and the next patron having to come up and say, “I am missing pages 310-315. And those are the last pages of the book!!” These books are usually the paperbacks and graphic novels. Graphic novels especially are famous for the pages coming out so be careful.

4. It is always a good idea to let someone who is trained in book repair to fix the books. Book repair personnel use special glues, tape, and procedures for putting a book back together. Even if a page has a small rip, don’t tape it. Just let the staff members at the front desk know and they let us know that it is in need of repair.

5. I know it is very easy to throw books around sometimes. However if books are thrown around, spine tend to become weak and eventually the book pages will separate from the binding. When a huge chunk of the book has broken off from the spine, we call this spine damage. Sometimes it can be easily remedied with a whole lot of glue, but after two or three times of re-gluing the spine back to the book, the glue is no longer effective and the book continues to fall apart.

6. Keep covers clean and barcodes and spine labels on the books.

Just watching how we take care of the books helps them to be able to last a little bit longer and keeps the number of repairs for each book down. It is painful to a person who loves books to have to throw away books because they can no longer be repaired. But we rather do this knowing that the book was loved by many for many years instead of only having been checked out three times and the damages are too severe for them to be repaired. So….Be ye nice to the books!

Magazines-That's what we do best!!

2012-01-19T15:11:00.003-05:00

Recently, I went to GameStop to purchase a gift certificate for a friend. When I checked out, the clerk at the counter said that my purchase qualified me for a discount on a subscription to one of their gaming magazines. Without thinking much about it, I automatically declined telling him that I didn’t need that because I work at the library and we have a subscription to the magazine there and I can look at it and check it out at any time. His reaction was a wide-eyed: “Really???” I saw my chance, put on my “let’s blow this guy’s mind with what the library has to offer” smile and told him all about our Young Adult magazine collection and the subscriptions we have to Game Informer, PC Gamer, Playstation, etc. Not surprisingly, he didn’t know!

Granted the word is getting out about the library’s collection of eBooks and downloadable materials, DVDs, and Music CDs, but magazines . . . patrons still ask us whether they can check them out or not. Although I have never actually checked one of our Young Adult magazines out to a patron, I know that they are circulating and they are being looked at. Judging by the appearance and wear and tear of, for example, Mad and J-14, those two magazines are very well loved. For gamers, we offer magazines for almost any platform, Playstation, X-Box, Nintendo. We carry Shonen Jump for manga readers and for the up-to-date fashionable teen we offer Teen Vogue, Seventeen, and Girls Life.

I know we have patrons who regularly check out magazines from the collection we offer for adults. Admittedly, it might hurt our Young Adult magazine collection that it does not have a great location and we don’t have much opportunity to display and feature it. However, magazine collections for Young Adult, Juveniles and Adults do live at the Dorchester County Library. If you don’t know where to find them or what we carry, come on in and if you happen to ask me, I’ll put on my best “let’s blow this patron’s mind with what the library has to offer” smile and tell you all about it.

Moving Time is Here!

2012-01-10T15:59:00.015-05:00

Yeah, we are moving and it's only temporary which means we get to do this again! I have done this once before in a prior job. I was hoping to only do this once because moving a library is NOT fun.

The movers come tomorrow to start boxing up all the materials that will be placed in storage until we return. That's about 99% of the collection in the Headquarters library in St. George. Boy, am I glad that we aren't moving the Seago Branch in Summerville! That would be 10 times more work.

The actual move will begin Tuesday after the MLK Day holiday. We have a week allocated to getting bookshelves, computers, desks and files in place to re-open Monday January 23rd. Hopefully, all this works out as planned but you know how that can go. We'll just wait and see.

Our patrons will have access to a very small browsing collection at our 101 Ridge Street location. We will also have the bookmobile outside loaded with children's books and DVDs. Here's a look at our new digs.

This is the main room which will be divided in half by shelving.

The front side is the public area. Behind the shelves will be a staff area that houses 6 staff members, their desks and files.

These are attached rooms where our catalogers, the business staff and the director will be located.

We've stuffed our IT staff in a cubby hole off the main hall.

Once we relocate I'll post pictures of the rooms loaded with our shelving, books and assorted paraphernalia. Even though the room is small we will still provide a few computers for Internet access. Patrons will be able to reserve materials and pick them up at our new location. We won't have WiFi access. Everyone will need to visit McDonald's for that but we will continue to provide service as we wait out the completion of our renovation and expansion project. If you haven't checked lately, we've posted new photos of our construction progress on our FB page. We hope you will visit it to keep up with our progress.

Teens Takeover in 2012

2012-01-10T15:55:00.003-05:00

In 2012 we are highlighting the programs we offer our teen patrons. We have a lot of coll stuff planned whether you make crafts, are into gaming or just like to read comics there is an event for you. Any 6th-12th graders are invited to come by the library and see what's for you.

2012 Teen Programs @ DCL-Summerville

Comic Spot- Read graphic novels and manga with other teens.

January 14th, February 11th, March 17th @ 3:00pm

Game Night-That’s right it’s back!

March 2nd @ 6:00pm (registration begins February 13th) Limited to 40 gamers.

Being Crafty- Trust me it’s fun and you make stuff!!

March 10th @ 2:00pm

Movie Night- Come watch your favorite movie!

April 20th @ 6:00pm (registration begins March12th) Limited to 40 teens.

Come Down to Storytime

2011-12-20T16:17:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, it’s the little things that show you have made an impression . . . like when your storytime kids come up to you and, although they are usually very shy, they suddenly call you by name and chat up a storm . . . or when the kids walk past you in the library and want to do the “Tooty Ta” . . .

I’ve had good storytimes in which the children and parents work with me and, most importantly, with each other, where they participate and seem to have great fun. I’ve also had what I call ‘painful’ storytimes, like when I start reading one of my stories and halfway through it I realize that I’ve completely lost my listeners’ interest. One time, I started to sing the “Baby Bumblebee” song and utterly forgot the words to the song right in the middle of it, until one of my storytime moms kindly whispered that she thought you ‘squish it up’ next . . . That’s storytimes for you . . . you can’t win them all and we all have good and bad days, storytime planners included.

Well, on January 3rd 2012, it’s time to register for our regular Winter Storytime sessions in Summerville again. For the up-coming Winter session, we are still offering our regular Family Storytime, Toddlertime, and Preschool Storytime in the morning, of course, but we are also adding an afternoon Family Storytime for which we will not require registration. A Spanish Family Storytime is in the works and the Weekend Family Storytime on Saturdays will also continue.

It’s always nice to get a small break between storytime sessions, though. Gives me a chance to re-group, get new ideas and feel re-energized to start a new session . . . gives me plenty of opportunity to practice the “Baby Bumblebee,” too. It’s fun to see some of your regulars return and nice to meet some new excited faces who might just become regulars. So, check out our options and come on down to Storytime. And if you’re in one of my storytimes, don’t hesitate to jump right in if I forget the words to a song or fingerplay, I’d really appreciate it.

Connecting the Dots . . .

2011-12-16T10:34:00.006-05:00

Working in a library is about making connections. You're helping people determine what they need and then you help them find it. Typically, you are talking about information found in books or databases. But sometimes, the information they seek is not always found in a book or one of the other resources that libraries typically collect. Sometimes it's about connecting people.

Last month our branch manager, Jane Bailey, received a call from a gentleman in Michigan who does genealogy research. He has a friend in France who found a set of dog tags belonging to an American GI. He wanted to return the tags to the soldier's family and asked for his help in locating remaining family members. The information on the tags indicated the soldier was from our area. Using the data provided by our Michigan researcher, Jane used her knowledge of our local families and began making phone calls. Over the course of a couple weeks and through numerous phone calls and emails, she located the soldier's family and obtained permission to give contact information to the researcher so his friend in France could sent the dog tags to the family.

Mission accomplished . . . connection made. The research assistance provided by library staff extends well beyond our local community. Sometimes it's half a world away.

Winter Story Time

2011-12-13T12:15:00.004-05:00

As winter draws near…and the holiday season is upon us, it’s important to take time and relax during this busy time of year. What could be better that coming by the library for stories, crafts and fun for the entire family.

The storytimes will be

Saturday, December 17th
at 2:00 PM
at the Summerville Library

and

Monday, December 19th
at 6:30 PM
at the St. George Library

Everyone is welcome and these storytimes are best suited for children under age 7 with their parents or caregivers and some of the crafts might require the parents to get involved. So bring the entire family and celebrate the holidays at the library. There will be no registration is required, but attendance may be limited by room capacity

Lego Club @ DCL

2011-12-05T15:40:00.003-05:00

The future architects and civil engineers of Dorchester County are front and center during the fall months at the library. That’s right the Lego Club is back and club member were building whatever came to their imagination. The kids took little time to start building their creations and eagerly waited for them to be photographed.

The Lego Club meets monthly with last meeting of the year coming this Saturday December 10th from 12:30-1:30 at the George H. Sego branch library in Summerville. Any child between 8-12 years old can drop in and start building and become Lego Club participants. We can’t wait to see you all there!!!

Book Talk & Autograph Session

2011-11-02T15:02:00.006-04:00

Local St. George resident, educator and first time author

Denise Brooks-Gadson will be discussing her book

Penelope's World Famous Cookies

at the McMahan Library in

St. George.

Find out where she got her inspiration for the book.

Book signing to follow the book talk. Copies of her book will be available for purchase.

Validation, Inspiration or Both?

2011-10-24T10:19:00.007-04:00

If you keep up with nation news, maybe even if you don't, you've probably heard about Occupy Wall Street. It's a grassroots movement of American people who have decided to stand up and say it's time to change how we do things in the United States. The almighty dollar has become the only thing that matters to corporate leadership. Washington leadership lives in the hip pocket of corporate America. How CEOs achieve that bottom line makes no difference as long as it shows a profit. The people who work for them are just as much a commodity as the service their company provides or the products it sells.

People have had enough. Occupy Wall Street is their way of saying
something has got to change. The movement has spread to over 900 cities across the country and has gone global. Alain Sherter in his blog post "Why Occupy Wall Street Is Spreading Fast" notes . . .

" that the movement has in short order tapped a deep vein of dissent. In this country, that dissent is largely non-denominational, inviting the economically aggrieved to join in regardless of political affiliation. The protests are also inter-generational. And their main target is effectively a set of ideas, including that wealth trickles down, regulation is bad for business and corporations are people, too."

What I find really interesting is that in the midst of this protest movement, the
participants have created a library. They are in Zuccotti Park out in the open [tents are not allowed], no protection against the elements and they have a library.

Working in a library, you know what wonderful institution libraries are. The people who use libraries understand their value, too. But there are days when you wonder if the other half, those who do not use libraries, even have a clue of all the good things that occur inside libraries and bookmobiles all over the country and around the world. People find jobs, learn to read, build self-confidence, escape their troubles, learn new skills and experience culturally enriching programs usually free of charge.

Libraries offer free resources and Internet access to all segments of society. It's a place where everyone is on an equal footing and people can "connect" to individuals, events, information and opportunities. So I find the creation of a library, in the middle of a protest movement in an open park, to be both surprising and very inspirational. Obviously, access to reading materials, regardless of the situation, is very important to many individuals. If anything validates how important libraries are, this has got to be it.

Links
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street Facebook
Occupy Wall Street - wikipedia
Occupy Wall Street - Twitter
For more information on OWS, use search term: Occupy Wall Street

The Power of the Pen

2011-10-20T16:30:00.003-04:00

If you are a reader of this blog, then you know Mary Beth Reuter - - may be not by name but most definitely by her words. She has been the main writer/contributor to this site since it began in 2009. Several of us post but only one of us writes with the wit, humor and insight that makes one laugh out loud or pause to consider something from a new perspective. That's the power of Mary Beth's pen.

From past posts when she has talked of teaching in the seventies, you may
have surmised that, like many of us, Mary Beth has been around awhile. She began working for Dorchester County Library at the Summerville Branch in 1990 as the Adult Services Librarian. After 3 years she began to purse a Masters degree in Library Science which she completed in 1995. She has guided the selection and purchase of the adult resources found in our Summerville branch for 21 years, in addition to all those other duties she collected along the way.

Mary Beth just celebrated her birthday Friday of last week. I won't tell you which one, but it's an important one because this Friday when she leaves work she will be officially retired [see her last post]. Her knowledge of the community, the reading habits and preferences of our patrons, widespread interests and open-mindedness have been key components that have guided collection development for Dorchester County Library. Her professional expertise and dry wit will be missed by her colleagues.

For me, I will miss the power of her pen and its ability to brighten my day by the words and thoughts that she writes. Mary Beth, we hope you live life to the max and enjoy every moment of retirement. You've earned it. Bless your heart [I really mean it!].

Hail and Farewell

2011-10-19T08:38:00.005-04:00

Many months ago, I was given the assignment of writing a blog. My first reaction was "What!!!". My second reaction was "Why"? My third reaction was "Why me?" I could not think of anyone less temperamentally suited to write a blog. With the restrictions put upon me (write about an area of the library collection every week), my natural reticence, and my absolute disgust felt for those people who seemed to think the world was waiting for every utterance that drips from their open mouths, this should not have been an assignment that was given me. I may have a Facebook page but I do not Tweet, text or do any of the modern electronic forms of communication. But I was stuck with 'other duties as assigned'. And I was off, bless their hearts.

Now to begin, I could not believe that anyone would actually read what I had written. Looking at the comment sections of the blog, I truly believed no one was reading what I had written. I was truly beginning to feel Biblical - a voice calling in the wilderness. Now for me to feel Biblical was strange, bless my heart. But then strange phenomena began to occur. I was stopped in the frozen food aisle of Publix and had my blog severely criticized by a reader whose comment did not appear. The implication was that I was censoring her
because I did not agree with her views, bless her heart. I was stopped outside of church and someone said I had made her laugh. That was a good one. I got comments on Facebook, not always positive but at least leaving me with the knowledge that someone was reading what I was writing. Bless their hearts. My children called to let me know their reactions to being the subject of that week's blog. Bless their hearts. Some unknown woman commented from New Jersey to disagree with what I had said about historical fiction. Bless her heart.

These days that is my favorite 'Southern' saying. As it was explained to me, you could say whatever snarky comment you wished but as long as you followed it with "Bless their/her/his/your heart", it was not really an insult. Example. "Did you see the hat Mildred wore to church? Bless her heart." So I am using it in this final blog but the truth is that I don't really feel snarky about anyone. I am 2 (count them-2) days away from retirement. If I really wanted to get snarky, I could get fired and collect unemployment, Social Security (because I am old as dirt), and my pension. It is only my innate good manners (cough, cough) that keeps me under control. Plus, I am basically a nice person. Bless my heart. Also, I want to leave on a high note. Many months ago I wrote about civility and I still believe in it.

For the past 20+ years, I have worked at the library and for the most part I have enjoyed it. I can remember being sent to the back room (with Shirley, Bless her heart) because we kept setting each other off as far as laughter was concerned. And that is what I will miss - the laughter with colleagues you like and respect. There just isn't enough kindly laughter in this world and I will miss what I have found here.

I will still be at the library but now I will be a patron. Do you know what that means? They will have to be nice to me no matter what I do. Bless their hearts.

PS To my daughter. Yes, I realize that this is a short blog but you wouldn't want me to get sloppy or maudlin, would you? Bless your heart.

Construction Update

2011-10-13T17:23:00.003-04:00

It's been a couple of week since our last update. Construction is really underway. Almost all the footing have been poured. Curbing for the parking lot and service driveway has been installed. It's been interesting to watch. I'm sharing a few pictures of what's taken place over the last two weeks. Stay tuned for more updates.

Construction update 20111013

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Why?

2011-10-07T10:31:00.007-04:00

I am angry.
I am mortified.
I am embarrassed.
I am humiliated.
I am ashamed.

My generation of females was the first one for whom it was acceptable to leave the kitchen and the home and to try to make a mark on the wider world. For the first time, all areas were open to us. We could be doctors, lawyers, physicists, medical researchers , business women, stockbrokers, computer programmers, police "persons", fire "persons", judges, serial killers, entrepreneurs, tycoons, and politicians.

Now, in my life, I have known women of towering intellect. I have stood
amazed at the depth and breadth of their knowledge. I have admired and and respected them. I have wished that I could accomplish a fraction of what these women seemed to gain so effortlessly. I have been in awe. These women seemed to me to be the epitome of everything the 'women's' movement was trying to attain. I was proud to belong to the same sex that produced these giants. It was a marvelous feeling.

Then I made a mistake. I listened to some of the political debates that have been taking place in our country and I was left speechless. These are women
who are involved in the race for the highest position in our country and they seem to be unable to handle the basics of our language - not to mention the history and geography of our nation. Please, do not think I am judging on the basis the the regional differences in pronunciation and expression. I find our regional differences to be delightful. Geographical expressions from the South, the Northeast and the West make our language alive and vital. They are not a reason to judge a person's intelligence. I give you Eudora Welty from the Southern tradition of literature or Grace Hopper in the early pioneer work of computer science.

However, to the women who are out there presenting themselves to the public as spokespeople for the rest of us, may I suggest that you do not speak for me. To the political pundit who cannot tell the difference between " who" and "whom", may I suggest THE HOLT HANDBOOK. Maybe, just maybe, you will learn the difference between the nominative and objective cases and figure out how to use them correctly. I know it was taught in the 5th grade, but maybe you were absent.

To the person who suggested that the War of Independence was fought over the NRA - beloved right to bear arms, may I suggest THE STORY OF US? Don't worry; it is a video and there are no long sentences with grammatical constructions that you won't understand. Or let us look at the geography of the United States? The MACMILLAN CENTENNIAL ATLAS OF THE WORLD should answer the question of what you can actually see from the deck of your home. I have a deck. It has multiple levels. Guess what? I cannot even see Knightsville, let alone Ridgeville. Maybe if I stand on tip-toe, I can see all the way to St. George.

I would love to go into the scientific misinformation that these women are promoting, but neither my blood pressure nor the length of the blog would permit a thorough treatment. Do you actually think your audience is so stupid that we would accept some of your statements without checking the actual scientific facts? And don't assume that because I accept science that I am not a religious person. I attend my church every week and I still have room in my brain to consider the science of our world.

I am a woman.
I am angry.
I am mortified.
I am embarrassed.
I am humiliated.
I am ashamed.

We deserve better.

To Continue. . .

2011-09-29T14:16:00.005-04:00

Last week I admitted to my love of puns. Now the following paragraph may seem like a divergence from the subject, but wait - it will all come together.

There seems to be no genre of fiction that lends itself to sub-categories as much as the genre of mysteries. You have police procedurals, both English and American. See Reginald Hill or Faye Kellerman. There are hard-boiled detectives of Mickey Spillane or Loren Estleman. There are the forensics-centered works of Kathy Reichs or Patricia Cornwell. Robert Parker perfected the lighter detective story with his Spenser series. If your mood was for ethnic-centered mysteries, you had Tony Hillerman, James Doss or Walter Mosley. If you were in a particularly blood thirsty mood, you had Jeffry Lindsay and his
dripping "Dexter" series. The sub-genres go on and on.

There are normal mysteries and there are paranormal mysteries. There are male heroes and female heroines. There are futuristic mysteries and historical mysteries. But a type of mystery that is extremely popular at this library is the "cozy". A cozy mystery usually deals with an amateur sleuth who through her knowledge of the people and the place in which the crime is located is able to solve it more quickly that the local police department. There usually are no loving descriptions of dismembered body parts or deviant sexual practices. The location is usually a small town and the inhabitants are colorful. If it is an English cozy, the location is almost always a "village". Cozies seldom take place in London, Liverpool or Manchester. Keeping that in mind, can there be any place in England that has a higher murder rate than the Midsomer area? In the United States, the cozy takes place in "somewhere" USA - a generic town suitable to whatever part of the country the author favors. (The one place I would avoid living, at all costs, would be Cabot Cove, Maine. The murder rate must be staggering. Just ask Jessica Fletcher.)

But there is a thing about "cozies" that leads us back to last week's posting. Often a cozy indulges in paronomasia as for a title. In simpler words, they often have the most atrocious puns for titles and I love them for it.

Just to give you a sample:

A TRUTH FOR A TRUTH by Emilie Richards
HEX MARKS THE SPOT by Madelyn Alt
AXEL OF EVIL by Alina Adams
A BRISKET A CASKET by Delia Rosen
TO SKETCH A THIEF by Sharon Pape
NO REST FOR THE WICCAN by Madelyn Alt
PUSS 'N CAHOOTS by Rita Mae Brown

And this is just a few. All of these will provide a relaxing afternoon of reading, maybe a few chuckles and you won't feel it necessary to get up and check if the back door is locked.

Construction Update

2011-09-28T16:21:00.003-04:00

It rained off and on all last week so we knew that little progress would be made on our construction site. Thursday I decided to venture outside to talk with the site foreman to see what he had to say. I really felt sorry for him because it had to be a pretty boring week for him. Rain or shine he was on site every day. We exchanged a little chit-chat. As we closed our conversation, he said that beginning Monday there would be a lot more picture-worthy activity.

He was right. Monday they started digging the piers for the expansion. They did the same for the outdoor courtyard wall. While digging, they encountered a water line. If you were wondering why the road in front of the library was blocked off Tuesday that was why. Pictures of progress are below.

Construction update 20110927

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Spiders, Spiders Everywhere!

2011-09-23T15:47:00.012-04:00

Male Black and Yellow
Garden Spider

Unidentified Spider

Today I went outside to take pictures of the construction progress. On my way back inside, a spider web in the bushes near the entrance caught my eye. It was a huge, male Black-and-Yellow Garden spider. I found a smaller one in the bushes next to it and another spider I haven't identified yet. Maybe you can help with its identification. Anyway, here are the pictures and a short video I got of the spider spinning his web.

Construction Update

2011-09-23T14:38:00.003-04:00

We are making progress! I'm usually glad to get rain. I must admit, though, that it's been pretty dreary this week with so little sunshine. It's also prevented us from really gearing up. The rebar is in; the site is prepped. Now all we need is dry weather. I only have a few pictures to share this week.

Progress update 20110923

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New Staff

2011-09-23T12:45:00.006-04:00

Dorchester County Library has had some staffing adjustments over the last few weeks. Our Children's Services Coordinator, Charlotte Johnston, left to become the Library Director for Clarendon County Public Library. We all wish Charlotte the best in her new position. She will do a great job!

Jason Reed

So who is our new Children's Services Coordinator?

We found her replacement within our own ranks. Jason Reed, Assistant Branch Manager of the Seago Library, has returned to the Children's Services Department as its Coordinator. Jason has been a Dorchester County Library employee for 3 years, serving as Teen Librarian for a year and a half and then Assistant Branch Manager for the same length of time. Jason's work experience in both areas provide him with a solid foundation for his new responsibilities as Coordinator for Children's Services.

So who is the Assistant Branch Manager for the Seago Library in Summerville?

Chris Johnston

Since Jason's move left the Assistant Branch Manager's position open, a candidate search was conducted and applicants were interviewed. We are happy to announce that Chris Johnston was hired and officially became the Assistant Branch Manager for the George H. Seago, Jr. Library branch in Summerville on September 19, 2011. Chris comes to us from Berkeley County Library. He had the unique experience of starting the new Daniel Island Branch which opened in 2006. As the manager of a small branch, Chris gained experience in handling a vast array of situations from collection development to bandaging scrapped knees. That knowledge will be very beneficial as he assumes his new duties in Summerville. We are very happy to have Chris join our staff.

Really, I Sometimes Laugh

2011-09-23T11:04:00.009-04:00

It has been brought to my attention that last week's blog was too serious. Whether it was my mood or the idea of the ephemeral work that teachers do, I was rather serious in trying to point out that we may never know what a lifetime of work has accomplished. I was a child of the 60's and we were going to change the world. Oh, I didn't go to San Francisco or Woodstock, but I supported Civil Rights causes, began a tutoring program and got my body up every morning to go to work and earn the money to support myself and my causes. I think one of the hardest days of my life was the one on which I realized that I would die and I really would not have made any difference. Hence, the beginning of my cynicism.

But another thought occurred to me. I am not sure I have a socially recognized sense of humor. I have tried any number of television shows that
purported to be comedies. Two and a Half Men I found to be tasteless and insulting to women. The Simpsons I thought to be rude and crude and totally lacking in any redeeming qualities. I will admit that I enjoy The Big Bang Theory. But I like my humor subtle. For this reason give me Harry's Law or Eureka or Warehouse 13- television that demands some thought from me. Actually there is more "humor" in many of the mystery shows that I watch and I am not constantly being irritated by the fake laugh tracks.

Then there are the movies. "Hilarious" says Rolling Stone; "Two thumbs up." say the critics. "An Instant Classic!" screams the newspaper headline and I go to see the movie before ordering it for the library. I sit in the darkened theater and pray that no one will see me leaving and realize that I had paid good cash money to view something that insults my intelligence, my gender, my husband's gender and every bit of good taste with which I had been raised. I am uncomfortable and it makes me angry. Is this the best Hollywood can do? So may of the movies seem to play to the lowest common denominators of society. Give me The Lion in Winter. The writing is crisp; the acting is superb; the humor is subtle enough to make you laugh two minutes after the line was given. That is my kind of humor.

As I looked through the collection of books that I found funny, I reached a surprising conclusion. I like newspaper columns. I found the columns of Dave Barry juvenile but funny. I even enjoyed 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. After having raised one of those aliens myself, I could identify with the befuddled father. Erma Bombeck's (Am I dating myself?) IF LIFE IS A BOWL OF CHERRIES - WHAT AM I DOING IN THE PITS? deals with the everyday occurrences in most normal lives. There are no bachelor parties, no stupid stunts and no "comic" selections where every other word has 4 letters. Personally, I have heard all these words and I am not impressed. (I have a rather disreputable collection of dirty words in foreign languages but you won't see them here.) I do not understand why comedians think they are so funny. I looked through 101 DAMNATIONS: THE HUMORISTS' TOUR OF PERSONAL HELLS. This is a selection of short pieces by an eclectic group of writers who explain those experiences that have been most painful in life. Beside the fact that I love an awful pun, I found this collection amusing. The selections on children moving back with mom and dad are priceless. I went through JEFF FOXWORTHY'S COMPLETE REDNECK DICTIONARY. Some entries I found funny; some I found insulting; some I just didn't get; and some were just dumb. But I got a few chuckles and we all could use a few chuckles. I find that I enjoy the columns of Mitch Albom that appear in The Detroit Free Press. We have no collections of his columns but his gentle humor is the kind I like.

But I raise my glass to Carl Hiaasen. I subscribe to The Miami Herald on- line just to read his columns. They are consistently witty and acerbic. The column on the 20 questions to ask Dick Cheney about his new book is a classic. To get a taste of his columns, try KICK ASS. You may find something to make you smile.

In this day and age, we all need all the smiles we can get. I guess I should be grateful that I have found so many that can make me smile.

Construction Update

2011-09-16T12:45:00.006-04:00

Question: What's happened on the Library's construction site this week?

Answer: Very little.

The last two weeks there hasn't been a whole lot done. Last week they moved the one outside HVAC condenser unit that was sitting on the ground up on to the roof to get it out of the way. This week the steps outside the emergency exit door in the adult stack area [side next to the construction site] were demolished with a jackhammer. Real progress has been almost non-existent. We asked the site foreman what the hold up was. There is a question about the specs for the rebar so until it's solved we wait. Delays. . . . .now we know construction has really begun. Hopefully, we will have more to share with you soon.

The Facebook Syndrome

2011-09-15T10:09:00.004-04:00

Once I was a teacher. For many years I taught high school in Detroit. Now, this may seem like a death wish but it was a different time. In all the years I taught, I only had one knife pulled on me and another student took out the perpetrator. It is true that we had to be escorted to parent/teacher conferences by the football team and the ROTC contingent, but that was Detroit after dark. In this day and age, Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with a number of the students I once tried to teach. It has made me wonder - in all those years, did I ever inspire any of them with the love of reading that has so enriched my life?

The last school in which I taught had a fantastic English program (my area). All students took "English" freshman year, American Literature sophomore year, English Literature junior year and World Literature senior year. Plus if a student was doing well, he/she could take other humanity classes as enrichment and to fill in any empty portions of the class schedule. (We did not allow a lot of free time during the class day.) These special classes included drama, journalism, fantasy and sci-fi, advertising, modern poetry, African-American Literature and anything else the faculty could dream up and feel qualified to teach. These classes were usually filled as the alternative was to be assigned to mathematics and history classes which were considered less "fun". As I said, we believed in keeping the students busy to the point where some classes were actually offered after the regular class day but they were still attended by the students.

Now when I look at Facebook I have two reactions. I love the story of one student on how he kept missing his bus stop because he was so caught up in his reading assignment. I love being told that college English courses were no problem after getting through my class. I love a student telling me that my
world literature class was her first introduction to the literature that marked her ethnic heritage. Then I cringe when I find one of my ex-students unable to figure out the difference between "their", "there" and "they're". Ouch - big ouch!!!

Here at the library we have a fairly broad world literature collection as far as the classics are concerned. Many of them are pieces that I taught in my class. We began with THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH and compared it to certain parts of the Bible. (We felt very daring to do such a thing.) Then we moved on to the Greeks beginning with THE WORKS OF PLATO, specifically PHAEDRUS. Imagine the students' surprise when they were introduced to the Socratic method and realized that was how they were being taught. We did THE THEBAN PLAYS by Sophocles and endured the immature giggles about the marriage of Oedipus and Jocasta and, of course, we did Homer. We didn't read every word of every work but we definitely got a taste of the Greeks.

Except for Virgil, we skipped the Romans and went right into the literatue of the Middle Ages. We did the epics of El Cid and the Song of Roland and we tasted THE MABINOGION of Wales. There were times I felt like a geography teacher as well as an English teacher as we considered how the location of the country influenced the literature. We looked at the Renaissance through Dante and Shakepeare and I learned an important lesson. Teaching a piece you really love (Hamlet) is disconcerting.

We made our way through European literature and for the first time looked at modern African literature with THINGS FALL APART by Chinua Achebe. As this was the 70's, we were rather advanced. Strangely enough, we ended with Russian literature. I think the depressive nature of the Russians tended to offset the natural giddiness of seniors about to graduate. It worked.

Which brings me back to my original question. I know I introduced many students to many authors. Did it mean anything? I think that is the hardest thing about being a teacher. A doctor looks at a healthy patient; an architect looks at his building; a chemist looks at the compound he created; an automotive engineer looks at his car; even a librarian has a collection of books at which to look. But as a teacher - how do I gauge my success or failure? It is the not knowing that is hard.

60 Women Authors to Appear at Book Signing September 18

2011-09-13T15:46:00.001-04:00

On Sunday afternoon, September 18, for a mere $10 at the door, you can join women from around the Low Country to meet your favorite local authors. Click Here for more information.

"Catch and Release"

2011-09-09T13:41:00.007-04:00

Over the past several months our Seago Library branch in Summerville has been in negotiation with Sculpture in the South about placing a piece of art in the library.

The result of those meetings was the placement of "Catch and Release", a bronze sculpture, at the entrance of the childrens area of the library. Diane Roth and her twin brother, Charles Hass, along with other family member and friends, donated the piece in memory of their parents, Phil and Opal Hass.

Mrs. Roth spoke briefly about their parents, who taught them strong values and a love of country. But more than anything they loved children and they chose a piece they felt reflected that love. They wanted the sculpture to be something that children and adults alike could touch and enjoy.

The Friends of the Summerville Library hosted a reception immediately following the ceremony. Please drop by the library to experience "Catch and Release."

Sculpture by Vala Ola

Catch and release art dedication and reception

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From the Past to the Present

2011-09-09T12:16:00.005-04:00

I am sitting here looking at a copy of THE HOBBIT by J. R. R. Tolkien. The copy is exceedingly well loved. (That is how we describe books hanging together by a string.) I am going to reread this book. I know I have read it before and to some people it may seem a waste of time to read something that you know you have read and you know how everything turns out. But I am doing it for 2 reasons. 1. Peter Jackson is making a movie of the book and I want to refresh my memory so that I can grumble and hiss at the screen when the movie changes the book. (This plan will have my poor husband
saying he will not accompany me to this movie.) 2. The last time I read it, I was reading it to my 6-year-old daughter as a bedtime story. Now she has a daughter almost that old and maybe there is an element of nostalgia in my make-up. (This I seriously doubt.) I did the same thing when the previous Jackson movies came out. I had used the Tolkien books in a class I taught on fantasy and science fiction, so I thought I had multiple paperback copies. Plus my husband, in the early days of our marriage, had bought me a complete set of first edition hard bounds. Now my children loved Tolkien as much as I which meant I had a hard time finding a complete set at the house (Ahem, Peter) which explains the library book which I am about to take home.

This all leads me to a consideration of "fantasy" and young adult literature. There has been an explosion in the fantasy area for young adults. (I call it the Harry Potter Effect.) Many seem to follow the same motif - the poor/outsider/orphan/sensitive young person finds himself suddenly in a life and death struggle to save the world/his home/the princess/ the kindly dragon or something else that only he/she can rescue. I applaud this conceit for all those adolescents who have felt alone and misunderstood. These books can give them a sense that they are not alone in their feeling of isolation.

This has been a common motif throughout much of literature. Think back to some of your fairy tales. Isn't it always the poor/lowly/humble/scorned hero who manages to win over huge odds and rescue/win the princess? Look at "Puss-in-Boots'. Look at "Jack and the Beanstalk"( A true juvenile delinquent). Look at "Cinderella".

Which leads us to our modern heroes and heroines. There are some fine writers for young adults. T. A. Barron has written an engrossing series beginning with THE GREAT TREE OF AVALON CHILD OF THE DARK PROPHECY. What I particularly like about the series is that the sentence structure and vocabulary push the young reader. At no time does Barron 'talk down' to his readers.

Another young adult reader with whom I have been familiar for a long time is Robin McKinley. I remember reading her THE HERO AND THE CROWN back in the 80's and I was enchanted. While the book was aimed at a juvenile audience, there was plenty for the adult fantasy lover to appreciate. Today she is writing more 'low fantasy' in which the fantasy takes place on our world rather than 'high fantasy' where she creates an entire universe to hold her stories. Look at DRAGONHAVEN to see how young adult elements can be integrated into our world and still contain elements of fantasy. It is a wonderful melding.

One last, quick suggestion - THE MAGICIANS by Lev Grossman. I have heard it described as "Harry Potter for adults". It definitely does not have the light touch of the Harry Potter series. The characters drink, smoke, swear and have sex. But it does deal with the youthful angst of the young adult. I wouldn't want Quentin (the protagonist) dating my daughter but he does capture something of the eternal outsider and the pain that accompanies that position. I think such books remain popular because we all feel like an outsider at some point in our lives. Maybe seeing how these fictional characters deal with this pain helps us to deal with it too. Plus most of these books are rousing good stories that let us escape from our own feelings of being lost in this world.

Take one home and see what your children may be reading. It isn't all TWILIGHT.

Construction Update

2011-09-08T14:14:00.000-04:00

It's been two weeks since our groundbreaking ceremony. Site preparation has begun. Trees have been removed. An old stump was found in the path of where the driveway will run from Murray street along side of the bookmobile garage behind the building and over to the proposed Parler Avenue entrance and exits. The stump was about 8 feet in diameter and covered by a few inches of dirt. It had to be dug out so that it could be ground down out of the way of the driveway foundation. Based on its size and the fact that it was covered by dirt, everyone figures it must have been a tree that was removed to allow for the expansion in 1995.

It's been kind of quiet since Labor Day. No real obvious activity, but they have moved a storage unit on to the lot. The construction crew has debris from the tree removal waiting to be hauled away. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Construction update 20110907

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America Remembers

2011-09-07T17:43:00.015-04:00

A decade has passed since the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Towers occurred.

It changed us all, disrupting our sense of security, changing our perceptions of foreigners and altering how we went about our daily lives.

For some it may be a fading memory, for others it's like it happened yesterday.

Sunday is the 10th anniversary of the attack. I hope that you will take a moment to remember those lost, the families affected and to thank the soldiers, policemen, firemen and EMTs who continue to serve our country at home and abroad to keep us safe.

9/11 Resources
Books:

Videos:

Websites

TV Specials about 9/11

To search the web, use search term: 9/11 special

1,2,3

2011-09-01T10:33:00.004-04:00

I couldn't sleep the other night and I was thinking about my children. In 1 week they had experienced a substantial earthquake and a hurricane. I considered what the odds would be on this happening. This made me consider the whole realm of mathematics. Now, you must realize that I am a firm non-believer when it comes to mathematics. This is ironic because I went pretty far in my studies of math. I made it through all the arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, algebra 2, solid geometry and set theory that my 1950's high school offered. I quit when it came to calculus and theoretical math. Why? I had the sudden realization that mathematics was not real. It
was a construct of humanity attempting to impose order on a chaotic world. The same could be said about time. One of my favorite exchanges in a book that I read - "What is 2 and 2?" - "4" - "Why?" (PAWN OF PROPHECY) I have never been able to answer that question. Can you?

This leads me to a portion of the collection that is often treated like an unwanted orphan. This is the early 500's where we shelve the books dealing with mathematics. Now this portion of the collection has the practical math books like GEOMETRY THE EASY WAY and COLLEGE ALGEBRA DEMYSTIFIED. We even step back to ARITHMETIC THE EASY WAY. These books get usage from students looking for review material, from job seekers hoping to improve their math skills, and from test takers reviewing before employment and aptitude tests. But there is another part of this collection that is often ignored. These are the books that people write ABOUT math. These poor, unloved books languish on the shelf day after day. There must be someone in the community who is willing to show them some love.

I, with all my strange ideas about math, have actually checked out one of these book , THE MAGICAL MAZE SEEING THE WORLD THROUGH MATHEMATICAL EYES. Honestly, I did not read the whole book. I was interested in fractals for a while, from the purely visual side, and I wanted to know what people were doing with them. I decided that I really did not see the world through "mathematical eyes". I actually looked through GOD CREATED THE INTEGERS by Stephen Hawking and found myself wondering why his books on cosmology and physics could be so entrancing and this one on mathematics left me cold. At the same time I realized how closely the fields were related and you could not have one without the others. I went through HOT: ALGEBRA EXPOSED by Danica McKellar and I actually had few problems in grasping the problems that illustrated her points. It was "cutesy" to the point that it set my teeth on edge, but it did contain valuable and usable information.

But the one math book that really got my interest was PROOFINESS THE DARK ARTS OF MATHEMATICAL DECEPTION by Charles Seife. Mr. Seife explains how our reverence for all things mathematical is used by politicians and business leaders to meet their own agendas. One thing I truly loved about the book was the word(?) 'randumbness'. What a wonderful way to explain the idiocy that some people use numbers to explain. Everyone should read this book and apply it to the coming elections. It is one of our "orphan" books that should be adopted by the population. In a way, it is more frightening than anything by Stephen King.

To protect myself from claims that I hate math because I am innumerate, I tried random pages of THE NUMERACY TEST WORKBOOK by Mike Bryon. I didn't get every question but I did quite well. So, thank you, Sister Xavieria. You taught me well. You scared me to death all through high school but you made me learn my math. I wish I could have discussed the idea of the "non-reality" of mathematics with you but somehow I don't think you would accept my points. Let us agree to disagree. You would probably give me detention again for thinking outside of the box.

Home Again, Home Again....

2011-08-25T08:18:00.004-04:00

I have just returned from vacation and I think I need another. When we were younger, I swear my husband's idea of a perfect vacation was to get on the interstate and drive. When I helped with the driving, the conversation degenerated to multiple inquiries of " Do you know how fast you are going?". In my mind this question, asked again and again, was grounds for the beginning of divorce proceedings. At one point it got so bad that I refused to go on a tour of the New England states unless I was promised that we would occasionally get off the interstate and that we would not eat at any national chains. This led to the best clam chowder I ever ate. It was made at a faded,
roadside restaurant with little tables covered in oil cloth. Fantastic! But it also led to a mystery meal in the Poconos at which the waitress yelled at me because I wouldn't eat the purple eggs. When we startled a rat in the parking lot, I decided not to question the meat I had eaten for dinner. I didn't want to know.

This vacation was just to see the children who live in Maryland and Virginia. It was a straight shot up I-95. Right? I truly began to doubt that we would make it. Traffic was "interesting". I amused myself as a passenger by reading the home bases of the trucks that passed us (Florida) and by rating the drivers who were most aggressive, rude and speeding(New Jersey). It continued until we passed the Virginia border and traffic stopped dead. As our daughter lives in North Central Virginia, we had no choice but to slowly crawl our way north. But we finally arrived.

Now, another great interest of my husband is American history - particularly The Civil War or The War Between the States or That Late Unpleasantness or The War of Northern Aggression. When we arrived at our daughter's home, we found that we were on the edge of a battlefield. According to THE COMPLETE CIVIL WAR ROAD TRIP GUIDE we were within 20 minutes of 4 of the largest battlefield parks in the area - Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse. While we didn't make it to all the sites, we did get a start. I am always amazed, looking out over the green fields, that there isn't more of an impact on the earth. Yes, men have put up monuments and grave stones but when you look at that small cement marker that gives a plot number and the you see the numeral 5 underneath and realize that this is the resting place of 5 unidentified bodies, it just seems that more is needed. These markers go on and on and on and you realize that you are walking over the resting place of thousands. One thing I think many of the Virginians that I have met would find disconcerting is that they are not considered a "Southern" state. Within the book INSIDER'S GUIDE TO CIVIL WAR SITES IN THE SOUTHERN STATES , you will not find a single mention of Virginia. Don't tell Robert E. Lee.

While we were in the area, we had to pass through Washington DC. Looking at EYEWITNESS TRAVEL WASHINGTON DC, it is almost impossible to conceive of the amount of wonderful things to see and visit in Washington. If you are not into monuments and museums, WASHINGTON DC OFF THE BEATEN PATH gives you marvelous suggestions for some less touristy sight-seeing. However, what neither book mentions is the traffic which is beyond horrible. Picture the wood chip semis colliding on I-26 going on 24 hours a day and you have some idea of the traffic tie-ups. As someone who has been there, I give you one word - Metro. It is definitely the best way to get into and around Washington.

I would give you the stories of visiting my son but first you must read BATS. I don't know if his bats are an amenity in his new house (mosquito control) or if I should buy him a lifetime supply of garlic but they are rather cute little critters. Just ask his cats.

But now we are home. We missed the earthquake and the coming hurricane. Just picture the traffic on I-95 for that evacuation. I would rather face the hurricane.

It's Official!!

2011-08-24T16:10:00.002-04:00

Ground was officially broken on the expansion and renovation of the headquarters library in St. George. The ceremony was well attended by Town, County and State elected officials. Pictures of the ceremony are below. Keep up with the progress of our building project by following us here and on our Facebook page.

Ground breaking ceremony

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We're Starting to Shake, Rattle and . . . ?

2011-08-22T12:56:00.000-04:00

Build! I was sitting in the Director's office this morning with two other coworkers. We were all on a conference call. As we sat there, we heard a rumbling sound. Not long afterwards, everything began to vibrate. Then this loud clanking noise started up. Yep, construction has finally begun on DCL's expansion and renovation project. The library was notified in December, 2009, that our CDBG grant application was approved. Now it's August, 2011, and work has finally begun. We will be keeping you updated and posting pictures of our progress.

Construction photo album 20110815 19

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Congratulations Summer Reading Raffle Winners!

2011-08-18T12:34:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to all of our raffle winners from the Read-to-Me Club, Readers Club, and Teen Club! Winners of the Read-to-Me and Reader's Club were given a library tote bag filled with school supplies, a book, and other novelty prizes. Teen winners received a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble. We look forward to seeing everyone again throughout the school year!

Read-to-Me Club
Micayla Johnson - St. George
Hunter Hitson - Summerville
Logan Mishoe - Summerville

Reader's Club
Maggie Thomas - St. George
Matt Moore - St. George
Penny Jackson - St. George
Youcef Benaissa - St. George
Arianna Walker - Summerville
Emma Bassett - Summerville
Kevin Higgins - Summerville
Logan Franco - Summerville
Natalie Bandy - Summerville

Teen Club
Jerrell Rolack - St. George
Alise Smith - Summerville
Kirk Lowe - Summerville

"...And other duties as assigned."

2011-08-11T08:40:00.007-04:00

"...And other duties as assigned." This is my favorite part of my job description. It covers everything from getting a broom and sweeping away a black snake that had decided to nap in the sun at the front door to cleaning up "accidents" from small children to writing a blog each week. It is an open ended job description that knows no boundaries.

One part of my open duties is called "readers' advisory". In this portion of my job patrons ask me for advice on what to read. I do try to take the question seriously and not let my slightly warped sense of humor slide
through. This week's question from a lovely lady was to please find her a
'Southern novel'. That was all I had to go on.

Now in American literature, the South is known as the home of good to great geographically based novels. My favorites are the Southern Gothic novels of William Faulkner. When I first read Faulkner in my teenage years, I was fascinated. Here were families that were more dysfunctional than mine (if the word dysfunctional had been applied to families in the 60's). In truth, I was too young to read THE SOUND AND THE FURY. It took me half the book to figure out what was going on and to relate it to the rest of the Shakespeare quote. But I never forgot my first introduction to the literary South.

Later, in college, I was introduced to Flannery O'Connor and Eudora Welty. I enjoyed and appreciated these authors but they never had the morbid fascination I found in Faulkner. And then I found Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote. I will admit that Williams left me cold but there was one story by Truman Capote called "A Christmas Memory" that has stayed with me for 30 years. It was just a simple story of a simple Christmas. There was something marvelous about this Southern woman baking fruit cakes, infusing them with moonshine liquor and then sending one off to the President. There was an innocence and simplicity that I loved. I had never forgotten it and recommended it highly to the patron who felt she did not wish to read Capote because of his disreputable reputation.

So I moved the other way with a Southern novel of impeccable rectitude with an author to match - TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee. I think this is one of the greatest Southern novels ever written. The characters are fully formed; the plot is controlled and moves smoothly; there is a touch of the Gothic with Boo Radley and the problems faced by the South during the 30's are perfectly portrayed. I can still taste the dust of the street when the rabid dog stumbled into town. I always say that I cannot like a novel unless I like at least one character in the novel (my problem with Dickens). In this novel I would be hard pressed to say which one I liked most. I loved the dignity and ethics of Atticus Finch and I think we could use a few more of him around today - particularly in Congress. Again, this was not what she wanted.

So I move on to the modern Southern writers - Pat Conroy and Anne Rivers Siddons. I told her that I found the Conroy novels engrossing but had trouble with his non-fiction work. She had read Siddons and thought she would prefer a woman author.

By this point I was running out of ideas, so I mentioned one that caused me to grit my teeth. Now my mother and I have been arguing over this book since my teenage years. I consider it awful. It portrays a South that never existed; I wanted to take the main character and slap her because I had never met a more shallow, self-absorbed character; I could honestly say that there was not one character that I admired or wished to emulate. I thought maybe it was just teenage rebellion that gave me such an opposite reaction to my mother's opinion. She thought it was a wonderful book and the heroine was a shining example of womanhood. I wanted to gag. So a few years ago I re-read the book. Do you know what? I hated it more as an adult than as a teenager. The novel - GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell. I apologize to all my Southern friends (and Northern friends) who love this book but by page 50, I want to slap Scarlett O'Hara silly and tell her to get her act together. I want to tell Melanie to show some spine and I want to throw Ashley in the river until he stops being such a wuss and I want to tell Rhett Butler he is not God's gift to women but was one step removed from the cave man with the club in his hand. The writing is clunky and the descriptive passages get in the way of the plot movement. I just can't see how I am missing what everyone else is praising. However, I smiled sweetly and led my patron to the book and also mentioned we had the film adaptation of the novel. You guessed it. She was delighted with the book and told me she had read it as a teenager and loved it. What am I missing??????

Well, the patron is happy and maybe now that I am old, I will re-read it and find something to like. I guess I fulfilled my "other duty" but it felt like a betrayal. I guess any book is a "good" book if people have read and loved it for 50 years. But I wonder - 50 years from today- which will be the ones still being read?

The Silly Season

2011-08-04T08:21:00.005-04:00

Once, long, long ago, I was sitting in a journalism class and I was exposed to the term "The Silly Season". (My son-in-law, a real newspaperperson, is now wringing his hands that I would have the temerity to write about his beloved vocation. Sorry, Chris. I was having trouble coming up with an idea this week, so it is your turn.) As I remember the silly season being defined, it was a time period around August when newspapers often published inconsequential stories because there was a lack of real news. Well, it is August and I am feeling inconsequential to the max.

Meaning no disrespect to true believers, you might say the library has a 'silly
season' area. It can be found in two places - the 001's and the 133's - cryptozoology and psychic phenomena. I love the word cryptozoology. It only came into existence as a word in 1969. (Do I see some relation between the emergence of this word and the drug culture of the 60's? Possible.) Cryptozoology is defined as the study of the lore of legendary animals to see if they exist. I think if I could have another career upon my retirement, I would like to be a cryptozoologist. The library has just the books to get me started on my new career path. Let us begin with CRYPTOZOOLOGY A TO Z, an encyclopedic treatment of the critters that are out there to get you. Although they cover the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot, there isn't a single mention of the South Carolina Lizard Man. So I would have to say that this could only be the beginning. I went on to REAL MONSTERS, GRUESOME CRITTERS, AND BEASTS FROM THE DARKSIDE. There on page 210 was the Lizard Man of South Carolina. There were pages and pages on the Lizard Man. I thought of all the times I had been in or near Bishopville and I had never seen a thing. Maybe I would not be a successful cryptozoologist. Feeling rather low, I looked into MEMOIRS OF A MONSTER HUNTER . The author had spent 5 years without a whole lot of success, so maybe I should schedule another trip to Bishopville and invite my son-in-law so he can report on it for the silly season.

Leaving behind the critters that might be out there, I decided to look inward and closer to home. IS YOUR PET PSYCHIC? would seem a good way to start my exploration. According to this book, cats possess extreme psychic awareness. Then I though about my cat. Forget psychic awareness; she would give Garfield a run for the food bowl. Gastric awareness- yes; psychic awareness- no. Well, maybe this is all my fault, so I tried UNLOCK YOUR PSYCHIC POWERS. As I leafed through the book, I found myself considering the use of psychic smells to determine the psychic value of a person or place. Then I pictured South Carolina in August. Then I pictured myself going around a sniffing people. A. It's hot. B. People sweat. C. People get arrested for going up to strangers and sniffing them. D. I don't think I have what it takes to be a psychic.

Let us move on. I missed out on the cryptozoology; I couldn't face (sniff) my psychic awareness test; what is left? Ghost hunter. I found an amazing abundance of books on ghosts - A GHOST IN MY SUITCASE, THE GHOSTS OF CHARLESTON, HAUNTED CASTLES AND HOUSES OF SCOTLAND and more. It looked like there were ghosts everywhere so I should be able to find some to hunt. Going through the above 3 titles, I found that I had been in many of the locations mentioned - from New Hampshire to Charleston to St. Augustine. Never, in all the times I had visited these places, did I see, hear, smell or feel anything disconcerting. It looks like no ghosts for me. Another profession down the tubes. A further question - if you hunt ghosts, what do you do with them when you find them? Mount them on a plaque over the fireplace? Take them to a taxidermist and have them stuffed? Pose for a picture holding them while standing on the dock? I like the idea of a stuffed ghost sitting on the mantle. It goes with the 'silly season' idea.

After wallowing in all this silliness, I leave you with HIPPO EATS DWARF A FIELD GUIDE TO HOAXES AND OTHER B.S. I got some great giggles from the subjects covered in this title and in this 'silly season' we definitely need all the giggles we can get. So, Chris, when you get back from vacation, adopt the 'silly season' mantra. We need it.

PS There is a marvelous short story about how the aliens waited to invade the earth until it was 'silly season' time. They knew people woulld not believe what was in the papers. May I recommend Cowboys and Aliens? Maybe the movie producers know something we don't.

The Classics

2011-07-28T08:29:00.006-04:00

I had a request last week from a mother whose child was assigned to read a "classic" over the summer. Would I please show her where the "classics" were shelved? The question now was - what is a classic. From my literature background, the idea of endurance seemed to be the hallmark of a classic. If a worked endured over the ages and was still read, it was a "classic". (I may not be read but I have endured longer than many books. Does that make me a
classic?) I thought back to my college classes where we had read classics - THE ENGLISH NOVEL, AMERICAN NOVELS OF THE 19th CENTURY, WORLD LITERATURE, etc. All these classes covered the classic whether in epic poetry or the novel.

But one point hit me - if some of these works were not "classics" and were not assigned reading, would they be read? I know that my education fit the concept of the classical education for the educated elite of the past - minus reading the works in Latin and Greek. I did read some of the Latin classics in the original such as Caesar and Ovid. Greek was never taught at my high school so the works had to be read in translation. I had read my Homer, my Sophocles, my Plato, my Abelard , my Thomas Hardy, my Charles Dickens, my Hawthorne, my Melville, my Faulkner, my Hemingway, and on and on. ( In the realm of full disclosure, I will admit I only took the American novels class because the professor was so young and so cute. We then spent a full semester arguing about MOBY DICK because I felt the metaphorical interpretations to be pretentious.) So I felt I was qualified to help this mother in her search for classics.

Through further questioning, it appeared that the only type of classic that was allowed was the novel and her son was not a great reader. This immediately let out THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH, BEOWULF, THE CANTERBURY TALES, and all William Shakespeare. All these I could have gotten behind fully. They are rousing good stories that any person could enjoy. So, it was necessary to look at items from a later time period. Now I had a problem, I could not recommend Hardy, Eliot or Dickens. The words stuck in my throat as I realized I didn't "like" these great authors. I could appreciate what they had done for the novel but I could never picture myself picking up something by Thomas Hardy for pleasure reading. To cure insomnia - yes; to sit and read on a lazy afternoon - no. I can appreciate the beauty of Dickens' language but there is so much of it. I am reminded of the quote from WEST WING where Bartlet says "In my house, anyone who uses one word when they could have used 10 just isn't trying hard." At times Dickens' language gets in the way of the story. I often wonder if he was being paid by the word and had to make the next month's rent. I also realized I didn't like these works because I was being "preached at". (Sorry, Monsignor Latham) I like to make my own ethical and moral decisions without being hit over the head by a 500 page novel sayingTHIS IS WRONG. To give these works to a struggling reader seemed cruel. He might complete the assignment but I was afraid it would make him hate reading more.

So what to do?

I moved on to 20th century American writers who were considered classics and decided on Ernest Hemingway. A man's man - thoroughly masculine in his sensibilities and almost aimed at an audience of young men. (I didn't mention the suicide.) Keeping in mind that this child had left the assignment until 10 days before the start of school, I recommended THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (It's short.) Here was man's eternal struggle against nature which nature appears to win but really doesn't. I hope he likes it.

I find I am having a great deal of trouble ending this blog. I keep wanting to go back and blast other "classics" so that I can replace them with titles that I think should be classic. I keep wondering which of today's titles will still be read 100 or 200 years in the future. I nominate Michael Chabon. I think he has the talent, creativity and vision to make it. He has never outsold James Patterson, John Grisham or Janet Evanovich, but he is good and he should be read by all those people who think a chapter is only 1 page long.

I would love to hear from some of the readers about the books they think are classics or will be classics. This would give me a reading list to pursue during my retirement. No promises - I might write back in about what I really think.

Consequences of Summer?

2011-07-20T10:05:00.008-04:00

It is South Carolina in the summertime. Guess what? It is hot. No, I will go beyond that and say it is very hot. According to the television weather forecasts, our heat wave is not expected to end soon. It will go on and on and on. I keep having a song I hate running through my mind . . . "MacArthur Park is melting in the dark/ All the sweet green icing flowing down. . . ." There are evenings when I go out on the deck and this is what I feel. During the afternoon, with the sun beating directly down, it isn't even a question of melting. It is more like spontaneous combustion.

I wonder what this debilitating heat does to social interactions. The heat can make you miserable. Do you share that misery? Unfortunately, at Publix last weekend, the misery was being shared at a rate I couldn't and didn't want to understand. After waiting almost 20 minutes at the deli counter , I watched an older woman push her way to the front and give her order. The rest of us, holding our numbers, stood there and said nothing. And don't tell me it was the result of the lack of manners of the younger generation. This woman was older than I; she was just rude. I recommend to all those patient shoppers THE CIVILITY SOLUTION. This book recommends reactions and solutions
to the rudeness we encounter everyday. Is it the heat that seems to be pushing us all to be more rude? I don't know but I recommend this little book both for the ideas it gives you on how to handle rudeness and for the realization that you are not alone as the target for these steamrollers who believe that their wishes are paramount.

I will admit that the warm weather has caused me one very definite problem of rudeness that I cannot address. In the warm weather, I tend to go barefoot. I am also the one who usually goes out for the morning paper at about 5:45 AM. I do not cross my front yard as early as one of the neighborhood dogs. It is dark; the paper is in the middle of the lawn; I swear there is a mine field of surprises laid. I don't know if I could handle an encounter with the dog and its owner with any degree of civility. I am tired of washing me feet off with the hose before I go back into the house. I consulted MISS CONDUCT'S MIND OVER MANNERS but while she has a whole chapter on dealing with dogs and dog owners, she does not deal with this slippery subject.

While I was in this area of the collection, I looked at some of the other titles. Most of them dealt with "etiquette" which was few steps up from my concerns. I know enough to roll up the hands of my long white gloves and I tend not to use place cards when someone comes over to eat. I don't think I will ever sponsor a ball and my children are all married off. The only invitations I can see being presented would be to my funeral. So EMILY POST'S ETIQUETTE was not of any great use.

So, instead I went to the children's department and here I found exactly what was needed to address many of the things bothering me. DON'T SLURP YOUR SOUP by Lynne Gibbs offers instructions to children that can be utilized by most adults. How much effort does it take to say "please"? How much effort does it take to say "thank you"? Actually it takes less effort than to make some universally recognized gestures and . . . wouldn't the world be a nicer place?

So how about we try. When I am working the desk, I try to say "Thank You" to evry patron I have checked out. It really does not take that much effort. I make the effort to really listen when a patron has something to tell me. Again, it does not take that much effort. Basically, I try to treat my patrons as I would like to be treated. Simplistic, yes, but it is the best I can do. One of my favorite quotes - "Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. " (Lazarus Long/Robert Heinlein)

As we rub along for the rest of the summer, let us remember that politeness. Although - if I meet that dog, all bets are off.

Into the Future

2011-07-14T12:14:00.007-04:00

Retirement beckons to me in 3 months and 1 week. I often have wondered what people do in "retirement". While I was in high school, I had a part-time job; while I was in college, I picked up whatever work I could find; I began teaching on the day after I graduated from college and, during those long summer vacations, I went to classes to keep my certification current and become a master teacher. Then I married, had children and "quit work". (Everyone knows that a stay-at-home mother doesn't work and I have the scars to show it.)

When the children were pretty much grown, I came to work at the library and went back to get a MLIS degree. Much to her embarrassment, my
daughter and I were students at USC together. Oh, the pain of having your mother on campus at the same time you are! However, we both survived and went on to our respective careers. She went on to grad school at UVA and I returned to Summerville Library and 20 years passed. So it seems that I have never not been busy.

Now, in what should be a slowing period of my life, my husband and my daughter have decided I should start school as soon as I retire. Their great idea - I should attend law school. My husband thinks I would enjoy being a litigator to indulge my love of a good "discussion" better known as an argument. I don't know what my daughter thinks. All I know is that by the time I finish law school and pass the bar, I will be trying my first case leaning on a walker. Although the idea of suing some banks and insurance companies makes me want to give it a try, I just don't know. But in truth, I do not believe that we need any more lawyers. (Have you notice how many television shows now have lawyers as the protagonists? May the cosmos be kind to me if I ever have to deal with one of Hollywood's idea of a great legal mind. Where is Atticus Finch when we need him?)

To counteract their ideas for my active retirement, I went looking on the shelves of the library. In a moment of altruism, I considered 150 BEST JOBS FOR A BETTER WORLD. Each entry tells you how this profession will improve the world as well as practical information such as salary, job growth and training. (An interesting side light - law instructors are listed but not lawyers. Take that, husband and daughter.)

Another good choice(considering I am old enough to drop at any second) is WHERE THE JOBS ARE NOW. This title gives the sectors of the economy that are now doing well and can be expected to continue to do well. Unfortunately, lawyers are mentioned here, particularly bankruptcy lawyers. I think I would find this area very depressing. Nope, not for me.

Due to my reluctance to spend a majority of my remaining years in a classroom, I consulted 300BEST JOBS WITHOUT A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE. While some of the jobs demanded an associate degree, I found one that immediately caught my eye. Dragline Operators. My original interest came from the fact that I had no idea what it was. Then I found out it entailed driving and manipulating really big machines. What fun!!! But then I remembered my general lack of coordination and the amount of havoc I wreak just on my own two feet. No, I think this job would require a skill set of which I am not capable.

So I finally found a title I thought was perfect - 150 BEST LOW STRESS JOBS. One of the first jobs I found was LIBRARIAN - someone thinks this is a low stress job. Oops! So I continued to look and I think I found it. POTTER If I could master that art, I would never have to shop for a gift again. I think I would like the feel of the clay slipping through my fingers. I would never have to give myself a manicure again. I had a built in excuse for a messy garage and muddy footprints on the kitchen floor. If a snake crawled in the kiln, I could just fire it up and fry him. But once again, honesty raised its head. There is not the slightest bit of artistic talent in any part of my body. I love pottery but the only way I will get it is to go on one of those hated shopping trips.

So what to do in 3 months and 1 week? Any suggestions?

PS I am sorry I couldn't do the links this week but the server is down and I can't get to the web site to construct them. If you are interested in any of the books, just do a catalogue search by title and there they will be.

Moving On

2011-07-07T10:41:00.004-04:00

For the most part - I do not cry at movies. I have made it through Love Story, Terms of Endearment, and Steel Magnolias with nary a sniffle( although the slap Weezer scene was one of the best ones ever written.). At times, I have even rooted for the "bad" guy in reaction to Hollywood's blatant attempt to manipulate my emotions. Even as a child , I didn't have the slightest desire to clap my hands for Tinkerbell or wish myself home with Dorothy. In truth, I hated The Wizard of Oz and only found enjoyment in the flying monkeys.

But I am not completely without feelings. The first movie at which I can remember shedding tears was Born Free. The scene where Elsa wanders back into camp starving and weak after trying to live wild had me wishing for a
box a Kleenex or a long-sleeved shirt. This past weekend, in a fit of acute laziness, I decided to watch Marley and Me. Now, I had read the book and I knew that the dog was going to die. In the movie, when the time came for Marley to die, so too came the sniffles. I am not going to say much about the fact that the first thing the vet does when she comes into the room with me and my animals is to bring a box of Kleenex.

All this makes me worry about getting a new cat to replace my great snake-hunter Virgil. When I had to have him put down, I cried in the examining room while I held him; I cried at the reception desk while I wrote out the check (I don't know how they cashed it; it had to be splotchy.); I cried sitting in the parking lot and sniveled during the entire drive home. I really question whether I will be able to go through all this again. The only hope I have is that I am so old that the cat will out live me.

So the decision has been made I will be journeying to the SPCA to see what is available. To prepare I have gone through THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES COMPLETE GUIDE TO CAT CARE. The book has an excellent section on choosing a cat and the things to look for in your shelter cat but I think it will be a more emotional decision. We once adopted a cat named Cato because every time I walked past the cage, he reached through the bars and patted my arm.

I decided to get a jump on the emotional aspect of this whole thing by reading JAMES HERRIOT'S CAT STORIES and CHRISTMAS CATS. I loved the Herriot; the other book, CHRISTMAS CATS - not so much.

I also consulted HOW YOUR CAT WORKS which really had me confused as the book said the title was CAT BEHAVIOR. But the information was good.

So now I have a problem. I would love to adopt a kitten just for the comic aspects of kitten behavior. These days I need all the laughs I can get. But I know that when I go to the SPCA, there will be a cat just a few days from death because nobody wanted him. My current cat was in that situation. My children decided to get me a cat for Christmas. My son went to the SPCA in Columbia to get a kitten. While he was there, he discovered a cat due to be put to sleep the day after Christmas. Guess which one I got? We named her Death Row Inmate (Inmate for short) and she has been with us for years. It was she who attacked the black snake that got in the house as fat and elderly as she is.

So I know a new one is coming. I have been dreaming about kittens - gray kittens with white feet. I have also been dreaming about splotchy colored kittens with their mother. But I know there is that older cat at the SPCA just waiting for me. Maybe I can love him as much as I did Virgil and he can love me as much as did Virgil. I won't even consider the snakes.

The Boys of Summer Did it Again!

2011-07-07T08:42:00.017-04:00

WOW! Just Wow! That's all I could say after I finished watching my Gamecocks win another CWS Baseball Championship. It's been a little over a week since they won. I have finally calmed down enough to write this piece. For 10 days, I was a nervous wreck. Every game seemed to go into extra innings or they squeaked by with a 1 run win. I can't tell you how many times I thought I would have a heart attack from watching. Frankly, sometimes I couldn't watch it. I could only stand to listen. As much as I love my Gamecocks, I really had my doubts about them getting to Omaha again this year. They had endured so many injuries during the season but still managed to win. I kept waiting for it to finally catch up with them and end their season. But somehow it never did.

The road to Omaha, Nebraska is not an easy trip. But every year that's the goal of most college baseball teams - get to there in June where the NCAA Men's Baseball College World Series is played. There are over 280 programs around the country. Only 8 make to the College World Series tournament. It's a grind to get through the regular season, the regional and super-regional tournaments. If you are good (and lucky) enough to make it, you hit the
intense 10 day tournament in Omaha.

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks got there in 2010. They came away with the National Championship trophy and did it the hard way - coming out of the losers bracket. It was magical. It was inspirational. It was gritty, gutsy, determined baseball combined with inspirational touch of Baylerball, a phrase coined for the young cancer patient Bayler Teal whom the team adopted as one of their own. Gamecock Glory by Travis Haney recounts how the team and Bayler met and follows the journey they made through the 2010 season. A couple of weeks before this year's tournament, I finally read the book. The story drags laughter and tears from the reader but is truly inspirational on so many levels. It's not just a baseball story. It's a story of the strength and resilience of the human spirit. It's a must read in my book.

Back to June, 2011. The Gamecocks finished the regular season sharing the SEC regular season championship with Florida and Vanderbilt. Typically they existed the SEC tournament early and prepared to start post season play. Their goal -- OMAHA and another national title. They got there the swiftest way they could. They were undefeated through the entire NCAA regional, super regional and college world series tournaments. They set records for the longest winning streak in NCAA tournament history and the longest winning streak in the CWS tournament history. The 2010 season will be remembered for Baylerball, the Avatar Spirit stick bat and how the team came out of the losers bracket to win. The 2011 season will be remembered for how the team overcame numerous player injuries and the odds stacked against returning Omaha to win back-to-back championships, breaking records along the way. Oh, and there is one other thing that many will remember - a special bat boy named Charlie Peters. Maybe Gamecock Glory 2?

If you would like to see a video summary of the Gamecock's 2010 and 2011 CWS trips, visit South Carolina Gamecocks Baseball by Justin King Media on YouTube.

Why Me??!!

2011-06-30T11:56:00.009-04:00

I have lived in my little house in Summerville longer than I have ever lived any place . I know I will always be an "import" but I was told by a native that I was not a "Yankee" because I actually came from the Midwest. I thought I had made my peace with most things Carolina. I enjoy the raccoon who periodically appears on the deck and watches us watching him through the French door. I have no problem with the possum who comes nosing around for spilled cat food or fish food. I love the large owl that floats silently through the backyard and sometimes sits on the edge of of tea house just watching. The blue herons in the back yard take me back to Jurassic Park III and make me a believer in evolution. The anoles are cute - even if they get in the house, become a snack for the cat and reappear later in various stages of decomposition. While I am not fond of palmetto bugs, I give them the outside of my home and I have the inside and we co-exist. Fire ants I could live without but we manage to avoid one another. I even managed to ignore the small alligator that wandered through my yard after we first move in.

But one thing for which I have not been able to build a tolerance is the snake population of South Carolina. Please, don't explain to me their importance in the biosphere. I DON'T CARE. On a purely visceral level - I HATE THEM
ALL. I can't help it; it is something hard wired into me. On the day we moved in, the surveyors informed me that they had killed a 5 foot rattlesnake at the end of my driveway. I seriously was considering how to put 2 kids, 5 cats and a dog back into the car and be gone some place safe before my husband returned from work. That was the beginning and it has not gotten much better over the years.

One of my first trips to the library had me looking in the 597's which deals with reptiles and amphibians. Now these are not the same books I consulted 30 years ago but the information is the same. A good beginning is VENOMOUS REPTILES OF NORTH AMERICA by Carl Ernst. It was from such a book that I learned that the rattlesnake that was killed by my driveway was one of numerous types - all available in the great outdoors of the Palmetto State. My next rattlesnake encounter was working in the vegetable garden. I had no idea I could pick up 4 children and get in the house as fast as I did. The only saving grace was that it was as interested in getting away from me as I was in getting away from it.

More information came my way from SNAKES OF GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA. With all the good information in this booklet, it was never explained to me why or how the copperhead fell on my head, down my face and curled up on my bare feet. All I was doing was letting the dog out on an early Sunday morning. I had nightmares for months. And my slow-witted dog never noticed. The cats tried to go through the windows to get to it which may be why I like cats.

In SNAKES OF THE SOUTHEAST I learned that more people suffer copperhead bites each year than any other type of venomous snake bites. That really thrilled me when we had a population explosion in the front shrubbery. Momma copperhead presented us with quite a large family. By that time, I had taken the advice of some workers at the hardware store and gotten a big, mean tomcat. Virgil took great pride that summer in presenting me with shredded bodies. I had that cat for 21 years and I loved him dearly.

SNAKES OF NORTH AMERICA by Alan Tenant points out how many of the snakes of South Carolina are non-poisonous. Again, I DON'T CARE. As a long time reader of Marvel comics, I wait patiently for the movies to come out. My great joy is in pointing out where the movie got it wrong. It is like my husband watching the Detroit Lions play football. He knows they will be awful but he watches them just the same. (For the record, he now refuses to accompany me to any more Marvel movies, but I still watch the Lions with him.) A few weeks ago, I was waiting to go see Thor. As I was sitting in the family room, I saw my old, obese de-clawed cat flying through the air. Why? A large black snake was streaking across the family room floor. Now I though we had that all settled - outside them - inside me. The snake headed down the hallway to the bedrooms where we have midnight blue carpet. Can you see a black snake on that carpet? No. It seemed to me that the proper reaction was somewhere between hysteria and a full out panic attack. Just the thought of sharing a bed room with a snake that could fall on my head - no and no. Well, my husband and neighbor caught the snake when it decided to go into the bathroom which had white tile. Now, our neighbor refused to kill it because it was a "good" snake. One morning last week, my poor old cat tore down the blinds from the living room windows. Why? There was a black snake on the front porch and she wanted to get it. I do like cats.

I do not know why snakes insist on being part of my life. I can tell you that when one of my daughter's boyfriends walked into MY home carrying a snake, I knew he would never be part of our family. I will admit that I was glad when they broke up because I had never forgiven him for that. If you have any suggestions for keeping these reptiles away from me, I will be glad to try them. I am now looking for a new mean tomcat. At 21 Virgil gave up the ghost. At least then I will have back-up.

Conflicts of Interest

2011-06-23T08:08:00.005-04:00

The human brain is a marvelous creation. From watching CSI and NCIS, I have a general idea of what the human brain looks like. It is not impressive. What fascinates me is that part of the brain that is not visible when one looks at this grayish pink mass of tissue (I swear - the human brain has almost as many wrinkles as I do). Yet, this unassuming blob can hold so many ideas and create something that has never before existed. Yes, we have our Einsteins, Monets and Salks but those of us who are just average should also be proud of what our brains can hold and do. I love the fact that the human brain can hold what would seem to be conflicting interests with no problem. How can one be on a diet and still savor the memory of fresh lobster meat dripping with lemon butter? How can a person admire and respect the soldiers who followed their oaths and served honorably in Viet Nam and still respect the demonstrators against the war? People say that it love and hate are just two sides of the same coin and are closely related in our brains. How can one have a neat linear mind and still live in chaos? The brain seems to be willing to accept multiple conflicting ideas at the same time. Yea for the brain!

Where is this leading? Why - to the public library. This one institution can hold as many conflicting ideas as the human brain. The only difference is that
the library tries to organize the conflicting ideas into separate areas. These areas are not separate collections but are defined areas of the over all collection.

Two of our most popular areas are the 200's and the 364's - religion and true crime. The Summerville Branch of the Dorchester County Library has a good religion collection. We have books that deal with most of the world's religions - from ancient myths to the current religions of the world's peoples. We have not only the holy books (the Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon) but also theological explanations. We cover Baha'i, Buddhism, Shintoism and Voodoo. Beyond that we have books about the living of your religion such as ON HOLY GROUND A DAILY DEVOTIONAL or GOD'S MASTER PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. Or we can read of those who have given themselves to God's plan like A SIMPLE PATH by Mother Teresa or THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS by Richard McBrien. I am not being simplistic. I am aware that probably no reason in history has been the cause of more bloodshed that religious differences. That is another one of those conflicting ideas which I find so fascinating. How can we profess to adhere to the teachings of the world's most important religions regarding loving and respecting our fellow man and then go out and slaughter him?

Speaking of slaughtering our fellow man - one row over from the religion section of the collection is the true crime section. Here we can wallow in the cruelty that we, as human beings, seem to be impelled to visit on our fellow creatures. A classic, IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote, tells the story of a brutal, senseless murder from the 1950's. The reader is left horrified by his look inside the minds of these killers and is saddened to be of the same species. An attempt is made to explain such actions in KILLING FOR SPORT INSIDE THE MINDS OF SERIAL KILLERS by Pat Brown. Using a question and answer format, Ms. Brown attempts to explain this type of psychopath. I find much of what she has written questionable, including her lack of sympathy for law enforcement officers who must confront these people and their crimes. As far as I can tell from her biographic information, she has never worked a day to day police beat which may explain some of her flippant answers. While some things may be learned about these people, there are better sources out there. For a final shudder-inducing look at the true crime section of the library, check out INSIDE THE MIND OF THE BTK by John Douglas. You walk away with two definite feelings. First, anyone can be a monster - the person next door, the bag boy at the supermarket, the usher at church. Monsters can hide anywhere. Second, you have the desire for a shower - anything to wash the stench of evil out of your nostrils. John Douglas is a good criminologist and a good author. Hence the yuck-factor.

This blog seems a bit more somber than my earlier ones. The subject matter does not lend itself to light-hearted frivolity. Yet, going by the religious and crime shows on television, these are subjects that are of enduring interest to people. I'll try to bring back the frivolity next week. Maybe my children will do something for which I can pick on them.

Summertime

2011-06-16T08:38:00.005-04:00

Were the summer days longer when I was young? In actuality, they were because I was living in the far North and dusk and dawn are longer the farther away you get from the equator. (See Russia and white nights.) But there was also the perception in childhood that the day would never end and that summer would give you all the time in the world to do what you wanted. This was before the days of the Internet and video games. Yes, we had television - 3 channels in black and white. In the afternoons, the only thing that was available to watch was a selection of soap operas which no self-respecting child would do.

So it was a time to be outside. Yes, there were chores but when they were
done (usually at warp speed) there was still TIME which seemed to stretch forever. Summer meant OUTSIDE. It was a time of building forts, shooting at frogs in the creek ( I don't think I ever hit one), running through fields, picking daisies ( I occasionally did something girlish), climbing trees to pick ripe fruit or just to check how far away you could see, badminton, our own brand of football that the NFL has never recognized, chasing the neighboring cows and whatever else the fertile mind of a child could conceive. It all sounds very idyllic and Huckleberry Finnish (minus the raft) but the sun did not always shine.

Those rainy afternoons were spent on Jimmy Edwards' screened-in porch reading comic books - a treat I was not allowed at home. We had Archie and Superman and Scrooge McDuck. We had Illustrated Classics and Captain America. Batman had not yet begun to brood. It was a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon. We read them and swapped them back and forth and "wasted" a whole afternoon.

Just like me, comic books have grown up. They are now called "graphic novels" and are longer and more complex than the simple reading of my youth. The Summerville Library has a large collection of these graphic novels. We have the classic characters like SUPERMAN NEW KRYPTON and STAR WARS VECTOR. We have both Batmans in TALES OF THE BATMAN, the action hero and the brooding introspective super hero.

But where the collection truly comes together is the Marvel Universe. Wolverine, of course, plays a starring role in OLD MAN LOGAN and the Black Panther deals with family problems in DEADLIEST OF THE SPECIES. We have classic Avengers in KREE SKRULL WARS and Daredevil, with more modern art work in LADY BULLSEYE. And don't forget Spiderman, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. All are here on our shelves.

One series that is not as well known is called FABLES. It is a series aimed more at adults or older teens in which characters from children's fairy tales integrate themselves into our world. Beauty is the mayor of hidden Fabletown; Bigby Wolf (the big, bad wolf) is in security; Snow White is married to Bigby; King Cole is an ambassador; Hansel is a witch; Gepetto is the ultimate villian and on and on. Such titles as FABLES: LEGENDS IN EXILE, FABLES: WAR AND PIECES, and FABLES: THE DARK AGES introduce and expand a world that is like ours and yet a home for high imagination and wonderful characters.

So, be my guest. If we ever get a rainy afternoon again, our collection of graphic novels is just the thing. Maybe we can never recover those long ago afternoons, but the fun is still there to get with just a library card.

Oh, about that Huck Finn raft . . . my brother and his friends built one but I was not allowed on it because . . . you guess why.

Lost

2011-06-09T11:34:00.006-04:00

I sit here trying to come up with an idea for this week's blog. My computer has decided that I am an acceptable user. I do not know what it was that I did that caused me to be banned. But I have to be honest - if I go directly to the site, I am still banned. But if I go in "sideways" by going to another part of the site and then returning to the home page, I am allowed access.

Now "sideways" thinking is normal for the computer world. It seems to work better than the strict linear thinking programmers claim is the best way. Now I have had a computer since the 80's. At that point in history you had a choice. You could get an IBM home computer which would entail selling both
children and throwing in a dog and cat as a bonus. Or you could buy a TI (Texas Instrument) which did not entail selling the children but also could not do much. Or you could buy a Commodore 64; you did not have to sell the children and the computer had the potential to DO something. The key word there is potential. It was a box that the user had to learn to program. Guess who? This was my introduction to basic and,surprise, I was pretty good at it.

So when the computer world banned me I consulted the books in the library to see if I could figure out why. Code writing has progressed so far beyond me that I quickly quit. Although LINUX ALL-IN-ONE FOR DUMMIES actually had pages of code that I could follow, I realized that Bill Gates and Company had left me so far behind that I could not even cough on their dust.
Humility is good for the soul.

So I looked at the other computer materials we had available. CONFIDENT COMPUTING FOR THE OVER 50s caught my eye as I am as far beyond 50 as Steve Jobs is beyond me. After perusing the book, my confidence was restored. I actually knew this stuff.

I looked at VISUAL BASIC 2005 DEMYSTIFIED and I thought I had paid good money for my computer to have an up-to-date operating system, so why bother.

So I looked at books on that might be of interest. FACEBOOK ME held some interest. I know it is a social phenomenon (just check out the movie). But I use it mainly to keep tabs on my children and family. I can't see myself "Poking" people or buying them non-existent gifts or posting reflections from my cat's eyes. There must be better things for people to do with their time.

So I moved on to something practical, IPOD SHUFFLE FAN BOOK. Now I have IPods. I have the Shuffle and I have the Nano and I avoid my car radio as much as possible. Driving through northern Georgia without my IPods- inconceivable ( I am quoting Vizzini here. Do you know who Vizzini is?). Now that computer books really had some good ideas.

Now for those of you who haven't been playing with computers for 30 years, may I make a suggestion? The library has a program called Book A Librarian. In this program you are set up in a one on one tutoring session with a librarian who will teach you basic computer skills. No, you won't suddenly be able to hack the Pentagon or develop 100 new apps to fund your retirement but such basic skills as using the Web, setting up an e-mail account or using Facebook will be covered. This is all courtesy of your friendly, neighborhood public library (On this one I am paraphrasing Stan Lee. Guess who he is?). We promise that you don't have to use my Commodore 64. My son wants that for sentimental reasons.

It is Hot, Hot, HOT!!!

2011-06-07T10:57:00.005-04:00

Summer Reading is Here

Summer may not be here officially but the thermometer says "Yes, it is." The heat has been off the charts. So was attendance at our Summer Reading Kick-Off programs held last week. The Aquarium Rovers from the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston were the featured performers at the Seago and McMahan branches. Children from the audience became the characters from "A Day in the Salt Marsh" by Kevin Kurtz that was read by Aquarium staff. Live creatures from the story were displayed to the crowds while everyone learned more about them. Each branch hosted between 150 to 175 individuals for the programs. Photos from both programs can be seen on our Facebook page at

http://www.facebook.com/dorchester.countylibrary

And So It Goes . . . .

2011-06-06T14:14:00.007-04:00

For the past few weeks, the Internet decided that it hated me. That is OK as there are some days when I am not too fond of the Internet myself. But as I look out over the library and see the people using the Wi-Fi, I think I am in a minority. But I can live with that.

The main way that the Internet showed its displeasure with me was in not allowing me to log into my blog. Thus the entirety of cyberspace was deprived of my deathless prose for a number of weeks. Now this made my children ecstatic as I had been using them as examples of different problems which could be solved by using the resources of the local public library. I think they were living in fear of those stories and pictures from their childhoods that you trot out in the teenage years to embarrass them with the boyfriend or girlfriend of the week. While it has been tempting, I have controlled my thirst for vengeance and allowed them to keep their dignity intact.

Instead, my new daughter-in-law offered herself up on the altar of blogging. Now remember, Peter and Heather had just purchased a Victorian parsonage to rehabilitate. I was full of book suggestions for Peter in the carpentry and plumbing departments. Although he tells me he is spending a great deal of time on the "This Old House" website, I still worry.

So, Heather, it is your turn. No embarrassing stories, just suggestions of books to help you with the decorating. A very obvious title is DECORATING FOR THE FIRST TIME by Eileen Cannon Paulin. While it might be expected that all the rooms are done in Early CraigsList, some of the decorating schemes would fit into your parlors and dining room - your bedrooms - not so much.

Then comes BEAUTIFUL INTERIORS by Charles Gandy. Unless you want your home to have a split personality with a Victorian exterior and an interior more suited to Frank Lloyd Wright, this is not the book for you. You may glean some good ideas from the pictures, but I am afraid you will be spending too much time removing wallpaper to go too far out.

Now, EXTRAORDINARY INTERIORS by Brian Coleman did have some good ideas for a house your age - right down to the mahogany woodwork and the tile surrounded fireplaces. Heather, I went through the whole book and I did not find one suggestion as to what to do with the fireplace that has the colony of bats. I don't even know what eats bats. Maybe an owl. You could import owls to live in your barns but then I would also watch out for your cats.

Better Homes and Gardens has a book titled NEW CLASSIC STYLE. Their idea of classic style is 1950 or 1960. Rent a DVD of "Blast from the Past" and you would see what your home would look like. Yech!!! No matter how annoying my son can be, he doesn't deserve that.

But my favorite for you, Heather, is REAL LIFE RENOVATING by Lyn Peterson. It really does have some good ideas that shouldn't take more than 400 years to implement. Remember, no remodeling project gets done on time. We did it with our first house and I still remember the layer after layer of wall paper that had to be removed from the living room. It ended up with huge (bigger than my head) pink cabbage roses against a gunmetal background. Nightmare time !!

But, it is an adventure and when it gets too much, I recommend A COMPLETE GUIDE TO MANICURE AND PEDICURE by Leigh Toselli. You will deserve it. Or, THE CRAFT OF THE COCKTAIL by Dale DeGroff. You will deserve that too.

Have fun with it. And don't let Peter sleep in too late. He should be up sanding and scraping right along with you.

Seasons of the Library

2011-05-20T12:21:00.001-04:00

Summerville’s abuzz about summer, counting down the days until the end of school or that much-anticipated vacation. I didn’t work here long before realizing that at the library, our seasons are a little different.

At the library, we don’t simply have “summer” – we have “Summer Reading” – our busiest time of the year. From the big kick-off on May 27^th with the SC Aquarium presentation until the school bells ring again in August, we will all be in high gear: checking out, checking in, giving out prizes and (hopefully) smiling all the way. For the second year, we will include adults in our summer reading fun, with drawings for prizes on July 1^st and August 1^st. Summer Reading is high season at the library.

Our year revolves through Summer Reading into New Card season, when families settle into new homes in time for the new school year and find that a library card is their passport to economical reading and entertainment. For several years now, we have been making over 500 new cards a month in the Summerville Branch!

As the calendar year comes to a close, Tax Season looms. This is the season we inherited about ten years ago from the US Post Office. Boxes of forms, schedules and instructions pile up in our back room higher than Midwestern snow drifts. People bundle up and come to the library in droves for their tax form needs. We had a particularly severe Tax Season this year because fewer forms were mailed directly to homes. We can help people find or print a form, schedule or instructions, but please don’t ask us for tax advice. We are legally prevented from giving tax or legal advice. (This is a good thing; you certainly wouldn’t want any that came from me!)

As winter wanes and the rest of the world anticipates spring, research papers blossom at the library. Every high school English teacher seems to assign a research paper during second semester, and our librarians are mining the reference collection daily to help students across the finish line and move on to the next grade.

Which brings us back to Summer Reading: ahhhh… the season of relaxation and freedom… a good book… a stroll on the beach… a sunset… a cart of books to re-shelve!

If I Might Suggest . . . .

2011-05-20T09:34:00.003-04:00

I have a son as well as a daughter. I also love him dearly. I won't say anything about the extra grey hairs he has cost me, but I used to have very dark hair and now . . . . .

I got him through a childhood of asthma, bloody noses, horse kicks and experiments involving fire ants, gasoline and styrofoam. Then I sent him out in the world. After highschool, college and multiple degrees, he decided to follow his heart and become a policeman in Washington, DC. He married, settled down (a bit) and began that great American pasttime of house hunting. Now the real estate market around Washington is insane. Things may have cooled down around here but up there the housing bubble never burst. He looked at one cottage that he referred to as a hobbit hole. It was built in 1792 and he could not stand upright in the rooms. The cost - in the $100's of thousand dollars. So he continued to look and found a Victorian home built in 1894. Those rooms he could stand up in.

But . . . . Peter, visit your local library. I remember the birdhouse you made for me and the library will have books to advise you in your new project. Starting simple, there is THE COMPLETE BOOK OF PAINT. After all, you have bedrooms, parlors, libraries, a bathroom and other sundry rooms with which to deal. David Carter gives you great ideas for color and design plus shows you how to prepare your surfiaces for painting. It is possible that before you can use the Carter book, you may have to consult DRYWALL by Myron Ferguson. The book is full of techniques to use both in building and remodeling. I know you have plaster and lathe walls, but some repairs may have to be made and drywall is much simpler to do. The book is filled with ideas and pictures, so go to it - the National Register permitting.

Then there is RESTORING WOODEN HOUSES which will give you some idea of what a hundred year old fixer-upper demands. Good luck. What they were showing scared me to death. May I also suggest BASIC CARPENTRY TECHNIQUES? I do have faith in you but I keep remembering that bird house.

After hearing about your kitchen, I suggest something like TILE FLOORS by Dan Ramsay. It should help your make up your mind between ceramic and linoleum. But then you said that there were hardwood floors in the kitchen, so maybe some books on re-finishing wood floors would be helpful.

5 bedrooms- 1 bath and a kitchen you describe as a disater, you will definitely need REMODEL PLUMBING by Rex Cauldwell. There is nothing fancy about this book; there are no pretty pictures of bathrooms for the stars; but there is a ton of practical information on how to do what has to be done. Remember the house you raided.

So, I wish you the best, my dear. It really is a lovely house and I hope you get it. Your sister will be thrilled I picked on you for this week's blog, but it was all meant with love. I know that when we are invited up to visit, we should bring our painting clothes, gardening gloves and any tools we can spare - all part of being parents. Enjoy it all. It is scary but can be the experience of a lifetime. I really don't know what to tell you about the dismantled car in the barn.

PS About the birdhouse - the day I saw the snake crawling out of the entry hole was the day I quit putting bird houses in my yard. The snakes may still come in the yard but I don't have to put out a brunch for them.

Summer Reading Starts Soon!

2011-05-19T14:06:00.002-04:00

We have many exciting programs planned this summer as well as reading clubs for all ages! Babies and toddlers can join the "Read-to-Me" club this summer and earn free books and prizes just for having someone read to them. Preschoolers and school-aged children can join the "Readers" club and earn prizes, a reading medal, and a free book for keeping track of how many hours they read. Teenagers have their own club that uses a point system. Points can be earned by reading or by attending library programs and these points earn teens prizes and a free book. Finally we can't forget the grown-ups! This will be our second year having a reading club for adults. Just pick up a bookmark, read three books, and record them on the bookmark. Turn the bookmark in for a prize drawing at the end of June. Adults can even read more in July and enter the drawing at the end of July as well. So whether you are young in age or young at heart, be sure to stop by the library this summer and be a part of the club!
All Summer Reading Clubs begin June 1st and end July 31st

Book Sale This Weekend!

2011-05-13T15:16:00.000-04:00

Are you a bookworm?

Friends of Summerville Library are holding a Gigantic Book Sale!

May 13-15, 2011

Friday: Members Only 3-5 pm

Saturday: 10am - 5pm

Sunday: 1-5pm

Previously owned books, audiobooks, cd's, dvd's and videos, all at reasonable prices.

En Garde/Riposte

2011-05-12T08:40:00.000-04:00

A kind and gentle reader from Virginia suggested I was being a bit " snarky" to my poor defenseless daughter. Of course, it was the poor defenseless daughter who now lives in Virginia instead of Alabama. But I loved the use of the word "snarky". I have been using the word for eons (I told you I was old), but I had never really checked the definition. According to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary it means crotchety or snappish. It probably comes from a word used in 1906 "nark". I told you I was old but not that old.

This all leads to one of my biggest problems ( besides irritating my daughter). I won't forget that piece of information. I will cherish it as something absolutely useless that will still be in the filing cabinet of my mind when I "shuffle off this mortal coil". (HAMLET - more information that I can't forget.) This in turn leads me to one of my favorite parts of the library collection. If I follow the Dewey Decimal Classification System (some library talk), the number would be 031.02 and would be described as books of miscellaneous facts. It is one of my favorite browsing areas and might explain that when I play Trivial Pursuit, I make up one team and everybody else makes up the other team. I sense a certain lack of justice in this.

Some of these books have very straightforward titles such as THE AMAZING BOOK OF USELESS INFORMATION. What type of information? The first sheets of toilet paper, measuring 2 by 3 feet were used by the emperor of China in 1391. 2 by 3 feet? The image boggles the mind. Or - the best selling chocolate bar in Russia is Snickers. Or - every British queen named Jane has been murdered, imprisoned, gone mad, died young or been dethroned. I guess that is why William married Kate.

A classic is SCHOTT'S ORIGINAL MISCELLANY. It was from Schott's that I finally learned what many of those abbreviations in personal ads meant. There is a list of British words and the American equivalents. In Britain an vest is an American undershirt but a waistcoat is an American vest. In 1877 the first lady was the wife of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Is this still true? There is a whole section of quotes by Oscar Wilde - " A true friend stabs you in the front." I have always admired Wilde's way with words but some of them bring a thought to the brain as well as a smile .

Another favorite is THE BOOK OF GENERAL IGNORANCE. This book is written in a question/answer mode and gives more details than many of these books. Sequoyah is credited with developing a written alphabet for the Cherokee people. In my mind this fit what I considered the station of the creator of a written language with the majestic trees. Then I learned his real name was Sik-wo-yi which means pig's foot in Cherokee. Oops- so much for my images. There are no buffalo in North America: there are only bison. Champagne bubbles are caused by the dirt and dust in the bottles. Some things I already knew like tea has less caffeine that coffee. The cat was the last animal to be domesticated and going by my animals , I still am not sure they are.

There are many more of these books in this area of the library and they are a browser's delight. Come in and enjoy a few and maybe we can be a team in our next game a Trivial Pursuit. It's tough being all alone with your little pieces of plastic pie.

Ah, Mom

2011-05-09T15:02:00.004-04:00

I had gone to visit my daughter in Birmingham. Knowing that mornings are not my favorite time of day and that to expect me to eat anything elaborate (let alone cook it) when the sun is barely above the horizon, she served me a delicious scone to eat with my tea. It was rich and flaky; filled with dried cherries and almonds; liberally flavored with almond extract. I asked for the recipe.

She e-mailed it and I made them for my co-workers who also liked the scones and asked for the recipe. Once again my daughter e-mailed out the recipe. And so matters stood until two weeks ago when it was suggested that these scones would help us be more cordial library workers. I think it has to do with the butter, the whipping cream and the cherries. Unfortunately, that was all I could remember about the recipe. I checked my recipe box; nothing. I checked the cards tucked into my cookbooks; nothing. I checked the folded pieces of paer I had printed from e-mails and the internet; nothing. Then I decided to check the library collection of cookbooks. It had to be in one of those. I looked in COME TO TEA!. Scones go with tea. Right?..... Not the scones I was looking for. These scones were good enough to be from Julia Child so I went through FROM JULIA CHILD'S KITCHEN . Nothing as simple as an exquisite scone.

We have cookbooks specializing in pastry - THE PIE AND PASTRY BIBLE - the recipe must be in there. Nope. Wait!! My daughter suscribed to "Bon Appetit". We carry the magazine; maybe the recipe is in the magazine or the data base archives. Nope. What about THE BEST OF GOURMET ? Nothing. Meanwhile my co-workers were getting surly and checking their own e-mails.

Hallelujah!! There it was in an unassuming e-mail archive. Wait!! There are no measurements for the flour. So I bit the bullet and e-mailed my daughter for the recipe again. She sent it along with a sly comment about it taking me 6 years to try the recipe (not true) and the scones were made and enjoyed by all.

Where did the recipe arise? A restaurant in Birmingham and then published in the newspaper. The moral - my search never found the recipe for which I was looking but there is a chocolate torte calling my name and about 50 different kinds of cookies want to come and visit. If my daughter is good, maybe I will send her some - in about 6 years!

Thank you, Patrons!

2011-05-02T11:06:00.003-04:00

For the second straight year, the Library hosted a Food for Fines drive as part of our National Library Week celebration, April 10 - 16. Our patrons "paid" for their fines with canned and dry goods. Each item donated garnered the patron a dollar in credit toward their overdue fines. Nearly $700 in fines were paid with food items during our drive. That total did not reflect all the items received. Quite a few patrons who had no fines donated canned goods to aid the cause. Last week we took our food items to the Salvation Army for their food pantry. We received a wonderfully touching thank you note to let us know how much our donation helped individuals locally. I wanted to share it with you and thank you again for helping us help others in need in Dorchester County.

The salvation Army of Dorchester County wishes to express our deep gratitude to you, your staff, and your patrons for the magnificent food you donated. Our pantry is always in need of replenishment, for every day we struggle to meet the ever-growing numbers of people who lack food.

Ever wonder where your donated food goes? You may be surprised. For you see, we only think that we recognize the hungry in our community. Naturally when we see a homeless person or a homeless family, we know they must struggle [from] food insufficiency.

But there are so many people whose need for food goes unnoticed. For they suffer in silence. Those who come to our food pantry may be your neighbors, your co-workers, library patrons, your friends or your children's friends. They may be at once battling serious illness, enormous medical costs and hunger. They may be so severely strapped financially that food is just not a budgeted item. They may have lost their housing and are living on the streets, in a car, in the woods, or wherever they find shelter. They don't let you know what they are going through, striving to maintain their dignity, they hunger is silence.

Your food donation has already helped many people. Among them were a mom and child fleeing an abusive home, a long-suffering MS patient, a homeless Vietnam Vet, a recently unemployed father, to name a few. One woman said that she couldn't remember when she had canned goods in her pantry. Another man called his daughter to let her know that she didn't have to worry about him because he now had food..

As you can see, the need is great. But you can also see that you are helping in a significant way to alleviate the suffering of our neighbors. So again, we thank you, your staff and patrons for generously answering the cries of the hungry in our community. May God richly bless you.

Elaine W. Roff
Director
Dorchester Service Unit

Aaaaaah, Friday

2011-04-29T11:37:00.003-04:00

If I remember my misspent youth - Monday was wash day; Tuesday was ironing day; Wednesday was - I don't remember; Thursday was - I don't remember; Friday was shopping day; Saturday was clean the house from top to bottom day; Sunday was church and visit relatives day. Now Friday is blog day; Saturday is shopping, laundry, clean the house and anything else I can squeeze in and Sunday is still church but all the relatives live too far away.

Somehow life was simpler when time was a current condition. As a collection development librarian, I do not live in the current time. Right now, I am somewhere between the end of July and the beginning of October. I am (in my own confusing way) trying to determine what will be popular in 3 months and what non-fiction titles will be needed in the library at that 3 month period. I have lived all my entire professional life this way and, as a result, miss doctor and dentist appointments; forget about when my hair is to be cut; and miss the exterminator all because I am looking at dates 3 months ahead. I will never color my hair as I will confuse the date that I need a root job with the date the new James Patterson is due out. But really, I would be OK as he seems to publish a new book every 3 weeks. (Does anyone believe he actually writes them? It would take my spell-checker longer to go through the manuscript.)

The beauty of this job is that I know what is coming. The problem is recognizing what will be popular. I knew LAND OF THE PAINTED CAVES had to be ordered as people had been waiting almost 20 years for the series to end. But FREAKONOMICS ? Who would have guessed that such a title would be a run-away best seller? That is the situation with MOONWALKING WITH EINSTEIN ( which I did manage to order 3 months ago). Why would I ever imagine that a book on mnemomics would be popular? But I did.

I can only refer you to one of my favorite TV shows, NCIS (of which the library has many seasons). An ongoing theme in the series is Gibbs"gut" which I take to be that indefinable something that you just know. Gibbs knows who the murderer is (almost always) and I know what will be the hit book (sometimes). That is the fun part of collection development - that attempt to look into the future and get it right. Of course, there are those days when I open a box and ask, "Did I order that?". That must have taken place on a day when my "gut" just wasn't in the game. I wonder if Gibbs ever has that problem?

What a difference a day makes!

2011-04-28T15:38:00.001-04:00

The timing couldn’t have been better. After a year of improvements to the outside of the Summerville Library, funded by Dorchester County Library, Friends of the Summerville Library, and an Eagle Scout Project, the Mormon Church made the transformation complete by descending on the library in a gigantic volunteer blitz Saturday, April 23.

Volunteers clear a stubborn stand of bamboo from library property.

Dr. Frank Bruno, Library Director, works alongside volunteers at the Day of Service

Each year Mormon congregations select a community service project within their geographic area. In 2010 the local congregation worked at the Coastal Center in Summerville. For their 2011 project, the Dorchester County Library in Summerville was selected. With 60 church members and 20 other volunteers and employees, hundreds of man-, woman- and child-hours of work were donated. Overgrown shrubs and a stubborn stand of bamboo were removed from the library property, and then more than 150 bales of pine straw, provided by the library, were spread under trees and in flower beds. Inside, a team of church members repainted about half of the public library walls. Free baby-sitting was offered at the church and a cookout was held to celebrate the end of the project. Paul Cox, coordinator of the project, said this is simply a way to give back to the community, a way of being a good neighbor.

Those with a keen eye may have noticed the exterior of our library building in Summerville undergoing a transformation over the last year. It began with new landscaping in early 2010. A new roof, flashing and eave repairs, repainted trim and ironwork, the resealing of all windows and some structural repairs have all been accomplished in the last 14 months. Dorchester County Facilities Maintenance built vents, cleaned up under the building prior to termite treatments, and hauled away two ‘mountains’ of debris created by the volunteers on April 23^rd. County workers also suggested and carried out a cooperative project to repaint the library’s mix-matched set of book return boxes. MacDougal Correctional Facility’s auto body training school painted all 5 book returns owned by Dorchester County Library to match, at no cost other than the price of the paint.

The results of these projects are enhanced by the TLC given to the library grounds at Saturday’s Day of Service. Confirmation of the results came from a Nevada couple who visited the library for genealogy information today. The gentleman said, “You have a very nice library; it’s a fairly new building, right?”

Why Libraries?

2011-04-26T17:14:00.002-04:00

Three "events" occurred this past week (National Library Week) that got me to thinking about libraries and why our communities needs them.

I was scanning my American Libraries Direct newsletter from last week when a name caught my eye, Mark Herring, a former colleague from my days in higher education. So I read the article, "On My Mind: Reviving the Spirit of Andrew Carnegie." He points out that when libraries were first beginning in this country, the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie gave them an infusion of financial support that has kept them going for many generations. Our libraries are in financial peril today. Many have been closed. To put it simply, they need money to continue operating and who better to step up to the plate that the technology giants libraries have embraced.
Right underneath his article was a link to Greg Landgraf's blog INSIDE Scoop entitled "Revisiting '10 Reasons'." Coincidentally, the article he was referencing was written by Mark Herring in 2001, “10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library.” Landgraf commented that while the article reasons haven't aged well, the basic premise of the article is still valid: Regardless of technology, libraries play an important role in society and always will. He ended his blog post with " let’s turn it over to AL readers: What are your most important ways that the library remains valuable today? Share your wisdom in the comments." I read the comments. They were of varying lengths with similar content. Understandably, all the comments were written by librarians preaching to the choir.
The best reason of all:

Teddy bear surprise

View more presentations from Dorchester County Library.

Stay Tuned for the Next Exciting Adventure of.........

2011-04-22T12:26:00.007-04:00

When I began reading - back in the days when man chiseled letters into stone or pressed his writings into mud while sitting on the banks of the Euphrates - when you finished a book, you finished a book. Everything was wrapped up neat and tidy. The bad guys were punished and the good guys received the awards appropriate to their heroic behavior. Even Beowulf (although dead at the end of the epic) died in the best tradition of the Norse warrior. About the only thing I read in my youth that didn't fit this stand alone style was LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE , which, I will admit, I detested. I did try but I just couldn't dredge up any empathy for the Ingalls' family. They set my teeth on edge.

This was my first experience with sequels in the book world. Now it seems to be becoming the norm. Some authors seem to write almost exclusively in series like Janet Evanovich or Robert Parker. I have enjoyed Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and I am very glad I met Parker's Spenser. (My children even named one of our cats Spenser.) I know the Spenser series may be coming to an end with the death of Robert Parker but will it? Robert Ludlum is long dead but his Bourne series goes on and on. I wonder will Stephanie Plum ever decide on one certain male. I wonder if Spenser will ever get any older. James Patterson 's Alex Cross goes on forever. He and his family have metamorphosed over the years into totally different creations. I guess that is the draw of the "series".

It is not only in the mystery genre that series have taken a large market share. The same thing has happened in science fiction/fantasy and in romance. Beginning with J. R. R. Tolkien it seems that most high fantasy authors can only write in series. I picked up a little paperback by an author named David Eddings many years ago. It was entitled PAWN OF PROPHECY. I liked it; my children liked it; my brother-in-law liked it. Many people to whom I recommended it liked it. IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A SERIES!!!!!! 10 years later it finished. And then he began another with a book called GUARDIANS OF THE WEST. That took another 5 years. I finally got them all and I guess I should be thankful for the patience it taught me. But not really.

Stephanie Laurens has done a similar cycle with her romantic Cynster novels. We have now finished with the immediate family and have had to move on to the cousins. In a way, hers are a variation on the usual series. The main characters of the earlier novels are now supporting characters and the supporting characters of the earlier novels are now the main characters.

Looking at what I have written gives me an idea on the appeal of series. Familiarity. You know the characters; you know the world; but the plot can still surprise you. If you don't like the characters or the world, you never have to read another one. But for those you like ...... there are more coming down the road. And you hope that they will keep coming.

Reading: What's it done for you?

2011-04-22T10:07:00.000-04:00

I was privileged to attend the Post and Courier's Book and Author Luncheon yesterday. Five authors spoke, and each reminded me of how important - no, essential - reading is. Comments I heard from the authors and those seated around me included:

Reading saved my life – it gave me a safe place to go when my family fell apart.

Reading refreshes me; it recharges my batteries.

Reading took me out of my handicapped body and let me explore the world.

Reading gave me education and career goals beyond what any my family had attained.

Why do you read? What has it done for you?

Variety is the spice of life!

2011-04-15T14:46:00.000-04:00

They say variety is the spice of life, and this certainly holds true for days spent working at the library. National Library Week provides us with an opportunity to think about all that is good about libraries, and for the library staff, all that is good about working in a library. One of my favorite things about serving as Branch Manager of the Seago Library in Summerville is my job’s variety. During the last week, in addition to the day-to-day routine of library life, I have:

Received a lovely donation of books on grief for our library from United Hospice/Pruitt Corporation.
Helped to plan an upcoming Day of Service on April 23, a volunteer blitz to beautify the library sponsored by the Mormon Church.
Attended a meeting with our wonderfully supportive Friends of the Library organization, reporting library news to them and learning of their upcoming fundraisers, a Jewelry Sale at Summerville’s Third Thursday event April 21 and a Used Book Sale May 13-15.
Planted some new shrubs in front of the library with the help of Assistant Manager Jason Reed.
Received great feed-back on a memoir-writing program we offered Monday called, “Let’s Reminisce and Write” with Harriet Little.
Took photographs for National Library Snapshot Day, including some of librarian Kathy Marrah teaching a computer class.
Peeked in on what has to be one of the cutest events in town, the Annual Teddy Bear Picnic with entertainment by our very own Children’s Services staff.
Read library journals and book reviews to keep up with what’s new in the publishing world (and to catch my breath!).
Worked on having some small repairs, tree work and carpet cleaning done.
Planned a presentation for the Summerville DAR about what women were reading during the time of the American Revolution.
Received over a dozen boxes of canned goods in lieu of library fines to distribute to local charities through our Food for Fines program during National Library Week.

Some days jumping from one task to another threatens to make my head spin. Getting over seven hours of sleep a night is a must, so that I will have the mental and emotional resources to deal with the challenges of the job. But with variety like this, you will NEVER hear me complain of boredom!

Assistant manager Jason Reed plants shruberry salvaged from a demolition site.

Is There Anyone Out There.....?

2011-04-14T14:01:00.004-04:00

This morning I sat and stared at this blank page and came to the conclusion that I had nothing about which to write. I couldn't write about the books I was reading as they are they same as last week (Reading time took a backseat to yard work). I had finished the new Jean Auel but the experience was painful and I did not want to ruin it for anyone else. So I did some of my professional reading from the journals librarians are suppose to know. I read an online feature published by BOOKLIST called "Looking Forward to the Past" by Sarah Johnson. She was writing about historical fiction and made the statement that history, in school, was a dull subject but she learned about the past through historical fiction. I searched all over the page for a button that would allow me to comment that these areas are very closely intertwined. You can't have one without the other. No such button existed. So I left for lunch. When I turned on my I-Pod in the car, a song by Maroon 5 came on which reminded me of an early release called "Songs About Jane." This CD had a song with the lyrics " Is there anyone out there 'cause its getting harder and harder to breathe?" This led me to question the online feature in BOOKLIST. How does the author know that there is anyone out there? On our blog and on many other online features, the readers are allowed to comment on what is said. Not many do comment, but I treasure each one I get on my deathless prose. (Cough, cough, wink, wink) Now I know I will have a readers who feel I shouldn't have an I-Pod in the car but I don't mess with it while I am driving. I will have readers who question anyone who listens to Maroon 5 . I am sure there would be some who would have other suggestions from our CD collection -anyone from Bach to some of our atonal European techno-rock. They can also make these suggestions and I may find someone else to load on my I-Pod. I have room for 8,000 songs. I don't think there are 8,000 songs I like! This all brings me back to my original problem. I love historical fiction but I don't think my appreciation would be anywhere near as deep if I didn't have a good grounding in the real history of the period. The historical novels of Jean Plaidy were among my favorites - particularly the series on the Tudor queens. But I certainly appreciated them more when I read a forensic study of Henry VIII that showed him to be a syphilitic sociopath who was probably insane by the time he died. So, if there is anyone out there, I would love to hear your comments. I might not agree with them but I would still like to hear them.

Let Us Go Boldly Forth Into the Past

2011-04-08T09:27:00.011-04:00

It is a hard world out there. As tough as it is for those of us who are human. it is just as tough for our innocent library books. In truth, our books have a hard life. We are among the busiest libraries in the state and many of our books don't spend much time on the shelf. They return to us in need of triage and emergency treatment. Some make it; some don't. I don't think most publishers produce copies for a public library. While it is true some come in library editions (particularly in the children's collection), some are just the same as the copy you purchase for personal use at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Then we ask them to throw their square little bodies into the hands of 100+ people and survive the experience. Some make it; some don't. What really hurts is seeing a particularly favorite book in critical condition leading to
an ICU stay in the repair department. Sometimes they can be save ( a broken spine); sometimes they are missing too much (a disintegrated text block) to be saved; sometimes a new page can replace a lost page (like a hospital transplant); and sometimes all we can offer is a quick termination of the suffering of the poor volume. To me this is exceptionally hard when it comes to some older titles that I loved in the past. As I look at their crumpled bodies, I wonder if we will ever meet again.

This brings us to the beauty of SC LENDS, the consortium to which the Dorchester County Library System belongs. There are other libraries that do not have the traffic that we do. As a result, it is often possible to find "old friends" that are no longer available in the local library. I am all for re-reading loved titles. It is like going home to visit an old friend. You know, generally, all there is to know about your old friend but something may still surprise you and make the present experience eventful. I remembered reading a book in the 70's called RED MOON AND BLACK MOUNTAIN by Joy Chant. I read it about the same time as the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and liked it much better as the analogy was not so heavy handed. I got a copy from the SC State Library and I enjoyed the simplicity of the story. Now the weird part. I cannot find the title anywhere again but I am glad I had it for the one week to recapture old memories. This week I am reading THE GREY MANE OF MORNING also by Joy Chant to see if I can once again capture the feelings of my youth. I thank you Anderson County for loaning me your book. I further thank Anderson County for sending me TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE by Robert Heinlein. This novel does not have the sweet innocence of the Chant titles but I love the pages of aphorisms that are scattered through the text. "Never try to outstubborn a cat." "Waking a person unnecessarily should not be considered a capital crime. For a first offense, that is." "A skunk is better company than a person who prides himself on being 'frank'". "Natural laws have no pity." "Anything free is worth what you pay for it." "You live and learn. Or you don't live long." "If you don't like yourself, you can't like other people." And my personal favorite - "It's amazing how much 'mature wisdom' resembles being too tired." I think I could develop a fairly comprehensive life philosophy from these aphorisms!

A few weeks ago, I revisited my introduction to historical romances by rereading the works of the author Jan Westcott. I probably began reading her in my early to mid-teens. I have moved beyond her. I know too much real history now to accept many of her portrayals. That is the danger of visiting old friends. You may find that you don't like them as much as you once did. So I invite you. If you can't find a title in our collection, try SC LENDS. When my retirement rolls around, I plan to set a new record for reserves. All those old books I love and the books I have been meaning to read will find new and caring hands to get them through their library "lives'.

Confusion

2011-04-01T12:29:00.005-04:00

Confusion is a state in which I am very comfortable living. Today I have 2 confusing ideas on my mind. Number 1 - I do not understand the great romantic interest in vampires that permeates today's popular fiction. Many years ago, in a college course relating fiction to the psychological mantra of different periods in literature, I was assigned to read DRACULA by Bram Stoker. The point was made that this novel could only arise during a period of repressive sexual mores as existed during the Victorian period. Now I know that we are not living in a period of repressive sexual mores. All I have to do is look at television or the movies. It is all out there - and I mean all. So why are vampires now such great romantic heroes? I would imagine holding hands with a vampire would be a "chilling" experience. There is no blood flow to
the extremities to keep them warm. And what about a romantic dinner? Would you enjoy Beef Wellinngton while your date sips O-negative? What would you talk about? Compare the fine bouquet of your wine to the delicate aroma of his blood? A walk on the beach? Only at night when the sand is chill and wet? I love the beach at night as a change from the beach during the daylight hours and as a chance to see shooting stars during various meteor showers, but as a steady diet? All I can picture is stepping in a dead jelly fish and having it squish between my toes. So much for romance! And does one kiss a vampire? It would be like kissing a dead fish. Again, no blood flow to the lips. So, as I try to plod my way through TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer, I wonder what I am missing. So here is to Charlaine Harris and Laurel K. Hamilton. I promise I will never have their books out over due. Another though just occurred to me. I have always loved my dogs. But in all honesty, at times they smell. I don't think there is any aroma quite as distinctive as a wet dog. Now for all those romantic heroines who have fallen for werewolves, is this a problem? My second area of confusion deals with the Flowertown Festival taking place this weekend. I wander past booth after booth and I am inspired by some of the crafts. The library has an extensive collection of craft books. The most popular area of crafts today is beading and we have the books and magazines to support an interest in this craft. BEADING IN NO TIME would seem appropriate for me as it promises instant gratification. Or, I stop and admire the vast array of paintings available. I am inspired and I think of the assortment of painting books at the library. THE NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WATER COLOR TECHNIQUES is available right now. But then I remember my husband (who does paint) trying to teach me the necessary techniques. If, during our first year of marriage (when all is blissful), he threw up his hands in frustration who am I kidding. My 3 year old granddaughter would probably produce more "artistic" pieces than I do. Then there are the plant sellers. Remember my black thumb from last week. I love to look at the quilts for sale but I would need a transfusion from the previously mentioned vampire before I ever finished sewing one. But we have books on that subject also. QUILTS, QUILTS, QUILTS is one of the better ones but still. . . . Then there are the woodworkers but my husband will not allow me to touch his power tools without a major increase in my life insurance policy. Even if I check out TAUNTON'S COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO WOODWORKING, the garage will remain off limits to me. So my confusion lies in the idea of going to the Festival and seeing all these creations that I will never be able to duplicate or remaining at home with some sense of adequacy. Ah well, I am a pretty good cook.

Ah, Spring

2011-03-25T13:49:00.008-04:00

It must say something about my character ( or my lack there of) that one of my greatest pleasures in the spring consists of calling my sister in Michigan and comparing the relative temperatures and weather conditions. I say it is 83 degrees and sunny and she says that they are expecting the mid-30's with snow and freezing rain. I say that my daffodils and the Bradford Pears are in bloom; she says there is still snow on the ground. I say my violets and Lenten Rose are in bloom; she says there is still snow on the ground. I say my wisteria and azaleas are in bloom; she says there is still
snow on the ground. I say that the only white we have on the ground is the petals from the Bradford Pears; she says there is still snow on the ground. At times our conversations are quite boring.

All of this leads me to my true subject of the day. I know that I have written mainly about the fiction and media collections at the Summerville Library. This is where my main interest lies, so you get many entries on these areas. But this time of year is different. The flowers, the temperatures, the lack of snakes in the backyard all call me out in the ever optimistic belief that I will someday have a show piece garden. It never happens as the majority of my yard is covered in trees and, basically, I have raised laziness to an art form but every year I begin again with the belief that I can make Martha Stewart envious.

So what do I do? The non-fiction collection of the Summerville Library has a marvelous collection of gardening books. In the Dewey system they are located at the 635's. Almost every aspect of gardening is covered. I love to begin by looking at books on bulbs. My theory is that the bulb has stored up all the food it needs from the previous year, so I should get one good year of blooms. SUMMER BLOOMING BULBS is an excellent starting point. You must be careful because some of the bulbs shown are not appropriate to the coastal region, but it is still possible to get ideas. The problem is finding a source for the bulbs. All I can say is bless the Internet.

As the consummate optimist, I go to RODALE'S NO-FAIL FLOWER GARDEN. Guess what? No matter what they say, I can kill those flowers. I follow every direction to the letter but with the soil in my yard approximating concrete, those poor little roots give up. But I continue to add to the local economy by trips to Lowe's, Home Depot, Bombadil's and Wal-Mart. I will find something that will grow.

As I get closer to retirement, I think of the money saving idea of growing my own vegetables. The library even has that covered. GROWING YOUR OWN VEGETABLES has all the information I think I will need but - with my luck- I think I will be living at starvation levels. If I depend on what I will grow, my doctor will be happy about my weight control. (I rather like the one titled GROW YOUR OWN DRUGS but it is really about growing herbs for holistic medicine not anything about which the DEA would be interested.)

I have, however, had one large bit of success and that is in container gardening. I have large pots on the deck, on the brick patio and around our small pond (or, as I like to think of it, the feeding station for our neighborhood egrets and herons). Again the library has this subject covered. While I am now concentrating on flowers in my pots, KITCHEN HARVEST may just solve my vegetable problems. This title concentrates on how to grow organic fruits and vegetables in containers on decks, patios and windowsills.

So spring is here and I am being just a bit cruel to my sister. However, when July comes, she calls and says it is 78 degrees here and I say it is 95 degrees and 100% humidity. When August comes, she calls and says it is 83 degrees and I say it is 95 with 100 % humidity. When September comes, she calls and says it is 70 degrees and I say it is 95 with 100% humidity and hurricane warnings. It all evens out in the end.

The Times They are A-changing

2011-03-17T14:04:00.004-04:00

I just realized that I started to read "adult" material when I was 13 years old. At that time there was no such thing as young adult literature. You either read BLACK BEAUTY or moved into "adult" literature.

My first foray into "adult" literature was NINE COACHES WAITING by Mary Stewart. If I remember, it was published in The Ladies' Home Journal. This was in the days when women's magazines contained more than advertisements and weight loss guides. I remember being fascinated at my first view of romance and mystery together - all wrapped up in a dark
luxurious chalet. (I had to look up "chalet".) I think it was serialized and I had to wait for my mother's copy to come in each month and I had to wait for her to finish with it. As I am not a patient person, the whole episode was painful except ------

I discovered a whole new world. NINE COACHES WAITING could be described as a gothic novel. When I consider how 'romantic' I found it, I am confounded by my own innocence. I don't think that there is a 13 year old in the country today who would have the same level of innocence. Through the county library bookmobile (I was a country girl.), I went on to read every gothic novel in the collection and I waited eagerly for the next one to be published. There were quite a few gothic novelists during this period - Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, and Phyllis Whitney were among the best. I think Victoria Holt, with her MISTRESS OF MELLYN,
reached the pinnacle of gothic romance. The brooding hero, the innocent heroine, the mysterious mansion, the unexplained noises and occurrences, the unexpected villain and the final declaration of undying devotion introduced me to the concept that a book did not have to fit in one genre.

Today, the gothic novelist doesn't exist. If there is a gloomy mansion, it is more likely inhabited by blood thirsty vampires than by a romantic hero. Your heroine wears 4 inch Manolo Blahniks and not thread-bare, hand-me-down gowns. The suspense usually consists of solving a blood thirsty crime and then the "romantic" consummation of the sexual tension between the hero and the heroine. It is all on the page in front of you. There is nothing left to the imagination. I miss this.

I have one other thing for which to be grateful. Gothic novels led me to the brooding Russian novel. One afternoon, when I had gone to the library primarily to spend time with my boyfriend, I realized that it was almost time for my father to arrive to take me home. (Remember I lived out in the country.) I rushed to the shelf to grab a novel by Leo Tolstoy.
I missed. When I got home I realized that I had a book by an author of whom I had never heard, J. R. R. Tolkien. I began to read and nothing was ever the same. I gave up romantic heroines and brooding heroes for dragons and spaceships. I don't regret it but I rather miss the innocence of those old gothics. Or maybe it is my own innocence I miss.

Spotlight on Legos!

2011-03-14T10:43:00.009-04:00

This past weekend the Lego Clubs at both branches of Dorchester County Library met on Saturday. It's a time for children ages 9-12 who love to transform their ideas into reality. They brought their own Legos or used the ones provided by the library. Here are a few pictures of what they created. Our next meeting of the Lego Clubs will be in April. If you would like to join us at our next Lego Club meeting, check the library event calendar for more details.

The News

2011-03-11T14:12:00.006-05:00

Tsunami hits Japan

I have been watching the news this week on television and my computer. It seems that not only the people who inhabit the surface of this earth are in a state of upheaval, but the very earth itself is in a similar state of upheaval.

Between the unrest in the Middle East and Africa, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the piracy on the high seas and the political animosity here at home, the news is almost overwhelming.

The one thing I dislike about the television and computer news is its brevity. It seems that these news sources try to tell the whole story in two minutes. It cannot be done. I know the expression "sound bite" and I dislike the idea that
you can get all the news you need from these few minutes. The complexity of the problems facing this world take more than 120 seconds to explain. I try to remedy this by reading newspapers on-line but this is often inconvenient and, quite honestly, leads to headaches.

This brings us to another service offered by the Dorchester County Library system. The library has an extensive collection of periodicals or magazines. We have news publications such as Time and Newsweek. I know that when I read these news magazines, I will get a more complete story than what I see on CNN or Fox.

I can escape the constant bombardment of bad news by reading People or Entertainment Weekly. Although, another story about Charlie Sheen is likely to cause me to become ill. (Does anyone really care about what he has to say?) These publications are pure fluff but sometimes fluff is good. They are rather like the birthday cake at the end of a healthy meal.

I could try to connect with my husband by reading Sports Illustrated or ESPN. Really, I don't think I will go that far but I could if I wanted to do it. I could read Money and become depressed when I realize I never can retire. Or I can feel completely inadequate by reading Martha Stewart Living . As I watch my sauces curdle, my crab cakes burn and whatever craft I am attempting fail horrifically, I both admire and despise this woman and I am grateful that I am not her daughter. Can you imagine living up to that paragon of every domestic virtue?

Part of the beauty of this collection at the library is that it is listed in the card catalogue. You can search for periodical titles just as you would books. Also, while current issues can only be read in the library, back issues can be checked out just like books.

So come in to see what we have in the periodical departments, adult, young adult and juvenile. I will be the one reading the current issue of Mad.

PS Happy Birthday, Leslie.

Flickr is coming!

2011-03-07T16:56:00.000-05:00

The library, after much agonizing and gnashing of teeth, now has a Flickr account. We will be gradually adding photos of past and current events. We hope that you will check back with us regularly to see what has been added.

How To Read

2011-03-04T09:23:00.003-05:00

Many years ago, I remember reading a book titled LOST IN A BOOK by Victor Nell. The book was part of my course for the teaching of reading in high school. The book was a study of reading for pleasure and why people do it.

One of the concepts that has stuck with me is the idea of 'ludic reading'. Ludic reading is pleasure reading by which the reader becomes totally involved with the printed word. Reading was equated with play in ludic reading. The reader has no agenda for the reading that is being done; just as a baby has no agenda
as he grabs his toes or laughs at himself in the mirror. It is the pure pleasure of the activity that entrances the human being.

Most ludic reading takes place with light fiction and makes a profound impact on the reader. Ludic readers tend to devour books, reading quickly and continuously. I find it of great interest that many ludic readers characterize their favorite materials as 'trash' when compared to 'literature'. This is where my problem lies.

Who is it that qualifies a book as 'literature' or 'trash'? I have read some real pieces of 'trash' in my life and enjoyed them immensely. I have read pieces of 'literature' and bled from my ears before I was done. This includes some of the classics.

This all came to mind because my 3 year old grand daughter attended a book fair and my daughter allowed her to pick out any book she wanted, She picked WUTHERING HEIGHTS to the great amusement of her mother and grandmother. ( WUTHERING HEIGHTS was one of the titles that made my ears bleed - no matter what Sister Mariana said. I wanted to slap the characters and tell them to get their acts together.) I can just picture the bedtime stories of Heathcliff.

Now, please explain to me why WUTHERING HEIGHTS is held up as great literature and the works of David Eddings (one of my favorite fantasy writers)are sneered at as trash. I have heard all the explanations about the works standing the test of time but reading WUTHERING HEIGHTS in the 20th century is a chore. I am cognizant of its importance in English literature, but I still want to slap them and I will never read the title for pleasure. Take that, Sister Mariana.

Which brings me back to the point of ludic or pleasure reading. I swear that I will read what I want to read. I swear that I am too old to be given assignments to read. I swear that if a book is recommended to me and blood begins to dribble out my ears, I will put it down - forcefully. I swear that I don't care if you think what I am reading is trash, I will read it anyway. I swear that I am not schizophrenic in recommending BEOWULF one week and disparaging WUTHERING HEIGHTS the next. Reading should be an extremely personal activity and the choices made by the readers are just as personal. You may love James Patterson: I hate most of his works. I love Mercedes Lackey and you may find her boring beyond belief.

So here is to the differences in reading tastes. Whether you are a proponent of ludic reading (as am I) or a proponent of reading only for the enlightenment of the person, may you always choose what you want and may you enjoy each and every word of it.

Searching for Family

2011-03-01T12:04:00.016-05:00

Dorchester County Library is offering a free genealogy workshop for African-Americans who want to know their family history and locate their ancestral roots. We hope you will come and learn where and how to research your family's history.

If you are unable to join us Saturday, the Library of Congress is offering a free online program on African-American genealogy tomorrow, Wednesday, March 2nd, at 2 pm. The link is: http://bit.ly/eNKEQp.

I hope you find interesting facts that will keep you searching!

Wonders of Wonders

2011-02-25T09:57:00.006-05:00

A long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away?), I was introduced to the Anglo-Saxon epic of Beowulf. I don't remember which high school class it was or which teacher I had that year. What I do remember is falling in love with the language of the poem. I still remember that what fascinated me were the phrases that were called kennings.

The images evoked by these kennings have stayed with me for 50 years. I loved the image of the sea as the "swan road". Blood is "battle sweat". For a long time I did not understand why a king was called the "breaker of rings". I was aware that these devices were techniques that helped the skald or the bard remember his recitations but I found them fascinating. This one poem probably influenced my college level studies in the development of the English language. Gold is "Freyja's tears". I wanted to know why these phrases developed and where how they came to be. I admit as a student at a Catholic university, I couldn't understand why Odin was the "hanged god" until I read the handbooks for Anglo-Saxon skalds.

But what has stayed with me longest is the phrase "word hoard". The idea that a person would treasure his words as closely as he would his gold is wonderful. As a compulsive reader, I have a pretty good knowledge of the vocabulary of the English language. I am not so great on scientific or medical terms but a rudimentary knowledge of Latin (4 years) and Greek (1 year) gives me the tools I need to come up with some educated guesses. Thus I have added to my "word hoard".

I am always searching for new words like a miner for his gold and I find many of them in the classics. Last week I told you I was reading EMPIRE by Steven Saylor. It is a novel of one family and the Roman empire/emperors with the emphasis on the emperors. The vocabulary of the novel seemed to hint at more than was on the printed page. Some pages just told stories about the emperors and, like the kennings, I wanted to know the source. This led me back to THE TWELVE CAESARS by Suetonius. This is one of the ultimate 'classics'. An easy read it isn't. But, joy of joys, the vocabulary is increasing my word hoard. Agreed - some of the vocabulary is not suitable for polite society( just as some of the emperors weren't) but they are still nuggets for my word hoard.

I like facing old age and still being able to be excited by words. They may not help me win my Scrabble games but they sure are handy for the New York Times crossword puzzle. So let us raise a cup of "bright sweetness" (mead) to all of our word hoards. May they ever increase.

Musical History Lessons

2011-02-23T16:06:00.005-05:00

We are a nation that likes to celebrate. We have internationally known festivals like Mardi Gras and Spoleto, state fairs and county fairs. We gather for family reunions, Super Bowl parties and homecomings. We also designate months to honor important issues like Cancer Prevention Month or American Heart Month. February is well known for being designated as Black History Month. To celebrate this event, Dorchester County Library offered two musical programs that showcased the contributions African Americans have made to American culture through music.

On Wednesday, February 2nd, Summerville patrons had the opportunity to see and hear Shenole Latimer, an awarding winning saxophonist from the New York metropolitan area. His program, "Our Music, Our Culture - A Multimedia Tour Through Jazz History" highlighted the contributions of African Americans to Jazz. The lecture included recordings and live performance examples of historically significant jazz icons like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and others.

Eddie and Pat Morris with A'Javion

On Thursday, February 19th, St. George patrons had the chance to hear local vocalists Pat and Eddie Morris present a program of songs and stories documenting the growth, development and contributions of African American citizens in the United States to our country's culture. Pat, a former Broadway performer, wove music and history from the 1920's to present day into a spellbinding program that featured Broadway tunes, spirituals and other musical genres.

Both programs were excellent and highlighted the importance of music in the African American community and American culture as well. If you weren't able to attend these performances, click the Shenole Latimer link (blue text above) or the Morris video clip below to get a glimpse of their talent.

A New Hope

2011-02-17T11:26:00.011-05:00

I feel like I am in the original Star Wars Trilogy. If I remember, Episode IV which was actually Movie I, was subtitled " A New Hope".

Last week I had no hope about the books I was trying to read. I was finding it difficult to finish any of them - despite the books being authored and edited by people I usually like. When this happens, I find a complete change of genre helpful. Again this is the beauty of a public library. You can return the books with which you are fighting and try something completely different.

I left modern Florida for the Roman Empire and I am now reading EMPIRE: THE NOVEL OF IMPERIAL ROME by Steven Saylor. The novel follows the fortunes of the Pinarius family as they serve a variety of Rome's more infamous emperors. Following the lives and travails of the family brings to mind the modern soap opera. Everyone is beautiful; everyone is rich; everyone has insurmountable problems. Just like soap operas, the readers finds himself/herself drawn into the lives of the characters. I remember my mother watching soap operas while she did the ironing. Then she discussed the characters and their travails with her friends. The way they spoke about the characters made it seem that they were real to them. It is similar with this book. Will the virtuous Romans be able to remain so during the reign of the mad Caligula or the depraved Nero? Forget asking if virtue will survive - will the characters themselves survive? Against the tapestry of the Roman Empire, the lives of the members of this one aristocratic family give the reader a sense of life lived at the whim of an often insane government -the emperor.

But I find I don't read just one book at a time (It drives my husband crazy- books in every room of the house.). I am also reading a new collection of short stories, SONGS OF LOVE & DEATH edited by George R. R. Martin. I enjoy love stories without sentimentality and sometimes with enough of a twist to make you think. I am still trying to figure out Neil Gaiman's "The Thing About Cassandra". In many of these stories, there is no happily ever after but there is something that makes you wish that they were not short stories but full length novels so that you could know more about the characters or plot. I will admit I am enjoying the selection that is offered in this title.

The last book I am reading this week is another collection of shorts stories, SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH: STORIES IN HONOR OF JACK VANCE. (I seem to see a theme developing.)With this title, I have gone back to my first love, science fiction. There is a fatalism in these short stories which matches the fatalism of Norse mythology which I have always loved. The all-encompassing theme in these short stories is the way that people live when they know the time of their world is limited. I am not that far into the book as yet and I barely remember Jack Vance's original work, but I have high hopes from what I have read.

So in one week I have gone from hating what I was reading to being able to lose myself in books I really enjoy. Life is good.

Where Have All the Good Books Gone?

2011-02-09T12:47:00.020-05:00

I have run dry.

I have nothing I want to read.

This includes the 4 books I currently have checked out.

I do not know what is wrong with me. The books I have are mostly not unknown quantities. They are by authors I have read and liked for many years. I am reading ELECTRIC BARRACUDA by Tim Dorsey. Tim Dorsey has been described as Carl Hiaasen on speed. He is definitely not for the faint-hearted but usually I can get a few chuckles out of his books. Plus I always learn new and original ways to dispatch miscreants. In this year's outing, we have a pedophile who is killed by using plumber's gauze which shrinks and tightens as it gets wet and drys. I have no idea if this is real but it seemed an appropriate end to a child molester. So far that is the only memorable thing about the book. The characters have become trite and Dorsey seems to be pushing to get the laughs. It is not working for me.

I am reading a collection of short stories edited by Esther Friesner. These are a satirical look at the sword and sorcery genre of fantasy. Usually I enjoy her work and I appreciate the feminist sensibilities of her selections. But I am struggling.

I am reading a new author, Christine Barber. The novel is called BONE FIRE. It is a mystery in which the Santa Fe festival of Zozobra is interrupted by the finding of a skull in the ashes of a giant burned effigy. I am not far enough into the book to decide if I really like it but, so far, it has not caused me to stay up until 3:00 AM reading.

So what to do? This is the beauty of the Summerville Library. I have looked into the media collection for entertainment and escape. I am in the middle of watching the HBO miniseries of THE PACIFIC. It is not a fun or escapist pursuit. There are scenes that it hurts to watch. But it has given me a new respect for my uncles who served in the Pacific during World War II. I heartily recommend it to anyone who wants a sense of the history of this conflict. Nothing is sanitized and you turn off the television with profound respect for these (often) teenagers who fought this war.

For escapism, I am watching part of the Midsomer Murders series from BBC. As the English would say - they are ripping good mysteries and after watching THE PACIFIC, they are remarkably bloodless. There are no lovingly portrayed scenes of dismembered bodies or pools of blood. What I like about them is that the clues are there for you to get. They are not Agatha Christie types of mysteries where she, at the end, expounds on who the murderer is with no clues to allow the reader to follow along. These are just good police procedurals where the viewer can go step by step with the officers. We now have about 14 sets at the library, so if you like one, you have many more to go.

I am also taking advantage of the CD collection at the library. I read THE WASHINGTON POST and THE NEW YORK TIMES on-line. I put in my ear buds and let the music carry me along as I get more and more depressed by the news of the day. This way I don't disturb my husband as I listen to Maroon Five or Snow Patrol. His taste in music stopped somewhere around 1960- until he was introduced to Pink and Lady Gaga. I do my best to keep him in the loop.

So I invite you to look at the different collections we have here at the library. There should be something that will appeal to you. Let us make some recommendations. One of the staff is totally lost in watching the old Looney Tunes. If I can't give you any good ideas, there should be someone on staff who can.

Crowd Enjoys Jazz Program in Summerville

2011-02-06T14:07:00.005-05:00

Jazz performer and educator Shenole Latimer enthralled those gathered at the Seago Library in Summerville Wednesday evening, February 2, 2011. His presentation, "Our Music, Our Culture," carried the crowd through the development of Jazz in the 1920's through the present. Latimer periodically paused his presentation to play examples of iconic music from each jazz era on his tenor sax. The mellow sound drew people from all corners of the library. He followed the presentation with a question and answer session. Latimer also donated his latest cd, "Front and Center" to the library collection.

Love Music?

2011-02-02T08:58:00.012-05:00

Join us

Tonight: 7 pm

Performer: Shenole Latimer

Program: "Our Music, Our Culture: A Multimedia Tour Through Jazz History"

Seago Library
76 Old Trolley Road, Summerville

Jazz is the one music form that is uniquely American. A quick check of Wikipedia states "Jazz is a musical tradition and style of music that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th century American popular music .^[1] Its West African pedigree is evident in its use of blue notes,improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swung note.^[2]"

Jazz critic Joachim Berendt defines jazz as a "form of art music which originated in the United States through the confrontation of blacks with European music"; he argues that jazz differs from European music in that jazz has a "special relationship to time, defined as 'swing'", "a spontaneity and vitality of musical production in which improvisation plays a role"; and "sonority and manner of phrasing which mirror the individuality of the performing jazz musician".^[3]"

We hope that regardless of your musical preference you will join us for this special opportunity to learn about this uniquely American music form, the individuals who have influenced its development and to hear an accomplished musician perform.

For more information: Call 871-5075

February Programs @DCL

2011-01-28T15:56:00.009-05:00

Join us for Music, Book Talks

and more @DCL

February is around the corner and it's jammed pack with programming events for all ages. Here are a few of the things we have planned:

Computer classes (Register for February classes beginning Monday, Jan. 31st)
Jazz program Febrary 2nd
Author talk and tea February 6th
Free legal clinic February 15th
Lots of story times

Check out our full calendar of events at www.dcl.lib.sc. us OR use our Calendar QR code to access the calendar on your Smartphone.

Scan to get to Library event calendar

January is National Soup Month!

2011-01-24T14:17:00.012-05:00

It's been cold and dreary, making it easy to get in a rut at work and at home. We (The Staff in STG) needed to do something to snap us out of our mental doldrums and liven things up. January is National Soup Month so ta-da!!! Soup Day was born. Who wouldn't get excited about food.

Another staff member suggested having a Hat Day. Just bring a hat or scarf to wear and someone would make it look good on you. Since hats are not as prominent in wardrobes as they used to be, we thought our patrons would get a kick out of seeing staff in hats. Since we were already bringing soup why not
just add the hats . . . so it became Soup and Hat Day!!

It was a DELICIOUS success! We had 4 different soups: Potato, Chili, Vegetable Beef, and Taco. Chicken salad, pimento cheese spread, cornbread muffins, crackers and coconut cake rounded out the menu. I would have included a picture of the food but it was consumed before I thought to snap a shot of it. I did get a picture of some of the staff in their head gear. They look quite handsome in their hats.

Staff in Hats!

Here's the recipe for the Taco Soup.

1.5 lbs ground beef 1 (1.25 oz) pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 cup chopped red onion 2 (15.25 oz) cans whole kernel corn, undrained

1 (16oz) can pinto beans, undrained 1 (15oz) can black beans, undrained

1 (120z) can light beer 1.5 cups water
2 (10oz) cans chili-style diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

Toppings: shredded Cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, cilantro

Cook beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Combine meat mixture, taco seasoning mix, and next 7 ingredients in a 5.5 quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW 5 - 6 hours. Serve with desired toppings. Makes 16 cups.

Recipe from The Complete Slow Cooker Cookbook: Essential Recipes for Hearty and Delicious Crockery Meals, Menus and More by Wendy Louise.

(loaned by Bluffton Branch of Beaufort County Library - SCLends member)

Other Slow Cooker Cookbooks

Other Links for National Soup Month
January is National Soup Month!
Celebrate Nationa Soup Month in January
The Buck List: Celebrate National Soup Month

Literary Fiction

2011-01-22T10:03:00.005-05:00

By inclination, I read mostly what is called genre fiction. This designation includes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, historical fiction, horror and romance. Because these are the types of books I read, these are the types of books about which I write. Genre literature is the unwanted child of the "Literary Award World". You never see the prestigious awards going to a piece of genre fiction. Genre fiction may be the bread and butter of the publishing world, but it gets little respect. It seems that if the author is a real money-maker for the publisher, the critics scorn and deride him/her as being a hack.

I don't argue that some of the genre literature that is published is what is classified as pulp. But I truly believe that some of the genre literature will stand the test of time and become today's equivalent of the classic. Today we still read FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA. Both of these books fit easily into the genre of horror. Read them and compare them to some of the Stephen King creations like SALEM'S LOT or THE STAND. King is easily in the same ballpark as Shelley or Stoker.

We are still reading PRIDE AND PREJUDICE as dated and hypocritical as the values of Regency England seem to be. Why? Because it is a ripping good story with fully developed characters that we want to know. What about today's romantic writers? There may be a bit more sex that the chaste kisses in Jane Austen but some of them, like Stephanie Laurens, are able to create a compelling Regency world with interesting characters who, while following the conventions of Regency England, often bring modern sensibilities to the problems they encounter. Will she be read 100 years from today? Probably not but it isn't a bad way to fill up the time while your husband watches college basketball. (Football I will watch with him: basketball - I'd rather sleep or wash the kitchen floor.)

So if genre fiction is ignored, what do the critics love? The all- encompassing term is literary fiction. A representative author would be John Updike. These authors tend to concentrate on contemporary life in this country and other countries. Ideas and characters are often more fully developed than in genre writing where the emphasis is often on plot. There is more introspection by the characters in literary fiction. Often the internal lives of the characters are what moves the plot along. These books are not often"page-turners". They require more from the reader in terms of concentration. This is what I think endears them to critics. These authors are the ones you see winning the literary prizes. The books are not often best sellers but they do gain the attention of the critics.

Here, at the Dorchester County libraries, we have a selection of both types of writing - genre fiction and literary fiction. That is the beauty of a public library. There is something for everyone. Depending on your mood, you can escape to another planet or suffer the the angst of the contemporary anti-hero as he fights an uncaring world.

How to Eat for Less in the New Year

2011-01-18T09:55:00.013-05:00

I took a mini survey of the places I frequent the most: home, work, my dad's house, THE GROCERY STORE and church. Answer four is the one for which I have mixed feelings. I don't like to cook, so I consider it a four letter. Consequently, a trip to the grocery store is not tops on my to do list. The upside is that it's where I see people I know and get to catch up on what's going on in their lives (important since I work outside of my community). The real bummer is that food is just down right expensive. It represents a major portion of my monthly budget. To help reduce monthly expenses, I have got to figure out how to spend less on food.

I have resisted joining the coupon craze until now. But I'm desperate so I signed up for the library's Clip and Save coupon class this week. If you are in the same situation, join us Thursday, January 20th from
6-7:30pm. The Friends of the St. George Library is sponsoring this program. Heather Bishop will be on hand to show everyone the do's and don'ts of coupon clipping so we can shop and save at the grocery store. There is a small fee of $5 to register for the class but you should get your investment back the first time you visit the grocery store with coupons in hand. Call 563-9189 for more information. Check out other library programs while you're here. See you Thursday!

Return

2011-01-14T10:31:00.004-05:00

Last week I was debating whether to take a slightly tacky novel with me to read in the airports I would be visiting. I had this image of being stranded for a week as had happened to the Christmas airline passengers. In such circumstances, the books that are chosen to accompany you are very important. I knew if I were stranded, I would have my husband with me. But
he can sleep anywhere and I tend not to sleep very much. So it would have to be books over conversation.

As it turned out, we timed it perfectly between storms. The northern jet stream storm ended in Michigan on Wednesday night and we arrived on Friday. Leaving verrrrrrrrrry early Sunday morning let us fly ahead of the southern jet stream storm that arrived here Sunday night and Monday. So the books I finally chose to go with me were not of life or death importance. They were just there to keep boredom at bay as we waited at departure gates.

I will admit that I did not take BLAMELESS with its mechanical homicidal ladybugs. I decided that novel needed to be savored in the comfort of my home. Instead I looked at the new books and paperbacks to fill my tote bag.

Patrons may not be aware of the change in the cataloguing of paperbacks at the library. All new paperbacks are available through the card catalog and can be searched and put on reserve. This allowed me to find the new Valdemar collection of short stories, FINDING THE WAY. Short stories are the perfect travel reading as you can easily stop at the end of a story when it gets close to boarding time. I will admit that this collection is not as good as the many other Valdemar collections, but it beat reading the Sky Mall magazines. I must give credit to Mercedes Lackey for inventing Valdemar in such a way that other established authors use her setting for their stories.

When I didn't want to escape that far, I had CAT SITTER AMONG THE PIGEONS by Blaize Clement. This is the new installment of the Dixie Hemingway pet sitter mystery series. It takes place on a Florida barrier island where it is warm. This was in contrast to the Michigan weather that was so cold it hurt. I thought if I couldn't be warm physically at least I could be in my imagination. Dixie is drawn into a mystery when she is kidnapped after taking care of an old man's cat. When the kidnappers realize it is a case of mistaken identity, she is released. But this starts her on her investigation and the action snowballs from there. ( Notice the snow imagery? My feet are still cold.) As good as the mysteries in this series are, I also enjoy the pet care tips that are inserted along the way. They have given me some insight into why my various animals act as they do. To other light mystery readers - a question. Have you noticed how the amateur female detective always falls for the stalwart police detective whom she meets on her cases? This is true in the Claire Malloy series by Joanna Hess and the China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert as well as the Dixie Hemingway series. I never considered someone trying to kill me as being conducive to romance but then, when I got married, I was teaching high school in Detroit, so there may be something to it .

My final selection for a traveling companion ( Remember I was afraid of being stranded so I took lots of books.) was THE BARDS OF BONE PLAIN, a fantasy by Patricia McKillip. I have been reading McKillip's fantasies for 20 years and I am captivated by the underlying theme of sorrow which pervades most of her writing. What I found humorous is that my daughter pulled out her I-Pad to show me the book she had just gotten to read on the journey. It was THE BARDS OF BONE PLAIN. I opened my tote bag and there was my copy. The techie and the Luddite.

So Much in So Little

2011-01-06T15:30:00.005-05:00

I have discovered a new "art" form. At my age, any new discoveries are cherished and to make the realization that you have been under-appreciating something for years is humbling. I am talking about the blurbs that are found on the inside flaps of dust jackets and often on the back of paperbacks. The purpose of these blurbs is to draw the interest of the reader. The beauty of the blurbs is that the reader must be hooked in about 100 words. Characters must be introduced; a short plot summary must be given and a mood must be established all in 100 words. I find the process fascinating.

Right now I am considering reading what is definitely not high literature. It is
entitled BLAMELESS: AN ALEXIA TARABOTTI NOVEL by Gail Carriger. I have never read anything by this author; I have never read anything in the series; I try to avoid books with covers that cause people to stare at you in airports: I am not particularly caught up in the whole vampire craze. (Although I will admit that watching Angel at 6:00 AM starts the day off with some nice eye-candy) So why am I considering this novel? The blurb on the back.

One sentence caught me. " To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead." When I read, I see images of what I read. I hear the voices of the characters; I imagine the setting within my own frame of reference. This makes the book MINE.

So here I am with this image of homicidal ladybugs. How would a ladybug kill a human? Can you imagine the number of bites necessary to do any real damage to a human being? Although mechanical, are they some kind of mutant, poisonous ladybug? That one line in the blurb on the back cover has left me with numerous unanswered questions. The only way to answer them is to read the book - which I probably will do.

Now the difficult decision - I am flying to Michigan. I will be sitting in airports all over the country. Do I take the novel with me - strange cover and all? Or do I wait and read it in the privacy of my home? I am used to the question "What are you reading ?!!!" from my husband spoken with disbelief and a certain amount of condenscension but I don't think I can handle it from a perfect stranger or even an imperfect one. All this angst because of one little sentence and the image it provoked!!

Now that is a blurb.

New Year

2010-12-30T14:03:00.010-05:00

When you watch the television news shows at this time of the year, there are two segments that will be repeated again and again. One of the segments is the past year in review. Many of the important stories are shown in encapsulated version; the "important" deaths are mentioned along with a synopsis of the personal accomplishments of the individuals; sporting events are highlighted; awards are mentioned and the entire year is compressed into a 15 minute sound bite.

The other often repeated segment is a vision of what the coming year will
bring. Fashion next year is suppose to recall the 70's with bright colors and flared pants. Hair styles will cover the 60's, 70's and 80's but with a more natural look. Johnny Depp will be back as Captain Jack Sparrow. The stock market will rebound. The stock market will fall. Interest rates will be up; interest rates will remain low.

Being here at the library, I have to notice that one area is never mentioned either in the retrospect segments or the prognostication segments. If we go by what is broadcast, how we do our fingernails is of more importance than how we feed our minds with BOOKS.

Books are never mentioned unless it is a commercial with James Patterson. Nobel winners for literature, Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners are of less importance than the length of our skirts. (I notice all the important "fashion" news is aimed at women. What? Don't men dress?)

According to the pundits, we will be spending more time at home "nesting" in our new comfortable - styled clothes. What a perfect time to be a little uncomfortable with a good book that makes us think. What a perfect time to read UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand. She may have made us feel good with SEABISCUIT but UNBROKEN will draw you into the horrors of World War II and make you decidedly uncomfortable. Or maybe we should look at our finances and read DEBT-FREE FOR LIFE by David Bach. That way we won't have to care so deeply if the market goes up or down. Then there is THE CAT WHISPERER by Mieshelle Nagelschneider (What a great name!). For all of us who own cats - supposedly they can be trained. I think it is more likely that they train us. What about a historical love story, A BEING SO GENTLE by Patricia Brady. This is the story of Andrew and Rachel Jackson, the "Bradgelina" of their time. Or, finally, there is SAYING GOOD-BYE by Barbara Okun. This is an exploration of what modern medicine has done to the dying process. The subject may not fit into the celebration of the new year but it may give us insights of what we all must face.

All the above non-fiction titles are available or soon will be available at the library.

This is only a selection of the new non-fiction that is available. New fiction runs the gamut from cozy mysteries (M.C. Beaton), to noir mysteries (Loren D. Estleman) to soft romances (Fern Michaels) to paranormal romances (Karen Moning) to escapist fantasy (Orson Scott Card) to literary fiction (Carlos Fuentes) to some titles that are undefinable (Tim Dorsey).

Me - I am looking forward to my new comfortable styles, my Farrah Fawcett hair, bright colored fingernails and some of these new titles. If I am going to nest, at least I will have something to read while I do it.

You Collect What?

2010-12-17T14:23:00.007-05:00

Collecting is a personal experience. It's the gathering of objects that have a special significance for an individual and is as varied as the people who do the collecting. It can be an active or a subconscious endeavor. In its extreme form it's probably called hoarding.

What you can collect is endless. It may be something typical like coins, stamps or historical artifacts. Or it may be the unusual, like street signs or dirt
from vacation spots visited. Whatever your passion, it is specific to you and your interest.

Mr. Ernest Ott

During November one of our library patrons, Mr. Ernest Ott, displayed his collection of warm mugs for library goers to see. His collection started in 1979. He received some of his mugs as birthday gifts from special friends. Others he purchased himself. Mr. Ott said he enjoys collecting and wanted to share his joy of collecting with everyone.

What people collect can give insight to their personal interests. I have collected a variety of things at various stages of life -- baskets, bird feathers, shark teeth, sea shells, photographs and of course, books. One of my friends purchases a shot glass from every city she visits. Another collects Snow Babies (porcelain figurines) that she displays every year during the holiday season. As I have gotten older, some of what I collected no longer holds the same significance it once did. So I am paring down these possessions. I just have too much stuff. In this instance, less is best.

Why do people collect things? Probably because it's fun to do. The anticipation of locating the next "find" adds a little spice to life and gives you something to look forward to doing. Or maybe the "hunt" for that "rare" piece is what motivates an individual. If you collect or are interested in collecting, check out the links below that can help you.

Dorchester County Library resources

Collecting for Adults
Collecting for Children

SCLends resources

Collecting for Adults
Collecting for Children

It's a-coming

2010-12-09T15:40:00.006-05:00

I was looking for "Christmas" books to add to the display that we have at the library. On the front counter we have a marvelous selection of Christmas books for adults and children. They cover a range of topics from Christmas recipes to decorations to stories of the season. I was hoping that looking for and finding these books would help me find this year's elusive Christmas spirit. Maybe I could be inspired by the cookies of Martha Stewart - each one too perfect to eat. Maybe a Christmas novel by Debbie Macomber would give me that warm feeling that I seem to be missing. Maybe one of our CHRISTMAS WITH SOUTHERN LIVING editions would get me moving in the kitchen, the mall or decorating the house. Maybe the CD of 100 FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CAROLS would bring
back some of the magic I seemed to have lost. How about a collection of Christmas episodes from favorite TV shows? All these things and more are at my fingertips here in the library and yet the excitement of
the season is gone. Maybe it is because I no longer have small children in the house. I am a firm believer that Christmas is best seen through the eyes of a child and no matter how many Angel Trees find you placing carefully wrapped packages, it isn't the same.

So I went back to the library's selection of Christmas books. We have well over 1000 Christmas titles and I figured the odds were that one of them would reach me. I read Christmas ghost tales ( so beloved by the English). I read modern Christmas novels by Paul Evans. I read classics (DEAR AND GLORIOUS PHYSICIAN) dealing with St Luke and the writing of his gospel. I read children's books dealing with lost animals and their new homes for Christmas. I looked at and put down craft books for Christmas projects (I don't think I can get a Christmas quilt done in two weeks). The Biblical readings for Advent may give one hope but not the giddy joy I always associate with Christmas. And, yes, I realize that at some level I am missing the true meaning of Christmas, but I am trying.

I wish I could recommend one book to the library patrons that would give us all the joy of the best Christmases we ever had, but I can't. I can show library patrons where to find books on Christmas customs; I can show them Christmas novels; I can show them Christmas cookbooks: I can show them Christmas crafts. But what I can't show them is the joy of the holiday season. It might be that we each must find it individually and no single book will provide this answer.

So, I think I will give up on Christmas books. What I need cannot be found in them. However, I will take home this new cookbook on chocolate treats and try some of the cookie recipes to be found in it. Maybe - just maybe- the aromas of chocolate and sugar escaping from my kitchen will get me going and at least nudge me towards Christmas joy.

Other Links
Large Print Christmas books
Christmas Music
Christmas Audio books
Christmas Videos
Checkout our download eBooks and Audio books