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August 29, 2006

Fall Comes to the Bryant Library

The September/October Newsletter is out and it's beautiful! An interview with our own new Assistant Director, Joan Casson Sauer is featured in full color on the front page. She reminds us that September is Library Card Sign-Up Month and says, "A library card has always been the most important school supply of all." And, in Byte Size News, Joan tells us about a new Electronic Resource available from home and in the library -- Proquest HEalth Management. Our Coordinator of Reference Services, Barbara Czekala is on the inside cover, asking for your thoughts on recommended reading -- we encourage you to send us your "2 cents!" Bryant Room archivist, Myrna Sloam, selected an interesting article about the history of Mott's Cove on page 3. Our own talented Mary Lindquist, Administrative Assistant for the Director, was awarded a Certificate of Merit for the Bryant Library welcome brochure. Even if you've been coming to the library for years, request a copy of this beautiful brochure next time you're in -- you may just find out about something new! The full color centerfold is filled with exciting programs for the Fall including concerts, book discussions, lectures, yoga, films and the ever popular defensive driving classes! Children's Programs are on the inside back cover with lots of fun programs for children, a reminder about the Tumblebooks and an announcement that they now have graphic novels for kids! And, finally, the back cover has a 10% off coupon for the Friends Bookstore and lists Young Adult Fall programs. What a chock-filled, gorgeous issue of the Bryant Library Newsletter!

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August 28, 2006

Weird with a Capital "W"

My September book club book is Running with Scissors, which I've already read, so I thought that my dysfunctional family reading quota would be filled, but I was wrong! This weekend, I read two thoroughly enjoyable and weird with a capital "W" nonfiction titles. The first was called Remember Me: A Lively Tour of the New American Way of Death by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. Turns out, death rituals and funerals are a changing industry. DId you know that cremated remains (or cremains, as they're called) can be turned into diamonds? Believe it or not, I know someone who had her father's cremated remains turned into a barrier reef. But, I hadn't heard of "green burials," which are environmentally friendly coffins (or no coffins at all) and use a tree instead of a headstone, and... well, you get the idea. Anyway, the author interspersed sections about the funeral industry with personal stories of people who had chosen one of these unique rituals. It was like reading a script for that HBO show, Six Feet Under!

The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeannette Walls reminded me a lot of Running with Scissors. There were parts that were so sad that I wished it were fiction. The good news is that she not only survives her dysfunctional family and bizarre upbringing, but she ends up succeeding academically, professionally, and it seems, personally.

If you're in the mood for something different -- these are two good choices!

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August 25, 2006

Long Island Sports

I know about as much about sports as I do about music, but... this just came across my desk -- Newsday now publishes "up to the minute news and information on ALL high school sports, plus video, photos, podcasts, columnists, trivia quizzes and more." If you are a sports fanatic, and professional and college sports just aren't enough anymore, and you want to be totally up to date, then Newsday's new high school pages are for you!

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Like a Needle in a Haystack

Sometimes searching for something on the web is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We had a question this morning that was like that. A woman was looking for the recipe for Aunt Pat's Clam Dip that David Letterman talks about on his show. She isn't computer literate and couldn't figure out how to find it, so she called the library. I went to David Letterman's website first, but couldn't find it there, and unfortunately, there is no search option. I used both google and ask.com with different keywords to try to locate it. No luck. I did, however, find a few clues -- I found a couple of dates when the recipe was read on the show. So, I went back to the website and searched again. I finally found it in the Wahoo Gazette for August 14th. At one point, I had almost given up and was looking for contact information, thinking that the woman could call the show and request the information. But, there was no way, without a computer and a lot of patience, that this question was going to get answered.

I know this wasn't the most important question we were likely to answer today, but it illustrated a point that is made time and again, on a daily basis, in the library -- in order to do research in this day and age, you need to be persistant, computer savvy, be open to trying different avenues, and asking for help. The good news is that more people are willing and able to try... and we're always here to help!

Meanwhile, the clam dip looks good...!

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August 24, 2006

Chick Lit, Again

There is a table in front of the Reference Desk that always contains some sort of book display. They are always cute, clever and attract attention, but I have to say that this is one of my favorites. It's the Chick Lit display that I promised in a previous post, and it is even better than I expected! I suspect that those books are going to fly off the table!

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August 23, 2006

Henna Hysteria!

The Bryant Library patio was the scene this afternoon, of our almost end of summer Henna Workshop. All teens got to pick from awesome designs and our instructor, Gulshan did a meticulous job applying the henna. It was absolutely fab!!

Tomorrow night, join us for a concert by Marlon Bishop. JAZZ FUNK JAM, FUNK JAZZ, instrumentalist and composer, Marlon fell for music after playing in various rock bands in New York in his teens. He led former funk outfit Mugwump to reguarly pack NYC venues such as the Lion's Den and the Knitting Factory with their devoted fans. Since going away to study at Wesleyan University, he has switched gears to concentrate on jazz and composition, aspiring to a career in film scoring. Drawing from a wide array of influences ranging from argentine tango to underground hip-hop, he hopes to continue striving to break musical barriers and make original music centered on improvisation. -- it's at 7:30 p.m. -- Don't miss it!

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August 21, 2006

Summer Reading

Just a reminder that the summer reading books that were overcrowding our YA shelves in June, are now in dwindling supply. Whether they are fiction, nonfiction, young adult or adult -- they are conveniently located all together in the Young Adult section. If you haven't yet chosen your books or done your reading -- please come in soon and get started!!

My reading this summer was copious! I just finished reading The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards. I loved Bad GIrl by Abigail Vona. I adored Anne Tyler's Digging to America, and One Mississippi by Marc Childress. The good thing about being able to put down a book that I'm not crazy about it -- I love most of the books that I read!!

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Love a Librarian?

For the 6th year running, the NYTimes is offering a Librarian of the Year Award. I happen to know one of the winners from last year -- Harriet Fargnoli, a children's librarian from Great Neck, and she's wonderful! There are over 1500 applicants from across the country and 21 winners. This is what the NYTimes says about the award:

"The New York Times has long been committed to fostering literacy and building awareness of issues important to our local and national communities. Our work with libraries is an essential part of this commitment. The New York Times Librarian Awards were created to support and recognize public librarians, who do so much to nurture a better-informed society. This year, the sixth year of this national awards program, we will honor 21 public librarians from across the country. The Times Librarian Award recognizes those librarians in public libraries whose exemplary performance and outstanding community service have made their libraries friendlier and more accessible institutions. "

I applaud the NYTimes for offering this award -- after all, there are many industries that make up a community, but, I believe that the library (right up there with the schools) is one of the most important. If you love our library and have interacted with our excellent reference staff, gotten great book recommendations, taken advantage of our amazing dvd, cd or audible book collection, used our Electronic Databases, have children or teens who've loved our programs -- by all means, write to the NYTimes and let them know! I'd love to see Nassau County represented in this list of excellent librarians!

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August 18, 2006

I know that we're still in summer mode, but if I don't write about this now, I'm afraid that I'll forget. The East Meadow Public Library now subscribes to two new newspaper collections: Early American Newspapers - 1690 - 1876 and Early American Newspapers - 1829-1922. Unfortunately, we can't access these databases online, but if there is a particular article you need or a topic you're researching, the Reference librarians at East Meadow will search for you and can email or fax the article to you -- what a great service!

We subscribe to many databases ourselves, but our historic collection (Proquest Historical) dates from 1851 -- this always seemed pretty historical to me, but... 1690 -- now that's really, really historic!

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August 15, 2006

Chick Lit

A term that's been floating around the library and the web lately is chick lit. What do we mean by it? Is it romance? No, not exactly. There are other aspects to it, according to Wikipedia. Examples of popular titles are Bridget Jones's Diary, Sex and the City and The Girls Guide to Fishing and Hunting. In teen novels, chick lit has been abundant as well in The Gossip Girls, Princess Diaries and others.

There have always been romance books, or "bodice rippers," and those are one kind of fantasy (as opposed to the fantasy that involves fictional places, dragons and magic) -- chick lit involves just enough reality to make it appealing to today's woman. Of course, to me, the Manolo Blahnicks, nightly trysts and general lifestyle are entirely fantasy!

Here are the pertinent questions regarding chick lit:
Q: Does reading chick lit make you less of a "serious reader?"
A: What is a "serious reader" anyway? If you're reading for pleasure -- read whatever pleases you!
Q: Does the popularity of chick lit take credibility away from the more literary female authors?
A: Absolutely not! Someone who is well read by definition has read a variety of literature -- including chick lit, great mysteries, classics and more!
Q: What is the chick lit equivalent for men?
A: There are lots of "light" authors for men as well, such as Elmore Leonard, Dick Francis, Stephen King, and many more. My husband reads a lot of murder mysteries -- I don't know what that says about his fantasies, but... to each his own taste, I guess!
Q: Where can you find more recommendations for chick lit books?
A: Novelist, Books in Print, Candy Covered Books
Q: Do men enjoy chick lit?
A: No, in general, they don't. Women, on the other hand, tend to be more flexible in their selections.

We have had some successful book displays in the library this summer. We have the NYTimes Book Review's "What is the best work of American Fiction of the last 25 years?" display that has gone over very well. There is the "Staff Picks" books that we can't keep on the shelves. And, there is the "beach reading" display that we keep having to replenish. The next display is going to be a Chick Lit display and it promises to be a good one!

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August 11, 2006

Vocation Vacation

If I had to start all over again and choose an alternate career, it would definitely be doing something with animals. I am a lover of all animals, large and small, and sadly, because of allergies in my house, I can only love them vicariously. Today, though, a colleague (thanks, Margaret) brought a new idea to my attention. It was an article in today's USA Today, called "Take a Vacation, Try a New Vocation." The idea is that if you are unhappy in your career, or want to try something new, vocationvacation may be for you. For a price, you can spend a day or two doing something you've always wanted to try. I see this as an opportunity for college students, trying to figure out what they'd like to do, retirees who would like a short, interesting vacation, some of them would even make a great 40, 50, 60th birthday present -- it could really be for anyone! Me, I'd try the dog training position!

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August 10, 2006

411 - Can We Help You?!

I answered the phone last night, mistakenly anticipating a reference question, and a woman asked me for the phone number of Fortunoff's. The library provides lots of services, but directory assistance isn't officially one of them. We do have access to this information, as does 411, 555-1212 and any phone book, but the difference is that is the function of those three choices -- it's not our official function. Anyway, I went to fortunoffs.com, then asked her what location she needed. Her response... wait for it... bridal registry! Not exactly what I was asking her for -- patiently, I clarified that I wanted to know whether she needed the number for Westbury, White Plains, etc. I gave her the number and was she happy with that? No, actually she wasn't -- she wanted an 800 number! The important thing is that I did my job to the best of my ability, and... a call to Westbury is still a local call!

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Thanks, Benihana!

The YA Sushi Workshop was yesterday and what a success it was! We were lucky to have Mr. Pine, the manager of Benihana in Manhasset and Mr. Joseph, the chef at Benihana in Westbury lead the workshop. They not only taught us how to make sushi, but tested our knowledge of Japanese language and gave out great prizes! What a treat -- and, they said that they'd come back next year!! You can see photos from Sushi and the rest of the summer workshops on our new Flickr badge -- right on the blog! How cool is that?!! Keep checking in -- there are lots of changes in store for our blog...

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August 9, 2006

Cool New Toy!

I had to share this cool new toy I just found on the web. I am still trying to live down my Floyd Comma Pink post, and this is my online apology for my lack of musical knowledge. Unlike many of our library teens, I remember vinyl records -- that's all we had "back then!" Now, of course, we're lucky enough to have cds and digital recordingss so readily available -- for free, from the library!!

And, what record did Bryant Library set? We were the first library blog in Nassau County!!

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August 5, 2006

On Starting/Finishing a Book

I just read a great essay in tomorrow's NYTimes Book Review. It's titled, "Why I Can't Stop Starting Books" by Joe Queenan. Mr. Queenan describes how he often has over 25 books that he's in the middle of and fully intends to finish!

This is so interesting -- I know that we all have different reading styles. I don't read more than one book at a time. I guess my memory isn't that great because if I put a book down for more than a day or two, I can't remember what's going on. Plus, if I was able to put the book down for more than one day, I probably wasn't that into it in the first place and won't pick it up again. As an aside, I firmly believe that it's okay to stop reading a book if you don't like it. Some people feel obligated to force themselves to finish a title before deciding if they like it. I don't feel any such compunction. There are so many books and so little time, if I don't love it, I don't finish it. There are times, such as when you're reviewing a book or writing a report that you need to complete the book, but that's another story.

I wrote an essay in high school that I called "On Finishing a Book." I remember writing in an emotional teenage voice about how I would read more slowly towards the end of a book that I was enjoying just to delay finishing it. I described having to say goodbye to characters and a world that I inhabited for a short time as a kind of mourning. I don't remember the grade I received, but it doesn't matter -- so many years later, I still remember the essay and still agree with what I wrote.

My least enjoyable part of reading is starting a book, so I found Mr. Queenan's essay all the more interesting.

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August 4, 2006

Surfing the Web

We have unintentionally taken in a boarder -- a garden orb spider has taken up residence outside our home. We've been watching her closely. We have to -- because sometimes she builds her web clear across our walkway. It takes a lot to rattle me and I am not a squeamish person, but the one thing that can shake me to the core is a spider. Don't ask me why. I realize they're generally harmless, but they freak me out nonetheless! However, I have become very curious about this spider and have learned some very interesting spider facts. For instance, she spins the web after dark, usually around 9:00 at night, but it's always gone by morning. What happens to the web? I found out that this particular kind of a spider (a garden orb spider) eats the web and whatever has been caught in the web before dawn. The web is, in itself, a source of protein. (Myself, I prefer chicken!) The web is tremendous -- sometimes spanning up to 4 feet! How, I wondered, does the spider do that? Apparently, they start by building a "y" shape.

I love that we refer to the internet as "the web." And, the fact that my garden orb spider begins her web with a "y," or as we say, a "why" just tickles my funnybone!

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August 2, 2006

David Levithan

I was lucky enough to attend an author visit by David Levithan to Queens College Graduate School of Library Science. He is one of my favorite young adult authors and has written, among others, Boy Meets Boy, Realm of Possibility, and his newest, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It was so exciting to meet him and hear what he had to say!
David Levithan is one of several authors whose novels include gay main characters. One of the comments from yesterday's class was that while the characters are gay, it isn't viewed as a "problem" within the story. Boy Meets Boy, for example is a beautiful, romantic love story that just so happens to occur between two boys. He writes in a recent School Library Journal article,

"I have met so many amazing librarians in the past few years, staunch and strong defenders of expression and representation. I can say without a single doubt that many young readers' lives have been helped and saved by their librarians' open-mindedness and courage... Many people consider librarians to be gatekeepers, usually in terms of keeping things out. I also think of librarians as gatekeepers in terms of the people they help through the gates... With books, courage comes on many levels. We authors have to find the courage to offer the words that will release the truth, in ways both small and large. We put our names on the cover of the book, offering those words out in the world with our lives attached. The publisher, too, offers its own reputation when it puts its name on the spine. Readers must take great courage in taking a book from a shelf, or being seen carrying it around. Librarians can - and often do - and always must find the courage to stand up to the fear that surrounds us. You are the gatekeepers of the representation. It's not just literature at stake; it's lives."

Thank you, David for your words and we accept the responsibility that comes with them. We will continue to take pride in offering well written young adult books (such as yours) on as wide a variety of subjects as we can, to reach as many teens as we can. It's not often that we stop to think of the day to day decisions we make in purchasing or recommending a book and the impact it can have on young lives.

David Levithan is excited about writing for and communicating with young adults -- he even has a myspace page! And, he has over 1500 friends!!

One of the things he talked about is the influence of music on his work. He listens to music as he writes. He is a self-admitted music/ipod addict. He is very particular about his phrasing, and he tries to find the beat in his writing. Green Day and Bright Eyes are particularly inspirational to him.
His new book, which is coming out in September is called Wide Awake. With this novel, David Levithan sets out to write a political novel for young adults. This one sounds very promising and will include a gay, Jewish president of the United States! I can't wait to read it!

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August 1, 2006

Where Do You Keep Your Library Card?

A woman had applied for a new library card and was told it would be mailed to her. She was confused yesterday as she explained that she had received something in the mail, but it didn't look like a library card. Thankfully, I was working with Irene, who, having spent time working in the Circulation Department, was familiar with this concern. For all who need enlightenment -- the library card arrives at your home as a 4x4 inch piece of plastic. It seems self-explanatory, but I guess we can't assume anything. So, here goes... when you open the envelope, punch out the larger of the two cards -- this is the library card that goes in your wallet. The smaller one is the "keycard." Bear with me, this one involves yet another couple of steps... punch out the small circle in the corner and attach this one to your keyring. Between these two cards, you should always have your library card readily available.

On the other hand, I saw something today that was new to me. A woman came in to use the computer. After I had signed her up and directed her to the correct computer, she picked up her shirt and inserted the card into her bra! Okay... I guess she won't misplace it... maybe she didn't know about the keycard!

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