Diamond Jubilee

This year marks the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.  Queen Elizabeth II is only the second United Kingdom monarch to celebrate 60 years on the throne. (Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897.)  For more information on Her Majesty and the Diamond Jubilee visit The Official Website of the British Monarchy.

The Library has several excellent biographies of Queen Elizabeth II, including the newly-published Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith and The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Andrew Marr (Large Print.)

Memorial Day

“Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners.  Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”  This poignant directive appeared three years after the end of the Civil War as part of General Orders 11, which established Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) as an occasion to lay flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers.  That tradition continues today.

National Geographic’s Where Valor Rests, a series of photographic essays on the history and traditions of Arlington National Cemetery, is a profoundly moving tribute to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who gave their lives for this country.  It can be found in the Library's nonfiction collection.

The Library will be closed on Sunday, May 27, and Monday, May 28, for Memorial Day.

It is time for Summer Reading!

We are celebrating the Library’s 50th birthday, so Let’s Read 50 this summer! You can pick up reading logs at the library TODAY--The log will be available on our website beginning JUNE 1.

The Youth Summer Reading program is gearing up for a great year, but we have made a few changes, so let me take a second to explain.

Kids can choose to read 50 BOOKS, 50 HOURS, or 50 DAYS. Kids choose the path they want and start reading. You check off the books or hours or days on the reading log as you read them.

Each child reads differently, so make sure your child thinks about which path would best suit them. For example, if you listen to audiobooks, you probably would pick to read by hours. If you have a beginning reader at your house, reading 50 books might be the best option. A fifth grader might not want to choose 50 books if they are reading 300 page books.  Think about what you will be reading this summer and determine the best option for you. 

We have divided the kids into two levels: Baby-2nd Grade and 3rd Grade-5th Grade. The reading requirements are different for the two groups.
The reading requirements for each age group are…

Baby-2nd Graders
If they choose books they must read a book with at least 16 pages.
If they choose days they must read at least 20 minutes a day.

3rd Grade -5th Graders
If they choose books they must read a book with at least 80 pages.
If they choose days they must read at least 40 minutes a day.

If they choose to read by hours, 60 minutes is the same for everyone!

If your child finishes 50 Books, Hours, or Days they are entered into the EXTREME READING CHALLENGE and will get a log that goes to 200!
 
Kids report their reading time at the Library and get prizes every 5 books, hours, or days all the way up to 50 hours. 
 
Stop by the Library for more information, your friendly librarians LOVE talking about the Summer Reading Program.
 
Happy Reading!

School's Out!

It is a day that is just as exciting as holidays and snow days.  It is the last day of school, which means summer is practically here.  I am excited to say that for the first time ever, the Library is giving you a bonus week for Summer Reading!  Start reading today and keep track of what you read.  Teens, that means you need to write down on a piece of paper the book title, author, and number of pages.  If you are listening to an audiobook or reading a book on a Nook, Kindle, or other electronic device, all you need to do is go to the Library’s webpage and figure out how many pages are in the book.  If you finish a book today, you get to count all the pages in the entire book!  Then starting on June 1^st, you can come to the Library where volunteers will help you set up an account and show you how to log your pages online from any computer.  If you have read at least 350 pages, you will even walk away with your first prize!  Plus, if you attend our Teens Only Kickoff Party on June 1^st at 1:00 pm you’ll earn a raffle ticket and you’ll be able to make a time capsule that you can pick up at our End of Summer Celebration on Friday, August 3^rd.  Happy reading and we’ll see you soon!

Young Hoosier Book Award Winners!

Have you read any 2011-2012 Young Hoosier Book Award nominees yet?! The award winners have recently been announced, and I just happened to have recently finished reading the intermediate level winner! I have had several inquire about this book and other titles by this author of late. A little bit of fantasy, a little bit of Mrs Piggle Wiggle-ish ness, and a lot of birthday celebrating, 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass follows two formerly close friends who share a birthday and unbeknownst to them, family history. Introduced in the hospital nursery and with the help of some mysterious interference, Amanda and Leo have celebrated all of their birthdays together since number one ... except for this year. And this year ends up being stranger than either imagined. Will it ever end? You know what you gotta do to find out ... !

In the picture book category, the YHBA winner this year is Titanicat by Marty Crisp, and The Compound by Stephanie A Bodeen won the Middle Grade award.

There are plenty of other fun titles amongst the remaining nominees also, and if you haven't read any of them, don't miss our YHBA Nominee shelf. Plenty of Summer Reading Program options there! :)


You will find more information about the award on the official YHBA site, along with the 2012-2013 nominees. There are all sorts of great summer reading possibilities at your fingertips!

Calling all Junie B. Jones fans...

While preparing for the upcoming Junie B. Jones BookClub, which will be held at the Library on June 4 at 3:30, I came across this posting on the June B. Jones website…

This summer, Random House Children's Books will launch the 9th JUNIE B. JONES STUPID SMELLY BUS TOUR—a national tour that brings Junie B. Jones, live and in person, across the country to meet her fans. She will ride in the Stupid Smelly Bus to selected cities for fun-filled events. Fans will enjoy Junie B.'s hilarious antics through live theatrical performances based on the bestselling Junie B. Jones series. Events will also include cool Junie B. giveaways and an official book stamping. Barbara Park will not be at these events.

June 14, 2012 Carmel BARNES & NOBLE
14709 US 31 NORTH
Carmel IN, 46032 5:00 p.m.

Looks like an awesome event for Junie B. fans!

Library Five-O

Happy 50th birthday to the Library! On August 8th, 2012, the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library will be fifty years old. We’ve certainly changed a lot in those fifty years, and so has the rest of the world. To celebrate, the adult summer reading program, “Library Five-O,” is chock full of programs that span from hands-on crafts to engaging talks to presentations that will awaken the foodie in you. You may start reading on May 24th, and register and start logging your books on June 1st through July 28th. Check out the adult programs on the calendar during June and July, and be sure to register a seat in the programs that interest you. Oh, and don’t forget about the annual Sherlock Holmes Film Festival on August 4th, presented by the Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis. Popcorn, candy and beverages will be provided.

After you read and log your first book, stop by the Library to choose a free Library tote bag or a candy bar. I’ve been busy the past several months talking with local merchants who have again generously donated valuable coupons as prizes for reading and logging your books. In fact, even more merchants are participating this year, so don’t forget to log the books you read so that you will be eligible for great coupons. This year, the coupons will be divided into four levels: there is a selection of coupons for reading and logging 5 books, 10 books, 15 books and 20 books. At each tier you reach, you may choose one of the coupons in it or the tiers below it. All coupons are “while supplies last.” I am very appreciative of our local merchants for supporting the Library and the adult summer reading program– and the best way to thank them is to redeem their coupons. Following are the merchants who are part of “Library Five-O”:

Big Dave's Deli     Black Dog Books     Cobblestone Grill     Confectioneiress 
Eagle Creek Coffee Company     The Friendly Tavern     Ghyslain     Grapevine Cottage
Kern Brothers Shoes     Kristeens     Le Dolce Vita Patisserie     My Sugar Pie     Nana Market
Noah Grant's     Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt     Patrick's Kitchen     Plum's Upper Room
Stone Creek Dining Company     To The Last Drop     Village Yarn Shop

Eight weekly giveaway prizes will be displayed in the window in the Sixth Street entrance soon. Every book you log online earns you a raffle ticket that you may fill out and drop in the raffle box at the second floor reference desk. You may scatter your tickets throughout the weeks or save them up for a particular prize, the choice is yours. Everyone who logs at least one book is eligible for the second and grand prize drawn at summer’s end. The second prize is a Coleman 6-person tent. As for the grand prize, well, you may recall that last year, one of the weekly giveaway prizes was a heart-shaped waffle maker. I’ve never seen the raffle box stuffed as full as it was that week! One lucky winner took the waffle maker home, but I didn’t forget the interest in it and so this year, the grand prize is a KitchenAid Pro Line Waffle Iron. Sure, the waffles won’t be heart-shaped, but that won’t matter to your stomach.

Remember, reading audio books and ebooks counts, so whatever the format of the books you read, log them online and earn your chances to win. And don’t forget the sunblock.

To market, to market . . .

Summer means farm-fresh.  To learn what locally-grown products are available in your area, visit Indiana’s Local Foods & Agritourism webpage.  To search for farmers' markets and pick-your-own farms and orchards, click on The Farmers' Market Online Directory.  For news, events, and information related to agriculture, natural resources, homemaking, and 4-H visit Purdue University's Extension for Boone County.

Locavores will be pleased to note that The Zionsville Farmers' Market (at the corner of Main and Hawthorne) will be open from 8 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. every Saturday morning from May 19 to September 29.  In addition to fruits and vegetables, the Market offers a variety of bread, pastries, cheeses, farm-fresh meats and eggs.

For those who’d like more information on growing their own food or preparing meals using locally grown ingredients, the Library has bushels of tempting books ranging from the classic, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, to The Locavore’s Handbook: The Busy Person’s Guide to Eating Local on a Budget by Leda Meredith, to my favorite, the very funny Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter.  Stop by the display in Teen & Adult Services and take your pick.

Eleven, Ten, Nine, Eight ... the summer countdown has begun at the library!

And the librarians are hitting the streets! (There's an idea for an Amelia Bedelia book ...) Actually, what I mean is: we're visiting schools! You may have noticed that now that the chicks have come and gone, things appear to be kind of quiet in the Youth Services Department. Where are all the programs!!?!

They're coming! Our summer newsletter with a full schedule of fun and educational events and programs will be out soon (for a sneak peak, check out June and July in our online calendar). In the meantime, we're busily visiting your children (or in some cases they are strolling over to visit us) at their school libraries to introduce this year's Summer Reading Program. Keep an eye out for blue sheets coming home with all of the details and lots of excited talk about June 1st and our Let's Read 50: Books, Hours, Days theme. Why read for 50?! Ask the kids! Anticipation is growing; school is out in only eleven days, and it's going to be one celebration of a summer at your local public library! :)

Joan of Arc's 600th Anniversary

    Six hundred years ago, Joan of Arc was born in Domrémy, France.  At age 13, Joan heard “a voice from God” directing her to help the dauphin Charles (the eldest son of the previous ruler) unite France.  Joan, assisted by two other French commanders, broke the English siege of Orléans paving the way for Charles VII to assume the throne.  Sadly, only a year later, Joan was captured by a rival French faction and turned over to the English.  She was tried for heresy, witchcraft, and fraud and burned at the stake in the marketplace of Rouen on May 30, 1431 at age 19.  In 1456, an ecclesiastic court declared the trial null and void.  She was canonized in 1920.

Joan of Arc has become a symbol for French nationalism.  For coverage of the celebration taking place in Orléans visit The Washington Post.

Newly-released biography, The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc by noted medieval historian, Nancy Goldstone, explores the connection between illiterate Joan and Yolande of Aragon, Queen of Sicily and one of the premier power brokers of the era.  Fictional accounts of the enigmatic Joan include The Maid by Kimberly Cutter, An Army of Angels by Pamela Marcantel, and Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc by the Sieur Louis de Conte (Her Page and Secretary) by Mark Twain. Yes, Mark Twain!  Twain spent twelve years researching his subject and considered Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc "his best book."  (You'll find it in the Library's teen collection.)

The painting at the top (in the Centre Historique des Archives Nationales in Paris) is a medieval artist’s representation of Joan of Arc.  No verified image of Joan of Arc survives.

It’s time to say goodbye!

The Youth Services department is very lonely this week without the little peeps of the chicks to keep us company!

The foster families met Sunday to bring back their chicks and share their stories.  This is always a bittersweet time because even though the chicks are a BIG responsibility, it is really hard to watch our special friends go away. 

If you are interested in seeing what the chicks were up to during the two weeks they spent with their foster families, stop by the Youth Services department and check out the chick posters.  There are plenty pictures that will put a smile on your face—these chicks didn’t just sit at home, they went to visit classrooms, went on walks, and drove tractors?!?!  You will just have to see it to believe it!

All of the foster chicks were hens, so they went to a local farm where they will live long, happy lives laying lots of eggs.  

If you are interested in becoming a foster chick parent, be on the lookout next April for the registration day.  You are required to attend a Foster Chick parenting class and you must also attend the reunion.  This class fills up quickly, so you must be willing to accept the commitment and you must also be early to register.

Until next year.....Cheep, Cheep

Cinco de Mayo

On May 5, 1862, a small, poorly-equipped Mexican army defeated a larger, more powerful French invasion force at the Battle of Puebla.   Cinco de Mayo (not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day which is September 16) is one of Mexico’s most festive holidays, celebrated with music, dancing, and food.

Selected works in Spanish by Mexican (or Mexican-American) authors, Carlos Fuentes, Octavia Paz, and Sandra Cisneros, can be found in the Library's world language collection.  These authors' works, as well as novels by Laura Esquivel (Like Water for Chocolate) and  James Carlos Blake (Country of the Bad Wolves), are also available in English in the Library's fiction collection.   For an epic novel, set in the late 19th century soon after the Battle of Puebla,  try award-winning author, Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Hummingbird’s Daughter.  This story, based on the life of the author's great-aunt, opens with the birth of a baby girl to an unwed, Indian mother and follows the child's transformation from outcast to mystic healer and revolutionary.

To learn more about Mexico—it’s history, people, government, economy, and geography—or to learn more about 266 other world entities visit the CIA's  The World Factbook.

My Sugar Pie and Friends of the Library

When you think about the Friends of the Library, what comes to mind? Book sales, probably, and that makes sense, as our Friends of the Library volunteers are instrumental in sorting and preparing the thousands of books generously donated to the Library every year for the sales in February, May and October. One-hundred percent of the money earned from our book sales goes directly to the Library, and often pays for the free programs we offer to patrons. The Library works hard to make sure that you and your toddlers, teens and senior family members can join us for great lectures and crafts and computer programs for free, but we must pay for the experts and materials to make those programs happen. That’s one key area where the Friends of the Library come in: their financial support means we are able to regularly offer our community the abundant free programs that we do. We are grateful to have such a dedicated group of Friends.

Not all of the Friends of the Library volunteer their time; many Friends are quite busy with family and work and they choose to support the Library by donating money without volunteering. We understand that completely and appreciate everyone who supports the Library, whether or not they are able to spend time here volunteering. Membership to the Friends of the Library is an easy way to say, “My library is important to me.” For $10, an individual receives a year-long membership that includes one free admission to all book sale preview parties. A family membership is $20 for a year and includes two free admissions to all book sale preview parties. The benefactor level is $50 for a year and includes four free admissions to all book sale preview parties, and a new book for the Library collection will be purchased and named in honor of your donation. All members of the Friends of the Library are invited to attend their quarterly meetings and new members are welcome at any time. Of course, if you want to donate more than the basic amount to be a member of the Friends, say, $15 or $25 or even $62.79, we’ll be delighted and proud to have your support.

Why don’t you join us for the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library on Wednesday, May 16th at 10am? We have a tasty treat in store for attendees. Kelly Maucere of Zionsville’s My Sugar Pie will be at the meeting to talk about how she started her business and to offer samples of her famous (really! Read what Country Living has to say) Hoosier Sugar Cream, Dutch Apple, and Chocolate Sugar Cream Pies.

Be a part of why the Library thrives- be a Friend of the Library.