Volunteer at the 2012 Holiday Stroll

Do you enjoy volunteering or do you need to do some volunteer hours for a philanthropic club or for school?  Do you enjoy spending time at the Library?  Are you ready to get in the holiday spirit?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, how about volunteering for a few hours at the Library’s annual Holiday Stroll?  This year’s Holiday Stroll will be on just one day, Saturday, Dec. 1st, the kick-off day of Zionsville’s “Christmas in the Village.”  Volunteer shifts for teens age 14 and older, as well as adults, are available between 9 AM and 5 PM.

The 2012 Holiday Stroll theme is “Treasure the Holidays” and there are many opportunities to help with greeting visitors and various holiday crafts that go along with themed trees throughout the Library. 

The trees that will be adorning the Library and that will have accompanying crafts that need volunteer help include:

On the first floor in Youth Services: 
•    Our Heroes Tree
•    Birthday Craft Tree
•    Sweet Golden Treasures Tree
•    Holiday Jewel Craft Tree

Our Teen Area will feature:
•    “Book-a-neer” Tree

And scattered throughout the rest of the second floor will be:
•    Hidden Treasures Tree
•    Ahoy, Matey Tree
•    Rubies and Gold Tree

Holiday Stroll Volunteer Sign up is self-serve, online and easy to do.  There are time slots throughout the day at all the trees mentioned above, as well as greeter slots at both main entrances.  Sign up for the shift and activity that suits you at http://bit.ly/Q15yC4.  Don’t delay!  The Holiday Stroll is just about a month away and the time slots will go fast!

Inhale Knowledge at the Library

It seems that scented products are everywhere, from personal toiletries to auto air fresheners to aerosol room sprays. According to Pam Conrad, Complementary Therapy Nurse for Wellspring Pharmacy, many of these fragrances are made from synthetic oils and chemicals, which tend to cause allergic reactions more than scents in their natural essences. For example, the fabricated scent of cinnamon may cause a person to have watery eyes or trigger a headache, whereas the natural scent from crushed cinnamon sticks causes the same person no trouble whatsoever. While many products available on the market today are “scented,” only pure essential oils (natural plant essences which have been extracted by steam distillation or other extraction methods) should be used therapeutically. Essential oils have been used for their healing properties for centuries, and modern scientific research has proven that when used correctly, essential oils are a convenient, practical and pleasant option to ease many health care conditions and facilitate a healthy body, mind and spirit.

A registered nurse who spent years studying aromatherapy in England and France, Pam Conrad founded Aromas for Healing to develop products to promote physical and emotional well-being. She created the first evidence-based “Aromatic Childbirth” hospital program in the United States and has developed essential oil blends that ease nausea from surgery, help athletes treat and avoid sore muscles, reduce anxiety and insomnia, boost energy, and many other blends that help with a variety of conditions. She teaches medical professionals about aromatic complementary therapies and speaks around the world about her work in aromatherapy. On Tuesday, November 13, 2012, at 6:30pm, she will be at the Library to talk about using essential oils during “Aromatherapy for Home, Health & Holidays.” Register now for this expert-led program and don’t forget to check out the many books about essential oils and aromatherapy in the Library catalog.

Please note: There will be essential oil blends at this program, and while the scents will not be forcibly diffused throughout the room, they will be present in the air.

Countdown to Author Visit with Mary Pearson

We are very, very excited to be hosting Mary Pearson.  In less than two weeks, she will be at our library talking about her book The Adoration of Jenna Fox, the writing process, and answering your questions about writing, publishing, being an author, and any other burning questions you may have.  If two weeks seems like too long, perhaps an interview with the author will tie you over.

What do you find most difficult about writing?

“Getting started. A blank page is always intimidating. And the middle is difficult too. Whenever I get to the middle of a book I always think I’m totally lost and in trouble—too much is going on in my head! But I know most writers feel that way, and I remind myself that it is normal to feel out of control. The key is to keep moving forward, so I do. I set daily goals for myself to make sure I keep going. If you write only one page per day—about 250 words—in less than a year you can have a whole novel. Small bite-sized goals are easier to swallow and far less intimidating, so I focus on those.”

Which one book had a large impact on your life?

“That’s a tough one. There were so many, but I would have to say The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton was a favorite that had a definite impact on my future. It was the first book that I read that felt like it was written for me. I devoured it over and over again and it made me want to write similar relevant books for teens.”

What advice might you have for aspiring writers?

Not so fast, you'll have to go to the Harbinger's online edition to see the answer to this question and others.  A special thanks to Sara Bardool and the folks at the Harbinger for letting us share this interview.

Oh and if you still don't have your free copy of The Adoration of Jenna Fox, just bring a signed permission slip either to the library or the school media center.  Then bring your book the day of the event and Mary will sign your book!  We hope to see you there.

Dining to Donate

Join us at Applebee's Tuesday, October 23 from 4 to 9 PM and help support The Friends of the Library!

Bring the Library's flyer to the Applebee's at 10325 N. Michigan Rd., and enjoy a great meal with your friends and family. Applebee's will donate 15 % of your check to the Friends of the Hussey-Mayfield Library!

Very Important - You must present the flyer to your server for the Library to receive credit for your purchase! Print one out now so you'll be ready next week.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Library programs, and material and equipment purchases.

We look forward to seeing you at Applebee's!

You can learn about additional ways you can support the Friends of the Library in our November Newsletter!

Fitness DVDs are for Guys, too

To the men, it may seen like most of the fitness DVDs are made by, and targeted to women.  But your library has not neglected men in our choice of exercise DVDs. Work out at home with one of these:

Power 90 by Tony Horton includes sculpting, cardio and abdominal sections to “strengthen, tighten and tone your entire physique.”

 

We have several DVDs by Gilad to choose from.  His Elite Forces Fat Burning workout was filmed with U.S. Marines and Navy Seals.  This has a boot camp style with some kickboxing thrown in.  It is filmed at Pearl Harbor on the deck of a U.S. Navy ship.  Hopefully the scenery will keep your mind off your burning muscles!

Bob Harper has split from “The Biggest Loser” for his latest DVDs.  His Pure Burn Super Strength contains two body sculpting workouts.  Utilizing hand weights, you continuously move the body which keeps you in your aerobic zone while toning.  As usual, Bob seems to find joy inflicting pain on his “victims”.  He must be doing something right because people keep coming back for more. 

If you like kickboxing we have Tae Bo with Billy Blanks.  To work on your flexibility, do yoga with Rodney Yee.  There are a lot of options for you to choose from.  Come in and have a look. 

The Village Alien

Meet Kathleen Donoho.  She is part of a writing team that has put Zionsville on the map in the book world.  Kathleen, who is modeling a display set up in the teen area) and her father, Steve Donoho, have brought an unusual and unique type of book to the table.  The Village Alien is a book where readers decide how the book ends.  With more than 60 endings, two readers will never have read the same story and each of the stories take around ten minutes to read.  As fascinating as I find this information, this is still not the coolest part.  Kathleen and Steve live in Zionsville and their book also takes place in Zionsville!  Lucky for us, the pair has decided to share their experience in writing with teens in grades 6 and up during Teen Read Week, which is October 14-22.  Thanks in part to a grant by the Young Adult Services Association and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, each teen attending will get their own copy of the book to take home and while they listen, teens will get to munch on the tasty treats the characters themselves enjoy in the book.  So come in on Wednesday, October 17 for an awesome adventure of self-publication and a free book, and then stay for the food.  Registration is recommended (so we have enough food).

Family Math and Science Night Oct. 29

Families can participate in interactive science and math activities throughout Youth

Services.  Scientists, naturalists, and teachers will engage you in fun exploratory

activities.

Family Math and Science Night

Mon., Oct 29

5 – 7 PM

Registration begins Oct 10

Families with children ages 3 – 12 

Science Ambassadors from Dow AgroSciences will be available to talk to you

about careers in science, engage you with hands-on activities related to

agriculture and healthy foods and will design activities for advanced students. Brian

Mercer of the 500 Earth Sciences club will share fossils and minerals with

an interactive display.

Any Comments on The Casual Vacancy?

My twenty-something daughter has promised to loan me her copy of The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.  I can't wait to read it, and I'm equally eager to hear her opinion.  Both my daughters are Generation H (Hogwarts.)  Hooked by the opening line: “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much,” they, like many of their demographic cohort, remained faithful to Harry and his mates through 7 volumes and 4,100 pages.  Neither daughter went to Harvard, yet both were inspired by the commencement address Rowling presented to the graduating class of 2008.  (Listen to it; it's great.)

Until my copy arrives, I'm biding my time and reading reviews.  The New York Times panned the book calling it “depressingly clichéd” and “not only disappointing, but dull.”  The Wall Street Journal was more sympathetic, reporting that once the characters are established “and events begin to unfurl, it becomes a positively propulsive read.”  The most interesting article I've read so far is Ian Parker's profile of J.K. Rowling, published in The New Yorker Magazine.

What’s The Casual Vacancy about?  The story is set in the provincial English town of Pagford, where a parish counselor has just dropped dead from an aneurism.  This unfortunate event creates an empty seat or “casual vacancy” on the counsel, which, in turn, leads to bitter competition among village residents and between supporters and opponents of a controversial public housing project.  Since that's the extent of my knowledge, I'm asking readers like you to share your views.  Is this book as awful as the NYT would lead me to believe?  Or is Rowling still a master?  What clicked for you, and what didn’t?  Have you read the Harry Potter series, and if so, how does The Casual Vacancy compare?  Would you recommend it to a friend?  Will you read another Rowling novel?

Tell me, please, because I'm still waiting for my daughter's verdict--and her copy!

mentor (noun) -a trusted counselor or guide

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly a quarter of Hoosier children live in poverty. For children under the age of six, the rate is even higher.
 
Do you have an hour per week that you could share with a youth?   

• With a mentor, kids are more likely to graduate from high school.
• With a mentor, kids are more likely to attend a four-year college. 
• With a mentor, kids are less likely to fight in school or become involved in criminal activities.

Great mentors are patient, consistent, dedicated, and good listeners. You do not need to be perfect to be a mentor, and you don't need to spend money. By being a mentor, you can help to improve your mentee's self-esteem and academic success. You can help your mentee to discover new talents, attitudes, and dreams, and increase his or her ability to find and keep a job.

Mentors benefit, too. They get to share their skills and talents with a young person who wants to learn, and mentors gain valuable experience that is important to their own professional development.

By spending an hour a week as a mentor, you can help to change someone's entire life for the better.

If you'd like to learn more, join us at the Library on Tuesday, October 16th, at 7pm, when Bill Stanczykiewicz, President and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute, talks about mentorship.

Discover something new at your Library!

In honor of Columbus Day, you might like to embark on a new adventure found just as far away as your Public Library. 

Why, Why, Why do people want to explore?  If your child asks questions like this, try checking out the Why, Why Why series.  This series of books asks almost as many questions as your preschooler, but as an added bonus, these books provide answers, too!

 So you want to be an explorer? Or, perhaps you want to be an inventor or maybe even president?  Check out the So you want to be books by Judith St. George and David Small.  This series presents a vast amount of information in a pleasing picture book format.  So you want to be President even won a Caldecott Medal…it might be an appropriate read with the upcoming election!

The You wouldn’t want to series puts you in the shoes of various historical figures, Christopher Columbus, Roman Soldiers, World War II Pilots, etc.   These books show just exactly what it would be like to live in a different time period.  The You wouldn’t want to series is fantastic, they are full of information and they are high interest books that really pull in the reader; even those reluctant readers will probably be interested in one of these.  

Discovery is in full swing at your Library, come and see!