It’s Food for Fines Time!

February 1 – 28 is one of the happiest times at the Library: Our customers are happy, our staff is happy and the volunteers at the Zionsville Food Pantry are very happy!

If you haven’t participated in the Library’s previous Food for Fines events, this is the year to discover what makes everyone so cheerful.

During the month of February, customers are invited to erase their overdue fines by presenting non-perishable food items to the Circulation Desk. Each item donated, sample sizes excluded, will erase $1 in overdue fines owed to Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library. This offer only applies to overdue fines currently owed; lost and damaged fees are not eligible. Credit cannot be applied to accounts for future fines, and fines owed to other Evergreen Indiana libraries cannot be erased through this program.

Launched in 1997, this event can’t help but make everyone involved smile. The generosity of Zionsville residents is demonstrated each year, and mounds of food are donated for the needy.

“This (food drive) is perfect because your timing is just right,” said Catherine Coscia with the Zionsville Food Pantry. With numerous drives occurring in the fall and spring, pantry shelves can start getting bare in February when donations drop off. Planning for weeks when school is not in session and need swells is also on the mind of Pantry volunteers. With Spring Break in Zionsville scheduled for the first week of April, requests for assistance will increase, just like it does during the summer when parents must provide all three meals each day.

“We’re very fortunate; we live in a very generous community,” said Coscia. So, she is looking forward to the thousands of items that residents will donate in the coming weeks. Items that will help feed the nearly 600 families who will seek assistance this year.

Needed items include rice, beans, canned meats, cereal, dry or canned milk, peanut butter and pasta. Consideration is also given to families with food allergies, so any items that are gluten free, or do not contain nuts or dairy are also welcome. Please check expiration dates before donating any food items. Click here for a full list of needed items.

For more information about the Zionsville Food Pantry, located at Zionsville Presbyterian Church at 4775 W. 116th St., please email Coordinator Nancy Thompson.

All area residents are invited to drop off donations at the Library, have their overdue fines erased and help the numerous families within our community who need assistance feeding their families!

Financial Aid Series Starts Tomorrow

Tomorrow kicks off the start of the Library's "Financial Aid Series" featuring experts from FSA Advisors and ISM College Planning.  The timing is perfect thanks to a story by Fox 59 this morning which spoke about the increasing cost of a college education and how students and their families should start saving now.  Luckily the Library is prepared with tomorrow's program, "College Knowledge: How to Save Today for a Brighter Tomorrow."  At 6:30 PM on Wednesday, January 30, experts from FSA Advisors will be in talk about saving for college and how it is never to late to start.  They will also focus on the various investment vehicles that can provide tax benefits.

On Wednesday, February 13 at 6:30 PM, return for "Financial Aid Night."  Experts from ISM College Planning will be in to talk about the different types of financial aid and they will walk you through the online version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA.

Families should rush home and do their taxes because on Wednesday, February 27 at 6:30 PM, ISM College Planning will return for "FAFSA Completion Night." Experts will be on hand to help answer any questions and assist families in completing the FAFSA.  Families attending should bring their completed tax forms, W-2, and social security numbers of the parents and the student as well as any other asset or income information they may have.  Registration is recommended and the state deadline to complete your FAFSA is March 10.

Miss Julie's Book Reviews so far...

I, Miss Julie (Children’s Librarian), am ruthlessly working to finish my Winter Reading Challenge. I am making headway, but I keep adding books to my challenge sheet, so I might not finish!

Hank the Cowdog
I started my winter with The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John Erickson. The audiobooks were recommended to me, so I decided to have a listen. Hank is head security at the ranch, which is not an easy profession. Hank is a special kind of dog, though, built for the job-living for the law and loving every moment. When Hank is framed for a murder on the farm, his life is turned upside down: the dog who enforces the law becomes an outlaw. Hank gets into some pretty exciting wild west style adventures. If you like dogs, wild west adventures, and a good laugh you will love these books.

The Tale of Despereaux

For a truly enchanting story, you will want to read The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. This book draws you in to a fairy tale filled with despair, betrayal, love, and forgiveness. I must warn you this story is very dark at times and probably can be very scary and disturbing for the sensitive reader. But if you can read through the darkness, I promise you will find light! This story is filled with just as much light and love as it is filled with darkness and despair. I have a lot of favorite books, but this one is at the top of the list!

The Water Horse

I must admit, the only reason I checked out The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith is because I thought the picture on the cover was beautiful.  Lucky for me, the story is just as beautiful as the cover! The Water Horse pulls you into a world of imagination and fantasy when Kirstie and her brother, Angus, acquire a strange and unusual pet. Taking care of this new creature isn’t easy, but the family works together to keep him safe. This is a wonderful book that the whole family can share; my only complaint is that the book is too short!  I guess sometimes it is ok to judge a book by the cover.

Cheshire Cheese Cat
The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright is a lovely story about a cat and a mouse who meet at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, an English pub where many famous writers were known to frequent.  The book has many positive attributes; the use of new and unusual words is incredible, the plot is unique and innocent, the characters are well-developed and likable, unlikely alliances form and secrets abound that keep the story interesting. This is a good book and a sweet story; however, because elementary children have not yet been introduced to Charles Dickens, I'm not sure if they can truly understand his role in the book.  If you are an avid reader and like sweet stories and want a bit of a challenge, this book is for you. It might also be interesting to read it alongside a biography on Charles Dickens.  Perhaps after finishing The Cheshire Cheese Cat, you might be inspired to read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

Miss Julie's Winter Reading Challenge: Kids Books!

I was so excited that I could set my own Winter Reading Challenge this year because most of my reading consists of youth literature, which doesn’t usually count for adult reading programs. Perhaps it isn’t so surprising that I read mostly kids' books—I am a Children’s Librarian!

My reading list consists of books that kids have recommended to me, some books that I have always wanted to read, and some books because they are so popular. I, Miss Julie, should have me a nice variety of reading, so here we go…

1.The Water Horse
2.Hank the Cowdog
3.A Nest for Celeste
4.The Tale of Despereaux (again, for book club)
5.The Cheshire Cheese Cat:A Dickens of a Tale
6.The Familiars (Young Hoosier Award Winner)
7.The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere Series)
8.The Cupcake Diaries (any book of the series, preferably #1)
9.Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire!
10.From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
11.The View from Saturday

12.Suddenly Supernatural (Book 1)
13.Pictures of Hollis Woods
14.There’s a Rat in my soup: Could you Survive Medieval Food?
15.Darth Paper Strikes Back
16.Franny K. Stein (Any book)
17.Oliver Moon (Any book)
18.Magic Puppy (Any book)
19.Magic Kitten (Any book)
20.Swindle

Bonjour, Hola, Guten Tag, Nihao

Say hello to the New Year in Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, German, Korean, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, or American Sign Language.  If your goal for 2013 is to learn another language, Rocket Languages can help.  Rocket Languages offers self-paced, on-line instruction in 11 different languages.  Practice listening and speaking through interactive audio lessons, learn about a country’s culture, play games, and more.  To start your own free course, go to the Library’s Downloads/Databases and click on Rocket Languages.

Challenge Update

Hopefully everyone reading this has signed up for Winter Reading.  With nothing to download and no passwords to remember, it's easier than ever for both adults and teens.  Just stop by the reference desk and ask for a Challenge Sheet and write down your challenge.  It can be to read for 30 minutes a day or read a book.  The fantastic thing about this is people who are not book readers can win a fantastic prize basket.  How?  Let's say you read The New York Times every Sunday, or maybe you love Rolling Stone (the library carries both), just because you are not reading a book doesn't mean you are not reading.  Well, some of you may be wondering how I am doing on my reading challenge.  I am the over ambitious librarian who is reading 30 books that other people have picked out.  Sadly, I have read two and am currently working on two more.  Like everyone, life gets in the way and I was asked to help a friend move out of state and came home to a husband who said, "We're going to install a new ceiling fan in the kitchen tonight."  Now while it appears I may not reach my goal of 30 books by March 3rd, I'm still going to turn in my Challenge Sheet because I'm still reading.  Here's a quick review of the two books I have finished so far.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper: I listened to this on audiobook.  It is about a girl with cerebral palsy and while people think she's not smart based solely on her looks and actions, she is likely one of the smartest people in her grade.  When so many people have an idea of who you are, how easy is it to change their mind?  With a fish on the cover jumping out of a fish bowl, I had no idea what I was reading/listening to, but I enjoyed it.  Realistic fiction is right up my alley and it was a pretty good read.  I had to laugh because at the end of the book was a suggestion for another realistic fiction book I read and enjoyed, A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass.

Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star by Rachel Renee Russell: This book is the third in what is currently a series of five books.  I have given this book to many people and say, "It's like Diary of a Wimpy Kid" for girls.  The drawings are a bit more sophisticated than Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but the story is just as fantastic.  References to a pesky little sister and phrases like, "That's what I wanted to say, but I only said it in my head so no one heard it but me."  If you or a loved one is looking for a quick, funny read, this is for you.  Don't believe me?  I challenged a coworker to read it for her reading challenge.

So there you have it, my reviews so far.  How is your challenge coming along?

Celebrate MLK Day

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."   
~Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.
 
The life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) remain beacons for those who seek freedom, peace, equality and justice. A powerful and eloquent speaker and author, he galvanized innumerable people to join the Civil Rights Movement and in 1963 led a peaceful march of over 250,000 in Washington, D.C., where he delivered his famous address, "I Have a Dream." Visit The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change for information about the year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of "I Have a Dream." A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35 due to his philosophy and promotion of nonviolent action, Dr. King's memory and legacy continue to inspire countless individuals.


The Library has many books about Dr. King (visit our displays on the first and second floors) and you can also learn about him by visiting INSPIRE, a virtual library for Indiana residents. INSPIRE is an enormous collection of resources, including magazine and journal articles, websites, pamphlets, images, almanacs and more. It's a treasure trove of information available 24-hours a day, which is handy when you have to write a paper. One of the databases included in INSPIRE is "Gale Biography in Context," which contains authoritative, up-to-date biographies of over 525,000 individuals.


Make it a day on, not a day off.
The MLK Day of Service, occurring every year on the third Monday of January, is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service, a "day on, not a day off." It's part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service in which Americans from all walks of life work together to strengthen communities and create solutions to problems, moving everyone closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."

You can find projects to help with by entering your zip code in the "Find a Project" page. While MLK Day is this upcoming Monday, January 21st, many opportunities to join with your neighbors to help your community and attend events honoring Dr. King will start this weekend. One such event is the Peace Learning Center 15th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Festival. Music, art, family activities, theater, poetry and more will be part of the festivities, and Peace Learning Center will present the "Power of Peace Award" to an individual or individuals who have made a significant positive impact on the City of Indianapolis.


Celebrate the life and message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with your family, friends and community today, tomorrow and every day.



Image: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivering "I Have a Dream" at the Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963. Public domain, ARC Identifier 542069 / Local Identifier 306-SSM-4D(107)16.

No Sweat Exercise

We all slow down this time of year.  The cold weather invites us to stay inside and relax under a blanket.  But we know where this will get us when spring comes.  In a panic!  So, why not choose one of our “gentler” fitness DVDs to keep you in shape this winter? 

 

Leslie Sansone is always a go-to instructors for an easy workout.  She is famous for “indoor walking”.  The music is set at the right tempo to get you walking at a 15-minute mile.  Not super speedy, but just enough to get your heart pumping.  The moves are easy it’s mostly marching in place with variations of side-to-side, low kicks and marching front and back.

 

If you have an injury, or can’t walk for any reason, we do have a few chair workouts.  The queen of seated exercise is Mary Ann Wilson.  We have Season 8 of her “Sit and Be Fit” television series on DVD.  These exercises are designed to improve core strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, circulation and reaction time.  You may not break a sweat with Mary Ann, but if your goal is simply to move, this may be a good place to start.

 

The library also has several good stretching, yoga and Pilates DVDs.  For a yoga instructor, you can't get better than Rodney Yee.  If you want to give yoga a try, we have Rodney’s “Yoga for Beginners” DVD.  In addition to the two workouts, there’s a tutorial of 20 basic yoga moves to get you started with the proper form.

So this winter, take it easy.  But you don’t have to give up fitness all together.  Try something new and you may start something that you will really enjoy.

Cell Phones For Soldiers

The Library celebrates one of its ongoing recycling initiatives!

Cell Phones for Soldiers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides communication services to active duty military members and veterans.  

•  The organization was founded in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, then 12 and 13 years old, with only $21. 
• Through 2011, the Bergquists' efforts have provided more than 168 million minutes of prepaid calling cards to troops
• Cell Phones for Soldiers has prevented more than 10.5 million cell phones from ending up in landfills.

 Here's how it works:  Cell Phones for Soldiers sells the donated cell phones to their recycling partner, ReCellular, and the money is used to purchase calling cards for our US military to call home.  Approximately 12,000 calling cards are mailed each week to our troops.   

What does this mean for you?  If you recently got a new cell phone, please consider donating* your old one at the Library!   Since Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library joined forces with Cell Phones for Soldiers in March 2010, our customers have donated over 800 phones!  Your generosity has helped connect our overseas troops to their families and helped protect our environment!

*Before donating your cell phone, please make sure your personal information and contacts have been removed!

So, the next time you're in the library, drop your old cell phone in the Cell Phones for Soldiers donation bin located by the elevator on the 1st floor.

My Winter Reading Challenge

If you’ve been following this blog, you know that my esteemed colleague (aka our Teen Librarian) has vowed to read 30 books between now and March 3.  Now, that’s a pretty hefty task for someone like me who falls asleep at 8 o’clock, so I’ve created my own list of possible challenges.  (This year’s Winter Reading is totally self-directed.   I can read what I want, when I want, according to goals I’ve set.)  So, for the record (and the smackboard), here's what I'm considering.

1. Read a novel set in an exotic place I’ll probably never visit, like Australia or Argentina or Brooklyn.

2. Read the book my husband’s reading and discuss it with him, preferably over wine at a nice restaurant.

3. Reread a book I hated in high school and see whether I like it now.  (The Red Badge of Courage leaps to mind.)

4. Read the 30-page “Quick Start Guide” for my new CL2940 Big button/big display telephone with speakerphone/caller ID/call waiting.

5. Read a poem or a funny story out loud to someone very young or very old.

6. Be wild and crazy and pick something entirely at random, eyes closed, strolling down a bookshelf until my finger stops on a particular book.   (I actually know someone who did this, and she liked it.)

7. Every day, select an interesting news story, journal article or blog post and read it . . . slowly . . . carefully . . . to the very end.

8. Read sitting up.

9. Read my daughter’s blog, and here comes the challenge, try not worry that she’s half the world away, living next to a lake where, according to a Blu-ray DVD called The Great Rift, huge clouds of midges (more midges per cloud than there are people on earth) materialize at the beginning of each new moon.

10. Join the local chapter of the Unbroken Spine.   If you’ve read Mr. Penumbra’s Twenty-Four Hour Bookstore, you’ll know what I mean, if you haven’t read Mr. Penumbra, check it out!

OK, now it’s YOUR turn.  What will you read?  Stop by the Reference Desk in Teen & Adult Services, and pick up a Winter Reading Challenge Sheet.

Winter reading is popping into action!

Children, Birth through Grade 5, are eligible to participate in our Youth Winter Reading Program. The Winter Reading Program is very simple; all you have to do is read out loud or be read to aloud for 15 minutes a day for 21 days. After you complete 21 days of reading out loud you get a little prize.  School-aged kids are also eligible to participate in the first ever “Night at the Library” if they complete the program!

Reading together as a family is a fun and simple way to complete the reading program. Shared reading has numerous benefits including spending quality family time together, increasing attention spans, enhancing vocabulary, improving reading comprehension, and encouraging life-long learning.

If you are looking for a good book to read out loud as a family, POP by the Family Reads display in Youth Services. We have great books waiting to go home with your family.

What are some of your favorite books that you've read as a family? 

Here are some of my favorites...

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

The Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty Bard MacDonald

Sophie’s Snail by Dick King-Smith

“It’s Your Lucky Day!”

Introducing a new bookshelf: “It’s Your Lucky Day!” On this bookcase you will find highly popular titles often with long waiting lists. 

How will it work? Extra copies of popular books will be placed on this shelf and will be available first-come, first-served. The books will be identified with a “lucky day” sticker and located on the “It’s Your Lucky Day!” bookshelf near the new books area. Since the books are not holdable, they will be placed on the bookshelf as they are returned. These titles will circulate for 14 days like new books. 

Say you are interested in the popular book Gone Girl. Typically, you would place a hold and wait your turn. With this new initiative, you could still place a hold and get in line; however, you can now visit the library as often as you like to check to see if that title just happens to be on the “It’s Your Lucky Day!” bookshelf. If it is, “It’s Your Lucky Day!”

Suggest a Book for the Community Read

If you've read a great book that you think would be appealing to lots of adults in our community and make for some fun and interesting programs at the Library this fall, tell us the title and author January 7th through February 7th, as we take suggestions for United We Read 2013. The book may be a work of fiction or nonfiction. Suggest online by clicking the United We Read banner at the top of the Library homepage starting on Monday, or in person at the 2nd floor reference desk.

Best Books of 2012

Looking for something to read in the New Year?  Stop by the display in Teen & Adult Services and check out one of 2012's best nonfiction offerings.  Or try one of the "Top Ten Books of 2012" as chosen by Publishers Weekly, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

Publishers Weekly's top ten:  Happiness Is a Chemical in the Brain: Stories by Lucia Perillo (short stories), Bringing Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (historical fiction), The Round House by Louise Erdrich (fiction), The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle (suspense), Building Stories by Chris Ware (graphic novel), All We Know: Three Lives by Lisa Cohen (biography), Detroit City Is the Place to Be: The Afterlife of an American Metropolis by Mark Binelli (social science), People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up by Richard Lloyd Parry (true crime), The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America: The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600 to 1675 by Bernard Bailyn (history), and Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944 - 1956 by Anne Applebaum (history).
 

The New York Times’ top ten: Bringing Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (historical fiction), Building Stories by Chris Ware (graphic novel), A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers (fiction), NW by Zadie Smith (fiction), The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers (fiction), Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo (social science), Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon (social science), The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro (biography), The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy by David Nasaw (biography), and Why Does the World Exist:?: An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt (philosophy).

The Washington Post’s top ten: Arcadia by Lauren Groff (fiction), Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain (fiction), Bringing Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (historical fiction), Broken Harbor by Tana French (mystery), Canada by Richard Ford (fiction), Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo (social science), House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid (memoir), Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944 - 1956 by Anne Applebaum (history), Marigold: The Lost Chance for Peace in Vietnam by James G. Hershberg (history), and Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (political science/economics).

A Librarian's Reading Challenge

I might be crazy.  That photo you see is my reading list for the next two months.  Back in October, I asked coworkers and customers, both teens and adults, to pick one book from each bookcase in the teen fiction area, including graphic novels.  I explained to each person that they would be a part of a unique experiment in which I would read 30 books in just under two months.  Why?  For the first time ever, adults can set their own reading challenge.  "Pop Into a Book for Prizes" begins January 7 and ends March 3.  This means that I will read 30 books in the months of January and February, but I do have a few rules: 1) the book must be a part of our physical collection (not an e-book); 2) audiobooks are permitted as a substitute for reading the book; 3) if a title selected is part of a series, I will read the first book in that series and not read the book selected; 4) if a book in a series is selected and I have read that book, I will read the next book in the series that I have not read; 5) if a book selected is one I have already read, another title will be selected for me.  This is pretty major since I really don’t like to read fantasy or romance books and I don’t care to read any book with more than 300 pages.  However, I am ready to dive into my own personal reading challenge and get out of my reading comfort zone.  You’ll have to check out the library’s Twitter and Facebook accounts to keep track of what I’m reading and periodically check the blog to see reviews for some of the books I’m reading.  Looking at the list, some of these books I would not willingly read, but it is part of the fun.  Besides, I always pick books for other people, why not have people pick books for me?  Be sure to bring your entire family to the library on Monday, January 7th so everyone (from toddlers to teens to adults) can pick up their own Challenge Sheet.

1. City of Beasts by Isabel Allende

2. Remembering Green by Lesley Beake

3. Remembrance by Theresa Breslin

4. Bad Connection by Melody Carlson

5. The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

6. The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner

7. The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi

8. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

9. The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

10. The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

11. The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

12. Listening at the Gate by Betsy James

13. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

14. A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee

15. Like the Willow Tree: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce by Lois Lowry

16. Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer

17. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller

18. Eragon by Christopher Paolini

19. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

20. Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons: The Story of Pyillis Wheatly by Ann Rinaldi

21. Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star by Rachel Russell

22. Everwild by Neal Shusterman

23. The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith

24. The Hobbit: or There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien

25. A Girl Coming in for a Landing by April Halprin Wayland

26. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

27. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

28. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 1 by Hiromu Arakawa

29. Death Note Volume 1, Boredom by Tsugumi Ohba

30. Bone Volume 1, Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith