May Adult Programs

This May, take some time away from revving up the lawn mower and swimsuit shopping to join us at the Library for some great programs. First up, the Just the Facts Nonfiction Book Club still meets the first Tuesday of every month, and the Knitting Club still gathers on the second Saturday. Harley Sheets will be here on Saturday May 9 at 2 PM to talk about historic postcards, and will appraise any postcard collections customers have brought (many of Harley's Zionsville postcards are currently in the display windows at both entrances). Caleb Quick of Morgan Stanley will return to talk about securing your retirement via Social Security at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, May 12. For genealogy buffs, certified genealogist Betty Warren will demonstrate advanced research techniques in her Advanced Ancestry class on Tues., May 19 at 6 PM (this class is recommended for those who have taken Betty's previous class or at least know the basics of Ancestry.com). You can register for any of these events either by clicking on the hyperlinks or calling us at 873 8341.
See you at the Library!

My Library Card Expired?! Now What?

If you have received an email that says your Evergreen library card will expire soon, don't worry, this process is simple and routine.  Every two years we have to make sure your information in the Evergreen system is accurate and up-to-date.  Just like a routine check-up at the doctor's office, it is quick and painless, and you will likely even keep the same card.

To renew your account, just bring in your Evergreen library card, your I.D. with your current address listed, and yourself to one of the Circulation desks.  The friendly Circulation worker will ask to see your I.D. and to verify your phone number and e-mail address… That’s it, you are done!  Your account will be renewed for another two years.

Why should you renew your library account?  You are not able to renew library materials past your account’s expiration date, so you will want to make sure to update your account.  Also, if your account has expired, you will not be able to use library computers, access Overdrive, Freegal, Rocket Languages, or any of the other online databases that the library has to offer.  That’s why it is important that you don’t delay when the time comes to renew your library account.

Have questions about renewing your library account?  Contact the Circulation Department at circ@zionsvillelibrary.org or 317-873-8340.

We've Got Your Fitness Needs Covered

Your Library has a collection of over 400 fitness DVDs! 

We try our best to have a wide variety of choices.  From chair exercises to advanced (makes you sweat just to look at it), there's a DVD for your situation.  

How do you find just the right one for you?  Of course, the catalog is the most comprehensive resource.  But, if you want to browse, the Fitness DVD Collection binder is here to help.  The binder is located on top of the book case that holds the DVDs.  It has four sections.

• The first section has the DVDs listed in Dewey Decimal order, just as they're found on the shelf. 
• The second section is by title. Do you know the title of your favorite DVD?  Find its location in this section.
• The third section is by presenter.  Do you love Jari Love?  If you like a particular presenter, this section has all of their DVDs listed together. 
• The fourth section has them grouped by keyword.  Do you want to exercise with kettle bells?  Or what about step aerobics?  From abdominal exercises to vinyasa yoga, and every topic in between, we have something for you.

Our goal is to have the DVDs that fit your fitness needs.  If we don't have a particular DVD that you want, leave a suggestion in our box by the binder.

The Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Book Award

 

The first annual Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Book Award nominees have been announced!  The purpose of this award is to encourage parents, caregivers, and very young children to interact together with exceptional picture books.  These exceptional books promote at least three of the five early literacy skills: reading, writing, singing, talking and playing.

And the nominees are…
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett and Kevin Cornell
Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter
Tiptoe Joe by Ginger Foglesong Gibson
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
Pouch by David Ezra Stein
Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas
Mix it Up! By Herve Tullet

Children who are under age 6 as of May 10, 2015 may vote for the 2015 Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award. It is expected that most children will require help from a parent. Children should stop by the library to look at the books and circle their favorite Firefly Nominee on the ballot, then turn it into HMMPL's Youth Services Reference Desk. Children may vote one time.

The Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award is an initiative of the Indiana Center for the Book, which promotes interest in reading, writing, literacy, libraries, and Indiana's literary heritage by sponsoring events and serving as an information resource at the state and local level.

Put a Poem in Your Pocket!

Mark your calendars. Next Thursday, April 30, is Poem in Your Pocket Day, the lyrical finale of National Poetry Month.

How does it work? Easy. Just copy a poem and put it in your pocket. (The Library has a great collection of poetry books to choose from.) Or compose your own verse. On Thursday, April 30, slip the poem in your pocket. And then? Read it, speak it, tweet it (#pocketpoem), repeat it. Share it with your friends or your local librarian. (She/he will be proud of you!) Memorize it. Slam it, jam it. Own it. Love it.

Click here to read the poem I'm putting in my pocket.

To add poetry to your life EVERYDAY, register for Poem-A-Day at Poets.org.

Young poets (ages 8 - 12) should also mark their calendars for the Library's Poetry Reader'sTheater, a fun evening of drama and poetry, Monday, April 27, from 4 - 5:15 PM.

Money Smart Week

It's Money Smart Week at the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library. April 19 thru April 26, you can drop into the Library on the second floor to pick up some brochures full of money-saving tips, from managing debt to hiring a contractor.
    
We also have a couple of great programs on financial management coming up. On Tues., April 28 at 6:30 PM, Caleb Quick of Morgan Stanley will be here to advise on setting up a 529 college savings plan. He will return on Tues. May 12 at 6:30 to talk about securing your retirement via Social Security. Please register by clicking on the hyperlinks or calling us at 873-8341.  See you at the Library!

National Library Week

    April 12 - 18 is National Library Week! We are celebrating our love of libraries by giving patrons a chance to win great stuff. Adult patrons can enter a drawing for a chance to win a basket full of fun and/or delicious prizes. There is a separate basket for library users between grades 6 thru 12. Even better, you can fill out a different entry slip every day of the week, since NLW lasts for seven days. Our younger patrons can enter a "Guess How Many" contest, where they guess how many youth items we check-out in the month of April.

    Speaking of libraries, tomorrow, April 15 is National Bookmobile Day! The history of bookmobiles is more interesting than you might think. Click here.

Summer Volunteer Applications Available for Teens

For the past three months adults and teens alike have been asking when Teen Volunteer Corps applications will be available.  I am happy to say that applications are at the reference desks on the first and second floor.

For those of you unaware of this much-anticipated program, students currently in grade 6 and up pass out summer reading prizes, sign people up for summer reading, answer questions, as well as shelve materials and help keep the Library tidy.  Each student will be scheduled for one two-hour shift per week for eight weeks and will be required to attend a two-hour training session with a one hour focus on customer service skills.  

We understand families go out of town for vacations and camps and we think that's great! We are happy to work around scheduled vacations and camps.  We just ask that volunteers make up any missed shifts.  We will show students how to do this during training and can remind them at any time during the summer if needed.  Plus, each student gets a free shirt, which will get your child used to wearing a uniform.

Applications are due Friday, May 1st and are available on our website or in the library. 

Until All the Pieces Fit...

 
What do you think of when you see a puzzle piece?  For the legion of families dealing with autism, it means that all the pieces are not fitting together the way they should.  Thankfully we have come far from theories like "refrigerator mothers", but we have a long way to go.

April is Autism Awareness Month.  Many good people are working to find the cure to this disorder, and some have found their "cure".  The fact that each person does not fall in line with everyone else, is demonstrated by the name of Autism Spectrum disorder.  There are a wide variety of people with autism, and no two are alike.  This is what can make autism so baffling; what works for one person doesn't work for another.

One of the best-known people with autism is Temple Grandin.  She wrote "The Autistic Brain: Helping Different Kinds of Minds Succeed".  In this book she argues that "raising and educating kids on the autism spectrum must focus on their long-overlooked strengths to foster their unique contributions."  Her theory is that if all we do is focus on weaknesses, we overlook strengths that can be utilized to help individuals with autism lead productive lives.

From half a world away in Japan comes the book "The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a 13-year-old boy with Autism".  The author, Naoki Higashida is able to communicate through typing.  This book takes a question-and answer format, with the questions coming from his co-author, David Mitchell. Naoki communicates insights that are often unknown by family members of non-verbal autistic individuals.  Even those who can verbalize may not have the self-awareness that Naoki possesses.

Going from the topic of "what is autism" to "how can we make it better" brings us to the book "Autism Revolution: Whole-Body Strategies for Making Life All It Can Be" by Martha Herbert, MD, Phd.  Herbert is an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard.

Dr. Herbert believes that there are many treatments that can restore health to those with autism.  Although autism often reveals itself in stereotypical behaviors, it is at its root a physical disorder.  Autism comes about in a perfect storm of seemingly unrelated events, which she believes can be unraveled and improved through nutrition, reducing toxic exposures and limiting stress. 

Today there are more options available to improve the lives of those on the autism spectrum than any other time in history.  These individuals are stepping out of the shadows and into the light of lives lived to their fullest potential.

To find our collection of books on Autism, go to 616.85882 and look for the ducks pictured above.

Wolf Hall

The first episode of Wolf Hall, a six-part TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel's prize-winning pair of historical novels, premiers this Sunday, April 5, at 10 pm, ET, on PBS's Masterpiece. Mantel's tempestuous period pieces, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, follow the struggle of England's King Henry VIII to cement his dynastic legacy by siring a legitimate, male heir. Thomas Cromwell, ambitious commoner, political deal-maker, and Henry's hatchet man narrates the action. Expect Sunday's performance, which PBS calls an "unromanticized retelling," to teem with political intrigue, backstabbing, bribery, and seduction. Mark Rylance stars as the wily, enigmatic Cromwell and Damian Lewis plays the handsome, volatile Henry VIII.

Wolf Hall set a 10-year record for viewers when it debuted in the UK on BBC Two.

To learn more about this turbulent period and its players, read Thomas Cromwell:The Rise and Fall of Henry VIII's Most Notorious Minister by Robert Hutchinson or The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. And be sure to watch the award-winning film, A Man for All Seasons, about Thomas More's heroic refusal to obey the King.