Summer is Coming! @ Your Library!

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

May 21, 2011

New Books Upstairs @ the library!

Turn Left at Orion by Guy Consolmagno

200 Years of Dolls by Dawn Herlocher

Backyard Astronomer’s Guide by Terence Dickinson

Quilting Answer Book by Barbara Weiland Talbert

How Things Work in the Yard by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Snowman by Jo Nesbo

Those in Peril by Wilbur Smith

Buried Prey by John Sandford

Coming Events @ the Library!

• Library Hours!

Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sundays—closed

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board Regular Meeting Monday, June 13, 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Story Time Programs for 3, 4, & 5 year olds has ended for this school year. They will start back up in the Fall.
• Friday, May 20 Washington 1^st Graders touring the Atlantic Public Library.
• Tues. & Wed. May 24 & 25 6-8 p.m. at Washington Elementary for One-Stop Pre Registration (including summer library programs!)
• Monday, May 30 the Library will be closed in honor of Memorial Day
• Tues., May 31 At Home Summer Reading Begins!

Did You Know… The Atlantic Public Library has a copier available for public use? It is downstairs and just inside the doors to the children’s department in the right hand corner. There is a charge per sheet and can be paid at the checkout desk there.

Behind My Desk… Last week area librarians met at the Atlantic Public Library for a “subcenter” meeting. We are trying to find our “strengths” and collaborate on a project. I’m with the technology group (there’s a surprise!). We hope to put together some online tutorials (some with handouts) for our patrons to be able to learn computer basics. There are always people who want to use computers for email and basic programs. I’ve been searching places on the Internet that have already “invented the wheel” so we don’t have to! There are some good sources when I started looking.

We are starting to get ready for summer at the library. Summer reading program starts May 31. Then the library programs start in June. Another “hot spot of activity” is the Genealogy/Local History area. Genealogists from all over the country start taking trips to find their ancestors and our Genealogy volunteers find them coming to our county. So far this year they have seen people from Maine, Idaho, Texas, and Kansas (not to mention various parts of Iowa!).

Congratulations to our staff member Kayla Bonnesen for her graduation from Atlantic High School! We wish her the very best for the future.

Don’t forget the One-Stop Registration nights at the Washington School Gym from 6-8 p.m.! After those nights, you can register at the downstairs checkout desk. Every year I try to note to parents to encourage summer time reading. There are terrific books out there and reading is a necessary skill that needs practice for a young person. It can be fun, and a great entertainment tool on those long, hot summer days or on those “thundery”, wet summer days! The library is the perfect place in the summer to learn to enjoy reading.

I should also mention that all of the libraries in Cass County (Anita, Atlantic, Cumberland, Griswold, Lewis, and Massena) have special programs and plans set for the summer--be sure to check out your own library!

Have a nice and safe Memorial Day weekend, and… Keep Thinking Libraries!

It's May @ the Library!

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

May 7, 2011

New Books Upstairs @ the library!

Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown

Eve by Iris Johansen

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick

Sixth Man by David Baldacci

Priests Graveyard by Ted Dekker

Afraid of the Dark by James Grippando

All That is Bitter and Sweet by Ashley Judd

I’m Over All That and Other Confessions by Shirley MacLaine

Coming Events @ the Library!

• Library Hours!

Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sundays—closed

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board Regular Meeting Monday, May 9 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Story Time Programs for 3, 4, & 5 year olds has ended for this school year. They will start back up in the Fall.
• Friday, May 20 Washington 1^st Graders touring the Atlantic Public Library.
• Tues. & Wed. May 24 & 25 6-8 p.m. at Washington Elementary for One-Stop Pre Registration (including summer library programs!)
• Monday, May 30 the Library will be closed in honor of Memorial Day
• Tues., May 31 At Home Summer Reading Begins!

Did You Know… the Genealogy/Local History Room at the Atlantic Public Library have books of information of Cass County Veterans that served in Blackhawk Wars, Spanish-American War, Civil War, WWI and WWII ? The Cass County Genealogical Society volunteers will be glad to show you what all they have!

Behind My Desk… The other day I realized that I do have something behind my desk. The ones that come in on a daily basis don’t even see it anymore, but visitors tend to be…well…taken aback when they look down. They see just the tips of some fingers sticking out from under my desk. I bought the “thing” for my dad after his stroke. He was in a nursing home and although he couldn’t speak, there was nothing wrong with his sense of humor. I would stick it in one of his dresser drawers and just wait. Usually one of the nursing aides would need to get into the drawers for something and there it would be. Scare the living daylights out of some of them! Then they would turn to dad and find him just laughing away. They also knew it couldn’t have been him to do the deed. They were known to take it to other rooms to scare someone else half to death. After Dad passed away, I took it to my office. Again, it doesn’t necessarily stay under my desk and has been known to find new locations to lie in wait. So, if you stop by my office, and look down at the floor under my desk you just might be introduced to our extra hired “hand.”

The re-arranging of the Fiction collection upstairs is done for now. Keep in mind that the mysteries are now shelved with the regular fiction books. All the fiction books are shelved alphabetically by the author’s last name. There is a “Mystery” sticker on the spine of the book, so our patrons can still look for mysteries.

Another project in the Fiction section that is “on-going” is the series project. Janie and Diane are slowly trying to shelve series books together and in the proper order. This is a REALLY tough assignment. Often authors don’t know they have even started a series until the first one is a big hit and readers want more. So, it may be a couple titles later before we see that a particular title that once was on its own, is now book 3 in a series. Then there are the authors that have many different series and we have to be alert that we get them with the right series. Thank goodness for the Internet to help us keep this straight!

To all the Mothers have a great day, and… Keep Thinking Libraries!

Mysteries Move and Merge!

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

April 23, 2011

New Books Upstairs @ the library!

Journey by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Friendship Bread by Darien Gee

Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin

All My Life by Susan Lucci

Snowdrops by Andrew Miller

Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Soo Shin

Coming Events @ the Library!

• Library Hours!

Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sundays—closed

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board Regular Meeting Monday, May 9 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Story Time Programs for 3, 4, & 5 year olds has ended for this school year. They will start back up in the Fall.
• Thurs. May 5 Magic Show for Washington Elementary students sponsored by the Atlantic Public Library.
• Friday, May 20 Washington 1^st Graders touring the Atlantic Public Library.
• Tues. & Wed. May 24 & 25 6-8 p.m. at Washington Elementary for One-Stop Pre Registration (including summer library programs!)
• Monday, May 30 the Library will be closed in honor of Memorial Day
• Tues., May 31 At Home Summer Reading Begins!

Did You Know… the Atlantic Public Library subscribes to the Newsbank database? This online database includes Atlantic News Telegraph from January 3, 2006 through current issues! Just click on the Newsbank icon on the library’s website.

Behind My Desk… We are “gearing” up for Summer Library Programs. It’s just around the corner. The One-Stop Registration for summer activities is listed above.

The merging of the Mysteries and the “regular” fiction books upstairs is slowly, but surely making progress. I know right now it’s confusing, but I think the change will be a good thing in the long run.

Earlier this month I did a small presentation about Kindles and other ereaders at the Heritage House. I was so pleased that there were some staff members there to help support this concept. It makes such a difference when you can touch and see what the Kindle is like. I have to admit, that I wasn’t a real fan of the electronic book, but I’m converted! They are very convenient for traveling, but the thing I love about them is I can make the print larger. I LOVE that! How much easier it is to read something with larger print AND not have the weight of a regular large print book to hold! As someone mentioned, if you are having trouble with the ereader, just ask a five year old. That is so true! They are growing up with this technology and are not afraid of it.

Next month and in June I’ve made arrangements to speak at Allen House about the Library (history & now) and then about one of my favorite authors and his travel adventures, Michael Palin.

Enjoy our Iowa “spring” and… Keep Thinking Libraries!

Friends Used Book Sale April 15 & 16!

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

April 9, 2011

New Books Upstairs @ the library!

Started Early Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson

Bags, Pillows and Pincushions

Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockman

Secrets in the Cellar by John Glatt

Room by Emma Donoghue

Tigers Wife by Tea Obreht

Inconceivable by Carolyn Savage

Bringing Adam Home by Les Standiford

Coming Events @ the Library!

• Library Hours!

Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sundays—closed

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board Regular Meeting Monday, Apr. 11 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Story Time Programs for 3, 4, & 5 year olds! No registration! Free!
• Wed./Thurs. Apr. 20/21 Preschool Story Time 10-10:45 a.m. This will be the final set of Story Times for this school year. They will start back up in the Fall.
• Friends Spring Used Book Sale Friday & Saturday April 15 & 16.

Did You Know… the Atlantic Public Library has a Genealogy/Local History Room? Volunteers from the Cass County Genealogical Society have taken time from their lives to have someone there almost every day to assist people with inquiries about local history. Their meetings are every fourth Thursday of the month. They would welcome new members who would like to help out with their projects!

Behind My Desk… In the new terminology…My Bad. I don’t like that particular phrase. “I’m sorry” seems to have disappeared and I think that’s a real shame. Ok. Back to why I’m bad. I misunderstood what was happening with the Friends of the Atlantic Public Library. There will be no reception to celebrate libraries on Wednesday. The Friends plan to set up all day on Wednesday and Thursday for the Spring Used Book Sale. There will be an “Early Bird” Sale for new and current Friends members on Friday from 9:30 – 11 a.m. Then the sale will be open to the public at 11 until 5:30 p.m. The sale will continue on Saturday from 9:30 until 12 noon.

The upstairs Fiction collection is going to be changing a bit. We’ve decided to mix the Mysteries into the regular fiction area. We will continue to have some sort of a sticker on the book spine to signify that the book is a mystery, but the “call number” will change to “F AUTH.” The F stands for Fiction and the letters are the first four letters of the author’s last name.

There are a couple good reasons for this change…the first being that we need the shelving space without having to use the very top or very bottom shelves. Those are hard for everyone to use; but if we REALLY need the space, we have that option. We are not to that point, yet. The second reason is that there are some mysteries already in the regular Fiction area. It’s very hard to distinguish between adventure, espionage, detective, and mystery genres. Your favorite authors will still be there…just in a new space on the shelves. You might actually find other titles by your favorite author!

I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before, but we have some reader’s advisory QR (Quick Response) codes posted for our patrons! If you have a “smart phone” you can scan these codes for special information. If you have wondered what series Jan Karon has and what order they are in, we have a QR code for that! Maybe you need medical information. We have a QR code for Medline Plus. It’s a another cool idea that can work in a library setting.

Enjoy the book sale… Keep Thinking Libraries!