Military Families by Stacy

 

 

When I was little I loved going through my siblings’ baby albums.  When my brother was born (during the Vietnam era), my father was in the Navy.  On my brother’s first birthday, the album shows a black and white picture of little Scott tuckered out with cake all over his face and one of my dad’s sailor hats on his head.  My Mom had written a note that the only thing Scott didn’t receive for his birthday was a visit from my Dad who was supposed to be home on leave but couldn’t be.  Entries like this one were common during my brother’s and sister’s childhoods and reading those pages always made me cry my eyes out. 

This spring, several hundred Payne County children will be missing a parent when our National Guard unit is deployed to Afghanistan.  It seems unbelievable that so many local people will be affected since we aren’t near a base, but in this age of the “citizen soldier,” it’s our next door neighbors who have to make the big adjustments, rather than an unknown group of people at a military installation.

We have many books of interest to military families on subjects like separation anxiety, parenting effectively while another parent is away, budgeting, home maintenance, and car repair.  We also have several great DVDs provided to us by Military One Source.  These DVDs are designed to help children cope with a parent’s deployment as well as the parent’s return.  Titles include:

·             “Talk, listen, connect: deployments and homecomings, changes.”

·             “Young children on the homefront: Family stories, family strengths.”

·             “Military youth coping with separation: when family members deploy.”

·             “Mr. Poe and friends: discuss family reunion after deployment.”

I feel kind of silly making material suggestions to those of you affected by the deployment---most of you families are veterans by now with two and three deployments already under your belts.  But, we still hope you will come by when you need us---drop in during a storytime with your little one to spend time with other parents or use our computers when yours is on the fritz.  We want to make sure you know that we are here, proud to serve the families who are willing to serve our country.

Sesquicentennial huh? by Valeria

April 12th, 1861, Confederate troops fired on Ft. Sumter, effectively starting the Civil War, and this year marks the 150th anniversary ("sesquicentennial" ).  Joining the nation in remembering this event, Oklahoma has a special event of its own. The keynote event will take place April 29-May 1 and features a special reenactment of the Battle of Honey Springs which took place just outside the town of Checotah, OK.

In addition, the Oklahoma Historical Society encourages you to take advantage of several preservation efforts for the anniversary.  Some of these projects include the Fort Gibson, Fort Towson, and Fort Washita Historical sites, as well as the George Murrell Home.

If travel is not in on your schedule, I suggest the alternative of a good book.  If you want to read about Oklahoma during the Civil War, try some of these histories:

• “Honey Springs depot, Elk Creek, Creek Nation, Indian Territory” by Jess Epple (973.734 EPP).

•  “The Cherokee nation in the Civil War” by Clarissa Confer (973.089 CON).

  

•  “The Prairie was on fire: eyewitness accounts of the Civil War in the Indian Territory” by Whit Edward (973.7 EDW).

  

• “Exodus to glory”  by Robert DeMoss (973.715 DEM).

If you’re more interested in reading historical fiction, then try “Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara, “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell, or “Sarah's Ground” by Ann Rinaldi.  “Killer Angels” won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and is one of the best historical fiction books written, regardless of whether you are interested in the Civil War.  The library has a book club kit with ten copies of the book, so it would be a perfect April choice for book discussion groups.

If you are interested in researching your family history during the Civil War, come in to use our Ancestry.com database or use Heritage Quest from your home.  Heritage Quest includes the Freedman’s Bank which is especially useful for anyone with African-American genealogy.  The genealogy room also houses helpful local materials, including Mahlon Erickson’s “Mexican and Civil War veterans buried in Payne County, Oklahoma” and “Schedules enumerating Union veterans and widows of Union veterans of the Civil War microform : Oklahoma and Indian territories.”

Ask for assistance at the Help Desk.  However you choose to take part in Civil War history, we’ll be glad to help.

END

Award Season by Mary Leslie

The first part of each New Year is dedicated to awards and honors for something outstanding, marvelous, and exceptional from the previous year.  We have the Golden Globes, the SAG awards, the Academy Awards, and the Grammys.  The Association for Library Service to Children (a division of the American Library Association) also presents awards at this time.  The Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Medal are two of the highest honors awarded to illustrators and authors of children's books.

The Caldecott Medal has been presented every year since 1938 and is named after Randolph Caldecott, a 19th century English illustrator of picture books.  Books that are selected for the award must have exceptional illustrations, not only for their quality, but for the relationship of the pictures to the story.  The illustrations must enhance the story and must convey the meaning of the story without the words.  The illustrator must be a citizen or resident of the United States.  

The 2011 winner of the Caldecott Medal is “A Sick Day for Amos McGee,” written and illustrated by Erin E. Stead.  This is a lovely story about friendship and giving.  Two books won 2011 Caldecott Medal Honors:  “Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave” by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier and “Interrupting Chicken” written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein.

The Newbery Medal has been presented every year since 1922 and is named after John Newbery, an 18th century British publisher and bookseller who first made children's literature a sustainable and profitable part of the literary market.  The award is presented to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for children.  

The 2011 winner of the Newbery Medal is "Moon Over Manifest" written by Clare Vanderpool.  In her book, the author emphasizes the importance of stories for the understanding of our past, present, and future.  The 2011 Newbery Medal Honors go to the following books:  “Turtle in Paradise” by Jennifer L. Holm; “Heart of a Samurai” by Margi Preus; “Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night” by Joyce Sidman; “One Crazy Summer” by Rita Williams-Garcia.

The lists of all the past recipients of the Caldecott and Newbery Honors are in the Children's Section of the library.  I'm sure you remember many of the books from your own childhood. The library tries to keep copies of each of the books in our collection.  Each honoree is labeled on the spine with either Caldecott or Newbery stickers.  If you need assistance in locating the books, please ask at the Help desks (or askalibrarian@stillwater.org).  Enjoy!

Hobby Farming by Brenda

Hobby Farming has become a growing trend across the nation in the last few years. The idea is to know what is going into the products you eat and to save money.  Of course, here in Stillwater and the surrounding areas there are many who have raised beef cattle and other livestock for years to sell at auction. You may have noticed that some of your friends and family have begun to also raise small flocks of chickens for eggs or to raise a pig or steer for meat rather than buy form the store.  Raising your own livestock gives you the chance to go organic or grass-based rather than using hormones and grains.  You could also try raising heritage breeds and rare breeds that are at risk of going extinct.      

                 

If you are interested in raising your own livestock for economical and health reasons, there are a few books here at the library that I recommend:

·             “Hobby Farm: Living Your Rural Dream for Pleasure and Profit” by Carol Ekarius—Ekarius writes from personal experience about deciding to make the switch from living in the city to managing a small farm.  She explains small scale gardening, raising livestock, and dealing with problems like pests and changing seasons.

·             “Living on an Acre: A Practical Guide to the Self-Reliant Life”—This is the classic small farm primer from the U.S. Department of Agriculture which covers topics like building a barn, beekeeping, raising livestock, and land conservation.

Most importantly do not forget to enjoy yourself. I have much enjoyed going to a family member’s house to help collect eggs and feed the hens; watching the hens as they run around the yard, getting all excited after you mow to scratch through the freshly cut grass for seeds and bugs.  May you have as much joy out of it as I do!

Sign onto our electronic magazine service to read publications like "Organic Gardening."

The more things change.......by Andrea K.

You may have read about new services theStillwater Public Library is offering, such as netbook checkout and (coming soon) e-book and downloadable audio checkout.  The library may be going even more “E,” but hard copy books and the CDs and videos we offer aren’t going anywhere soon.  The new “E” services are just a continuation of what the library has always done: provide access to information and literature in the best formats of the time, and teach people how to use them.

In the past, customers asked for assistance from librarians in using the card catalog and large reference tomes, so they could find what they were looking for.  When tech developed, the acquisition of an online catalog and computers with internet access required the assistance of librarians for everything from getting started using a mouse to showing patrons the best, most credible online resources out of millions of bad ones.

Now we have patrons coming in and asking us what this e-book thing is all about, how to use them and what devices we recommend.  We saw the demand for this new format and have taken steps to incorporate it into what we offer. We also will be teaching people how to use our new netbooks, just as we do our desktop computers.  AND we will continue to check out old fashioned books for the people who need their paper fix.  It is important that no segment of the population get left behind when it comes to traditional literacy and computer literacy. 

Intellectual property like novels, music, movies, and even non-fiction won’t be legally offered from their creators for free anytime soon, so until then we’ll continue our role of pulling the community together to share resources and providing them to those who otherwise would have no access.  And as the world changes and technology advances, we’ll be right here, providing educational opportunities for all Stillwater citizens and leading our customers into a new generation of information.

Young Adult's for All Adults by Recilla

As I work in the library’s Teen area, I discover more and more adults browsing for something to read.  At one time I might have thought they were picking up reading materials for their children, but that is no longer the case.  Adults often are choosing books written for teens. This trend began with the Harry Potter phenomenon. Adults wanted to know what was creating so much excitement among young people, and they found they were just as entertained and engaged by the series. The Twilight series then emerged and attracted 20 and 30 somethings to Young Adult literature. 

Although YA fantasy seems to be the main attraction, there are many YA books that would be of interest to adult readers. There is mystery, historical fiction, drama, and, of course, teenage angst.  YA lit is intriguing, thought-provoking, and humorous.  Although it is not devoid of sex and language, it is usually not explicit and will be essential to the story, not just for sensationalism.

Also you will find some of your favorite adult authors such as James Patterson, Robert Parker, and John Grisham now writing YA fiction.  Every month as I read new book reviews, I discover at least one review that states the book’s author is an adult fiction writer.

I, myself, am an avid YA reader. In fact, I haven’t had an “adult” book in my hands for years.  Today’s YA books are not the teen books we grew up with.  In fact, I don’t really remember finding books written to appeal to teens when I was in junior high and high school---a fact which I am sure quelled my reading for pleasure for many years.  So why don’t you join me in the Young Adult section and discover the variety and pleasure of reading YA literature?

The 10 Best Young Adult Books for Grownups

35 Going on 13: The Best YA for Adults 2009

Teen Books for Adults

My Stuff by Stacy

Three weeks ago right before Christmas, my sister came and “clean sweeped” me.  We sat up in my third floor hoarder’s nest all night and got out every box where I’d been squirreling away my “stuff” for the last ten years.  Now mind you—I’ve already been “clean sweeped” before, but that was at the height of my 20+ years “collecting” phase and we “sweeped” from insane down to only slightly problematic.  Now, it is time to let go of everything else. 

It really wasn’t that hard for me once we started—I’ve been clutter clubbing the last two years and by far the most important thing is that I have stopped bringing things into my home.  The second most important thing I’ve learned is that so many of us are THISCLOSE to being the people on the TV show.  All it takes is one illness or a bad patch in our lives for everything to go from bursting to the seams to falling down on us.

I’ve learned that two things mask my problem.  First, I love plastic Rubbermaid tubs, so all of my stuff goes into the tubs and gives me the false sense that everything is organized.  But instead of ever getting to the “doing”—decorating with the items, making necklaces, etc.—I just end up sorting, resorting, and taking time to house my stuff. 

Second, I’m a “collectoré,” (I added the e with the accent so it would seem fancy).  This means I don’t hold onto things like apple cores and toilet paper rolls.  Instead, I have items with monetary value that are usually super cute and would be valuable to others----adorable grape-shaped crocheted trivets made from old pop bottle caps (except I have 25), framed old calendar prints of cottages and dreamy landscapes (except I have 30), and miles of vintage bead necklaces.

Shannon Cowan who leads our organizing classes said it so that I could finally understand---What do you call someone whose home is filled with gold bullion?  Answer: a hoarder!

So—if you are feeling pressured by your “stuff,” if dealing with your stuff is taking too much of your time, or if you just want your life to run a bit more smoothly, join us at the upcoming organizing classes Thursday, Jan. 13 & 20.  (Enroll at askalibrarian@stillwater.org). And in the meantime, check out some of our many organizing books, including these titles that address the most complex parts of the issue:

·             Stuff: compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things by Randy Frost (616.85 FRO)

·             Buried in treasures: help for compulsive acquiring, saving, and hoarding
by David Tolin (616.85 TOL)

·             Overcoming compulsive hoarding: why you save & how you can stop
by Fugen Neziroglu (616.85 NEZ)