Libraries Nowadays by Stacy

 

When I was working in public libraries twenty-five years ago, we didn’t do anywhere near the things we do in libraries today.  Most of the day was spent looking up facts in the almanac, retrieving back copies of magazines and spelling words for people over the phone.  But, of course, computers changed all of that. 

When people began using computers more and more, librarians wondered if it would mean the end of librarianship, and to some extent it did—librarianship as we knew it anyway.  Because most people can look up general facts on their computers, I certainly no longer spend much time looking up telephone numbers or the state flower of Minnesota.  However, I surely spend an awful lot of time helping people learn to construct their resumes, search for jobs, make flyers for their businesses, fill out applications for social security and VA benefits and use all manner of electronic devices.  

Somewhere along the way, being a librarian changed from needing to be nimble with an encyclopedia to being someone who’s comfortable helping people tackle some of the most important parts of their lives.  This shift is reflected in a new report from the American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/research/plftas/2011_2012) which describes how the public is leaning more and more on libraries for support.  I’m proud to say that in many areas, Oklahoma libraries are ahead of the national average.  More Oklahoma libraries are helping people access government services, fill out online job applications and learn how to use computers. 

It’s funny--the computer, which we all thought would make librarianship much more simple (or obsolete) has actually made it so very much more complex.  We hope that you will continue leaning on us for anything connected with your information needs.  Sure, it makes the job harder, but it so much more rewarding than just giving out the Time & Temp number day after day.

Downton Abbey Read-alikes by Stacy

Whilst rather young, my sister and I were quite voracious readers of Edwardian romances.  We often sprinkled words from those novels into our conversations.  Many of the words with which we were enamored often seemed to include contractions, such as “shan’t” and “oughtn’t.”  I must say, I don’t think it much helped our cause in relating to other children in our Small Town, Oklahoma home. 

I am simply aflush once more with the intoxication of those little used words, as I’ve just finished back to back seasons of “Downton Abbey.” What a perfectly remarkable series!  One filled with history, melodrama, romance, mystery and a delicious number of “shan’t”s.  If you also loved this show, then you “mustn’t” miss the following “Downton Abbey” read-alikes: 

·           “Howards End” by E.M. Forster.  Forster’s classic follows three families at the turn of the century--the wealthy Wilcoxes, the eccentric, intellectual Schlegel siblings and the lower class Basts.

·           “TheRemains of the Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro.  At the end of his thirty year career serving Lord Darlington, a butler reviews his life’s work and questions whether it was as meaningful as he thought it was. 

·           “TheForsyte Saga” by John Galsworthy.  Nobel Prize Winner John Galsworthy's trilogy spans the 1880-1920s.  This family epic introduces the Forsyte family, whose early problems in love continue through later generations.

·           “Fallof Giants” by Ken Follett.  The first book in the “20^th Century” series follows five families through World War I and further into the 1900s.  Follet’s excellent research and characterizations make this brick of a book enthralling to read.

·           “The House at Riverton” by Kate Morton.  Grace Bradley, a servant at Riverton House before the First World War, remains close with the daughters of Hartford family.  She also holds the sisters’ deepest secret.  

·           “The Uninvited Guests” by Sadie Jones.  An elegant birthday supper party goes terribly wrong.

·           “Parade’s End” by Ford Madox Ford.  Sometimes listed as one of the best English novels written, this epic tale follows English society before and after the Great War.

Mystery lovers may want to explore Charles Todd’s Bess Crawford and Ian Rutledge series, Jacqueline Winspear’s MaisieDobbs, Deanna Ray’s Lady Julia Grey and Anna Dean’s Dido Kent.  And if you need more suggestions, you simply must visit us at the Help Desk!

Stillwater, OK.

Fifty Shades by Stacy

I did it.  I'll admit it and I'm not ashamed.  I just read all the books in the "50 Shades" series AND I even liked them okay.  “50 Shades” is a series that completely describes most women's number one fantasy, and I'm not talking about The Sex parts.  No--the fantasy that we wish were true and that is so well portrayed in these books is that a woman can change a man from what he is into what she wants him to be.

In this series, E.L. James writes of a man named Christian Grey.  Through the three books, you learn that his very sad past has resulted in Christian's inability to have a typical relationship.  Through the devotion of Ana, a fairly average 23 year-old, Christian learns he can in fact have a loving relationship.  

Much has been made about the novels' dalliances into the darker side of the bedroom.  In fact, some libraries refuse to carry the book; however, except for a handful of scenes, that "darker side" is not really a part of the couple's relationship.  Ana actually is not super crazy about most aspects of Christian's "interests" and refuses to take part in most of it, which is when Christian realizes that he was substituting his "interests" for a meaningful relationship.

Now don't get me wrong, there is a major amount of The Sex in "50 Shades," to the extent that it becomes repetitive and rather boring after a while.  But, The Sex was not the objectionable part of the book for me--it is the part that tells young women (and young men, or even old women and old men) that you can change another person if you just keep after it long enough. 

But, as long as I think of the books as fantasy fiction, I’m not bothered so much.  The writing and story are no better or worse than the young adult trilogy upon which “50 Shades” was based, and it has been fun seeing the frenzy of articles about who should play the very distinctly characterized role of Christian Grey in the movie version. 

Who's Christian Grey?

So, as a librarian, if you ask me whether you should read the book or not, I’ll have to say: Sure—it’s ok (only just ok)—but remember!!!!!!--unlike Ana, you still have NO hope whatsoever of getting the Old Man to load his dishes after he eats!

Stillwater, OK.

It’s the End of the World as We Know It… By Summer

 

It’s the end of the world as we know it.  At least it is in the increasingly popular dystopian novels being written for young adults.  Titles like “The Hunger Games” and “The Uglies” continue to fly off the shelves and the trend doesn’t seem to be stopping. Teens and adults alike are clamoring more and more for a taste of the apocalyptic.  But what is the appeal of reading about the world gone mad?  Dystopian authors wrestled with this question as part of a debate featured in “The New York Times.”

 

•  Maggie Stiefvater author of “Shiver,” believes the popularity lies in escapism.  She writes, “In a culture defined by shades of gray, I think the absolute black and white choices in dark young adult novels are incredibly satisfying for readers.” 
•  The author of “Shipbreaker,” Paolo Bacigalupi, thinks dystopian novels reflect current trends in society. Bacigalupi says, “Young adults crave stories of broken futures because they themselves are uneasily aware that their world is falling apart.”
•  Scott Westerfeld, author of “The Uglies” and “Leviathan,” believes dystopian novels especially appeal to teens who want to rebel against the system. “Schools are places where teens are subject to dress codes, have few free speech rights, and are constantly under surveillance, where they rise and sit at the sound of a bell. Is it any wonder that dystopian novels speak to them?” writes Westerfeld.   

 

Whatever the reason, dystopia is a huge trend in popular culture. For teens and adults who are willing to brave zombies, cannibals, mind-control, worldwide epidemics, corrupt totalitarian governments, and all levels of mayhem, I suggest one of the following dystopian titles: Lois Lowry’s “The Giver,” Veronica Rossi’s “Under the Never Sky,” Jonathan Mayberry’s “Rot and Ruin,” Lauren Oliver’s “Delirium,” Dan Wells’ “Partials,” Carrie Ryan’s “The Forest of Hands and Teeth” and Marie Lu’s "Legend."

Summer Volunteers by Stacy

Summers are the busiest time of the year at the library.  Everyday, thousands of kids, teens and adults stream through our doors.  Each week, we have three programs on Tuesday for children and families, a Wednesday program full of 50-70 young adults and two screenings of a family film each Thursday with loads of popcorn and kids.  We also have about 1500 children and teens signing up for the reading programs, turning in reading logs and looking for bunches and bunches of books.  

With all the increased activity, we definitely need an increase in help.  The summer volunteers’ primary duty is to staff the Summer Reading Program registration desk. These volunteers assist with registering new reading club members, receiving club member’s reading lists, and recording coupons earned by each club member.  Volunteers also help the children’s librarians when the registration desk is slow, doing activities like shelving picture books, straightening the shelves and preparing the hundreds of crafts the librarians need for storytime.

 

The Children’s Department appreciates volunteers of any age, but you must have completed fifth grade and the hours worked cannot be counted toward any court requirements.  Volunteers are asked to commit to a regular schedule of two hours every week (at the same day and time) throughout June and July.

If you’d like to spend a bit of time in a cool, friendly environment this summer helping foster children’s love of reading, then come and volunteer with us!  The children’s volunteer application is on our homepage or you can pick one up at the Children’s Help Desk.

Stillwater, OK.

Portrait of the Author by Danielle

The most awesome author "photo"--the book is cut out as the author!

It's interesting to see an author’s picture on the back cover of the new hardbacks as they come across my desk at Stillwater Public Library.   For me, the picture location, body position, lighting, expression and personal energy tell me a lot about the person, a lot about their courage, mettle and ardor.  The author picture provides personality to the book and gives the reader a better sense of what the author is really like.  We have heard that it's very difficult to become published the first time. Would-be authors usually have to go through a long process of finding an agent, waiting while the agent shops the book, hoping that a publisher picks it up.  If a contract is offered, revisions may be required. When someone's work is finally published, what a great accomplishment it must be for them.   

So, why don't these new authors, who have gone through so much in writing something that is worth publishing, take time to have an absolutely great picture taken for their author picture?

A nice, modern author photo from Darlene Franklin-Campbell's "Uncommon Clay-Poems."

For example, one of the books that came across my desk pictures a young woman wearing a tank top, sporting a tattoo on her upper arm, and holding a bottle of beer.  You may think this was a statement picture, or a picture that had something to do with the subject matter of the book, but the book was a general fiction novel.  Then there are the pictures that look like the photographer hurriedly said to the author "quick stand against this brick wall so I can take the picture that will go on the back cover of your new book".   Hasn’t the photographer or author heard the phrase a picture is worth a thousand words?  An author picture should be appealing.  Some photographs look like the picture was taken using a cell phone camera.   Maybe budget was an issue; however, there are several places that take photos for identity purposes that are affordable.

A photographer friend of mine suggested these points to follow.  Using a digital camera, take the picture against a solid colored background. Take several pictures, so you have choices. Make sure the flash is turned on and turn on all the lights in the room. Step a few feet away from your background so you don't make a shadow behind your head. Smile! You want to look friendly. 

The master of author photos circa 1980s.

Observations?  You don’t have to be Danielle Steele to have a great picture on the back of a book.  Though, it can’t hurt to add some of the wonderful elements in her pictures like the long gowns, jewelry and a red chaise lounge with cute dogs!

Bullying by Gayla

Bullying seems to be on the rise and can happen to anyone.  With all the hype surrounding the upcoming documentary “Bully” (aka The Bully Project), I wanted to let parents, caregivers, children, teens, adults, and teachers, know about the many resources available on this topic at your local Stillwater Public Library.

Working in both public and private schools for many years, I have seen bullying first hand.  I can tell you that it’s very real and happens everyday.  Bullying can have tragic consequences such as suicide, often from the cruel words of children. 

“Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain” by author Trevor Romain (Juv 302.3) uses jokes and cartoons to teach tried-and-true ways to deal with bullies.  You will find yourself laughing with Trevor as he shows you how to become Bully-Proof.

“Adventures With Travis And Presley:  How to Deal with a Bully” by Travis Brorsen and Renee Settlemires (E 371.5) features Presley being bullied and shows how he learns to deal with a bully.  This easy-to-read book also comes with an optional accompanying DVD.

“Bullies And Victims” by Suellen Fried can be found on the Juvenile Parent’s Shelf (371.5).  Advice is given to parents and educators to help children handle the devastating trauma of being bullied and provide concrete solutions to reduce bullying.

 

As we struggle to find answers, help can be found in our Children’s department.  We have fiction and non-fiction, easy and juvenile books, DVD’S, and books on the Parent’s Shelf.  Many lives have changed because of bullying.  We need to take a stand and do all we can to stop bullying.  Children are too precious!

Stillwater, OK.