From the Director
Library news and happenings.
My handy desk dictionary defines “transliterate” as “to represent letter or words in the corresponding characters of another alphabet.”
I’m beginning to see this word more and more in the library literature, usually as “transliteracy” meaning “the ability to read, write, or otherwise communicate across different technological platforms.”
Libraries are increasing acknowledging that our role includes supporting transliteracy as well as the traditional literacy. We provide books for various reading levels in the traditional print format but we also provide them on e-readers and as a digital download to your computer or device. We offer computer classes for the public, we have over 100 computers for public use, and we have informational databases available in the library and remotely.
Through our staff Tech Team we examine new technologies as they gain popularity and determine if there are library applications that are logical. Technology rapidly changes and it is often hard to keep up, but it is important for us to keep pace with technological needs of our patrons. Right now we are looking at music downloads, apps for iPhones/iPads, and user friendly advancements to our online catalog.
Come visit soon. Try these services to increase your transliteracy or just find a good book for the beach!
Image: Bedminster Library, Bristol. UK. Collaborative artwork by Annie Lovejoy and Mac Dunlop, © 2005
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A ‘Transliterate’ design at Bedminster Library, Bristol. UK. Collaborative artwork by Annie Lovejoy and Mac Dunlop, © 2005
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http://thepoetrypoint.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/bedminsterlibrary15002web.jpg
…a book that doesn’t grab your attention, that is.
Some of us feel an obligation to finish a book once we have started it. We’ve become invested in it and should press on to the end.
Reader advisory expert and book reviewer, Nancy Pearl, encourages readers to give themselves permission to stop reading a book. She even has a “rule”: if you are 50 or younger, read at least 50 pages before you commit to reading it. If you are over 50, subtract your age from 100 and that is the number of pages you should read before deciding to read to the end or give up and move on to another title. Her theory is the older you are, the less time you have to read all the books on your list.
I like this “rule”. Some books just don’t grab my attention or it’s not the right time. I might want a lighthearted book, this one is serious. For those titles, I’ll keep them on my list, but come back to them at another time.
I think it is Thomas Jefferson who wrote “so many books, so little time”, but whoever it is, it makes the point of Nancy’s approach – move on to a book that engages you, ignites your imagination, takes you to new places.
We have many good books, come visit soon.
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Nancy Pearl visited Kalamazoo Public Library in 2006
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To Kill a Mockingbird is turning fifty this summer. Not surprisingly, it’s getting lots of media attention.
One newsletter writer referred to it as “more than a literary classic; it’s a 50-year testament to the ways a well-told story can inspire readers and impact a culture”.
Oprah referred to it our “national novel”. Others have suggested it as a parenting manual, a novel that taught other novelists how to write, the only way to understand racism. Author Anna Quindlen said she can’t be friends with anyone who doesn’t get Scout.
Many events are being organized across the country – readings, live re-enactments, showings of the movie, book discussions. A 50th anniversary hardcover edition will be published by HarperCollins.
The enduring interest in this novel is due to the subject – coming-of-age and the trial – as well as the writing itself. It takes on racism with a stand of what is right without, as one columnist has written, a tone of self-righteousness.
With the 50th anniversary, a new generation of readers may discover this treasure. For those of us who read it many years ago, it’s time to reread it.
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To Kill a Mockingbird
9780061743528
Earlier this spring, I read my first complete book, actually two, on one of our Sony eReaders. I’d only read excerpts previously to try it out.
My husband and I took a driving vacation. Usually I’d take five or six books along; this time I took 30+, all on the eReader and it wasn’t full.
I admit it took me a little while to get used to it – the screen, the page turning, the side light when needed, BUT it sure was convenient.
I read Little Bee, such a compelling novel that I would have kept reading no matter what the format, and a short story collection, Where the God of Love Hangs Out.
I’m not a total convert to eReaders; I still like the traditional printed book but it’s a format that has its place and it sure was easy to take an eReader rather than a stack of books on vacation.
We have several to loan; come visit and give on a try.
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Audiobooks & eBooks
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/audiobooks-ebooks/
We spend months planning for summer and it’s finally here! Summer reading games for all ages kicked off last week with the end of school for KPS students.
As in recent years, kids – preschoolers and school age, tweens, teens, and grownups have their own game with age-appropriate requirements, incentives and prizes. Full information is on our website. Sign up at any branch or Central.
We have an array of events planned too: concerts, Zoomobile visits from Binder Park Zoo and John Ball Park, a musical circus, the ever-popular Bubblemania, cooking, crafts, gardening, and more.
And the “End-of-Summer Reading Party” to be held Sunday afternoon, August 29, will conclude our summer, but we won’t wish summer away….enjoy all the activities over the coming weeks.
On a more serious note, research shows that kids who read and write during the summer don’t lose “ground” over the break from school. Encourage all the kids in your life to read, either through a library summer reading game or books from their own collection.
Thanks to the FRIENDS OF KPL, our very good friends, for sponsoring all of our summer reading games.
Come visit soon.
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Summer @ KPL
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Most libraries separate mysteries from other fiction titles. Some also pull out other genre – westerns, science fiction, historical fiction, romance, for example. There was a time when it was obvious if a title fit a particular genre, but that’s not so true any longer for many titles.
I recently read an article on the dilemma this is presenting for booksellers. They call it genre-bending and give examples of titles that feature time travel, mystery and historical fiction all in one. Where does such a title belong to catch the eye of a bookstore browser and hopefully lead to a sale? The article’s author wonders if we need extensive testing to determine the genetic genre makeup of some titles!
Libraries face the same situation. If we put the right book in the wrong place, the right reader won’t find it if they are browsing. Some librarians believe genre classifications are going the way of top hat or, to continue to be useful to readers, will need to be even further fragmented. This issue can be addressed through the library catalog when a title is given multiple subject headings, but many readers browse the shelves for a good book they don’t browse the catalog.
I don’t see KPL creating additional genre collections for fiction. However, our staff is always available to help readers find a good book in any specific or multiple genre category. Our staff have varied reading interests and we have reader advisory tools to help to.
Come visit soon. We’ll be glad to help you find a good book or just browse.
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Books @ KPL
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I have three hometown friends with whom I exchange Christmas gifts. Regrettably, I am seldom able to gather with them over the holidays – they have been able to return to our hometown, while I have not.
Last year, I mailed them a big box of books – fifteen to be exact, five for each. All of the books were gently used paperbacks from the Friends Bookstore. I wrapped them individually; they were all titles I had read, so I put a post-it note on each one describing why I liked the book and thought they would too.
I hear it was a VERY successful gift; they each left with five books they hadn’t read. They tell me they’d like this gift every year. All of the books came from the Friends Bookstore for $1 - $2 each. What a bargain.
I’ll resume my Christmas shopping on Super Saturday, June 5, 9:00 – 3:30 when the Friends of KPL have their annual sidewalk book sale at the library. The bookstore on the lower level will also be open.
Get a head start on shopping!
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Friends Booksale
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I recently read that Keith Richards has confessed to a secret longing to be a librarian. Yes, THAT Keith Richards, he of the Rolling Stones, the greatest rock and roll band of all times in the opinion of many! Isn’t that an interesting visual??
He has said he has been “quietly nurturing his inner bookworm” and considered some type of training (that would be librarianship!) to manage the 1000’s of books at his various homes. He says he started to arrange his books in categories but gave up, instead opting to keep his favorites close at hand. He also loans books to friends with little hope of getting them back and leaves books by the bedside for guests in his homes.
Richards’ autobiography, Life, will be released in the fall. According to advance publicity, he will reveal how he found comfort in books before he discovered music.
I expect we’ll be ordering his book for our collection; how could we not when he writes that the public library is one of two institutions that affect one most powerfully! By the way, the other is the church, he says.
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Keith Richards’ Library
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I’m not current on teen literature, but as I wrote in a previous blog, I do have three favorite teen authors. Not surprisingly, they are my favorites because they have visited KPL and we had a wonderful experience with them.
I recently noted that Laurie Halse Anderson was the official spokesperson for April “School Library Month,” sponsored by the American Association of School Librarians. I was reminded of her visit to KPL about six years ago and how she quickly moved to my “list of favorite teen authors.”
Laurie was here for our Teen Literary Seminar. She visited English classrooms at K-Central and particularly bonded with one of the English teachers there, a Ms. X, I’ll say. Laurie told me she quickly sensed what a good teacher Ms. X was, how she challenged the kids to read and react to books that might be considered controversial but that had an important message for teens. Some of the books of this sort were Laurie’s, others were by other teen authors often not popular, shall I say, with school administrators and some parents.
As we were leaving a program at Chenery where Laurie had spoken to several high school English classes, she pulled me aside and told me in a strong tone of voice, to contact her if Ms. X was ever in trouble; she’d come back to defend her. I knew Laurie meant that if Ms. X’s choice of books for her students to read was challenged, she’d want to know and be involved. It wouldn’t matter if they were Laurie’s books or those of another author.
Laurie didn’t know that my son was in Ms. X’s class and was having a wonderful high school English experience. Indeed he was reading books he never would have otherwise, was engaged in challenging conversations, and had also totally bonded with Ms. X.
I’ll never forget this message from Laurie. I’m glad I’ve never had to follow up with her. I don’t know if Laurie remembers this specific teacher and conversation, but when I’ve seen her at conferences and reintroduce myself, she always speaks fondly of her visit to Kalamazoo.
No wonder she’s one of my favorite teen authors and a great spokesperson for school libraries.
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Laurie Halse Anderson
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http://www.writerlady.com/
Children’s Day/Book Day, also known as El Dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros, usually shortened to Dia, is the celebration of children, families, and reading held annually. It emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Children’s author, Pat Mora, proposed this linking of children and books, and founded the celebration now commemorated in most public libraries.
This year, KPL will celebrate Dia on Saturday, April 24, 11 AM, at Central Library with stories and songs in Spanish and English. We’ll have a special performance by Fantasia Ballet Folklorica along with crafts, door prizes, treats and, most importantly, a free book for every child for their home library.
You don’t have to be a child or have a child to enjoy this family event.
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Dia de los Niños - Dia de los Libros
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http://www.kpl.gov/events/dia-de-los-ninos.aspx