@ Your Library
Recent library events, news and more.
During the week of November 23, the barricades will again be erected so workers can begin installing the Checkout Kiosk. The kiosk will be located in the tiled area in front of the circulation desk. Once the kiosk is built and operational patrons will be able to check out their own materials at one of the three stations!
You may also have noticed a temporary circulation desk located under the stairs. Soon the circulation staff will begin moving into the space to make sure there are no interruptions to service. We will also be moving patron holds out from behind the desk, so you can retrieve them yourself. All of these changes are happening to not only take advantage of new technologies, but to also find efficiencies and save money.
The changes are coming quickly, so check back often to find out what else KPL is doing to improve service.
Nostalgia, recession-induced frugality, and a desire to have more control over what goes into food are reasons why many cooks are trying homemade versions of their favorite condiments.
Julie Stanley, owner of Food Dance Café, demonstrated how easy it is to make your own ketchup, ranch dressing, chutney and butterscotch sauce. All four were made in less than one hour without causing a load of dirty dishes.
All of these condiments are made with ingredients readily found at the supermarket. And, while many ketchup recipes call for long, slow cooking of tomatoes, Julie showed us a shortcut involving canned tomato paste.
And what about taste? We sampled these creations and confirmed that homemade does indeed taste better. For instance, there’s no comparison between ranch dressing from a bottle and one you whisk up from scratch with sour cream, buttermilk and fresh herbs.
Download and print Julie’s recipes from the program PDF
Use the season’s cooler weather and longer nights to rediscover the kitchen. Homemade foods make special gifts or memorable accents to any family gathering. For some ideas, browse KPL’s vast collection of cookery books.
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Julie Stanley
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalamazoopubliclibrary/4090153820/in/set-72157622644368235/
Installation of the kiosk across from the circulation desk at central is behind schedule. There are several reasons, but a major one is a delay in approval of the shop drawings because of a reconsideration of the aluminum corner detail. Once that was settled, shop drawings were completed and approved, and the corner element ordered only to find it is out of stock; it’s typically available and in stock, we were told.
We had built in about six weeks of “overlap”, that is, time when we would have the checkout kiosk up and running AND the current circ desk still in operation. We will shorten that time to one to two weeks and still be close to the target completion date of the end of December.
We have decided to take down the wooden partitions in the meantime and they are being taken down this morning. We had previously planned for the first floor desk staffing to end tomorrow, Oct 31, expecting the checkout units would be in place. We will hold to that timing and the first floor desk will be removed next week; we just have a delay on the checkout units.
With the wooden partitions down but the kiosk not yet in place, there are some electrical plates on the floor where the kiosk will be that could become a trip hazard in the meantime. To avoid that happening, we’ll move some furniture there. This means you may see some furniture, plants, whatever, sitting there that looks a bit out of place. We’ll do our best to prevent a trip hazard and make it look at least OK! That seems better than bright orange cones for several weeks!
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Central Library Renovation
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http://www.kpl.gov/renovation/
Anyone who has been around the West Michigan blues and festival scene during the past decade is certainly no stranger to the award-winning Blue Moon Blues Band. In one incarnation or another, these folks have been part of the Kalamazoo Blues Festival and WRKR’s wintertime blues series at the State Theatre for years, sharing local and regional stages with the likes of Bernard Allison, Smokin' Joe Kubec, Son Seals, Hubert Sumlin, Lonnie Brooks, Jimmy Johnson… the list goes on and on. Blue Moon was also awarded a WYCE radio “Jammie” for best local blues album debut.
But last Wednesday’s performance at Central Library – show number seventeen in KPL’s ongoing Live Music series – was a unique chapter in this versatile band’s history. With equipment stripped to the bare essentials – share n’ hi-hat, acoustic guitars, piano and all, Blue Moon gave the crowd of sixty or so a chance to hear some band favorites, unique covers and homegrown originals in a more intimate than usual setting. For many of us, this was also the first opportunity to witness the band with its new lead vocalist, Bryan Michael Fischer. What a treat! These guys have grown from an adequate cover band into a true performance powerhouse. WMUK’s Mark Sahlgren (Grass Roots) summed the show up in one word… “Wow!”
Highlights included some rippin’ cover tunes like “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie” (Clarence Smith), “My Babe” (Willie Dixon), “Bring It On Home To Me” (Sam Cooke), and a blistering version of B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone.” The show also featured several band originals, including public debut of the brand new, somewhat Santana-esque “Heart Has Turned to Stone” - a very cool tune. And of course, they dedicated “Miss Ann” to our library director!
“Thanks so much and please tell everyone at the library that we were honored to perform there and we had an awesome time!” – Bill LaValley, Blue Moon Blues Band
Check out Blue Moon CDs from the KPL catalog, and visit the band’s MySpace page for some recent pix and tasty song samples. Be sure to catch the band’s final performance (sniff...) on November 14 at Bell’s Eccentric Café.
And… there’s plenty more music coming at KPL, too… don’t miss a special performance by Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart on November 1st, and be sure to visit (and bookmark) KPL’s music page for highlights of past shows and more terrific upcoming performances.
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Blue Moon Blues Band
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Those who packed Van Deusen Room were very privileged to hear David Small discuss the story and process behind his National Book Award nominated graphic memoir, Stitches, in a world premiere event on September 10, 2009.
The interview was set-up to resemble the popular television show Inside the Actor’s Studio, which provided David with a casual atmosphere to discuss Stitches. He answered a variety of questions about his life growing up in 1950’s Detroit with a family that could hardly be described as tightly knit.
The presentation also included some fabulous animated videos of the books, shots of sketches, and panel by panel storyboards. David was candid about both the physical and emotional wounds which took years to finally stitch together into a memoir that will touch many lives.
A second David Small visit is being planned for 2010, so please check the website often for more details.
David Small’s Presentation
Listen to David Small’s presentation (44:52)
Download David Small’s presentation as a podcast(MP3 audio file)
Watch David’s complete presentation in the series of videos below.
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David Small
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalamazoopubliclibrary/sets/72157622367213312/
The tile path from Central Library’s front door now extends all the way to the winding stair leading to the second floor.
Over the coming two weeks, workers will pull wire for power and data lines, install the new checkout kiosk and the 3M Library Systems’ selfcheck equipment. Patrons may be able to use the new check out service by early November.
Want to try out this new service before then? Visit Oshtemo Branch Library or use the checkout kiosk in Central Library’s Children’s Room.
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Selfcheck kiosk
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalamazoopubliclibrary/sets/72157622411371413/
Beginning October 5, we will be making improvements to the Circulation Desk area at Central to take advantage of the new RFID technology and most importantly to better serve you.
The first step is to install new tiles to the spiral staircase. Currently the tile simply ends (think Shel Silverstein) but upon completion it will lead directly to the bottom step. This move paves the way for the Checkout Kiosk, which will allow patrons to check out their own materials.
If you have a question, do not hesitate to contact me.
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Central Library renovation
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/renovation/
Storytime with Mr. Steve & Friends started off with a bang with special guest Professor Code from Western Michigan University's School of Music.
Professor Code shared four different instruments with us: the Swedish nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle), the Norwegian hardingfele (Harding fiddle), the Norwegian seljefløyta (willow flute) and the munnharpa (mouth harp).
Bean Bag Balance Record!
He also broke our bean bag balance record, balancing 13 bean bags on his head while counting in Norwegian!
Join us for books, rhymes, crafts, parachute games, and a surprise special guest at the next Storytime with Mr. Steve & Friends on Monday, October 26 at 6:30 pm at the Central Library.
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Storytime with Mr. Steve & Friends
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http://www.kpl.gov/kids/storytime/mr-steve.aspx
By the time autumn arrives, many gardens are looking a bit spent and shabby. Gardeners themselves may feel a bit spent and shabby, too, but now’s the time to muster energy and prepare for next year’s growing season.
Bruce Shultz, a long-time gardener and volunteer with Fair Food Matters, spoke at Oshtemo on Sept. 14 sharing tips for how to put the garden to bed. At this time of year, we should clean up debris from annual plants, but leave parts from perennials in place. Add amendments to the soil — compost, fertilizers, leaves, lime or the like — so these nutrients have time to settle in over the winter. Autumn is the time to plant cover crops or relocate bulbs and spring flowering perennials. Pruning, too, can be accomplished now.
But Shultz also encouraged us to think about gardening year-round, not as an activity between Memorial Day and Labor Day. “Why put the garden to bed at all?” he asked.
Extend the growing season with protection. Row covers, cold frames, tunnels, cloches and straw can give you an early start in spring and fend off autumn frosts. Another way to extend the growing season is to bring it indoors. Shultz starts his garden by planting seeds and letting them get a good start under grow lights. He’s out planting peas in March as soon as the soil is soft. When the weather turns cool, in comes the large potted rosemary shrub. And, they may be old-fashioned, but they definitely work: root cellars. They store produce at a cool but not freezing temperature.
To read more about gardening year round, check out these books by Eliot Coleman.
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Bruce Shultz, Fair Food Matters volunteer
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http://www.fairfoodmatters.org/index.phpAs a law librarian, I’m always on the lookout for information sources (both print and online) that a lay person can read and understand without having to have a law degree. It can often be a challenge to impart complex legal concepts to the general public. Law library staff relies heavily on referring library users to our extensive collection of free bookmarks, brochures and booklets, many of which are available on racks next to the law library's entrance. We try to put the information in your hands so that you can empower yourself with the knowledge that can inform your actions and decisions. Some of our most popular handouts include: Peace of Mind, Tenants and Landlords: A Practical Guide, Kalamazoo County's Friend of the Court Handbook, Small Claims Court, and many others that span a wide range of legal topics.