This makes me feel old...

I was working the day after Christmas, and came across a reference to the 2009 Beloit Mindset List. This is a list created by Beloit College every year to help their professors better understand their new students. On the list this year is the interesting (at least to me) fact that incoming freshman have never used a card catalog. Card catalogs were very much a part of my life when I first began working in libraries, and now they're not. I sometimes see them in antiques stores, and I even have an interesting old catalog decorating my office--but it took Beloit's list to put it into perspective for me!

The morning after...

The morning after Christmas finds me working the reference desk, and reflecting on one of my Christmas presents: 1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die. I immediately started paging through to check off the ones I'd already seen, and although I thought I'd seen a lot of gardens in my time, I still have 970+ left to go. A few of them are even in the area, and I have resolved to visit both the Bloedel Reserve and the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden before the end of 2010.

This kind of book has become ubiquitous in the last few years, maybe because they make such easy gifts for people who are gardeners, travelers, music lovers, etc. I did a quick catalog search to see how many of these books we have in our collection. I found books for baseball fans, divers, history buffs, and art enthusiasts. If you'd like to check out the possibilites or just see how your life experiences stack up, click here.

Drop off some diapers with those books...

Inspired by an article in the Herald on the need for diapers at the Everett Gospel Mission's Women and Children's Shelter, library staff decided to collect disposable diapers this month. Last year we collected hats, mittens, and gloves, and encouraged library patrons to donate to the cause as well. Your response was extremely gratifying.

Now we're hoping for more diapers to add to those staff have donated. Diapers are not as fun to pick out as cozy knitted things, but for a mother with a small child they are an absolute necessity. If you're a baby, dry and clean are good things to be.

You can drop off diapers (large sizes are in particular demand) at either location until December 28, and we'll take them to the shelter. And you could even check out Super Diaper Baby by Dav Pilkey, the author of the Captain Underpants books.

The Holiday Season

I'm back from a long Thanksgiving weekend, which I spent reading and watching a few not very good movies. My family has a long tradition of watching action movies when we're together, and even though there were just a few of us, we still watched the new Star Trek and Crank 2. I thought Star Trek was a bit confusing, especially when my nephew sat on the remote and plunged us back in time--leaving us all thoroughly confused about whether this was yet another plot twist or deju vu. Crank 2 may be the worst movie I have ever seen, and I'm pleased to say the the library does not own it.

I also finished Frank Bruni's Born Round. Bruni was the restaurant critic for the New York Times until just recently, and his book chronicles his almost life-long struggle with overeating. Maybe not the best book to read during a holiday that celebrates eating to excess?

National Book Awards

Colum McCann has won the National Book Award for his novel, Let the Great World Spin. I haven't read it yet, but was interested to learn that the events in the book occur as Philippe Petit is walking on a tightrope strung between the towers of the World Trade Center. The library has the documentary DVD about Petit's daring stunt, Man on Wire, and I can recommend the film to documentary fans. Now I need to add McCann's book to my reading list.

It's Election Day

Today is Election Day, or as the Seattle Times referred to it today, ballot counting day. I've been thinking about the implications of all mail elections because I've been observing candidates waving signs at street corners for the last few days, recycling lots of flyers and postcards from various candidates, and hanging up on lots of robo-calls. I didn't vote as soon as I got my ballot in the mail, but I voted almost a week ago--and I bet many people have sent in their ballots in advance of the actual deadline.

So does this mean that traditional campaign strategies such as standing on street corners and last minute mailings and robo-calls don't work anymore? I suspect that might be true. Still, I hope you voted. And I'll leave you with a quote from Walter H. Judd, a doctor and American politician.

"People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote--a very different thing."

We love our Friends...

It's National Friends of the Library Week, so I wanted to let our members know how thankful we are every day of the year for your support. Our Friends group supports the Summer Reading Program by buying books for those who finish their reading goal. They purchase book group kits for local book clubs. They fund programs for adults and children. They've purchased new toys for the Children's Rooms at both libraries. They supported the Family Reading Area, and are contributing to the teen room project. They are endowing a Collection for Excellence for the library through the Greater Everett Community Foundation. They volunteer time during the Mayor's Award, National Library Week, and other special events. I love our Friends, and if you're not a Friend now, please consider joining. We'll take your time or your money, or both. It's easy--just click here.

Librarians in fiction and film

Jo Dereske, author of the Miss Zukas mysteries will be at the Main Library on October 10 at 2 p.m. Miss Zukas is a librarian, as is Dereske--as am I. So that got me thinking about other books with librarians as characters. I've read a few, which I'll get to, but I looked first in Novelist, one of our online databases (and a great source for reading ideas) just to get a sense of how ubiquitous we librarians are in fiction. It turns out that librarians are well represented in fiction.

Although I don't ever expect anyone to come up to the reference desk and say "can you recommend a good book with a librarian as a character?" here's a list of books you might enjoy even if one of the characters wasn't a librarian:
Elizabeth McCracken's The Giant's House, Allen Kurzweil's The Grand Complication, Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife, Ian Sansom's The Case of the Missing Books, and Richard Powers' The Gold Bug Variations.

When not on the reference desk or between the pages of a book, librarians can also be found in film. But I think that will be another post because this one is getting a bit long.

Words, words, words...

I believe Eliza Doolittle said that in My Fair Lady, but she's not the reason I'm thinking about words today. You may have read that William Safire died this past weekend, and Safire cared passionately about words.

I never followed his newspaper column, but I do remember reading a collection of his On Language columns many years ago. Oddly enough one column from that collection still sticks in my mind. It was a column about names and the tendency of the upper classes to give their children first and last names that could be interchangeable--Chase Parker or Grant Clark for example. I tried to find that column in our collection, but couldn't. However, we do have several book by Safire, including some fiction--which I never knew he wrote.

This morning I was listening to an NPR program in his honor. They were asking listeners to call in their pet peeves and favorite new words. I heard lots of peeves, and very few favorite new words. My pet peeve is improperly used apostrophes. I couldn't think of a favorite new word either, which I guess means I'm more aware of what irritates me than what pleases me. At least linguistically.

Help us celebrate the 75th!

This October marks the 75th anniversary of the Main Library building at the corner of Hoyt and Everett avenues. It's amazing how timeless Carl Gould's art deco inspired design has proven to be, and the renovation and addition by Cardwell/Thomas and Dykeman Architects still serves us well.

Although the basic purpose of the library is the much the same, community needs and expectations for the library have changed over its 75 year life. Obvious changes are the ubiquitous computers that are so much a part of the library business today. Less obvious is the need to improve the resources we provide for teens. Teens are in the library--we know this not only because we see them, but also because over 8,000 of them have library cards. We've got a children's room and lots of space for adults. Now we want to create a teen room.

We are hoping to raise money for this project on Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m. with a history-oriented fundraiser at the Main Library. Click here to find out more about the event and how to purchase tickets. We hope you will join us for an evening of wine, food, and history--with all proceeds going towards our teen room project. Let's give our teens a great place to go.

Reading the newspaper

I'm a creature of habit, I know, but I never feel as if I get off to a good start unless I have my cup of tea and read the morning paper before the rest of my day begins.

Today I learned that children's author Karla Kuskin has died. I remember reading her book The Philharmonic Gets Dressed to my son many years ago. Our library doesn't own that particular book, but we've got several others she wrote, and you might like to try them out on a young friend.

I also learned that Julia Child's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking has become a bestseller thanks to the popularity of the movie Julie and Julia. I went to see the movie last night, and thought that the sections about Julia Child were the best parts of the film, and Meryl Streep makes a terrific Child. Boeuf Bourguignon plays a prominent role in the film, and I am now inspired to try making it once we get past Labor Day.

Health care and end of life decisions

Like most of you, I've been following the health care policy debates for quite a while now. I have my own opinion about our health care system, but that's not what I want to write about. What has me most upset lately is the lies that are being spread by people who are in a position to know better, and specifically the lie that Obama's proposal would create "death panels." There was a story in the newspaper today that a majority of the population now actually believe this is true.

It is so important to talk with your doctor and your family about what kind of treatment, if any, you want at the end of life. I know this from personal experience. Several years ago my father found out he had metastatic prostate cancer, and very shortly thereafter he had a small stroke. He had always been very clear about what he wanted in the event that he became incapacitated, and everyone in my family knew. He had advance directives, and I had durable power of attorney. As his illness progressed and his memory worsened, it was often a challenge to take care of him--but I never had to worry about not knowing what his wishes were, nor did his doctor. And that was both a tremendous help and a consolation.

It looks as if the part of the legislation that would have allowed people to discuss these very important issues with their doctors--and insured that the doctors would be reimbursed--has been removed to appease those who believe the lies. But that does't mean it's not still important for each of us to make end of life decisions ourselves, and to make sure that our families and our physicians know what we want. And here is where the library comes in--we've got some excellent resources to help you decide what's right for you. Jane Brody's Guide to the the Great Beyond is a new book of this very topic. Sidney H. Wanzer's To Die Well is another guide to end of life decisions. We've also got books on living wills and access to magazine articles that can help clarify what's fact and what's fiction in this huge debate. We've likely got a long and contentious discussion ahead of us on health care--let the library help you sort it out.

What's cooking

The release of the film Julie & Julia and Julie Powell's recent visit to Seattle resulted in a Seattle Times interview with Powell. I read Powell's book , a chronicle of her attempt to cook every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking despite living in a very small New York City apartment with an even tinier kitchen. It's a fun book which began as a blog, and now Powell has left her life as a clerical worker behind (and her tiny kitchen), and has a new book coming out on the art of butchering meat.

I've long been a fan of Calvin Trillin's light-hearted eating adventures, and you can enjoy a collection of them in The Tummy Trilogy. For a not-so-light vision of cooking and relationships there's Betty Fussell's My Kitchen Wars. Fussell was the wife of historian Paul Fussell, and as a young faculty wife she was caught up in the one-ups-manship that resulted when Julia Child's books on French cooking opened up a new world for American cooks.

The Times interview lists some of Powell's favorite food-centered films. But she missed a few of mine, and since they're in the library's collection, you could check them out. Tampopo,a parody of a samurai film, tells the story of a young widow trying to make the perfect bowl of noodles with the help of a truck driver. In Eat,Drink, Man, Woman a retired chef is worried about his unmarried daughters.

If you'd rather be cooking than reading about people who do, you can find plenty of inspiration in our cookbook collection. After years of buying cookbooks, only to find I end up using only one or two recipes per book, I now turn to the library when I feel like I'm in a food rut. So far it's working pretty well.

Pegasus and the July 4th Parade

In 1924 Pegasus, a "book wagon" owned and operated by the Everett Public Library, became the second bookmobile west of the Mississippi. Multnomah County had the first, but theirs is long gone. After some discussion with an English bookmobile publication, we have concluded that Pegasus is the oldest existing bookmobile in the world, and we'll continue to make that claim until someone proves otherwise.

Pegasus was retired in 1950, but resurfaced in 1992. Thanks to the Rotary Club of Everett and many dedicated volunteers she is looking good--although not yet completely restored--and is a regular entry in Everett's 4th of July Parade. This year library IT head Doug Oakes and myself drove down Colby, with belly dancers in front of us and the Casino float behind.

If you're interested in learning more about Pegasus, visit the library web site by clicking right here.

So Many Books

The Summer Reading Program has officially started at the library, and kids are signing up like crazy at both libraries. We've made some changes in the program, simplifying it and aligning the reading requirements with what reading experts recommend. That means no more 100 books to get the Mayor's Award--unless you really want to. Experts say reading 1/2 hour a day is all you need to maintain or improve your skills, and that translates into 44 books or 22 hours of reading over the course of the program.

We're also excited to be giving away four bikes as grand prizes, thanks to the generosity of the Peninsular Lodge #85. We've never been able to offer truly grand prizes, and we hope the possibility of winning a bike will inspire more kids to read more than ever. We'll also be handing out Library Champion yard signs again, so if you didn't get yours last year you've got another chance.

Meanwhile, I'm looking at a stack of books I want to read that's getting precariously high. I'm always torn between working in my garden and reading. And I still have to finish The Omnivore's Dilemma for my next book club meeting before I can even start working my way through the pile on my nightstand.

A Very Little Read

The Big Read is over, and although I don't have a final report yet all I needed to do to know that it was a success was look at how many copies of the Maltese Falcon were checked out. We started with over 100 copies of the book here at the Main Library, and for most of the month there were only about 6 copies available at any one time. We've never bought so many copies of one book before and it was gratifying to see them being used.

While the Big Read was in full swing on May 10, I was AWOL in Boston to attend the annual Make Way for Ducklings Mother's Day Parade. I grew up on the East Coast, and I always thought everyone my age was familiar with Robert McCloskey's lovely picture book about a family of ducks wending their way through the streets of Boston to get to the pond in Boston Garden. That turns out not to be true--but if you have a small person in your family, you won't regret reading the story to them. It was a Caldecott winner when it was published in 1942, and the illustrations are terrific.

The parade follows the route the ducklings and their mother took through Boston, and families from all over the area get decked out in their finest duck attire to march in the parade. I went with my grandson, who at not quite 4 months was one of the youngest participants, and the 1/2 hour walk on a warm, sunny Sunday seemed just right. Afterwards many families enjoyed picnics in the garden, but we headed home.

The Falcon Has Landed

The Big Read has arrived in Snohomish County, and it looks as if the months of planning that went into this month-long celebration of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon have paid off. We ordered over 200 copies of the book, and between book group sets and individual copies, most of them are now checked out. Check out our Big Read website for a complete list of programs and book discussions. It's exciting to see so much interest in a book that has been around for more than half a century. I don't think it's too early to say The Big Read looks like a success.

National Library Week

We're celebrating National Library Week April 15 at both the Main Library and the Evergreen Branch. At the Main Library we have a line-up of local celebrities to serve you cake, the Wild Snohomians to entertain you in the coffee shop from 3-4 p.m. with their unique rockabilly sound, and librarians to introduce you to what's new at your library throughout the day. The Evergreen Branch will have cookies and information of library services and programs all day.

Then at 7 p.m. Joe Raiola, editor of MAD Magazine, will speak (perform?) on The Joy of Censorship. Raiola is stopping in Everett as part of his first-ever West Coast Tour, and he's been speaking to large audiences in public libraries from Eugene north. Joe takes an illuminating, satiric and at times disturbing look at America's most hotly debated First Amendment issues, the history of MAD, and censorship in the United States. The program is free and open to the public. It's also unrated--and uncensored.

A Poem for National Poetry Month

Here's a poem by Mary Oliver, one of my favorite poets, in honor of National Poetry Month:

Some Questions You Might Ask
Is the soul solid, like iron?
Or is it tender and breakable, like
the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?
Who has it, and who doesn't?
I keep looking around me.
The face of the moose is as sad
as the face of Jesus.
The swan opens her white wings slowly.
In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.
One question leads to another.
Does it have a shape? Like an iceberg?
Like the eye of a hummingbird?
Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?
Why should I have it, and not the anteater
who loves her children?
Why should I have it, and not the camel?
Come to think of it, what about the maple trees?
What about the blue iris?
What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?
What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?
What about the grass?

No More Snow?

I'm a gardener, so I always look forward to spring. This year I've got a lot of dead plants to remove. I am particularly sad to see that my bay laurel looks like a casualty of the long cold spell. I've had it for almost ten years now, and I enjoy picking my own fresh bay leaves. Winter's damage is also an opportunity to redesign my garden, and try some new (hopefully hardier) plants.

But people aren't done talking about our snowy winter yet--I noticed an article in today's Seattle Times revisiting the city's snow removal problems. The article quotes Cliff Mass, KUOW weather forecaster and UW professor of atmospheric sciences. On Sunday, April 5, you can hear Dr. Mass talk about his new book right here in Everett, The Weather of the Pacific Northwest. He'll be at the Main Library at 2 p.m.

We'll be hoping for a rainy day so people aren't tempted to work outside instead of coming to the library!

Babies and books

On Inauguration Day I became a grandmother. Henry lives in Boston, so I'm afraid I won't get to see him very often--but I gave him his first books before he was even born, and I am looking forward to being able to read to him whenever possible. I remember fondly all the wonderful books I used to read to Henry's father--but that was many years ago, and many equally wonderful books have been published since then.

I know Henry's mother and father will read to him, and take him to the library. That is such a great gift, and it will help him be ready to learn even more when he finally enters school. I hope his hometown library has baby storytimes and allows library cards for babies. I hope that library has children's librarians who will take the time to recommend books with beautiful illustrations and terrific stories and memorable characters. And I hope for a productive and happy life for Henry--and for all children.

Small museums and travel guidebooks

I spent part of the holidays with my brother's family, near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. I knew I wanted to visit the Barnes Foundation, whose world-famous collection of Impressionist art used to be almost impossible to visit. Then my husband was perusing a guidebook to Pennsylvania, and came upon Fonthill, the home of Henry Mercer of Doylestown. After reading about Fonthill, I knew I had to visit.

Mercer began building his very eccentric home in 1908 from poured concrete, and decorated it with inlaid tile from his Moravian Pottery and Tileworks (the factory is on Fonthill's grounds). The Moravian Pottery was a major supplier of Arts & Crafts style tile, and it is still in operation. Mercer didn't believe in architects or levels, something that's pretty obvious when you tour the house. Although they don't let you take photos inside the house, I took some outside--and you can see them above. It was a fascinating place, and we would never have known about it if we hadn't looked in a travel guide.

The Barnes Foundation was interesting in a completely different way. There are more Renoirs at the Barnes than in all of France (if I'm remembering correctly). Dr. Barnes had his own ideas about art. The paintings are organized and labeled according to his own system (a bit like the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, if you've ever been there), and the paintings have no titles or dates on their labels. There's been quite a bit of controversy over how Barnes set up his museum, how it was run, its finances, etc. It's too much to go into here, but you can read more about it online at the New York Times.

So be sure to check our guidebooks before you travel. You never know what you might miss!