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!