Celebrating the Royal Wedding

Today we celebrated the royal wedding in our own way.

a Piece of Dover History Arrived by Mail

We were delighted to receive this pen and ink sketch from someone who was cleaning out a house and thought the artwork should return to Dover. The 1986 Heritage walking Tour booklet explains the history of the Varney Ham house. 

In 1696, Ebenezer Varney, a blacksmith and devout Quaker, built his home at the foot of the west side of the Great Hill (now known as Garrison Hill). Varney was a great friend and benefactor of the local Indians, and his home and his family were never in any danger during the Indian turmoils that plagued Dover in the 1700s. The hill eventually became known as Varney's Hill during the eighteenth century. In 1829, John Ham purchased Varney's property and by 1834, the name had changed to Garrison Hill. The Varney-Ham house remained in the Ham family until about 1920 when it was sold to Philip Daum. The house was taken down circa 1970 when the large apartment complexes in that area were constructed.

 You can find photographs of the Varney Ham house here.

Magnolias in Bloom

Make sure to come down and see the Library's beautiful Star Magnolias while they still have blossoms on them. The wind is doing a job on the delicate, fragrant petals today.

You Are Here

The Collaborative Summer Library Program sponsored a You Are Here Contest inviting teens to create a video promoting their library and reading. There was a NH winner, Hannah Crowell, from the Pease Public Library in Plymouth. Watch Hannah's video on youtube or visit the CSLP to see some of the videos from other states--very creative!

Biography in Context

Dover Public Library cardholders now have access to a new database--Biography in Context. The database contains biographical entries for hundreds of thousands of notable and historical persons from around the world. It has a combination of 1,000+ volumes of Gale reference sources including Contemporary Authors, Encyclopedia of World Biography, Newsmakers, Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Contemporary Musicians, Historic World Leaders, Notable Twentieth-Century Scientists, Contemporary Black Biography, Religious Leaders of America, International Dictionary of Art and Artists, Writers Directory, among others. In addition to biographical entries, you can access full-text articles from 300+ magazines and newspapers including American History, The Christian Century, Saturday Night, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, and USA Today.

To access it from home you will need the password--please ask next time you are in the Library.

And the Winners Are...

The winners of the 2011 Peeps Show contest are:

Kids Division: The Very Hungry Caterpeeper by Jeremy Giguere

Youth Division: Harry Peeper by Elena Chan

Teen Division: The Crucible by Lauren Wansker, Merritt McLaughlin, Selina Demers and Brenna Clinch

Adult Division: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawpeep

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to all the artists who participated. We were astounded by the level of detail and creativity in this year's entries. Special thanks to the Friends of the Dover Public Library who generously donated the prizes.

Spelling Match!

Did you know that two former Dover City Halls used to include Opera Houses? They were Dover's 2nd & 3rd City Halls, and were really entertainment centers for the city. We have a binder of historic programs for concerts, plays, humorists, spelling matches, and more that played at the City Hall & Opera House. One such program (pictured at left) took place on this day in 1875. The event was a Spelling Match between the Dover Library Association and the Portsmouth Mercantile Library Association. Perusing the papers from that time period made me realize that spelling matches were a pretty common occurence. Each church seemed to have evenings for spelling matches. What do you think they would make of our current trend towards abbreviated text--np, tbh, imo, ttyl, etc.? I think they would be lol.

Peeps Show Contest

We have 85 entries in the Peeps Show Contest this year, the highest number yet. Entries run the gamut from  Madeline's Rescue and The Hunger Games to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Unbroken. At times the Library seems more like an art gallery as people move from exhibit to exhibit.

You have a few more days to come visit the Peeps Show. Judging will be held Monday afternoon. All exhibits must be picked up by Thursday or we are threatening to eat them, although no one seems very enthusiastic about doing that! If you can't make it in by next week, you can enjoy the Dover Public Library's Peeps Show Contest slideshow here.

Thrilling, Chilling Reads

If you like serial killer plots or just plain murderous thrills in your mysteries try these books:
 
Dead Like You by Peter James
Delirious by Daniel Palmer
Anniversary Man by R.J. Ellory
Cypress House by Michael Koryta
On Borrowed Time by David Rosenfelt
Love You More by Lisa Gardner
Afraid of the Dark by James Grippando
Bone House by Brian Freeman

New Poet Laureate

The Library would like to congratulate John-Michael Albert, one of our long time Poetry Contest judges (he has done all 9 years!), for being named the Portsmouth Poet Laureate! This is very exciting--congratulations Mike. The photo to your right is Mike reading a poem at last year's Evening of Poetry.

Come See the Peeps Show

We have 85 entries for the Peeps Show Contest ranging from "Madeline's Rescue" to "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". The entry for "127 Hours" is getting a lot of comments and laughs. At times the Library seems more like an art gallery as people move from exhibit to exhibit. Peeps will be on display through April 25, when the judges will make their difficult decisions.

We Have a Winner

Congratulations to Frances Chickering, the lucky winner of the Nook eReader! Many people participated in checking out downloable audiobooks and eBooks during National Library Week leading to one of the highest circulation rates of the NH Downloadable Books we have seen yet.
Special thanks to the Friends of the Dover Public Library who donated the Nook eReader.

Time For Peeps Show Entries Is Running out

You have today and Saturday to get your Peeps Show entries to the Library. Remember, this year's theme is literary, your entry can be about a favorite book or character, anything to do with books. The winner of each division will be awarded a $25 gift card to Target. We only have one teen entry so far, so if you know of an artistic teen, tell them to enter!

Animals Gone Wild at the Library

The 3rd Annual Teddybear Sleepover was this past Monday evening and fun was had by all. The slideshow above shows some of the hijinks that the animals got up to once the library closed!

Hats off to Library Volunteers!

It's almost symbiotic that National Library Week and National Volunteers Week always share the same seven days in April. Libraries rely on the community spirit and do-goodedness of the volunteers who help us with many behind-the-scenes tasks.

At this library presently, we have a core group of eight extremely motivated and capable volunteers. These unsung men and women show up every week for 1-6 hours each and donate approximately 850 personhours per year. Each has a specific task or project and they tackle their work with single-mindedness and determination. Most have been with us for over four years, the longest over 17!

Over the years, we estimate that these volunteers have donated over 7000 hours to the Dover Public Library and we celebrate them for their dedication and we honor their work on behalf of the library. Congratulations and a big thank you!

One Day in the Life of NH Libraries

Today libraries across New Hampshire are participating in Library Snapshot Day by collecting information, comments, and photographs from events in a typical library day. Please help us record how important your library is to the community by sharing your comments about your library.

Apply now for opening on Library Board of Trustees!

In May, one of our Library Board of Trustees members will be retiring after 15 years. We'd like to publicly thank Arthur Corte for his three terms of service on our board and for his supportive advocacy efforts and his sage advice since 1996. We are seeking someone to fill Art's position in June. The only requirement is Dover residency and a willingness to fill out a Board application in the City Clerk's office. The City Council's Appointments Committee will interview candidates, then recommend their choice to the whole Council for approval. Trustees meetings are held at the library on the first Thursday of the month from September through June at 4pm. Duties of the Board are purely advisory. There are no financial or personnel evaluation/hiring functions to perform. Here's how the job description is written in the City's Administrative Code: Library Board of Trustees, Chapter 5-4 A. MEMBERSHIP: The Library Board of Trustees shall consist of five (5) members. B. TERMS OF MEMBER: Members shall be appointed to terms of five (5) years. C. AUTHORITY AND DUTIES: The Library Board shall perform the following functions: 1. Study, consider and recommend to the City Council and the City Manager, or designee, general policies regarding the operation of the Dover Public Library; 2. Advocate, promote and perpetuate the growth, prosperity and the usefulness of the public library. If you're interested, or would like to ask more questions, please call Library Director Cathy Beaudoin at 516-6050 for additional information.

Preserving America's Heritage

Each year the National Recording Preservation Board, part of the Library of Congress, chooses 25 sound recordings to add to their registry. "The controversial release of the first recording of contemporary stand-up comedy, the country music hit that divided American women, and an innovative television theme song are among the sound recordings that have been selected for preservation by the Library of Congress." The list spans the years from 1853 to 1994 and runs the gamut from Stand by Your Man (Tammy Wynette) to Take Me Out to the Ball Game--interesting.

Nook Contest starts April 10th!

Don't forget to register with NH Downloadable Books this weekend if you haven't already. During National Library Week, April 10 - 16, all checkouts by Dover Public Library patrons who’ve registered to use New Hampshire Downloadable Books will be automatically entered in a special raffle to win a Nook eReader! Each time you check out a downloadable audiobook or eBook during that week, you will qualify for another entry in the raffle.

To get started downloading audiobooks and eBooks, visit the New Hampshire Downloadable Books service.

Calling All Teddy Bears

3rd Annual Teddy Bear Sleepover-- April 11 from 6:30 to 7:30

Would your teddy bear (or special stuffed animal) like to spend the night at the library??? Here’s what we’ll do...

• We’ll gather in the children’s room to introduce ourselves---every teddy(or animal) will get their own nametag.


• Then, we’ll go over to the Story Hour Room for some stories, rhymes, and a movie---featuring, (you guessed it!)---TEDDY BEARS!!!


• Next, we’ll sit at a table for a quick project---we’ll be making special pillows for our stuffed friends to sleep with! When our pillows are finished, it will be time to tuck our teddies in….you choose the spot in the children’s room where you think they’ll be the most comfortable---will it be in the dollhouse? On the train table? On a bookshelf?


• Then, you give them one last kiss, and head on home to your own beds---In the morning, come and pick them up (after 10:00am), and we’re hoping we may be able to get some pictures of just what goes on when teddy bears sleep over at the library.

If you’d like to bring YOUR teddy (or special stuffed animal) to the teddy bear sleepover, please sign up at the Children’s Room desk or call 516-6052!

Look for these new eBooks

New eBooks have been added to NH Downloadable Books.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by    Amy Chua
The Battle of the Labyrinth by  Rick Riordan
Big Stone Gap by   Adriana Trigiani
Clouds without Rain  by   P. L. Gaus
The Dragon Heir  by   Cinda Williams Chima
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFO  by Donald J. Sobol
Frozen Assets by    Quentin Bates
The Glass Lake  by   Maeve Binchy
Home Free  by   Fern Michaels
The Hunted  by   Brian Haig
The Information by    James Gleick
Juno's Daughters by    Lise Saffran
The Land of Painted Caves  by   Jean M. Auel
Live Wire  by   Harlan Coben
Lover Unleashed  by   J. R. Ward
Oil and Ice  by   Peter Nichols
The Opal Deception by    Eoin Colfer
The Paris Wife  by   Paula McLain
The Peach Keeper by    Sarah Addison Allen
The Poisoner's Handbook   by  Deborah Blum
Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good by   Josh Levine
The Price of Everything by   Eduardo Porter
The Red Pyramid by  Rick Riordan
Secret Sanction  by   Brian Haig
Seducing the Duchess  by   Ashley March
Speed Demons by    Jasmine Jones
Steampunk'd  by   Jean Rabe, Martin H. Greenberg
The Tiger's Wife   by  Tea Obreht
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure  by   Disney Digital Books
The Troubled Man by    Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson
The Van Alen Legacy  by   Melissa de la Cruz

New Mobile App Available

The Dover Public Library catalog is now available for your mobile phone! Here is the address you need: http://www.libanywhere.com/m/395. Mobile device users can now search the catalog, place holds, check their accounts, renew items, and contact a librarian all while on the move. The mobile catalog works with Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and any mobile phone with a web browser. We are very excited to offer this new service so please give it a try and let us know what you think.

Psst Did You Hear the Dirt?

The last film in the Sustainability Film Series, Dirt: The Movie, will be shown in the Dover Public Library Lecture Hall on Tuesday, April 5 at 6:30pm. Join us to view the film and share your thoughts afterward in a group discussion. Dirt tells the amazing and little known story of the relationship between humans and living dirt. Why Dirt? Dirt feeds us and gives us shelter. Dirt holds and cleans our water. Dirt heals us and makes us beautiful. Dirt regulates the earth's climate. Dirt is the ultimate natural resource for all life on earth. Yet most humans ignore, abuse, and destroy our most precious living natural resource.

Blended Families?

I often read two books at the same time, but I try to ensure that they're quite different so that I don't confuse characters and plots. This month, when I went on vacation, I hadn't quite finished Joyce Maynard's The Good Daughters (title characters Dana and Ruth). So the hardcover book got left behind on my bedside table to finish apres-trip. While traveling, I had my Kindle on which was The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (featuring siblings Rose, Bean and Cordy) but I only got halfway through it on the plane home.

So now I'm finishing two books about five sisters, and to top it off, each family has a mother who's battling cancer. Both of these are very satisfying novels but I fear I haven't given either one its due diligence when I'm wondering why Rose doesn't visit Ruth or why Cordy ignores Dana. I guess I've invented my own sisters-mash-up!! Do you regularly read more than one book at the same time?

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

The Dover Public Library's Newsletters are out for the month of April. Follow the links to view the Children's Room Newsletter or the Dover Public Library Newsletter--or better yet both! Find out about the Teddy Bear Sleepover, The Peeps Contest, and how you could win a free Nook! If you would like to receive these newsletters via email follow this link to sign-up.