What We Are Listening To Now

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Book on CD)
Paris Café Music (music CD)
Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan (downloadable audio)
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda (Book on CD)
On and On by Jack Johnson (music CD)
Stray Dogs by Ron Picott (music CD)
I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This: and other things that strike me as funny by Bob Newhart (Book on CD)
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron (downloadable audio)
The Prestige by Christopher Priest (Book on CD)
Who Are You Fighting For? by UB40 (music CD)

I'm astonished!

Library Journal (a professional periodical renowned in our field) publishes a poll called "Stat Watch" in each issue which shows results from a quick-response question asked on its website. The results of the poll which appeared in the February 1 issue flabbergasted me. Online users of the lj.com site (mostly librarians I would assume) were asked to reply YES or NO to the following statement: "My library's administrators are respected by peers in the community."
A no-brainer, I thought...a huge majority would answer YES. Librarians are always out in the community doing something wonderful, I reasoned!! To my utter surprise, 90% of the 434 respondants answered NO. I am at a loss to explain this disheartening result.
As I library administrator myself, have I been deluding myself? I have always been proud of my community involvement, my commitment to Dover's (not just the library's) betterment, and the many collaborative relationships I maintain with other departments and organizations in our city.
Were the librarians who answered the poll disillusioned with their managers? Do they think more should be done? Did only the dissatisfied answer the poll? Are there library administrators who hide within the four walls of their library and never venture out? I suppose there are. I have no answers...just more questions. I'd love to hear your opinion!

Valentine's Day Romance

Thanks to a generous donation from a patron our entire section of Harlequin Romances has been revamped. Our collection of all new titles now includes the latest in the saucy series, Blaze, as well as the new Men Made in America series and the Intrigue series. So, if your Valentine's Day, or any other day, needs a little extra spice check out the romance rack in the paperback section

Enraptured

I downloaded Nora Ephron’s I Feel Bad About My Neck and listened to it last weekend. After racing to the mirror to reassure myself that my neck hadn’t become flabby, crepey, or mottled since I have passed the dermatologically critical age of 43, I was able to chuckle at her observations on purses, gourmet cooking, and parenting. My favorite essay was titled “On Rapture”. In it, Nora discusses the effect that a good book can have on a reader. “There’s something called the rapture of the deep, and it refers to what happens when a deep-sea diver spends too much time at the bottom of the ocean and can’t tell which way is up. When he surfaces, he’s liable to have a condition called the bends, where the body can’t adapt to the oxygen levels in the atmosphere. All this happens to me when I surface from a great book.” It was such a striking image I had to turn off my MP3 player and think about it for a while. Now that’s the mark of a good book.

Our Favorite DVDs of 2006

The Devil Wears Prada starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep
Kinky Boots starring Joel Edgerton
The Matador starring Pierce Brosnan
Cinderella Man starring Russell Crowe
Jarhead starring Jake Gyllenhaal
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer
Little Miss Sunshine Starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carrell andAlan Arkin
Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightly, Donald Sutherland and Judi Dench
Mrs. Henderson Presents starring Judi Dench
Walk the Line starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon
Feast
AeonFlux starring Charlize Theron
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants starring America Ferrera and Alexis Bledel
Nanny McPhee starring Emma Thompson and Colin Firth
Monster house
Corpse Bride
The Chronicles of Narnia

Documentaries
An Inconvenient Truth
Grey Gardens: The Beales of Grey Gardens
Who Killed the Electric Car

Birthday Gifts

We would like to say a very special thank you to one of our patrons who decided to donate $500 to the Library in honor of her birthday. She said the Library is her “favorite place in Dover” and that the Library had brought her much pleasure over the years. She has requested that the gift be used to purchase more DVDs and Books on CD. We are more than happy to honor her request. We all appreciate her generosity.

IRS Tax Forms Available at Library

Remember when you used to get your tax forms in the mail? Or you could pick them up at the bank, post office, library? Ah, those were the days. In the government's effort to reduce paper they are mailing fewer forms to individuals, hoping to coax you into doing your taxes online. If the thought of filling out those forms electronically has you in a panic--have no fear, the library is here. We have all the "major" forms and booklets available for your convenience, and can access more obscure forms online.

The Library will also be hosting the AARP volunteers who provide free tax help. The focus is on those in the low and middle income brackets, with special attention to those 60 and older. This free help is available on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. The volunteers will be here starting February 1st through April 14th. This is a popular service so expect a wait! Call the library at 516-6050 for more information.

What We Are Reading Now

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn "a splendid blend of a historical novel and a mystery"
When Darkness Falls by James Grippando "Hard to put down"
Web of Evil by Judith Jance
Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich
Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Bookends by Jane Green
Piratica; being a daring tale of a singular girl’s adventure by Tanith Lee "Thrilling adventures with a kind-hearted pirate, aimed at the teen audience, but fun for adults too"

Journey to the Edge at the Library

The Friends of the Dover Public Library and the New Hampshire Humanities Council are jointly sponsoring a book discussion series titled “Journeys to the Edge”. The series explores how we are drawn to travel into harm’s way, enchanted by the unknown, and lured to the frontier. These books put us shoulder to shoulder with men and women who have traveled to the edge, some by choice others thrust there by circumstance. What is it that they discover?

The series includes 3 monthly discussions led by NH Humanities Council scholars.

Mon., March 5 at 7:00pm: “The Rope Eater” by Ben Jones with the
discussion led by Laurie Quinn.

Mon., April 2 at 7:00pm: “West with the Night” by Beryl Markham with the
discussion led by Elizabethada Wright.

Mon., May 7 at 7:00pm: “Touching the Void” by Joe Simpson with the
discussion led by Clia Goodwin.

All discussions will be held in the Dover Public Library Lecture Hall. Pick up a copy of the books at the Library, but copies are limited so don’t delay. For more information call the library at 516-6050. For descriptions of the books visit our website at http://www.dover.lib.nh.us/humanitiescouncil.htm.

Allspice, Basil, Cloves...

We took a quick survey at the library. Many of you may suspect that Librarians are fools for organization, but did you know many of us love to cook? Maybe you did after seeing the size of the cookbook collection. Anyway, 75% of Librarians surveyed alphabetize their spices. Another 50% of librarians write the date of purchase on their spices (spices are generally only good for one year). Another 50% put the date on their baking powder too.

How about you, do you alphabetize your spices?


Looking for some new recipes? Try one of our favorite cookbooks; Parisian Home Cooking by Michael Roberts.

Caldecott & Newbery Medal Winners Announced

The Caldecott Medal winner for 2007 is Flotsam by David Weisner. The Caldecott is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. The two honor books in this category are Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Carole Boston Weatherford.

The Newbery Medal winner for 2007 is The Higher Power of Lucky written by Susan Patron, illustrated by Matt Phelan. The Newbery is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The three honor books in this category are Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm, Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson, and
Rules by Cynthia Lord.

Our Battered Book Drops

As part of the improvements to the driveway, the Library book drops were moved to the back of the monument so our patrons could drop off books without leaving the car. Since then, several patrons have driven a little too close to the drops resulting in damage to the book drops. The last accident left one of the book drops with torn seams which leak badly. Whenever bad weather threatens we will have to close that book drop or library materials will be soaked. We appreciate your bringing library materials into the library on those days when the bookdrop sports a sign indicating it is closed.

We have ordered replacement book drops, which we hope will be here within six weeks. We don't want you to have to get out of your car every time the weather is bad! The new book drops will be easier to use, you won't need to pull a flap down to put your books in, you will just drop them down a chute.

The new book drops will look like this

Speaking Librarianese

Librarians have their own jargon, like any other profession. We use “jobbers” to order books, we “circulate” library materials, perform “ILL”, create “MARC” records, and provide “ready reference”. One term that has been a bone of contention for years is what to call you, dear readers! Are you a client, a customer, a user, or a patron? Some librarians say that “client” and “user” are too cold and dehumanizing. Others point out that “customer” is inaccurate; you aren’t buying anything. We use the term “patron” here; it seems to harmonize with our century-old, traditional library building, and we appreciate your esteemed patronage. A few librarians protest that this is much too stuffy a term. So what about it? Do you consider yourself a client, a user, a customer or a patron of the Dover Public Library?

Library Hours for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The Library will be open Saturday 9 - 5, and Sunday 1 - 5. We will be closed Monday, January 15th for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Excerpt from Dr. King's Letter from Birmingham Jail — April 16, 1963

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly I have never yet engaged in a direct action movement that was "well timed," according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "wait" has almost always meant "never." We must come to see with the distinguished jurist of yesterday that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

Book 4 in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series is Here!

Forever in Blue: the fourth summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares has just been released. There is high demand for this title so place your hold today. The Traveling Pants have gathered quite a following and so New Hampshire libraries have acquired there own set of Traveling Pants that will be making appearances at local libraries. The Pants will be at the Dover Public Library from March 25th through the 31st--look for events and give aways that week.

What We Are Listening To Now

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen (Book on CD)
Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier (audiobook download)
On and On by Jack Johnson (music CD)
The Vanished by Celia Rees (Book on CD)
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (audiobook download)
The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood (Book on CD)
Cafe Roma 2: An Italian Jazz Lounge Experience (music CD)

Free Entertainment at the Dover Public Library

Are you feeling broke after the holidays? Is it going to take a few months to pay off those credit card bills? Have no fear the Dover Public Library is your source for free entertainment. In the month of January we are offering Saturday matinees at 2:00pm in the Lecture Hall, a monthly Wednesday evening movie, monthly Friends of the Library lectures, as well as Children's Room programming--and yes it is all free. Click here to see a complete list of our events. Hope to see you there!

Judging a Book by its Cover

At the end of the year everyone creates of lists of bests and worsts; some lists are more interesting than others. (Do we really need a list to tell us Britney Spears doesn't know how to dress?) Two lists that we librarians found interesting were Favorite Book Cover Designs and Worst Book Covers of 2006 . Being the opinionated bunch we are, we disagreed with their choices and came up with our own list of Most Appealing Book covers.

I Like You by Amy Sedaris












Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen










Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessi












A Good Dog by Jon Katz










How about you? Do you know of a 2006 book cover that you think was particularly outstanding?

The Catalog Will be down Friday, January 5

The online line catalog will be down this Friday for several hours starting at 9:00. We will be able to check out books for you in person if you have your library card with you but you will not be able to place holds or renew your books online. Thank you for your patience!

P.D. James Book Made into a Movie

The movie Children of Men opened recently starring Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. What you probably won't know from the advertising is that it is based on the book of the same name by P.D. James. (It always irks me that the original author gets so little respect.) Children of Men was not one of P.D. James usual mysteries featuring Adam Dalgliesh or Cordelia Gray, actually it was not much like P.D. James at all. Here is the description of the book:

The human race has become infertile, and the last generation
to be born is now adult. Civilization itself is crumbling as suicide and despair
become commonplace. Oxford historian Theodore Faron, apathetic toward a future
without a future, spends most of his time reminiscing. Then he is approached by
Julian, a bright, attractive woman who wants him to help get her an audience
with his cousin, the powerful Warden of England. She and her band of unlikely
revolutionaries may just awaken his desire to live . . . and they may also hold
the key to survival for the human race.

As a P.D. James fan I felt compelled to read Children of Men and found myself fascinated with it. So if you go to see the film and enjoy it, go to your local public library and get the the book--it's worth reading.