Edward Tulane chills out

Edward Tulane is visiting the Children's Room this week! Come to our blog each day and see him enjoying something different in our room.

Today he is hanging out with Skitter and Scatter, our two gerbils. Mammals just want to have fun!

Dangerous Pet Food

Pet owners across the nation have been devastated by the news that the dog and cat foods they trustingly fed their pets have made hundreds of animals ill. The food has been recalled but the damage has been done in many cases.

If you are curious about how your pet’s food is made, you may want to read Protect Your Pet by Ann Martin. If you want to try making your own food but are not sure how to prepare a balanced diet for your dog, take a look at Better Food for Dogs by David Bastin. It has loads of recipes as well as nutritional requirements. Please remember to seek your veterinarian’s advice before drastically changing your pet’s diet.

March 24 is Shutdown Day

I remember when I started here at the Library I used a stamp and slips of paper to check out books. Now the Library is extremely dependent on computers to check books in and out or reserve an item. Why, just to look up a book requires a computer! We librarians feel crippled the few times our computerized system has failed to function.

Can you survive without your computer for 24 hours? If you think you can, why not join one of the biggest experiments ever to take place on the Internet? The idea behind the experiment is to find out how many people can go without a computer for one whole day, and what will happen if everyone participates. Go to http://shutdownday.org/ for more information. Just make sure to check out your books beforehand!

April 2 is the next NH Humanities Council Book Discussion

Join us for the next NH Humanities Council Book Group on Monday, April 2 at 7:00pm in the Lecture Hall. We will be discussing Beryl Markham's autobiography West With the Night. Come in to pick up a copy of the book today. Ernest Hemingway described Beryl Markham's book in a letter to a friend"...she has written so well, and marvellously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer...she can write rings around all of us...I wish you would get it and read it because it is really a bloody wonderful book." Pretty big compliment coming from Big Papa himself.

Beryl Markham was a fascinating woman--she bred racehorses, was a bush pilot in Africa, became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west, and to top it off she could write. All this took place in a time, the 1930s, when there were few opportunities available to women--just imagine what she could accomplish today! This book should make for an interesting discussion, hope to see you there.

Edward Tulane Visits Dover Public Library

Edward Tulane, the china rabbit from this year's "Dover Reads" book choice, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo, will be visiting Dover!

Edward will be at the Dover Public Library Children’s Room on March 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 & April 1, 2007 (he will leave the library briefly on 3/23 @ 1pm & on 3/30 from 9am to 12).

Other stops for Edward along his journey will be:
Dover Auto World: March 23 - 1:00 pm
Woodman Park School: March 26
Garrison School: March 27
Horne Street School: March 28
Wentworth Home Gage Room: March 28 - 3:00pm
Dover Middle School: March 30 - 9am to Noon
Final celebration at Dover Middle School: March 29 - 6:30pm

For more information on Edward's historic national tour click here.

"Patronizing and Paternalistic"

The title of this posting comes from a statement from ALA President Leslie Burger about Time, Inc.'s decision to not mail its annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue to its 21,000 library subscribers. The corporate fathers at Time judged that it might be too racy for libraries! We didn't get our copy here at the DPL, but we just thought it was a fluke. Then we heard that no libraries had received the issue! How dare they make that decision for us?! It is up to each individual librarian to decide whether the bathing suits on display in that SI issue are appropriate for their own library.

After complaints from hundreds of libraries, an SI spokesman admitted, "It was a bad decision...to withhold the issue. We won't be withholding the swimsuit issue in the future." Postcards will be sent to each of the affected institutions allowing us to request a copy of the issue. As for us, well our eagle-eye custodian spotted a copy on our Magazine Swap table and scoffed it up for our collection, so we're all set for now. But I'll still make Time, Inc. send me a replacement copy too!

Our library has lost a great friend

We heard today that renowned Dover historian Bob Whitehouse has passed away. Over more than thirty years, Bob helped our staff to track down people and events covering 375+ years of local history. Whenever we were stumped, we'd call Bob for a clue. He had a marvelous memory and would hunt through his own binders and folders until he found the answer!
He was my mentor and friend when I started working at the library...I was clueless about Dover's past and he brought me along with his stories, his enthusiasm, and his infectious love of this city. By the mid-80s, he was confident enough in my grasp of Dover history to ask me to co-author a book with him. Our collaboration, Port of Dover, was published in 1988.
Bob also donated hundreds of manuscripts, notebooks, papers, maps, and photographs to the library; these items, now accessible for all researchers, have been invaluable resources. Bob Whitehouse was ever generous with his time, his knowledge, and his Dover memorabilia. We are truly saddened by his passing. He will be greatly missed.

Blogging, Bleaders, and Blookers

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, French Word-A-Day; bringing you a thrice weekly slice of French Life, when I discovered there is now a literary prize for books written from blogs. The Blooker Prize, is the first literary prize for "blooks", books based on blogs or web sites. The best known of these is Julie Powell’s blog which was published as Julie and Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment. This book is one of the first recipients of the Blooker Prize, and was enjoyed by the DPL staff. Julie's blog evolved from a project she set herself to cook all the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year. Her posts were amusing, interesting, and involving. She and blog readers (bleaders) developed a relationship, word of mouth made her famous, leading to mainstream media interviews, and finally a publisher.

Do you write a blog? Let us know, we would like to read it!

What's for Dinner?

In case it's Irish you're looking for check out our Irish recipe books in the nonfiction area of 641.59411. The new "Irish Pub Cookbook" by Margaret Johnson will help you right along. However, this little poem makes it even easier to figure out what the Irish really eat!

GOOD GRIEF - NOT BEEF!
I just want to put something straight
About what should be on your plate,
If it's corned beef you're makin'
You're sadly mistaken,
That isn't what Irishmen ate.

If you ever go over the pond
You'll find it's of bacon they're fond,
All crispy and fried,
With some cabbage beside,
And a big scoop of praties beyond.

Your average Pat was a peasant
Who could not afford beef or pheasant.
On the end of his fork
Was a bit of salt pork,
As a change from potatoes 'twas pleasant.

This custom the Yanks have invented,
Is an error they've never repented,
But bacon's the stuff
That all Irishmen scoff,
With fried cabbage it is supplemented.

So please get it right this St. Paddy's.
Don't feed this old beef to your daddies.
It may be much flasher,
But a simple old rasher,
Is what you should eat with your tatties.

©Frances Shilliday 2004

Snowdrops and Daffodils

I have had reports of snowdrop and daffodil sitings. I have not seen them myself, but the sources were quite reliable. Of course I have been looking at seed catalogs since January, but the emergence of flowers is a true sign of spring. Yes, I realize we are supposed to get snow on Saturday, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming. My dreaming is helped by some great flower gardening books. Here are a few that you might want to take a look at:

Beautiful Perennials: Simple Techniques to Make Your Garden Sensational by edited by Marilyn Rogers.

Encyclopedia of Perennials: The Definitive Illustrated Reference Guide edited by Graham Rice. (American Horticultural Society)

Instant Gardens: High-Impact Makeovers that Look Great Right Now edited by Michael McKinley.

The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer: The Essential guide to Creating Simply Sensational Gardens by Stephanie Cohen.

Or, if you would just like to browse, come in and look in the 635.9 - 635.9332 number area, it is sure to make you dream of spring.

Aye and Begorrah

It's the weekend for leprechauns and anything green. It's also time for tales of Ireland. Check out our list!

When Peeps Visit The Library

We have had many strange visitors to the library; ghosts, bats, starfish, an owl, a drug sniffing dog, and someone who was sure he was the reincarnation of King Arthur, but I don’t think we have had any quite like these mischievous peeps who spend a very busy, naughty day at their local library.

Challenged Titles: yes, we have them all!

The American Library Association has just released its Top Ten "Most Challenged Books of 2006". I'll list them below, but first I want to correct a mistaken impression. Some in the public think it's libraries and librarians who ban certain books. In fact, in the great majority of cases, it's libraries and librarians who defend these books and convincingly argue why they should stay on our shelves. This year's list of most challenged books is not atypical, although we are happy to see that "Catcher in the Rye", "Huckleberry Finn" and the "Harry Potter" books, perpetual banned favorites, didn't make the top ten for 2006. It is sad to see two Toni Morrison novels there, however.

• "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
• The "Gossip Girls" series by Cecily Von Ziegesar
• The "Alice" series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler
• "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
• "Scary Stories" by Alvin Schwartz
• "Athletic Shorts" by Chris Crutcher
• "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
• "Beloved" by Toni Morrison
• "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

The Dover Public Library has all these books. An important thing to remember is that a good library has something to offend almost everyone. Parents should watch what their children read, read together with them and make appropriate decisions for their family. As an adult, your reading choices are yours alone. No one individual should make judgments about what's "proper" for the entire populace which a library serves.

Poetry in Bloom at the Library

The Dover Public Library is pleased to announce the 5th Annual Dover Public Library Poetry contest for grades K-12. Deadline for entry is April 17th and winners will be announced on May 11th. Students may pick up information about the contest at the Dover Public Library, any Dover school library, or at our website at www.dover.lib.nh.us. All participants are invited to attend an “Evening of Poetry” on Tuesday, May 15th at 6:30pm; refreshments will be served. Students are invited to read their poetry at this event, but this will be purely voluntary. For more information about the contest please contact Denise LaFrance at 516-6082.

In preparing for this years poetry contest I reread last years winning poems. I was suprised to find a poem written by a 2nd grader titled "Mushing a Dog Sled" which relates to our March 7th post about the Iditarod. It is a wonderful poem and I would like to share it here:

Fifteen dogs run across
a snow covered lake

Gargantuan mountains loom
over the sled

The mountains watch
as the team moves
across the lake.

The ice gurles
as the team scampers
across the ice.

A breeze comes by
and the snow dances in the wind

Light blue sky brightens
the dogs hearts.

They are setting off from Rohn
and heading to Nickolai.

You Had Me At Hello

I usually know within the first chapter whether I am going to enjoy a book or not. A few memorable books have lines that will hook you with the very first sentence. Below are a few that have stayed with me.

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." The Gunslinger by Stephen King

"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines." Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
1984 by George Orwell

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again."
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

"Call me Ishmael." Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Share your favorite first lines with us by clicking on the “comments” link.

A Recipe for Success

I heard on the news that Ernest Gallo, the winemaker, had passed away. What caught my attention was the fact that one of the world’s largest wineries was started with a recipe from the public library. It got me thinking of all the possible products and services that could be started with books from the library and a dream. You could create your own homemade soaps, perfumes, candles, beer, quilts, or offer cake decorating, photography, dog grooming. The possibilities are endless. Why, The Entrepreneur’s Ultimate Start-up Directory alone lists over 1300 opportunities.

The secret to your success may be waiting for you right here at your local library.

Author Web Sites

I enjoyed Silent in the Grave so much that I wanted to know if author Deanna Raybourn had written any sequels. Amazon.com had plenty of reviews but did not indicate if the author had any other books. I tried typing http://www.deannaraybourn.com into my browser and, sure enough, found a web site packed with information on the author, by the author. There were book tour dates, interviews, a blog with delightful Victorian headings, a biography, and even better, an answer to my question! There is indeed a sequel in the works, titled Silent in the Sanctuary.

I actually have bookmarked Dean Koontz’s author web site. Not only do I like his books, I also enjoy his devotion to his Golden retriever Trixie, who has written two books, and who occasionally writes a blog post. Trixie and Dean both have a great sense of humor. My favorite part is “Ten Questions with Dean Koontz”. Readers get to send questions to Dean. His answers are often enlightening, and usually seriously funny.

Dean and Trixie

Do you have a favorite author you want to learn more about, or maybe even have the chance to interact with? Many authors do have their own web sites. Why not try a search and find out what they’re up to? As Deanna Raybourne says, “To those of you who have taken the time to write, I thank you, most sincerely. As you have doubtless heard many times, writing is a solitary and often thankless occupation. I, for example, write in a tiny pink study that measures six and a half feet by eight with only my dog and a boxing nun for companionship. Neither of them are remotely interested in what I do. But readers are! And it is incredibly generous of you to take the time to let me know that.”

It Is Even Colder Than New Hampshire

The Iditarod began this weekend and has gotten off to a rough start with ten mushers dropping out already. Wind chills have reached -37 and conditions are brutal as windblown snow obscures the trail. New Hampshire weather is starting to look a little better! Why not enjoy the rigors of sled dog racing from the comfort of your armchair with the following books.

Running North by Ann Mariah Cook
This New Hampshire native and her husband packed up their 32 Huskies and moved to Alaska in order to run the Yukon Quest, a race even more grueling than the Iditarod. She chronicles the ordeals as well as rewards of a musher’s life. The sub freezing temperatures, peculiar Alaskan citizens, primitive living conditions, long nights sewing dog booties, loneliness and brushes wild animals are all challenges overcome before the race is even begun. This is a truly exciting adventure story that reads like a novel.

Winterdance by Gary Paulsen
A fascinating account of a man so obsessed by the Iditarod that he had to run it twice. His tales of maniacal dogs, blinding snowstorms, and moose attacks are alternately gripping and hysterically funny. A typical event is a training session in which Paulsen lost control of his dogs. They dragged him across his snow-free yard, creating such friction that a book of matches in his pants pocket ignited. And then there was the time his lead dog caught a skunk, and without thinking the author grabbed it out of her mouth…

The Weather Outside is Frightful

It is dangerously cold outside so why not stay inside and read? It’s easy to catch up on the latest magazine and newspaper articles by logging on to the Library’s website and choosing the Online Resources section. Choose EbscoHost and you will have access to thousands of full text articles. You can do a key word search on any particular topic you are interested in; cars, health issues, news, travel, and find current information. You can also read through a magazine online. If you love to read Time Magazine, for example, but haven’t had a chance to buy the latest issue you can read it on EbscoHost. While you are on the Choose Databases page click on Title List, then type in the name of the magazine you want to read in the Browse Publications search box. If that magazine shows up on the search results list with the comment "Full Text" you will be able to read it online. Click on the title of the magazine, then choose which issue you want. The whole magazine will be there in numerical page order!

Search Tips for Downloadble Audio Books

Did you know that you can browse the downloadable audio book titles by the date they were added to the collection? It’s very easy to see what's new!

You can also check off a box by the main search box so your search results will be limited to only titles that are currently available.

Want to find out more about downloading audio books? Go to the Library's web site and click on Download Audio Books.tsdsffff

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