Wadleigh Memorial Library Blog

2011 Tax Season is Upon Us!

2012-01-25T12:39:00.000-05:00

The IRS tax forms are out and ready for you to pick them up. As always, if we do not have a form or instruction booklet that you are looking for, we can print it up for you from the IRS website.

New Hampshire Forms can be found on the NH Department of Revenue website, and we will have copies printed out of the more commonly used forms.

AARP Tax Help starts February 2nd on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Thursdays from 4 - 6:30 p.m. This service is free, and there is no appointment necessary. Tax help is on a first come, first served basis.

Downloading an ebook to your Kindle

2012-01-04T13:00:00.002-05:00

Here are some basic instructions for downloading an ebook to a Kindle device or app.

Set up an account with Amazon. You may need to enter a credit card, but I assure you that checking out ebooks from the library is still free!
Go to the NH Downloadables website: http://nh.lib.overdrive.com/
Find a book you want to download. Note: not all ebook titles are available for Kindle.
Tip: If you are having trouble finding available titles, go to the advanced search and select "Kindle Book" under format and check the box for "Only show titles with copies available." You do not need to enter a search term before clicking search. This will bring up a list of all available Kindle titles. You can also put titles you want to read on hold or on a wish list.
Click the "Available - Add to Cart" button for the "Kindle Book" format
Click "Proceed to Checkout"
Select your town/library and sign in with your 14-digit library card number
Click "Confirm Checkout"
Click the "Get for Kindle" button. You will be taken to Amazon.com
Use the dropdown menu in the green box to select the Kindle device/app you want to use for reading
Click the yellow "Get Library Book" button in the green box. The book will be sent to your Kindle device the next time it is connected to the internet. Note: If your Kindle device does not have wifi, use Amazon's tutorial on using a USB to transfer ebooks to your Kindle

Useful links:

Amazon's Kindle help page
Amazon's Manage Your Kindle page
Our tutorial on downloading ebooks to any kind of eReader, for both PC & Mac: Getting Started with eBooks

We will be having a Nook and Kindle Show-and-Tell on January 26, from 7 - 8 p.m. We will demo many different devices, including the Kindle Fire, Nook, iPad, and Droid RAZR. Register today! If you can't make it, please feel free to drop by the library to have one of our reference librarians walk you through the process.

Downloading an ebook to your eReader

2012-01-04T12:59:00.002-05:00

Here are some basic instructions for downloading an ebook with a Nook, Sony, Kobo, or other non-Kindle eReader.

First, install Adobe Digital Editions and authorize it with an Adobe ID:

To download and install Adobe Digital Editions, click here
If you do not have an Adobe ID or forgot your log in, click here

Download the ebook to your computer:

Visit the NH Downloadables site: http://nh.lib.overdrive.com/
Find a book you want to download
Tip: If you are having trouble finding available titles, go to the advanced search and select "Adobe EPUB eBook" under format and check the box for "Only show titles with copies available." You do not need to enter a search term before clicking search. This will bring up a list of all available ebook titles. You can also put titles you want to read on hold or on a wish list.
Click the "Available - Add to Cart" button for the "Adobe EPUB eBook" format
Click "Proceed to Checkout"
Select your town/library and sign in with your 14-digit library card number
Click "Confirm Checkout"
Click the "Download" button
When the box pops up asking whether you would like to open or save, click the "Open" button. Adobe Digital Editions will open and the book will download.

Transfer the ebook to your eReader:

Go to Library View by clicking on the icon in the top left corner that shows 3 book spines
Connect your eReader to your computer with the USB cord. Your eReader should appear in the "Bookshelves" column on the left hand side.
If this is your first time using your eReader with Adobe Digital Editions, it will ask you to authorize the eReader.
Drag the icon for the downloaded title from the right hand side of the screen to the eReader in the Bookshelves column. The book will then transfer over to your eReader. You can click on your eReader and see that the book now appears on your device.

If you are still having trouble, try our tutorial on downloading ebooks to any kind of eReader, for both PC & Mac: Getting Started with eBooks

We will be having a Nook and Kindle Show-and-Tell on January 26, from 7 - 8 p.m. We will demo many different devices, including the Kindle Fire, Nook, iPad, and Droid RAZR. Register today! If you can't make it, please feel free to drop by the library to have one of our reference librarians walk you through the process.

Library eBooks are Now Available for Kindle

2011-10-27T16:44:00.000-04:00

We are excited to announce that our eBook collection is now compatible with the Amazon® Kindle. Patrons can now download popular and classic eBooks to a Kindle device or any mobile device running the free Kindle app, such as iPhone®, iPad®, Android™, and more. To get started, visit http://nh.lib.overdrive.com/,
Through the New Hampshire Downloadable Books consortium, the Wadleigh Memorial Library also offers eBooks and audiobooks for use on a PC or Mac computer and popular mobile devices such as a Smartphone, MP3 player, and eBook reader like the Barnes & Noble® Nook™ and Sony® Reader.

Kindle users can browse the NH Dowloadable Books collection of bestselling and classic eBooks from a PC or Mac computer, check out titles using a library card, and select “Get for Kindle” to deliver eBooks to their Kindle device or any device running the free Kindle app. Users who enjoy eBooks on Kindle will benefit from Amazon’s Whispersync technology that synchronizes notes, highlights and last page read between their Kindle and free Kindle apps.

Want to learn more? View this video.

Important Caveat
Amazon does keep information about your borrowing habits if you use Kindle format ebooks.

However, you do not need to use your existing retail Amazon account. You can create an anonymous account for your library checkouts if you do not want your OverDrive/ Kindle eBooks to be tracked by name. The Wadleigh Memorial Library does not endorse any particular business and is not responsible for the fact that Amazon offers ebooks for sale when you borrow free titles from the NH Downloadable Books site.

Share Your Family Recipe for a Chance to Win Big!

2011-10-06T13:13:00.005-04:00

The "1802 Heirloom Recipe Contest” will offer library patrons a chance to win an all expense-paid trip to meet the book’s authors, Discovery-Planet Green reality TV stars Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge - “The Fabulous Beekman Boys” - in Sharon Springs, N.Y.

Here’s how it works: Fill out the entry form with your favorite family heirloom recipe and tell us what makes the recipe so special to you, then give it to your local librarian to be entered for a chance to win a signed copy of The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook and the grand prize trip, farm tour, and dinner.

Please submit your entries by October 31st so we can choose which entry to mail!

What Do You Think of the Computers at the Library?

2011-10-06T12:54:00.003-04:00

The Wadleigh Memorial Library is running an online survey to find out how our patrons use the library's computers and Internet connection and how this service has made a difference in their lives.

The IMPACT Survey is anonymous, available in English and Spanish, and takes 10-15 minutes to complete.

Please support the library and help us improve our services. Click here to fill out the survey or access it from one of the library's public access computers.

American Civil War - 150 Years Ago in Milford, New Hampshire

2011-10-04T19:19:00.013-04:00

This year we commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the beginning of the Amercian Civil War. As our country enters the tenth year of war since the attacks on America on 9/11, we thought it would be interesting to look to the past to learn how people responded to the conflict that some people say solidified the creation of a United States of America into one country.

We have several new publications available for loan at the library:

America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation by David Goldfield

1861:The Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart

A World On Fire: Britain's Crucial Role in the American Civil War by Amanda Foreman

and books that deal with New Hampshire's role in the fighting, such as My Brave Boys: to War with Captain Cross and the Fighting Fifth by Mike Pride. I recently read Drew Gilpin Faust's wonderful book This Republic of Suffering which studies everyone's struggle to comprehend the meaning of the deaths of so many thousands of people and the grief they inspired among almost every family in the nation.

Jere Daniell is Professor Emeritus of American History from Dartmouth and has published extensively on New Hampshire politics, colonial history and the New England frontier. In his lecture on New Hampshire Towns and the Civil War he will be describing how people in New Hampshire responded to the crisis on the home front, rather than on the battlefields far away to the south.

Professor Daniell will describe both formal town actions and non-governmental community responses. Specific topics include rewarding men who enlisted; helping citizens avoid military service; ostracizing war opponents; organizing aid societies; celebrating military victories; and post war memorials. Whenever possible Professor Daniell will illustrate his general observations with examples drawn from the history of the town of Milford.

Be sure to join us at the library for this fascinating talk at the Wadleigh Memorial Library on Tuesday October 11, 2011 at 7 pm.

This program is funded by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Magazines and Newspapers: Past and Present

2011-09-21T10:39:00.031-04:00

Have you noticed that the library might not have older editions of magazines and newspapers in the library? It doesn't mean that you can't find the article you need! Instead of keeping (and storing) hundreds or thousands of magazines on the shelves, the articles are available to you through the New Hampshire statewide subscription to EBSCO and Newsbank.

These websites require a username and password. Please contact the library for your login information.

Magazines, Newspapers, Journal Articles and more

Read the full text articles for free from the Concord Monitor (10/2002-current) and Union Leader (1/1989-current).

Our subscription to EBSCO offers a wide range of information. You can do everything from find information for homework assignments to read the latest article in your favorite magazine!

Browse full text PDF copies of Consumer Reports by date!

Fiction

Love to read? Check out NoveList to see book reviews, get read-alike suggestions, and learn more about fiction.

Visit NoveList K-8 to find read-alikes, series lists, and recommendations for kids books!

Homework Help

Need to find magazine, journal, or newspaper articles for a homework assignment? Make the Student Research Center your first stop for finding just what you need.

Information for the youngest students can be found through the colorful Searchasaurus site.

Wow! MAS Ultra for high school students contains full text articles for 500 high school magazines and 360 reference books, 85,670 biographies, and a half-million photos.

Health

Looking for health information? Health Source contains full text for nearly 190 journals including Consumer Reports on Health and Men's Health.

Have a medical question? Consumer Health Complete is a full text database covers topics such as aging, cancer, diabetes, drugs & alcohol, fitness, nutrition & dietetics, and more.

Genealogy Research

Use HeritageQuest Online to research your family history through census, birth, and death records.

Where to Find Free eBooks

2011-08-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

eBooks and eBook devices are becoming a common sight these days.

Libraries are still building their eBook collections, so occasionally you'll wait for a while before you can read an eBook or listen to an eAudiobook through the New Hampshire Downloadable Books service.

We've compiled a list of places where you can look for free eBooks to supplement your selection through the Library.

New Hampshire Downloadable Books
On the left side of the screen there's a link for Showcase Collections -- the Classic eBooks collections contain 34,000 titles that never expire and don’t count against your library checkout limit.

Project Gutenberg has full-text public domain books. These are books that are out of copyright and available to be distributed freely.

More sources for free eBooks:

IPL eReader Resources
This is a guide written by librarians for all things eReader, including a list of eBook libraries

Unplggd: Free Books for All

Mom's Own Words: Download Free ebooks – Where to Find Free ebooks

Or if you are looking for free eAudiobooks: Librivox is a volunteer project releasing recordings of Public Domain titles.

What good sources for free eBooks have you found? We'll be happy to share them as we find more.

Online Newsstand

2011-08-17T09:40:00.009-04:00

Have you ever read half of a People Magazine article in the doctor's waiting room and wanted to finish it later? Or how about when you read an article and think of it again three months later? It may surprise many of you to know that your library card gets you easy access to many magazine and newspaper articles.

What magazines or newspapers have you been looking for? Let us know!

Adventures in owning a PC

2011-07-18T15:25:00.010-04:00

Have you ever felt like your computer suddenly started to move as slow as molasses? Did you wonder if it was your internet connection, or your internet browser, or if you just had too many programs running at the same time? When I bought my computer 4 or 5 years ago I was very pleased with the speed, especially when compared with my last computer. So my computer memory (RAM: Random Access Memory) was the last place I looked for the answer to the last six months of eye rolling while waiting for a window to open or a website to load. I blamed the cable connection.

This weekend I got cable installed at my new place and mentioned to the Cable Guy that my connection at my last place was slow, did he get a good signal here? He checked my computer and immediately suggested I get more computer memory as I only have 512 MB (megabyte) of RAM. This is the reason why doctors don't treat family. On the computers in the library we have a minimum standard of 1 GB (gigabyte) of RAM for word processing and browsing the internet, and I never thought to check my home computer for the same.

Purchasing RAM can be complicated, I soon discovered. I went right down to Staples to buy RAM, but the choices were bewildering. DDRAM, DDRAM2, DDRAM3 -- the nice sales associate I asked told me that if you put the wrong one in, it's possible to short-circuit your computer. He suggested I go back home and check my computer for what type of RAM I needed. So not only did I need to know how much RAM I need, I needed to know what type. Sigh.

Since I have a Dell computer, I finally went to Dell.com to their online chat -- they used the service tag number to look up my particular computer, told me what I needed and sold it to me online. I'm getting (2) 1 GB RAM cards for approximately $50, a reasonable price. And it will be like when my computer was new once they're installed.

Given the pitfalls of computer ownership, I thought it might be helpful to post a few links to guide you in your own adventures as a computer owner:

Wadleigh Library has a number of books about computers that you can check out

For good quality freeware to maintain your computer: http://www.filehippo.com/

For technology reviews: http://www.zdnet.com/reviews

For adding more RAM or finding out how much RAM your computer has, Microsoft has a nice tutorial: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/setup/addmemory.aspx

And, according to Consumer Reports December, 2010, 4 GB is the recommended amount of RAM for a new computer. That's 8 times faster than my computer speed right now.

Kim Gabert, Reference and Adult Services Librarian

Learn a Foreign Language

2011-06-02T17:00:00.003-04:00

BYKI Online for Libraries is one of the resources available to you when you need to learn a new language or just brush up on your high school French before you visit Paris this summer. Besides the books, cassette tapes and CDs on our library shelves you can use the BYKI Online database. Short for "Before You Know It," Byki is a rapid language learning system available for over 80 languages, including ESOL. The Byki learning method takes users through a series of simple steps to memorize words and phrases in a new language, including their meanings and proper pronounciation, in the shortest time possible. To use this database, first create a free user account, following the instructions after you click on the "Sign Up Now" button (under the "Log In" button). Byki is a powerful language learning system that uses flashcards to teach you a set of words or phrases. It is the fastest possible way to lock foreign words and phrases in your long term memory. Try out the tutorial today!

Posted by:

Susan Amann , Reference Librarian

Summer Reading

2011-05-21T11:03:00.004-04:00

My favorite time for reading is coming up soon! Of course, I guess my favorite time for reading is anytime since it is my favorite thing to do anyway. I hope you will join us here at the Wadleigh library as we launch the 4th Annual Tri-Town Book Group discussions, funded by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

The Tri-Town Book Group is a collaboration between three libraries - Milford, Mont Vernon and Wilton. Each library will host a book discussion facilitated by a scholar from the Humanities Council.

The series this year is called Yankee Crime,with three mystery novels set in New England.

The first meeting will be held in Milford at the Wadleigh Memorial Library on Tuesday June 28 at 7 pm. We will discuss Howard Frank Mosher's The Stranger in the Kingdom, facilitated by Sandra LeBeau, Adjunct Associate Professor at Colby-Sawyer College. Copies of the book are available now at all three libraries.

The second book in the series is Primary Storm by Brendan DuBois. We will discuss this book at the Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, 7 Forest Road in Wilton, NH on Tuesday July 26 at 7 pm. Maren Tirabassi, our facilitator, is a liturgical writer and poet, with thirteen books to her credit. She is the pastor of Union Congregational Church in Madbury, facilitates retreats and workshops throughout the United States, and was Portsmouth's Poet Laureate from 2001-2003. She holds Master's degrees from Harvard and Union Theological Seminary. A fan and amateur sci-fi and fantasy writer, she serves on the Humanities Council's speakers' bureau offering several programs including ″Faith and Fantastic Fiction.″

The third and final book in the series is Bellows Falls by Archer Mayor. We will discuss this book at the Daland Memorial Library 5 North Main St. in Mont Vernon. This discussion will be facilitated by William Doreski, Poet and professor of English, Keene State College; author of several books, including How to Read and Interpret Poetry.

Copies of all the novels will be available for loan from the three libraries. All are invited to attend one, two or all three of the meetings in the series. No advance registration is necessary.

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

April is Poetry Month!

2011-04-25T09:57:00.002-04:00

By a happy coincidence, I was listening to the audiobook of "Poet's Corner" compiled by John Lithgow, when I found out it was National Poetry Month. Lithgow has subtitled this "the one-and-only poetry book for the whole family." He has collected some of HIS favorite poems for us to enjoy. The wide variety of poems gives the new poetry reader a great introduction to poetry, and an old fan, such as myself, the chance to hear them read in a new way. Lithgow (you recall him from 3rd Rock from the Sun?) covers an alphabet of poets from Matthew Arnold through Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Burns, Robert Frost, Henry W. Longfellow, Ezra Pound, and on to William Butler Yeats. He begins with a tidbit of a biography and chooses one special poem. Either he or one of his Very Special Guests reads the poem, and Lithgow gives his opinion of what makes that one great. Some of the guest voices I recognized were Kathy Bates, Lynn Redgrave, Gary Sinise, and Morgan Freeman. This audio made me go home and open up my old English Literature book from college to find more. There is a display for Poetry Month by the main door. In it you'll find books whose titles were found in poetry. Consider John Gunther's Death Be Not Proud, a Memoir, coming from John Donne's "Death." No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy, is the first line of "Sailing to Byzantium" by Yeats. James Patterson has used nursery rhymes : Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, Cradle and All, Pop Goes the Weasel. Have a look at the variety of poems used in the display!

Judy Hohenadel

Japan First-Hand

2011-03-25T13:33:00.005-04:00

Ever since I had heard about the shocking news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11,2011 I had been worried about my former neighbors' son Colin who is teaching English at a Middle School in Northern Japan, according to his Mom's last Christmas card news. We were neighbors to the family when we lived in Amherst, New Hampshire. After we moved to Milford in 1998 we kept in touch sporadically, usually via annual Christmas card letter.

So I was happy to see that he is safe and sound and has written a wonderful article in this week's Cabinet describing his experiences at the moment the disastrous earthquake struck. I hope he will continue to correspond with all of us back home about his travails. You can read his article at:

http://www.cabinet.com/cabinetcabinetnews/913358-308/witness-to-catastrophe.html

Visit USA.gov's new page, Japan 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami -- U.S. Government Information. You'll find a variety of resources from across the government, including:
Updates on air quality and food safety in the United States.
Information about Potassium Iodide (KI).
Monitoring of food, mail, and cargo from Japan.
Information about evacuations for Americans in Japan.
Advisories on travel to Japan.
Information about donations and relief efforts.
Disaster preparedness resources.

Submitted by:

Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Revolutions!

2011-02-22T13:42:00.003-05:00

It seems to be quite a coincidence that the Wadleigh Memorial Library Evening Book Group is reading and discussing Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities tonight. When we developed the list of books to be read last September 2010 little did we imagine that so many countries throughout the Middle East would be convulsing in such dramatic fashion just 6 months later.

This classic story of families caught up in the throes of revolutionary fervor in 18th century France used to be a standard reading assignment for high school students of European history and it is still read by students in some schools today. Even Oprah has revisited it with her Book Club. I had read it so many years ago that I had only vague recollections of the story and the famous lines:

"It was the best of times , it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...."

It certainly wasn't an easy read, especially when I had to translate cockney dialogue to get a sense of the scenes, and sometimes the thread of the narrative got very confusing when Dickens' descriptions got so flowery and the language so archaic. And perhaps the story itself is too simplified, warning that excessive violence only perpetuates more violence. Ultimately, the violence must give way to a new and better society for all.

I must admit my favorite novels by Dickens are Great Expectations and David Copperfield, but I am glad we re-visited the Tale of Two Cities just to see how it holds up after all these years. And I did have fun viewing the 1935 film starring Ronald Coleman as the dissipated Sydney Carton who offers himself in sacrifice to the guillotine in place of aristocrat Charles Darnay for the sake of his love, Lucie Manette.

My hope is that the revolutions occurring in countries in North Africa and the Middle East will remain primarily non-violent and will result ultimately in more democratic reforms for the populace.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Publish OR Perish

2010-12-30T16:01:00.004-05:00

Have you always wanted to write but somehow couldn't find a way to get started? Has ordinary life interfered with your opportunity to put those thoughts on paper to share with the world? Has your manuscript been lying untouched for a decade while you find yourself with too many other things to do?

It is time to take an hour for yourself and join us at the library to hear self-published author Joe Smiga talk about how to bring forth the stories you have always wanted to share. On Tuesday evening, January 11 at 7 pm Joe will teach you how to develop content, get over your fear of being blocked, learn about editing and sharing your work and maybe getting published. He has written Behind the Lies, Tova: a Very Special Dog and A Cowboy's Vengeance.

http://www.joesmiga.com/

Some other helpful sources are Go Publish Yourself.Com and Publish, recommended by Internet Public Library (IPL2).

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Celebrating Janes

2010-12-15T11:06:00.003-05:00

According to a Boston Globe article in last sunday's Ideas section we are celebrating Jane Austen's birth - December 16, 1775. I just don't know what it is about Jane that attracts me to her books but I love the idea of elevating her to the status of Greatest Woman Writer of All Time. How is it that I can re-read her novels again and again and find something new? The dialogue is so witty and intelligent, the characters are so unforgettable and the lessons she teaches about human behavior ring true.

I wish I could attend the weekend gatherings in Vermont next month at the Governor's House in Hyde Park for discussions on Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion, though my all-time favorite is still Pride and Prejudice. Yes, the films are wonderful too, but viewing is a whole different experience than reading, when you have time to savor every sentence and you can conjure up in your mind the scenes and facial expressions for yourself.

For more information on local events visit the Jane Austen Society of North America.

But...my title recognizes two Janes. My other favorite Jane is a fictional character...none other than Jane Eyre, heroine of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel. It is the first real book that I read all the way through as a young adult (unless the first might have been Little Women). I mention it here because the Wadleigh Library Evening Book Group which meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month is discussing it on January 25, 2011, and we have plenty of copies at the circulation desk if you'd like to join us. If we can get through it without too much weeping and wailing about the length and archaic prose style I am hoping I can convince the group to put one of Jane Austen's classics on the reading list.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Don't Forget to Vote - November 2, 2010

2010-10-29T16:34:00.002-04:00

One way to get up to date information on elections across the nation is through Project Vote Smart. Their interactive project, VoteEasy, provides a unique view of the issues and snapshots of the candidates in your area.

Project Vote Smart
Information for voters on political leaders, their positions on issues, and campaign finance, and encourages active participation in democratic processes through voting.

If you are having trouble deciphering political television ads and campaign statements, FactCheck.org can help you sort the fact from the fiction.

FactCheck.org
Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania puts out this website to monitor the factual accuracy of statements made by and advertisements on behalf of major U.S. polictical figures.

To get an overall look at U.S. public policy, as well as international politics, the Brookings Institution presents extensive research and commentary from world-renowned experts in academia and government.

Elections – Brookings Institution
“The Brookings Institution is the nation’s oldest think tank. A private, independent, nonprofit research organization, Brookings seeks to improve the performance of American institutions, the effectiveness of government programs, and the quality of U.S. public policies. It addresses current and emerging policy challenges and offers practical recommendations for dealing with them, expressed in language that is accessible to policy makers and the general public alike.” This site has information about current affairs that are being researched. It has information about current research programs in Economics, Foreign Policy and Governmental. This also has selected articles from The Brookings Review and information about fellowships and Internships.

Making an informed decision can be difficult when there is so much information out there. By selecting websites that are authoritative, accurate, and diverse, the ipl2 hopes to make it easier for voters this election season.

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Lifelong Learning

2010-10-16T11:24:00.003-04:00

You are never to old to learn. But sometimes the price of the tuition is beyond reach. But no longer...if you have access to a computer, such as we have at the Wadleigh Memorial Library, Goodwill Community Foundation International provides Free Online Learning in a variety of subjects such as money management, math, computer programs, etc. using online tutorials and how-to videos so you can learn at your own pace.

Also, with your library card you can download audiobooks and ebooks to your ereader using the link to Overdrive from our website and get access to more than one million books in the public domain through the Internet Archive Open Library site.

More than one million digital versions of older books are now available for free download in a variety of formats. Here's what available now:

Over 70,000 current digital books to those with a library card from many of the over 11,000 libraries that subscribe to the OverDrive service.
Genealogical books from the Boston Public Library.
How-to and technical book collection via the Internet Archive.
Marine life reference materials from the Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Spanish texts from Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala.

Sounds exciting, doesn't it? See this Wall St. Journal article for more information.

Posted by:

Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

writing the novel... Live!

2010-10-13T11:19:00.004-04:00

A unique event is taking place in Seattle this week. A group of 36 novelists are attempting to write a novel together... in one week... LIVE. That's right, in front of an audience!

Some of the more well-known names include YA authors Suzanne Selfors and Deb Caletti, and adult authors Julia Quinn, Elizabeth George, Garth Stein, and Susan Wiggs. Each author writes one chapter; artist David Lasky has chosen to illustrate his. Sometimes the authors ask the audience for suggestions, other times they call fellow authors for help. If you've ever wondered about the process of writing a novel, here's your chance to see it!

Visit The Novel! Live! website to check out the chapters that have already been written and see video footage of the writing process.

It's the Law!

2010-09-29T13:29:00.003-04:00

Lately we have had a few folks ask us if we have New Hampshire law books in our library. The answer is: Yes! We have the complete set of New Hampshire Revised Statues Annotated on our Reference shelves under the spine label number 348.742
This set of books was developed in the mid-1950s and has been kept updated ever since--it brings together NH laws organized by Titles and Chapters for various topics. For instance, Public Libraries are governed by Title 15 (Education and Libraries) Chapter 202-A. Part 202-A:2 defines what a "Public Library" is and that it "provides regular and currently useful library service to the public without charge."
Numbers following a colon break down a Chapter into parts that make it easier to read. There is also a Table of Contents at the beginning of each volume and a paper supplement inserted in the back that update changes to that volume until a new hardcover book is published. At the end of the set are index paperback books so a person can find laws relating to a specific subject. Also, the RSAs, as they are commonly called, provide annotations at the end of chapters with cross references to other parts of this set of books, and references to other law books and journals.
Another very useful part of this set is the first volume which contains the complete Constitutions of the United States and of New Hampshire with all changes and how they came about over the years.

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

Genealogy Resources At Your Library

2010-09-09T19:50:00.006-04:00

Don't miss the upcoming program on Researching Your Ancestors on the Internet here at the Wadleigh library on Wednesday evening, September 29 at 6:30 pm. Professional researcher Laura Prescott will talk about the pleasures and pitfalls of doing genealogy research online as we explore some of the most popular, as well as some of the hidden websites for genealogy and family history.

The Wadleigh library subscribes to several genealogy databases that you can access from your home computer using your library barcode number.

HeritageQuest Online
With over 25,000 books, the entire Federal Census, PERSI (Periodical Source Index), and other expanding collections, HeritageQuest Online provides access to one of the largest collections of genealogy material in the country. This collection of research materials helps in tracing family history and studying American culture.

America's Genealogy Bank. published by NewsBank, Inc.
Search and browse millions of historical genealogies, obituaries, marriage and birth announcements and more beginning in 1652. It includes access to full-text issues of the local Farmer's Cabinet from 1802-1879.

These other databases may be accessed using the computers in the library.

AmericanAncestors.org
The library has an Institutional Membership to the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Their new website can be searched from a library computer.
AmericanAncestors.org contains all of the Society's New England and New York content, features, articles, and resources, as well as weekly updates and databases in a variety of regional and ethnic specialties, such as sources for mid-Atlantic, Irish, and African-American research.
The Society's quarterly member magazine was re-branded American Ancestors: New England, New York and Beyond. American Ancestors Journal is the annual supplement.

Ancestry Library Edition
Provides access to more than 1 billion names, more than 3,000 databases, primary source document images and a variety of genealogical research features including 450 million census records from the U.S. Federal Census between 1790 and 1930. In addition, Ancestry Library Edition includes immigration, vital, military, court, church and ethnic records; city directories; genealogical societies; Social Security Death Index; Periodical Source Index; family history library and much more.

For more information and to sign up for this free program call the library at 673-2408 or sign up on the online library calendar.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Vermont Adventures

2010-08-14T11:00:00.004-04:00

Last week, my husband & I followed a whim of mine from reading an excellent article in the May 2010 issue of Smithsonian magazine entitled Road Taken about following Vermont State Highway 100, a 216 mile North/South scenic route through the state. Although we didn't have time to drive the entire road, we did follow it from Montpelier to Route 9 in Wilmington. Along the way we visited Moss Glen Falls, a couple of country fairs & farmers' markets and, of course, The Vermont Country Store. Also, we decided to stop in at the homestead of our 30th President Calvin Coolidge in Plymouth Notch and, to our surprise, we arrived just as they were about to cut the ribbon dedicating the new President Calvin Coolidge Museum & Education Center. This is a beautiful new building which includes museum artifacts from the life & presidency of Calvin Coolidge, as well as, Vermont history, agriculture, industry & arts. This is in addition to the historical village which includes more than a dozen buildings including of course the Coolidge homestead. There were also many artisans demonstrating their skills, a restaurant & operating cheese factory, rides in a wagon pulled by a pair of beautiful draft horses, and much more. This is a worthwhile stop for anyone driving down this lovely Vermont highway.

Diana, Reference

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

2010-08-07T09:39:00.005-04:00

We got a wonderful introduction to Canada during the televised Winter 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, but there is nothing like visiting in person. I'd like to share a bit of my adventures from my summer trip to Victoria, British Columbia, at the tip of Vancouver Island. I had traveled there in 2001 with my husband, but that was for a business trip in January. Despite being the dead of winter, to my amazement there were flowers in bloom. So it was a great pleasure to return in summer to see everything in full bloom and to escape the heat of New Hampshire for cool, sunny days and long evenings walking along the beautiful harbor.

Our adventure began with a stay with friends outside Seattle, on Camano Island, with a view of the Cascades and Mount Baker in the distance. We took a ferry from Anacortes, Washington winding its way through the San Juan Islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Sidney, British Columbia. After a quick trip through customs and a short walk to the public bus stop we took the express to downtown Victoria. Our hotel was the famed Empress, named for Queen Victoriaof England and Empress of India, built in 1908. After a sumptuous High Tea in the Empress Room (which was included in our package deal) we wandered up and down the side streets window-shopping. The next day started with breakfast in the dining room (also included in our package) and then off to the local bus stop for a trip to the famed Butchart Gardens, featuring a sunken garden of flowers replacing an old quarry used to provide crushed stone for a cement factory owned by the Butchart family. The sun was hot but the air was cool and dry...what a difference from the sweltering humidity back home.
The next day we were planning to go to the Victoria Government Parliament building, where we had read in the local paper that the best-kept secret for luncheon dining was the cafeteria which was open to the public. Unfortunately for us it is open only on weekdays. We did not have time to visit the Royal British Columbia Museum. It was such nice weather we opted to visit the open-air markets set up along the Inner Harbour. After lunch on the veranda of the Empress hotel we caught the bus back to Sidney to catch the late ferry for a restful and relaxing return to Camano Island.

I returned to the United State with wonderful memories of British columbia - not only of the natural beauty of the mountains, waterviews and charming city but the friendly, helpful and very polite Canadians. Several men gave up their seats on the crowded bus ride and everyone cheerfully offered directions and advice on our travel plans. I look forward to a return trip but I'll venture closer to home. After all, Quebec shares a border with New Hampshire.

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Spotlight on Technology

2010-06-30T11:43:00.007-04:00

"Auto Repair Reference Center"

If you like working on your own vehicles but can never find the right manuals, this resource is for you. Auto Repair Reference Center is an online database the Wadleigh Library subscribes to for our patrons.

Auto Repair Reference Center provides extensive information on almost every make of car, truck and van, foreign or domestic and built from 1945 to 2009. For each vehicle the database provides repair procedures, service bulletins and recalls, wiring diagrams, labor, specifications, and maintenance intervals. There are additional tabs of information on troubleshooting, Auto IQ, and care and repair tips. All this information can be viewed online or printed out to take with you to the garage!! To the right is an example of the diagrams included.

The Auto Repair Reference Center database can be accessed from home or from the library using a personal computer. Logon to the Wadleigh Library website and click on the online resources tab, click on Automotive Repair, click on the Auto Repair Reference Center icon, put in your library barcode and your pin!

Each month we are going to spotlight one of the many electronic resources available in the Wadleigh Library. Many patrons don't realize we provide numerous supplemental resources that are not in book format. We hope you find this information helpful and as always we are here to assist you with these resources.

Respectfully submitted,

Lucinda "Cindy" Mazza

Reference & Adult Services Librarian

New (old) Movies

2010-06-28T11:57:00.004-04:00

Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen

Have you ever seen Rupert Grint (Harry Potter's best buddy) in another movie? Ever seen Vin Diesel with hair?

These were two of the actors I viewed in the movies I watched after learning of them in this book. Grint was in "Driving Lessons" as an innocent teenager who is asked to help an elderly lady around the house. She "kidnaps" him and they have a great time in England and Scotland.

Diesel played the part of a Mafia underling in "Find Me Guilty." In an actual trial in New York a few years ago, many men were tried together for multiple crimes. This was the story of Diesel's character, who, though he wasn't the brightest man, acted as his own lawyer and did fairly well!

Posted By:Judy Hohenadel

3rd Annual Tri-Town Book Group

2010-06-16T19:40:00.006-04:00

Once again the libraries of Milford, Mont Vernon and Wilton join together to present the Tri-Town Book Group series of book discussions. This year the series topic is Contemporary New England Voices, funded by the New Hampshire Humanities Council, which features authors who have contributed modern stories to the long literary tradition of New England.

On June 22 at 7 pm at the Wadleigh Memorial Library in Milford the first selection in the series is A Brother’s Blood by Michael C. White. The discussion is facilitated by NHHC scholar Holly Perrault, teacher of Women’s studies at the University of New Hampshire.

On July 21 at 7 pm at the Daland Memorial Library the group will discuss The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve. The talk is facilitated by Dr. Kathleen Cain, professor at Merrimack College.

On August 18 at 7 pm the third and final discussion in the series will take place at the Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library in Wilton. The group will discuss Park City: Collected Stories by Ann Beattie, led by Suzanne Brown, Visiting Assistant Professor at Dartmouth College.

Copies of each book will be available for loan at all the libraries and all meetings are free and open to the public.

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

The Trouble With Oil

2010-06-11T16:22:00.002-04:00

There are many concerns about oil as an energy resource that have been discussed by authors in recent years. Dependency on the petroleum industry is one issue that is covered by The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience by Rob Hopkins and The Tyranny of Oil: the World's Most Powerful Industry--and What We Must Do to Stop It by Antonia Juhasz. We have a couple of books about the Exxon Valdez disaster such as Out of the Channel: the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound by John Keeble. Crude World: the Violent Twilight of Oil by Peter Maass deals with many aspects of the political & economic problems of harvesting & using oil on our fragile planet. These are just a few books with more soon to come to help us begin to learn how to avoid the present Gulf Coast disaster while still providing power for our homes and automobiles.

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

A Bit of New Hampshire History

2010-05-21T14:42:00.007-04:00

This past month I had been reading a couple of books for two separate book clubs and was struck by how they related to one another, in subject matter and time period - though one was fiction and the other, non-fiction.

The first title, Look to the Mountain by LeGrand Cannon, was an old (1942) novel about the early settlers of New Hampshire. When I moved here from New Jersey in 1990 a friend said "If you are moving to New Hampshire you should read this book" and she lent me her copy. I did read it then and flavor of the pioneers' struggle to carve a subsistence despite tremendous challenges stayed with me. When I heard that Amherst was celebrating its 250th anniversary I suggested to my group that it was appropriate for us to read this book to appreciate a bit of the history of our locale.

In the story, 18 year- old Whit Livingston is determined set out for the North country and look for land to settle and build a life for himself and his love Melissa, the 16 year-old tavern-keeper's daughter. They see no future for themselves in Kettleford (perhaps present-dayMerrimack) besides drudgery and slavish burdens of responsibilities to their ne'er do well parents. Whit has heard there is land available for settlers who promise to work hard and homestead the land and produce a crop after 3 years, at which time the Proprietors will give him the 100 acres and a cow for free. And what a series of adventures they encounter, from near drowning in the Merrimack when their canoe overturns, to black-fly and mosquito infestations as they try to smoke bugs out of their cabin, back-breaking cutting, clearing, and sawing tall trees and digging out boulders all the while enduring rentless cold and failed crops, and fear of French and Indians who are battling British soldiers.

After reading this fascinating story our book group decided to visit Monson, the original settlment of Milford, which has been saved from development and is now protected by the Society for the Protection of new Hampshire Forests. The 70 acre area has beautiful fields, forests and a garden dedicated to the memory of Geri Dickerman whose family donated adjacent land and whose husband Russ continues to maintain the property for the enjoyment of the people of Milford and Hollis and succeeding generations.

The other title I mentioned reading was Empires at War: the French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America, 1759 - 1763 by William Fowler. The author was speaking at the Amherst Town Library in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the town. Not an easy read compared to the novel, but interesting in that it provided the context for the wide-ranging consequences of the imperial colonial conquests between the two great European powers of Britain and France and their race for world dominance.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

2010-05-01T11:03:00.003-04:00

Major Pettigrew ( don't call him Mister) is a retired army major who had been born in Lahore when his father had served with the British army during the partition of Pakistan and India, but has led a quiet, very respectable life in the small coastal town of Edgecombe St. Mary and is considered to be one of the elders of the village. He is accustomed to his upper-class status at the country club as an eligible but somewhat lonely widower. Upon hearing the news of his brother's sudden death from a heart attack, he is shocked and saddened, but he also is thinking that the very valuable Churchill hunting rifle, one of a pair which his father bequeathed to each son, must now be returned to him so the rifles could remain as a set to be passed down to his own heirs.
He and Mrs. Ali, the local shopkeeper, develop a friendship as they share their mutual losses and soon discover their shared interests in literature, especially Kipling and his poetry. Mrs. Ali had been born in Cambridge, though she is of Pakistani descent, and after her husband dies, is destined to live under the strict supervision of her husband's conservative family.
I enjoyed every minute spent reading this wonderful novel of two unlikely characters who struggle to find romance despite their very different families and social backgrounds. The characters are so real to me, and I must admit, that good character development is a quality that I admire in a writer. It is hard to believe that this is Simonson's first novel. I hope Major Pettigrew returns in a sequel. I want to know how they sustain their relationship, or how things turn out for the Major's yuppie, London-banker son and his American girlfriend, or what will happen to Mrs. Ali's grand-nephew George and his young Pakistani- born parents.

I look forward eagerly to more from Helen Simonson.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

National Library Week, April 11-17

2010-04-11T15:48:00.002-04:00

Help us celebrate National Library Week!

All week long you are invited to Wash Away Your Fines by donating toiletries and household soaps and detergents, and paper goods, in place of any fines you may have accrued. These items will be donated to Bridges, Milford's Domestic & Sexual Violence Support Center. These donations are in lieu of payment for fines only, and cannot be used for replacement costs for lost or damaged materials.

On Wednesday April 14 we honor our patrons with Patron Appreciation Day. Stop by anytime from 9:30 am to 8:30 pm for free coffee and goodies, courtesy of Panera Bread.

From 3 pm to 5 pm come and Dance Dance Off Your Fines (and other games). Challenge teen librarian Katie to a Dance Dance Revolution duel, and if you beat her your fines will be deleted!

Even if you don't have fines, come around for lots of fun and games - bring your DS, PSP, a deck of cards, or just yourself to play video games on our brand new Wii or the original wireless games (read: board games) with friends.

Don't forget to stop by the on-going Book Sale on the ground-level area. Special sale this -week- only, fill a bag with books for only $3.00.

Wind up the week at The Acoustic Cafe Saturday April 17

For the close of our 10th season, please help us welcome Random Acts of Harmony--a trio featuring traditional and contemporary folk tunes sung in three part harmony with acoustic guitar, 5-string banjo and stand-up bass.

The Acoustic Cafe series is very generously sponsored by the Friends & Trustees of the Wadleigh Library. This program is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be available and all donations will benefit the Library.

Doors open @ 7pm; performance begins at 7:30pm.

Hope to see you!

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Title Trends: The Girl Who...

2010-04-07T15:52:00.002-04:00

Stieg Larsson's books are wildly popular. Published posthumously, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was originally titled Men Who Hate Women in Larsson's native Swedish, and it won the Glass Key Award for best Nordic crime novel. The second book in Larsson's trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire, won the Best Swedish Crime Novel Award. Both have made it onto the New York Times bestseller list. The third book, Larsson's last complete manuscript, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, is due to come out May 25.

So what's with all the new books with copycat titles?

Heidi Durrow's The Girl Who Fell From the Sky came out in January, Mick Cochrane's The Girl Who Threw Butterflies came out in February, and Sarah Addison Allen's The Girl Who Chased the Moon came out in March. Last year saw the publication of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson.

Maybe they are all riding on the popularity of Larsson's books. Or maybe, Larsson took a tip from one of my favorite authors: Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was published way back in 1999!

Spring is here!

2010-03-19T14:55:00.007-04:00

First Day of Spring
March Into Spring
This theme page features a collection of classroom “teaching resources for special events in March.” It includes lesson plans, classroom activities, online projects, and book reviews for spring, Women’s History Month, nutrition, art and music, and the Iditarod sled dog races. From Education World.

Journey NorthJourney North tracks the springtime migration of many different species by connecting students across North America with the Internet. Students “share their own field observations with classrooms across the Hemisphere. In addition, students are linked with scientists who provide their expertise directly to the classroom. Several migrations are tracked by satellites, providing live coverage of individual animals as they migrate.” Teacher discussion areas are also included.

Daylight Savings
Saving Time, Saving Energy: Daylight Saving Time, Its History and Why We Use It
Explains why we adjust our clocks one hour forward in the spring and back in the fall (“spring forward, fall back”). Also find an explanation of resultant energy savings and the history of daylight-saving time. It includes trivia about time and links to related sites. From the California Energy Commission.

International Women’s Day
The UN Cyberschoolbus: International Women’s Day
“Every year March 8th is celebrated around the world as International Women’s Day.” This site features background and lesson materials “with a focus on women, peace and politics.”

Aurora: The International Women’s Day website
This site contains material about the celebration of this March 8 day that “has been observed since the early 1900’s” and is an official holiday in several countries. It features a brief history of the holiday, a calendar of IWD events throughout the world and more.

Palm Sunday
The Days of the Holy Week
This site describes the history behind important religious days occurring in the week prior to Easter (the last week of Lent): Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Also includes details about how these days are currently observed.

Passover
Passover 2010 – Pesach – Jewish Holidays
Resources for celebrating this spring Jewish holiday also known as Pesach. Features background about why Passover is celebrated, suggestions for holiday preparations (such as house cleaning), a description of the symbolic foods displayed on the Seder plate, and recipes for Passover foods such as horseradish, borscht, matzoh balls, and sponge cake. Also includes material for children. Some material available in several languages. From Chabad.org.

The March 2010 issue of The Link: The Official Newsletter of ipl2 was created by the following students in Dr. Abels’ Winter 2010 Info 740 Digital Reference Service course at the iSchool at Drexel: Amber Quisenberry, David Howe, Kathleen Rabadeau. Michael Galloway served as advisor for the newsletter team.

Big Read 2010 in March

2010-02-20T10:56:00.006-05:00

By now I hope you have noticed that our library will be participating in the Big Read - a statewide program designed to promote reading which focuses on one book - an American classic.This year's selection is To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee's classic coming -of-age novel of a young girl named Scout Finch growing up in the Deep South in the 1930's. A black man is accused of raping a white girl and Scout's father is assigned to defend him at trial.

Shortly after its publication in 1960 it was widely praised, received a Pulitzer prize and was made into a film in 1962, starring Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar for his performance as the attorney and father, Atticus Finch.
Soon it was adopted as high school curricula throughout the United States in the sixties. In the 70's and '80's some areas protested the inclusion of the title in high schools, either because of its use of racial slurs and portrayal of blacks as weak and defenseless and a justification of the status quo in race relations, or because it portrays Southern white society too harshly.

We have a large number of copies of the book, with reading guides, bookmarks and audio introductions which are available for loan with a list of our programs designed to celebrate the Big Read:

March 11, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.: The Morning Book Group will discuss To Kill a Mockingbird.
March 11, 12 p.m.-2 p.m.: Southern Cooking Community Potluck Luncheon
March 14, 4:30 p.m.: Film Showing of To Kill a Mockingird (Wilton Town Theatre)
March 23, 7 p.m.-8 p.m.: Milford Attorney Jane Holly-Weintraub will talk on The Role of the Defense Attorney in American Society.
March 25, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.: UNH professor J. William Harris will discuss Deep Souths: Delta, Piedmont and Sea Isles Society in the Age of Segregation.
March 30, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.: Book Discussion led by NH Humanities Scholar Jennifer Lee

Check out BigReadNH.org to learn about programs throughout the State of New Hampshire. The Big Read is presented in cooperation with the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.

For more information and to register for these events call the library at 673-2408, email refdesk@wadleighlibrary.org or sign up online at http://www.wadleighlibrary.org/.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Joe Hill book signing!

2010-02-09T11:12:00.002-05:00

Joe Hill, author of the novel Heart-Shaped Box and the upcoming Horns, the short story collection 20th Century Ghosts, and the comic book series Locke & Key, is coming to Milford! He will be at the Toadstool Bookshop on Friday, February 19 at 7:00 p.m. For more details visit the Toadstool's website.

Hurricane Katrina

2010-01-31T13:27:00.002-05:00

Recently, the library added a new DVD to the collection about Hurricane Katrina and I was reminded that in the wake of more recent natural disasters, it is easy to forget that there are many places in our country and the world that continue to struggle with the aftermath of other disasters such as occured in the New Orleans area in 2005. If you search the library's catalog for the subject Hurricane Katrina, you will find a number of books, fiction & non-fiction, audiobooks, DVDs and even music about this terrible tragedy. The DVDs, in particular, cover a range of perspectives about Hurricane Katrina. For instance, Trouble the Water assesses the response of government agencies and organizations to the victims of flooding from the hurricane. Hurricane on the Bayou focuses on the environmental damage to that region. Dark Water Rising: the Truth about Hurricane Katrina Animal Rescues explores the aspect of saving pets & livestock from the flood waters. Finally, Killer Hurricane: Anatomy of Katrina looks at the meteorological aspects of that natural disaster. Of course, there are many books here at Wadleigh and in the other libraries in our consortium that can help us understand what happened and how we can help those folks who still have not recovered from that storm.

Diana, Reference Desk

Preserving Memories: Maintaining Family Photographs and Memorabilia

2010-01-29T13:13:00.007-05:00

Are those family photographs yellowing in their old albums? Have family documents been handed down to you from your ancestors, entrusting you with the responsibility for their care and preservation?

On Tuesday February 16 at 7 pm. professional archivist Melissa Mannon will teach you some of the "trade secrets" of archivists and other preservation experts on how to make sure your family letters don't crumble to dust and what to do with special family photographs. Ms. Mannon, owner of ArchivesInfo, has assisted people in caring for their historical materials and personal records for fifteen years. At previous programs people have shared their stories about their treasured possessions in an atmosphere similar to Antiques Roadshow.

Be sure to bring some of your personal papers, photographs or other historical items for discussion and a free preservation assessment.

Participation is limited so sign up today.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Dates to Remember

2010-01-17T14:40:00.006-05:00

Here are some dates and events to remember in January as we usher in the new decade 2010.

January 2010
Happy New Year! January 1st
The beginning of the year is, for many people, a fresh start. Here are some sites to help you along with any of those resolutions.
Five a Day the Color Way
This site encourages the reader to eat ‘five a day’ fruits and vegetables. Look for an explanation of the health benefits, recipes, and information on nutrition and nutrition research all about fruits and vegetables.
Healthier US.gov
Comprehensive information on preventing disease, maintaining a healthy diet, exercise, and much more!
Eat well, live well
“Providing up-to-date, reliable food and nutrition information to students, the general public, health professionals and kids. Includes general info, monthly newsletter, on-line surveys and resources, dietary assessment, research bibliography, etc.”
American Heart Association
Everything you need to know about keeping your heart healthy – information for patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and researchers.
National Science Fiction Day – January 2nd
On Isaac Asimov’s birthday celebrate the genius’s works of science fiction by indulging in a few imaginative works. Enjoy these resources to find new worlds, the outer reaches of space, and everything beyond!
The SF Site: The Home Page for Science Fiction and Fantasy
“The world of science fiction and fantasy, focusing on books and literature, but with some coverage of film and television as well. Includes numerous book reviews and author biographies and bibliographies.” This site is great for diving into the world of science fiction.
Isaac Asimov Home Page
“A site devoted to this popular science fiction writer. Includes lists of his novels, short fiction, and essays, plus links to reviews, booksellers, and publishers. Also discusses the 2004 movie “I, Robot” and how it compares to the collection of short stories by Asimov on which it was based.”
Hour 25
“The long running radio show dedicated to science fiction and fantasy is now available on the Internet via streaming MP3. Contains the current show (uploaded every Friday) plus archives of past shows.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – January 18
Celebrate the life of America’s most prominent civil rights leader.
The Life of Martin Luther King Jr.
This site offers the life story of Martin Luther King Jr in graphic novel form. from his early days as the son of sharecropper to the now-famous bus boycott in Montgomery to the Birmingham jail-cell. Easy to read and understand this is a wonderful history site for kids and teens, but also great refresher for anyone wanting to re-read about the life of one of this country’s greatest men.
The Martin Luther King Jr Papers Project
“The King Papers Project is a major research effort to assemble and disseminate historical information concerning Martin Luther King, Jr. and the social movements in which he participated.” This site features papers, speeches, sermons, a biography, an excerpt from his autobiography, a chronology, and articles. Includes related links. From Stanford University.
Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service
“The King Day of Service is a way to transform Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings into community service that helps solve social problems.” Includes a tool for finding an MLK Day service project in your area, plus project tips, PR resources, logos, reading lists, and more. From the Corporation for National & Community Service, “a federal agency that gives more than a million Americans opportunities to improve communities through service.”
Winnie the Pooh Day – January 18th
Have you ever wondered how Winnie the Pooh got his name? There really was a bear named Winnie (named after Winnipeg, Canada). This particular bear was the favorite of A.A. Milne’s son Christopher Robin, who named his own teddy bear Winnie the Pooh after him. Celebrate the day with these sites about A.A. Milne, Christopher Robin and the 100-Acre Wood (make sure to remember the honey!)
Christopher Robin’s Winnie-the-Pooh Character Guide
“A great educational resource featuring information and images on all the characters from the Hundred Acre Wood, plus teacher resources, an interactive story, and lots more!”
A.A. Milne
A. A. Milne wrote the books about Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Learn about the author’s life on this site.
The Adventures of the Real Winnie-the-Pooh
This site is from the New York Public Library, where the real-life stuffed animals that inspired A.A. Milne’s classic children’s stories are kept on display. Read about the origins of the characters Eeyore, Piglet, Kanga, and Edward Bear and how they ended up in New York City.
Bloody Sunday, Northern Ireland – January 30
On January 30, 1972, during a civil rights march in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, 27 protesters were shot by British soldiers. Learn more about modern Irish history.
Frontline: Behind the Mask – The IRA & Sinn Fein
This is the companion website to the PBS Frontline documentary of the same name, offering an account of the history of the Irish Republican Army and its struggle against British rule in Northern Ireland. It includes interviews with people from both sides of the conflict, a chronology of the IRA, and readings and special reports about the Northern Irish “Troubles”.
Hidden Truths: Bloody Sunday 1972
An exhibit of 16 photographs of Bloody Sunday, when British Army soldiers shot and killed 13 civil rights demonstrators in Derry, Ireland, on January 30, 1972. “Some of the later images are particularly graphic. Discretion is advised.” Includes an essay, a glossary, and related sites. From the California Museum of Photography, University of California, Riverside.
The Search for Peace
“This is BBC News Online’s in-depth guide to the causes of the conflict in Northern Ireland.” Features profiles of political parties and paramilitary groups (such as the Irish Republican Army and Sinn Fein), people (such as Gerry Adams), and events (such as Bloody Sunday and various ceasefires and agreements). Also explores themes such as prison protest and marching and parades. Note: Audio and video clips are not functioning.

Information reprinted from IPL.org, 2010.
Posted by:Susan Amann, reference Librarian

THe Big Read is coming!

2009-12-20T14:15:00.003-05:00

We are happy to announce that the Wadleigh Memorial Library will be participating in the NEA Big Read 2010 again. This year we are aligning with more than 80 public and school libraries all across New Hampshire and 10 bookstores across the state to the promote reading and discussion of Harper Lee's classic "To Kill A Mockingbird". The project is coordinated by the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library. This National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) is an initiative designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents the Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

In the past we have participated with area libraries to promote The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan and last year we featured The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I am looking forward to reading this year's book again. It had always been a favorite of mine. I read it a few years ago for a Mother-Daughter book group and I was surprised at how well the book held up after all these years. That reading led to my fascination with the connection between Harper Lee and her long-time childhood friendship and literary association with Truman Capote, who was the basis for the character Dill in her novel. So then, I had to re-read In Cold Blood and see the Capote film and read the Capote biography, and then read Mockingbird: a Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles Shields... an so on and so on....

We'll keep you posted on events planned for the months of March and April in celebration of the Big Read. We'll have lots of copies of the book available in the New Year. If you've never read it .. you are in for a treat, and if you read it in high school, then read it again now! You'll be surprised at how much you may have forgotten. Then again, it will be good re-examine that period of our history and think of how past racism has echoes for today. We look forward to some great discussions.

Posted by:
Susan Amann , Reference Librarian

A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

2009-12-01T19:34:00.005-05:00

I am so glad I read the Boston Globe review of this book a few weeks ago and was able to get a hold of a copy before leaving for my holiday trip. I spent every spare moment reading it. No...it is not riverting in a way a good mystery can be... but it resonates with any one who has been a parent and has tried to shield his child from harm. In fact, the characters are so life-like I feel that I have met them before and wish I could find out what comes next in the story.

Pete Dizinoff is a successful internist practicing medicine and living in suburban northern New Jersey (where I come from) and is the father of Alex, a long-awaited and much loved and cossetted son. Pete's best friend and fellow doctor (ob-gyn) Joe lives in the same town, went to the same medical school and has four children of his own. When Joe's oldest daughter Laura was seventeen she was charged with killing her newborn baby and leaving it in a trash can. The story is told in flashbacks; we never know the particulars of what really happened until much later, but the problem for Pete arises when long-lost 30 year old Laura returns to her hometown and meets 20 year old Alex and starts an affair with him.

What lengths will a father go to protect his son's future? Do today's helicopter parents have any clue about when to let their children go and help them to learn from their mistakes. What happens when we impose our own dreams and plans upon kids who choose not to play out their assigned parts?

A not-so-uncommon tragedy, and a great choice for book club discussions.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

November is National American Indian Heritage Month

2009-11-17T18:38:00.006-05:00

It would be interesting to view our early history and the idea of the first Thanksgiving from the perspective of the Native American. PBS and American Experience presents that viewpoint in the documentary We Shall Remain first aired last April and now available on DVD.

"A groundbreaking mini-series and provocative multi-media project that establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. Five 90-minute documentaries spanning three hundred years tell the story of pivotal moments in U.S. history from the Native American perspective"--Series web site.

National American Indian Heritage Month
"To promote awareness of and appreciation for the history and culture of American Indians and Alaska Natives during National American Indian Heritage Month," this National Park Service site presents monuments, buildings, and other places associated with the prehistory and history of Native Americans. Includes lesson plans and travel itineraries.

National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI)
This portion of the Smithsonian Institution located in New York and Washington, D.C., "is the first national museum dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans." The site features numerous online exhibitions on subjects such as ancient Mexican art, basketry, and works of contemporary artists. Also includes classroom materials and information about the collection and the NMAI outreach and education programs.

Thanksgiving Recipes From America's Past
Find recipes for mince pie (1832), chestnut stuffing (1891), roast turkey with truffle gravy (1905), and a variety of pies and other holiday dishes. Recipes are accompanied by vintage illustrations. From the Pilgrim Hall Museum (Plymouth, Massachusetts).

Copyright 2009 Librarians' Internet Index, LII.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger Syndrome

2009-11-01T14:59:00.006-05:00

If you are looking for the latest information on the increase in the occurrence of autism and Asperger disorder among the national population the National Institutes of Health has a new page of links with up-to-the-minute information of these topics.

I have just finished reading a memoir, Look Me In The Eye by John Elder Robison who writes about his struggles with Asperger disorder throughout his life and how he did not learn about why he was so different from other people until he was finally diagnosed with the condition in his forties. He happens to be the brother of Augusten Burroughs, whose memoir Running With Scissors, about growing up in a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic father and a mentally-ill mother, was a best-seller a few years ago. Robison's fascinating account, along with the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, gives insight into the spectrum of disorders called autism, and really opens one's eyes to another's world view.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Harriet Wilson 150th Anniversary Celebration

2009-10-29T18:15:00.005-04:00

PRESS RELEASE

WordWeaver
31 Abbot Hill Acres, Wilton, New Hampshire 03086
Phone: (603) 654-2186 – Cell: (603) 721-9710
Fax: (603) 654-7345 – E-mail: sbmillett@tds.net

Milford, NH-- Saturday, November 14, will be a day of town-wide celebration as the Harriet Wilson Project kicks off the 150th anniversary of the publication of Harriet Wilson’s novel, Our Nig; or Sketches in the Life of a Free Black.
Starting at 11:30 a.m. and leaving from the Milford Oval, there will be an educational guided bus tour of Wilson’s hometown including the church, the Blanchard residence and an examination of the 1800s community involvement and abolitionist influence that shaped Wilson’s outlook.
At 2 p.m., The Project will throw open the doors of the Milford Town Hall for the public to hear an important Keynote Address by noted international human rights activist, and actress, Victoria Rowell, whose qualifications to address childhood abuse issues are impressive. She has received many major awards for her ongoing efforts with foster care and adoption issues, as well as her work on human rights and world peace. Recently, Rowell received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the University of Southern Maine and Wheelock College in Boston.
Having spent eighteen years in foster care, Rowell became a passionate voice for children like herself – and not unlike Harriet Wilson. In 1990, she founded the Rowell Foster Children's Positive Plan (RFCPP), which enriches foster children through artistic and athletic expression. In addition to facilitating job opportunities with Viacom television productions, she assisted youths in getting jobs with other companies, including BMG and Oxygen. For more information about her charity, visit www.rowellfosterchildren.org.
Rowell is an actress (appearing on the Cosby Show, The Young and the Restless, Eve’s Bayou, Distinguished Gentlemen, One Red Rose, Home of the Brave) but more importantly, an advocate, mother and now a New York Times Bestselling author recognized for her contributions in educating and supporting foster children. Victoria Rowell is currently on a national book tour for the release of her new memoir, “The Women Who Raised Me,” published by William Morrow/An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The memoir received The African American Literary Award and two NAACP Image Award nominations in the literary category, and she walked away with a statuette for Outstanding Literary Work/Debut Author.
Music will be provided by Julia Leonard and Maine’s Rock My Soul Gospel Choir. “Unless you're from the South or attend a church with a bangin' choir, you're not likely to hear bona fide gospel tunes sung the way Rock My Soul performs them." Jon Nolan, The Wire.
Harriet Wilson was the first African American woman to publish a largely auto-biographical novel forever changing the literary landscape and American and world history. Born in Milford, New Hampshire, Wilson’s journey would take her to Boston where she published her work, managed a boarding house in the South End, marketed and sold her hair products, “Mrs. Wilson’s Hair Regenerator”, lectured on the rights of children, and achieved some fame as a spiritualist healer.
For more information about this event, or events that follow, call 617-287-5880 or 603-494-4475.

P.S. Wadleigh Library has copies of Harriet Wilson's book in the New Hampshire History Room.

Diana, Reference Desk

Sherlock Holmes Was Wrong

2009-10-09T13:50:00.004-04:00

To prepare for our visit from Associate Professor James Krasner at the library on Tuesday October 20, 2009 at 7 pm our Evening Book Group decided to read The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to get some background information on the topic. Professor Krasner's talk, entitled Doctor Sherlock Holmes will focus on the relationship between medicine and mystery. The popular television show "House" is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. Since I am a great fan of the show and had seen plenty of Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone and tv productions of the stories, I thought it was time to finally read one.

Doyle was himself a doctor and he modeled Holmes on his medical professor Dr. Joseph Bell. Holmes' detection is based on medical diagnostics, and mystery-writing became popular just as modern medicine was becoming established.

After reading the famous Hound of the Baskervilles story I came across a book intriguingly entitled Sherlock Holmes Was Wrong by Pierre Bayard and I knew I had to investigate it. It is a re-examination of the tale by looking at the facts and events from a different perspective by studying information in the text. Bayard develops a good case for declaring that the killer is not at all who Holmes says he is. The Hound story was written after Doyle had tried to kill off his most famous character because he wanted to spend more time writing on other subjects. Readers' reactions to the death of Sherlock Holmes were violent. Furious readers wrote letters of protest to the newspapers and the Strand magazine, to members of Parliament and even the Prince of Wales. His own mother begged him not to put Holmes to death.

So if he was forced to bring him back, was Doyle actually subconsciously undermining his hero in the new story in which Bayard points out so many errors of judgment and mistakes? Interesting idea.

Another interesting book that I have recently read about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is Julian Barnes' fictional account based on the true story of Arthur & George. Here is the publisher's description:

They start out differently. Arthur pursues a career in medicine before he discovers that he is really a writer;George, on his way to becoming a lawyer--near-sighted, timid and friendless--is victimized by locals because he is easy to scapegoat--a half-Indian in lily-white Great Wyrley.
The victimization of George takes the form of nasty letters, the theft of a school key, and finally, the accusation that he has mutilated animals. Meanwhile, Arthur is becoming more and more famous for creating Sherlock Holmes....When George sends Arthur the sad chronicle of his history, Arthur sees immediately that he could not be guilty and sets out to clear his name....In Holmesian fashion, he sets out to solve the case.

So Doyle also does his share of detective work in addition to producing many other genres of writing, including even science fiction.

To register for this free program about a fascinating subject, call the library at 673-2408, email refdesk@wadleighlibrary.org or sign up online on the library calendar.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Magazines, Otherwise Known As Periodicals

2009-10-03T12:48:00.004-04:00

I've been asked a few times for a list of magazines at our library so I thought I'd share what I would do to show that list to someone. First I would go to the Catalog tab at the library website or to a computer in the library designated as an Online Library Catalog. On the first search page, I would click on the More Search Options link and choose Wadleigh under the Libraries drop-down menu, Periodical under the Detailed Material Types and Magazines under Collections and then click on Set Search button. At Keyword Search I would enter an asterisk * so the Catalog will give me all the titles, and finally I would set Search By and Sort By to "Title" and click on Search. Yeah, now I have a neat list of the approximately 150 magazines the library owns.

Diana, Rference

History and Afghanistan

2009-09-25T16:03:00.003-04:00

I have been reading Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton, a non-fiction book about the rescue of a group of servicemen trapped in Afghanistan at the end of 2001 and the events that led up to the raid. I've noticed that I am much more in tune with what I hear about that region in the daily news and I believe it's because part of my mind is living in this very well-written true account and I'm making connections that I would not otherwise make if I were not thinking about this place. We have several books about the history in that region, both fiction and non-fiction, that can be found by searching the library catalog by the name of the country or a particular incident such as Afghan War, or someone could go to books starting with the number 958 on the spine labels and browse the section for history of that country and region. In a world where so much information is trying to grab my attention every moment of every day, I think I might use this method of focusing in on information I think might be important. Why not try it yourself?

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

Homer and Langley - a review

2009-09-15T18:24:00.005-04:00

I have just finished reading E.L. Doctorow's new novel Homer and Langley, a fascinating story of two brothers whose lonely, reclusive lives spanned the 20th century from the horse and buggy days to the chaotic anti-war movement in the sixties and beyond in their Manhattan brownstone on the Upper East Side of New York City.

The story is based on the true account of the Collyer brothers who were wealthy, well-educated and had opportunities endowed by their class and upbringing to lead successful lives and yet accumulated 100 tons of newspapers and useless objects... in a word, trash... and ultimately trapped themselves inside their own tomb.

Doctorow has often populated his novels with historic figures. Though they died in 1947, Doctorow has them survive into the sixties in order to develop his narrative.He has the blind brother Homer tell the story by keeping a diary on his Braille typewriter. It begins with his explanation of how he gradually lost his sight as a young man. His brother Langley returned from the Great War with his lungs injured by mustard gas and his soul injured by the dreadful experience of war. Langley becomes increasingly paranoid as his grows older and more reclusive. Homer observes his descent into madness but he is helpless to assist him because of his own disability. They rely on each so exclusively as, one by one, the servants gradually die off or move on, and contact with outsiders becomes more threatening.

It is a frightening and sad story. Langley needs to accumulate all the newspapers published daily in New York in order to write his own account of events to fit his philosophy that nothing changes and life is meaningless. At the same time he develops a need to gather things about him that may be useful at some undetermined time in the future, yet he immediately forgets why he gathers them in the first place. Paranoid about finances, he gradually he withdraws completely and insists on living without water, gas and electricity just to prove it is possible to devise ingenious ways to live by his own wits without out the need for society or public services. He constantly devises ways to cure his brother's blindness with his crazy ideas about nutrition and Homer acquiesces just to humor him, though he really has no choice but to go along with these ideas.

It is a fascinating example of extreme compulsive hoarding but Doctorow takes this material and creates a touching portrait of two devoted yet troubled brothers who cannot find a way to live in this world.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

More American Road Trip

2009-09-09T16:14:00.002-04:00

So...when we got to California (besides visiting relatives, of course) we took in a few sights such as Channel Island National Park, Universal Studios, and the fabulous Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

Then we headed back...but not without experiencing the very Grand Canyon, and then the awesome (and very rough & dusty!) 17-mile road through Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, the scene of many old-time western movies.

Finally, we got onto Interstate 80 after Salt Lake City, Utah and headed home. Seventeen days and 7,141 miles later, we arrived, a little road weary but thrilled and amazed by all we had seen and by the vastness and beauty of our country.

So...what about you? Check it out!

Diana, Reference

Veteran Homelessness: A documentary

2009-09-03T09:51:00.012-04:00

Wednesday, September 9th @ 7PM
Wadleigh Memorial Library

Did you know there are 900-1,000 homeless veterans in New Hampshire? These are people that have fought for their country and our freedom, yet how can this happen to them?

Matthew Bernard a veteran from Milford NH has produced a documentary on homeless veterans called Veteran Homelessness, to bring awareness to the tough times some of our veterans have when they come home from war.

The Wadleigh Library is proud to have Matthew Bernard, present his documentary at the library on Wednesday, September 9th @ 7:00pm. Matthew will also share his experiences and the resources he found helpful when he returned from war and needed assistance.

Veteran Homelessness captures the lives and reality of veteran homelessness in New Hampshire. As of 2008, 1 in 4 people in the United States who were homeless was a veteran. One could speculate that the VA, Government and other local agencies are not doing enough to help fix this problem.
Veteran Homelessness was filmed in New Hampshire during the frigid 2007-2008 winter. Following two veterans and sharing their experiences of both struggle and triumph over being homeless. Veteran Homelessness not only shows the problems but the solutions to fix it.

This program is not only about making people aware of the reality our veterans face when coming home from war, but also offering solutions and advice. Please come whether you are a veteran yourself, you have a family member who is a veteran or you just want to learn about what can be done to help.

This program is open to the public and free of charge. Registration is not required, but encouraged. Contact the library by calling 673-2408 or register online at wadleighlibrary.org .

Respectfully Submitted,
Cindy Mazza, Reference Librarian

American Road Trip

2009-09-02T15:45:00.003-04:00

I've recently returned from a whirlwind drive across our amazing country and thought I would share a few highlights with you in case you ever have a chance to take in these sights or enjoy them remotely in some of the GMILCS libraries' great travel books & videos:

The Gateway Arch and Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, MO

Konza Prairie near Manhattan, KS

Georgetown, CO in the midst of the Rocky Mountains

Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park in Utah

And that was just on the way out to sunny, hot, and unfortunately, very dry, California, to visit relatives! More later...

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

History Through Pictures

2009-09-01T18:39:00.004-04:00

A great way to explore history is through art and pictures. Here are some featured sites:

Picturing America
This National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) initiative "brings masterpieces of American art into classrooms and libraries nationwide." The program "uses art as a catalyst for the study of America -- the cultural, political, and historical threads woven into our nation's fabric." Includes online annotated images arranged by time period and themes (such as freedom and equality, democracy, and creativity). Also includes information about how schools may acquire prints and links to lesson plans.

Picturing the 1930s
In this teaching resource, "[l]earn about the 1930s through eight exhibitions: The Depression, The New Deal, The Country, Industry, Labor, The City, Leisure, and American People." Features artwork, photos, newsreels, and other material about 1930s history, with which users can create a documentary movie. Includes a FAQ, movie-making tutorial, and other help documentation. From the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Copyright 2009 Librarians' Internet Index, LII.

Title Trend: Daughters and Wives

2009-08-26T14:39:00.006-04:00

Lately I've been noticing a trend for book titles. Take a man with an interesting occupation, and tell the story of his daughter or wife. I'm sure you've heard of The Memory Keeper's Daughter, The Gravedigger's Daughter, The Calligrapher's Daughter, and The Abortionist's Daughter. Maybe you've also heard of The Time Traveler's Wife, The Zookeeper's Wife, or The Mapmaker's Wife.

Some book titles eschew the "interesting" occupation and go with powerful: there are books about the wives and daughters of political figures like kings, senators, generals, presidents, pharaohs, and tsarinas. Then there's the religious powers in The Pope's Daughter, The Bishop's Daughter, The Minister's Daughter. Flip that coin and get The Heretic's Daughter.

Other titles tell the stories of the wives and daughters of great historical figures, like Shakespeare's Wife, Rembrandt's Daughter, Galileo's Daughter, and Cleopatra's Daughter. Some authors prefer the tales of great fictional figures: Prospero, Mr. Darcy, Pandora, and Captain Ahab's wives and daughter all have stories to tell, too.

Don't even get me started on all wives who are reliable, inconvenient, ideal, pretend, American, or starter wives, Sunday wives, antelope wives, or the 19th or twentieth wives!

Posted by Katie Spofford, Reference Librarian

Everyone Loves Julia Child

2009-08-19T13:41:00.007-04:00

No ...I haven't seen the new Meryl Streep movie Julie and Julia yet, but I am intrigued by the idea of it and it is on my list for viewing this summer. In fact, the reviews I've read all point to the fact that one shouldn't go hungry. I've heard that Chunky's Cinema Pub is serving food featured in the movie so I guess that's the best place to view the film.

A few years ago we had a UNH professor come to our library to talk about the subject of food and film and it was fascinating. He showed clips from Like Water for Chocolate, Chocolat, a dining scene from Anna Karenina and of course the famous scene from Tom Jones.

Last week I was listening to a conversation on NPR about the film, too. In Talk of the Nation host Neal Conan asks movie expert Murry Horwitz "What's your favorite film about food?"
It is hard to pick a favorite but after listening to the program I'd like to view some of the films he mentioned, such as Babette's Feast and I'd love to see The Big Night once again.

While we're on the subject of Julia Child you might want to check out:

Bon Appetit! Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian
This exhibit provides a look at chef Julia Child's kitchen, which was donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Features an interactive view of the kitchen (zoom in to learn about appliances and other items), images of selected items in the collection, sample stories from Julia Child (some with audio), and related items about the chef and the exhibit. From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/27388

The Julie/Julia Project
This blog mostly from 2002-2003 (and later made into a book) chronicles the efforts over one year of an American cook to follow all 536 recipes in the first edition of Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Notes: Includes some piquant language. For navigation through the latter part of the site, click on "Home" and make your way back. A Salon.com blog.
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24949
Copyright 2009 Librarians' Internet Index, LII.

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

American Roadtrip

2009-08-12T14:05:00.002-04:00

I'm off tomorrow on a roadtrip across our United States all the way to California and I'd like to share some of my experiences preparing for the trek. First of all, a really good map book is a must to have with you along the way and as a starting point for planning the route. At the same time, you can't beat using online tools like MapQuest or GoogleMaps to measure distances & driving times between points or to print out a detailed map of a neighborhood you're planning to visit. Travel guides to specific places can be helpful although it is difficult for most libraries to keep these guides current, so backing up the information found in them with a search on the Internet is a good idea. For instance, you can visit a hotel group to check their rates and even reserve a room online, or check out the hours and menu of a restaurant that tweaked your interest in a guide. You can also get loads of information about parks and attractions, such as the National Parks website that has an amazing search capability to find all you need to know about these must-see spots all over America. I also love to read up on the history & geography of places I'm going to so I can better appreciate the experience when I get there. The library has many books and audiobooks to read ahead of time or enjoy on the way, both non-fiction and novels, that can help the traveler know a place more fully. There are also books about roadtrips (if you need to get away but can't afford to right now) such as Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure by Matthew Algeo or one of the several books about U.S. Highway Route 66. All in all, the adventure of preparing for a journey can be almost, although not quite, as much fun as getting there!

Diana at the Reference Desk

The OCD Theif

2009-08-11T17:46:00.004-04:00

What a great book to read while on vacation, or anytime for that matter!In Something Missing, author Matthew Dicks has created a funny, loveable obsessive-compulsive character named Martin who, for whatever unexplained reasons, has made a career out of petty and not-so-petty burglaries over a ten-year period in order to maintain his lonely, quirky lifestyle.

Martin maintains a list of victims, whom he characterizes as "clients" to burglarize, after carefully studying their habits and schedules and life-styles. He determines whether or not he is likely to be successful in spiriting away from their homes any unused or excess items, such as toilet paper or vegetables, or in some cases, valuable but unused china and crystal pieces that his clients never even notice have gone missing. His choices are sometimes really hilarious.

In the course of the story it is a good lesson to learn from Martin how careless we can be about how we protect our belongings, such as extra house keys and personal data, even computer files. In the unfolding drama however, Martin really becomes the hero, as he draws closer and more protective of the people whose privacy he routinely invades and comes to learn that one family is in serious danger and he comes to the rescue.

It was a surprise to learn that Something Missing is a first novel. I look forward eagerly to more to come, perhaps a sequel to what happens next in Martin's life!

The Passing of Author William G. Tapply

2009-08-06T17:55:00.007-04:00

William G. Tapply died July 28, 2009 at his home in Hancock, NH, after a courageous battle with leukemia. Many folks, including myself, have enjoyed reading his mystery novels set in the Boston area. I've especially enjoyed the collaborative mysteries Mr. Tapply wrote with Philip R. Craig with their characters Brady Coyne, a lawyer in Boston, and J.W. Jackson , a former police detective living on Martha's Vineyard, telling their sides of the story alternately throughout the novels. More information about Mr. Tapply's mystery novels and non-fiction books can be found at the William G. Tapply website, as well as when his posthumous works will be released.

Diana, Reference

Man Walks on Another World

2009-07-28T14:57:00.015-04:00

"In peace for all mankind"

Historic words & photographs by Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Michael Collins Ektachrome by Neil A. Armstrong, NASA

The astronauts begin preparations to leave the Lunar Module, first having made a detailed check of their craft to make sure all is in order for eventual lift-off. Armstrong will be the first out, about 6 1/2 hours after the landing.

ARMSTRONG: The hatch is coming open.

ALDRIN: Neil, you're lined up nicely. Toward me a little bit. O.K., down.

ARMSTRONG: How am I doing?

ALDRIN: You're doing fine.

ARMSTRONG: O.K., Houston, I'm on the porch.

CAPCOM (now Astronaut Bruce McCandless): Man, we're getting a picture on the TV.

ALDRIN: Oh, you got a good picture, huh?

CAPCOM: There's a great deal of contrast in it, and currently it's upside down on our monitor, but we can make out a fair amount of detail. ... O.K., Neil, we can see you coming down the ladder now.

ARMSTRONG: I'm at the foot of the ladder. The LM [lunar module] footpads are only depressed in the surface about one or two inches, although the surface appears to be very, very fine grained, as you get close to it. It's almost like a powder. Now and then it's very fine. I'm going to step off the LM now. That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.The television camera on the LM records Armstrong's first movements through the moon's dark shadows and blinding sunlight.

ARMSTRONG: The surface is fine and powdery. I can, I can pick it up loosely with my toe. It does adhere in fine layers like powdered charcoal to the sole and sides of my boots. I only go in a small fraction of an inch, maybe an eighth of an inch, but I can see the footprints of my boots and the treads in the fine sandy particles.

Courtesy of National Geographic: December 1969 Issue

* * * * * * * * *

These words were very meaningful to me as I remembered the historic moon walk that took place 40 years ago. I had never read the actual conversation between the astronauts and mission control before, it gives you a sense of how excited they were and the magnitude of their accomplishment. If you would like to read the complete conversation in National Geographic you can go to this link http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/1969/12/moon-landing/astronauts-text.

Enjoy,

Lucinda Mazza

Reference Librarian

More Booklists

2009-07-21T18:30:00.005-04:00

I love to read through booklists to see what to read next and what is recommended. Here is a list of the Boston Globe's top 100 Best of New England books. See if you agree with the ratings and see how many you have read too. We are always on the look-out for good books for discussion for our book clubs.

Another interesting list appeared in the July 13, 2009 Newsweek issue which was almost completely devoted to books and reading. The section is called What to Read Now and Why. The list was compiled to help us know "which books - new or old, fiction or nonfiction-open a window on the times we live in, whether they deal directly with the issues of today or simply help us see ourselves in new and surprising ways."Newsweek Editors

Very interesting.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

A Pretty Little NH Treasure

2009-07-17T13:57:00.006-04:00

A few of our library ladies were introduced last week to a pretty little park in Fitzwilliam, NH by one of our staff members that had already visited there a couple of times. Rhododendron State Park is quite unusual with huge stands of this flowering bush left by the glaciers long ago. There are also many wildflowers, old-growth trees and laurel bushes. The walking paths are short and easy, just right for a quick activity for all ages. Although there were few blooms this year (a park employee told us the bushes were "resting" because of a banner crop the last year or two) the plants create a restful environment to wander about and listen to the quiet. Our outing was very enjoyable and we hope many others will take the time to support this special place by visiting our state parks and reminding our state agencies of how much we value the beauty of New Hampshire.

Diana, Reference

Dick Lehr

2009-07-11T10:21:00.006-04:00

I don't know what it is about true crime stories that grab my interest, but I get hooked everytime. I think it is the fact that often, truth is stranger than fiction and life is not easily wrapped up into neat conclusions like a well-constructed plot. When I heard that author Dick Lehr was coming to our library to talk about his new book, The Fence, I remembered that our book club had read his best-seller Black Mass: The Irish Mob, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal, the story about Whitey Bulger and his years as an informant for John Connolly and the FBI in Boston.

So when I heard he had written a book about the Dartmouth murders, which rocked the small communities of Chelsea, Vermont and Hanover, New Hampshire, I knew I had to read his account.
How puzzled everone was to learn that two popular and scholarly professors had been murdered in their homes, and robbbery did not appear to be a motive! I guess my fascination with a subject like this is boils down to the fact that I want to know what motivates someone to kill a perfect stranger in cold blood with no feeling of regret or remorse. Is it psychopathology which accounts for one's complete lack of conscience and empathy? Is it a lack of nurturing and parental accountability? How do we foresee such behavior in young people and how do we take steps to prevent the occurrence?

I look forward the reading Lehr's new book The Fence, another Boston Police Department story about a violent attack on a member of the force, racial tension and police brutality, and the attempts at a cover-up.

Please join us in the Keyes Meeting Room on Wednesday, July 29 at 7 pm.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Calling bird-lovers everywhere!

2009-07-01T10:34:00.009-04:00

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology needs your keen eye and quick fingers! They have live cameras positioned at active bird nests all around the country. Since 1999, they’ve archived more than eight million images from these Nest Cams

To help sort through the images, they developed CamClickr—an online tool you can use to view the images and sort them into albums, then tag each image by the type of behavior you see: preening, eating, feeding chicks, etc.

What’s in it for you? NestCams allow you to peek into the nests of Barn Owls, bluebirds, Wood Ducks, and other birds for an up-close look at fascinating bird behavior. CamClickr will appeal not only to bird lovers, but to people who enjoy testing their skills with online games. When you help sort and tag the camera images, you collect points and compete for prizes such as binoculars, DVDs, books and posters. It's easy and fun!

Why do they need your help? By using CamClickr to help tag and sort the NestCam images, you help scientists studying breeding bird behavior. The more they understand about bird behavior, the better equipped they are to understand how birds are responding to threats in their environment.

Just visit www.camclickr.org to create an account. This allows you to chat in the NestCam forums, tag photos, and track your stats in CamClickr anytime. You can check your rankings in “my sessions” to see how you stack up against other taggers. The redesigned CamClickr home page also provides the latest Twitter feeds. You can even watch videos of fascinating nesting behaviors from the Lab's Macaulay Library.

Thanks for helping the birds!

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth's biodiversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit their website at www.birds.cornell.edu.

Be Your Own Film Critic

2009-06-24T16:40:00.003-04:00

Do you ever wonder if a movie is worth seeing? Sometimes it's difficult to find a way to objectively review films, but there are some places that can help. A couple of good resources are the websites for MetaCritic or the American Film Institute. For children's films, you could try Kids First! or Parents' Choice. There are many more, but these can get you started on the path to being a great film critic, even if it's only for yourself and your family!

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

National Archives launches YouTube channel

2009-06-23T09:42:00.004-04:00

Can't make it to DC? Let the National Archives come to you! To coincide with their 75th Anniversary, on Friday, the National Archives launched their very own channel on YouTube, the popular video-sharing website. They plan to showcase popular archived films, inform the public about upcoming events around the country, and bring National Archives exhibits to the people. Every week they will roll out a new film on one or more of its YouTube channel playlists. These include the following:

From the Archives to the Moon: This video playlist features footage from the start of the space race through the landing of a man on the moon.

Favorite Things: What’s at Your Presidential Libraries: Over a series of 14 videos, directors from 12 separate presidential libraries discuss their ‘favorite things’ from their respective Presidential Libraries including Air Force One and the famous rooftop staircase from the embassy evacuation in Vietnam.

Tracing World War II: Released in chronological order, these War Department reels follow American progress through World War II from the bombing at Pearl Harbor to Armistice.

Touring 1930s America: Combining well-crafted, first-hand accounts from the Great Depression and sweeping footage from the Department of Interior taken in the 1930s, this playlist guides viewers through Depression-era America.

For more information about the National Archives, visit www.archives.gov

Beautiful Boy: a father's journey through his son's addiction

2009-06-16T18:58:00.004-04:00

I had heard about this book while watching Oprah interview David Sheff and his son as they related their story of his son Nic's struggle to overcome his methamphetamine addiction. In a way, it helped to have seen them both on television looking healthy and hopeful about the future because when you read the book it is hard not to feel discouraged about the outcome as Nic spirals downward into his addiction.

David Sheff writes with such clarity and feeling as he relates the early years of raising Nic, who he describes to be a very bright, thoughtful, out-going and by all outward appearances, happy boy growing up in California. Though his parents are divorced when Nic is three, both father and mother are careful to give him love and attention and to provide what they perceive to be a healthy environment for his personality to flourish.

David's gradual awareness that Nic is using drugs comes about very slowly as he and Nic both deny the seriousness of his growing addiction. Sheff has done a very thorough job of relating the latest research on methamphetamine and, using his skills as a researcher, has sought out as much information as he can get to try to understand how the drug works on the brain.

...drug users often binge and increase their dosages in an attempt to recreate the initial high, but for meth addicts, with the depletion of as much as 90% of the brain's dopamine, it's no longer possible. As with many drugs, the dopamine deficiency causes depression and anxiety, but it's often far more severe with meth. This compels the user to take more of the drug, causing more nerve damage, which increases the compulsion to use - a cycle to both addiction and relapse. (p.133)

Based on his experience with Nic in repeated relapses and recovery, he is able to give advice to parents about how to proceed to get help for a loved-one's addiction, though he is clear to say that every addict is unique and responsible for his own recovery despite how much a parent may want to help. It is an eye-opening and revealing story and finally a hopeful one.

Nic Sheff has written his own book called Tweak, describing his struggle to overcome his addiction. I need a breather before I delve into the story again...but I am sure I'll read it just to learn his perspective on the events in the story.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Download audiobooks to your iPod!

2009-06-15T14:18:00.003-04:00

The new version of Overdrive means that you can now download mp3 audiobooks to your iPod or iPhone! You don't have to visit the library to use Overdrive. Just use your barcode and pin number to log in to Overdrive and download whatever you need!

Don't have an iPod? You can still download audiobooks to your computer and listen to them while you work, or burn them to CD to listen to later. Both the WMA and mp3 audiobooks can be played on non-iPod mp3 players. Many new titles are added each month!

Polaris Upgrade Complete

2009-06-10T20:06:00.002-04:00

Good Evening,

The Polaris library system upgrade has been completed and all services have been restored. Everything is running well, however if you run into any problems, don't hesitate to let us know right away.

Thank you for your patience during this upgrade, we hope to see you in the library soon.

Best Regards,

Cindy Mazza
Reference & Adult Services Librarian

2009-06-10T12:29:00.002-04:00

Polaris Upgrade Underway!

Today, June 10th, is the day our Polaris Library Information System is being upgraded. We are underway and so far things have been progessing well.

As we have stated in previous notices, there are limited services for patrons, but you still can come in and browse or ask any staff member for assistance finding books to check out.

Our public computers are still available to patrons and our databases can be accessed from within the library.

Once the upgrade is complete, we will post the details on our blog and website.

Any questions, don't hesitate to comment on our posting or contact the library.

Thanks for your patience,

Cindy Mazza

Reference and Adult Services Librarian
wmlref@wadleighlibrary.org
673-2408

2009-06-02T10:01:00.000-04:00

Our system will be undergoing an upgrade on Wednesday, June 10 and Thursday, June 11.

Patrons:

must have their library cards in order to check out items
will not be able to place requests online
will not be able to check account status online
will not be able to access reference databases from home

We apologize for any inconvenience & thank you for your patience.

Swine Flu information

2009-06-01T15:08:00.002-04:00

If you are looking for information regarding the Swine Flu / H1N1 Virus, please check out the Milford Board of Health website. There you will find recent articles about the virus in New Hampshire, phone numbers to government offices, and tips on preventing disease.

Visible Web vs. Invisible Web

2009-05-22T16:30:00.002-04:00

When people search the Internet with a general search engine they really are only searching a tiny part of what's actually available online from the Internet. That small part that's been indexed by the search engines is called the "visible" web. In order to discover what's available in the "invisible" web, users need to do deep web searching using search tools especially designed to find more than the surface information that regular search web sites have access to. A couple of examples are CompletePlanet and IncyWincy which are general search directories for the deep or invisible web that can lead you to subject-specific directories providing more comprehensive & accurate information when needed.

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

Sherlock Holmes VS. Arthur Conan Doyle

2009-05-16T10:16:00.004-04:00

In the Fall we will be hosting a talk on the medical investigator side of Sherlock Holmes, the basis for the popular TV show House with actor Hugh Laurie. But Arthur Conan Doyle, who was himself a physician, wrote much more than just the stories of his famous character.

Arthur Conan Doyle the Prolific Writer is a site designed to highlight Arthur Conan Doyle's works other than his Sherlock Holmes detective stories. It features illustrated essays on his "poetry, plays, historical fiction, commentary on social and legal reform, war and military chronicles, enthusiastic articles on various sport, and finally writings on behalf of Spiritualism." From the City of Westminster Libraries.

A Case of Considerable Interest Companion to an exhibition celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection of the Toronto Public Library. Move the magnifying glass cursor across the bookshelf to view cover images and links about Sherlock Holmes publications, other fiction and nonfiction works, and material relating to Doyle's four visits to Canada. From the Toronto Public Library.

Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII.

Posted by:
Susan Amann. Reference Librarian

The U.S. Supreme Court

2009-05-07T13:28:00.009-04:00

Now that we have learned that Supreme Court Justice David Souter will resign from the bench and return to his farm in Weare, New Hampshire the spotlight is on the President's choices for his replacement. Here is a look at the process and past nomination procedures:

Supreme Court Nominations

This page compiles resources about the nomination process for replacement of U.S. Supreme Court justices. It includes lists of nominees confirmed and not confirmed by Congress, bibliography on the nomination process, and information about nominees from 2005, when Justice Sandra Day O'Connor resigned from the Supreme Court and Chief Justice William Rehnquist died while in office. From the Law Library of Congress.

Supreme Court Nominations Research Guide View

"This guide is designed to explain the nomination process and to suggest resources for further research in the nomination process" for U.S. Supreme Court justices. Includes information about nomination hearings of justices and confirmation failures, and material specific to the nominees to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who retired in 2005, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who died in office in 2005. From Georgetown Law Library.

Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII.

For an interesting review of the transformation of the Supreme Court in the last two decades be sure to read Jeffrey Toobin's The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. I reviewed it here in 2007:

I just spent the last two days reading Jeffrey Toobin's best-seller, The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, about the inner workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. His history continues where Bob Woodward's The Brethren, published in 1979, ended. The book follows a chronology of the main rulings of the Rehnquist era, with vignettes of the personalities of the justices and their political leanings. It is a fascinating account of the battles that took place over the last 25 or so years, as the courts' majority rulings leaned first to the left, then ever gradually more to the right. As I was reading the book I got the feeling that I have lived through some momentous times and all the while remained disengaged from the outcome of some of the historic cases discussed, such as the cases limiting abortion, the fight over prayer in schools, affirmative action, gay rights, and the contested 200o presidential election. In a sometimes gossipy style, Toobin shows how the justices arrived at their decisions based on their views of the constitution and its applications to today's world. You may not agree with Toobin's conclusions that the court's leaning to the right is worrisome, but you will find his narration very readable and informative as an overview of how important decisions were reached and their effect on our society.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Smithsonian at Your Fingertips

2009-05-01T15:18:00.002-04:00

Ever since I first visited the Smithsonian Mall in Washington, D.C., I've been amazed at the thought that our country offers citizens such a wonderful place to experience art and culture free of charge. Of course, most of us can't go running off to our nation's capital every week, so it's equally wonderful that the Smithsonian has embraced technology of various forms to share the treasure trove of artifacts with everyone. There are books, Smithsonian Magazine, DVDs, MP3s and websites allowing you to explore all of the museums. There's even a blog to allow people to view and share their feelings about American art! It's called Eye Level and it's been around awhile because it has archives back to 2005. So if you're in the mood to hear about art & artists in America and maybe put in a comment or two, take a peek!

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

Tri-Town Book Group

2009-04-30T12:05:00.011-04:00

Coming soon to a library near you....The Tri-Town book group, comprised of anyone interested in mystery stories, has once again received grants from the New Hampshire Humanities Council to produce a series of book discussions in June, July and August 2009. The Series is called: Women Mystery and Detective Writers and one discussion will be presented at a different library each month.

Here is a description of the series from the New Hampshire Humanities Council catalog 2009:

"This series explores the tension between the passive, protected
role traditionally assigned to women and the active, risk-taking
behavior expected of the detective. In the “normal” mystery nar-
rative, the woman is a helpless potential victim whom the male
detective must protect. The tension which results when the detec-
tive is a woman permeates even such juvenile series as Nancy
Drew. Women mystery writers exhibit various responses to such
social expectations. This series will also examine how the prob-
lems of the female detective have changed over time. Modern
female detectives must confront the same corruption that male
detectives always have, and the series will ask whether they
exhibit the same emotional repression that “hard-boiled” male
detectives have established as standard for the genre."

At the Wadleigh Memorial Library 49 Nashua St. in Milford (673-2408)
Tuesday June 26 at 7 pm Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers. This discussion will be facilitated by UNH Professor Clia Goodwin.

At the Daland Memorial Library 5 North Main St. in Mont Vernon (673-7888)
Tuesday July 21 at 7 pm An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James. This discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Kathleen Shine Cain, Professor at Merrimack College.

At the Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library 7 Forest Road in Wilton (654-2581)
Wednesday August 19 at 7 pm Death in a Tenured Position by Amanda Cross. This discussion will also be facilitated by Dr. Kathleen Shine Cain.

These book discussions are open to the public and everyone is welcome. We will have a number of copies on hand at each library for each month's program so call the libraries to reserve your copy.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Swine Flu

2009-04-29T09:47:00.004-04:00

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is posting current guidelines, case investigation, and swine flu information on its website.

For a Fact Sheet and FAQs from the Department of Health & Human Services on Swine Flu click here.

And while the State's website for the Department of Health and Human Services appears to be down, you can monitor local developments via WMUR--including travel alerts, interactive maps, and more.

Free Energy Efficient House Plans & Advice

2009-04-28T14:36:00.005-04:00

Free Green

This website offers "free, energy efficient, healthy house plans." Each of the plan packages comes with "full construction documents or blueprints, ... a home energy model for the city and state combination in which their home building project will occur, a LEED checklist," and related material. Each of their plans come with a cost estimate for your local area so that users can see how much it will cost to build one of their green house plans. Includes plans for models such as a "Modern Cube," "Suburban Loft," "Simple Villa" and "Comfortable Cape".

Search for a Free Green builder near you using their Free Green Builder locator tool.

Along with free house plans, FreeGreen.com offers individual users the ability to ask their green home building questions to their green home builder and green Architect members.

Also includes a blog showing homes currently under construction and their progress.

URL: http://www.freegreen.com/

Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII.

Posted by:
Cindy Mazza, Reference Librarian

The Quest for the American Dream

2009-04-09T16:59:00.006-04:00

We are so fortunate to have New Hampshire Humanities Council scholar Dr.Kathleen Shine Cain to facilitate the discussion our NEA Big Read classic The Great Gatsby at the library on Tuesday April 14 at 7 pm.

Her topic is: The Great Gatsby and the Quest for the American Dream. The NH Humanities Council catalog describes this theme:

The American Dream forms the walls of our national consciousness. Cities of gold, fountains of youth, boundless natural resources, unlimited freedoms, opportunities as wide ranging and variable as the peoples who colonized the continent - these were both the myths and the real experiences that led people to seek asylum and riches in America. The hopes and aspirations endure, though tempered by conditions and regional codes of behavior and belief. Today, does the Dream still shape our lives and our hopes for the future?

Please join us as we explore this theme in terms of the Fitzgerald story. See how the values of the Roaring Twenties era become evident in our society in the new century.

Kathleen Shine Cain (professor, Ph.D. Marquette University) teaches writing and 20th-century American literature in classes that feature active on-line and face-to-face student discussion. Dr. Cain has directed the Writing Center and the Women’s Studies Program and has served as Faculty Senate president and chair of the English Department. In addition to presenting workshops and papers at regional, national, and international conferences, she has published several books, including Leon Uris: A Critical Companion, The Mercury Reader (co-authored), and The Pearson Custom Introduction to Literature (co-authored). Dr. Cain spent the 2005-2006 academic year as a visiting professor at St. Mary's University College in Belfast, Northern Ireland. At present she is working on a collection of narratives from Belfast.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Are you searching for a job?

2009-04-07T10:35:00.003-04:00

Back By Popular Demand...our Job Search/Career Change Seminar.

If your career has been downsized in our troubling economy or you want to be prepared for the 'if and when', please join us as we welcome Susan Henry back to the Wadleigh Library. Susan is a New Hampshire resident and a Certified Career Development Advisor who recently retired from a multi-faceted career in the high tech industry. She has a degree in Human Services & Psychology from Springfield College and Master's Level Certification in Career Development.

Her seminar covers:
1. Latest trends in the on-line job search market
2. How to create a resume that will be read and acted upon
3. Why we still need cover letters
4. Creating and honing your personal network
5. The best on-line search engines
6. ..and if time permits we'll plunge into how to get the appointment for an interview

Feel free to bring your current resume and cover letter (if you have one) for reviewing. If you don't have a current resume, don't worry, we'll have forms and links on how to build a successful one.

This program is open to the public and targeted for adults. Space is limited so registration is highly recommended to guarantee a spot. Register on our online calendar or by calling the Library.

Wednesday, April 22
6:30pm in the Keyes Room

April is National Poetry Month

2009-03-28T09:56:00.007-04:00

April is National Poetry Month. To follow up on the last post to this blog, here are a few links to poetry sites and resources for the poet in you.

The First World War Poetry Digital Archive

This is "an online repository of over 4000 items of text, images, audio, and video for teaching, learning, and research" about World War I poetry. Browse collections for specific poets such as Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg, Robert Graves, Vera Brittain, and Edward Thomas. Also features additional media collections, educational materials (designed for the British educational system), and separate archive of user-submitted items. From the University of Oxford.

Library of Congress Poetry Resources View

Guide to poetry resources at the Library of Congress, including webcasts, digital collections, exhibitions, learning materials, and other features. Also provides links to guides to finding a poem, locating poetry criticism, official state poems, poets laureate, and more. Compiled by Peter Armenti, Digital Reference Specialist at the Library of Congress (LOC).

Poetry Explications View

Document about the poetry explication, which is "a relatively short analysis which describes the possible meanings and relationships of the words, images, and other small units that make up a poem. ... This handout reviews some of the important techniques of approaching and writing a poetry explication, and includes parts of two sample explications." From the Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Poetry: Lesson Plans View

This collection of lesson plans covers a wide variety of topics in poetry, such as epic poems, haiku, sonnets, modernist poetry, limericks and nonsense poems, writing poetry, metaphor and simile, line breaks in poems, and specific poets and works. A selection of annotated poetry links is available by navigating to the "Websites" tab. From EDSITEment, a website of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Tips for Writing About Poetry.
Poetry "can be one of the most demanding tasks that many students face in a literature class." Topics include reasons for writing about poetry, having a specific argument about the poems, what to write about (such as figures of speech and cultural context), and standard conventions for writing about poetry. From the Writing Lab and The OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue, both of Purdue University.

Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

The Real Thing

2009-03-19T20:22:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you, but when it comes to poetry and stories, I always think hearing a poem read by the poet or a story told by the original author is more meaningful than just reading about how someone else interprets a work. So here's a great article from the New York Times with links to many Authors reading & talking about their writing.

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

Have some time on your hands? Why not volunteer?

2009-03-19T10:38:00.003-04:00

Perhaps you're a stay at home mom who needs to get out of the house to maintain sanity (!), or maybe you've just lost your job and don't want gaps on your resume. Why not try volunteering for a local service organization? You can even volunteer via the internet (think "virtual volunteer") from your own home for some organizations. Given the current economic climate, most non-profits are overwhelmed with requests for assistance--whether it's a domestic violence center such as Bridges, a local animal shelter such as the Animal Rescue League, or a local food bank like SHARE. It never hurts to approach organizations to see if they need volunteers; if they do, it's a win-win situation.

Here are a few national websites that can help you link up with a volunteer opportunity that's right for you.

Volunteer Match
VolunteerMatch strengthens communities by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. The popular service welcomes millions of visitors a year and recruits for more than 63,000 nonprofit organizations.

USA Service: Renew America Together
Website for a U.S. government effort to promote volunteerism in American communities. "President Obama believes that we, as Americans, have a responsibility to help our communities and fellow citizens. In summoning a new spirit of service, he is calling on us to make an enduring commitment to our neighborhoods. Sign up today and let's renew America together." Includes information about hosting an event, event listings, a blog, and links to other volunteer opportunities.

1-800-Volunteer.org
An internet and telephone-based service which promotes and facilitates volunteering. English and Spanish speaking volunteers use the system to connect to volunteer opportunities in their community. Volunteer Managers use 1-800-Volunteer to post, manage, and track volunteer projects – including preparing and mobilizing volunteers during emergency situations.

Volunteer.gov/gov
"America's Natural and Cultural Resources Volunteer Portal built and maintained by the Federal Interagency Team on Volunteerism (FITV) that is comprised of volunteer program coordinators from three Cabinet level departments." The site allows you to search for volunteer opportunities by keyword, state, activity, partner, and/or date range. Includes many volunteer opportunities with the National Park Service (NPS).

Idealist
Idealist is a project of Action Without Borders, a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 with offices in the United States and Argentina. Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives. AWB is independent of any government, political ideology, or religious creed. Their work is guided by the common desire of members and supporters to find practical solutions to social and environmental problems, in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect.

"March Madness" tournament for the rest of us...

2009-03-18T09:23:00.004-04:00

For those of us who might not be basketball fans and dread the news onslaught of all things basketball this time of year, I introduce a March Madness tournament for the rest of us.

The Morning News has collaborated with Powell's Books (aka Book Mecca for those who have never heard of it) to create The Tournament of Books. In its fifth year, The Tournament is an annual battle royale between 16 of the best novels published in the previous year to win the coveted Rooster Award. A new match is played each weekday in March.

Try your hand and see if you can guess the winner of this year's "Rooster."

Internet Search Power

2009-03-14T12:10:00.003-04:00

It should be common knowledge, but isn't, that the usual searches most people make of the Internet return much less than 10% of the data actually available online. Most of the data is "proprietory" or, in other words, the information is owned by the individual or company that produced it and is sold to universities, research facilities, libraries and corporations. It is possible to discover some of this information (although it may only be accessible for a fee) by using a variety of more powerful search engines or specialized search web sites. A group of online colleges have put together a very useful article on the Online College Blog with 100 links to search web sites that will help the serious researcher find the greatest possible percentage of information available online on any subject. Happy searching!

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

All Things Irish

2009-03-08T17:30:00.004-04:00

Éire á Móradh: Singing the Praises of Ireland

Companion to a 2008 exhibit with an aim "to celebrate the Irish and Ireland. By utilizing books and manuscripts ... a broad overview is achieved. The range is enormous: from the 'Book of Kells' and 'Book of Durrow' to significant 'modern' Irish writers such as W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Seán O'Faoláin." Includes a selective chronology and annotated images of works. From the Special Collections Library, University of Otago, New Zealand.

Somewhere a Voice is Calling: American Irish Musical Interpreters, 1850-1975

"Through the lives and careers of a few public musical figures, this exhibit shows some of the breadth of 'American Irish' vocal and instrumental music." Features essays, images, and sound clips of music by P.S. Gilmore, John McCormack, Michael Coleman and James Morrison, Francis O'Neill, Annie "Ma" McNulty, and the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. From Boston College University Libraries.

The Spin on Ireland: Irish Music Cover Art Since 1950

The albums featured in this exhibit "were used during weekly broadcasts of Dorothy Hayden's local radio program 'Irish Memories.'" The images "reveal the ways in which such commercial art constructed an image of a nation and its people in American popular culture." Click on the album covers in the exhibit sections for a larger, higher-quality image. Includes brief essays. From the Archives of Irish America at New York University Libraries.

Copyright 2009 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII.

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

2009-03-05T19:44:00.002-05:00

So...just how does this huge economic package affect you and I? Check out this informational page at the Internal Revenue Service or visit the Administration's Recovery website for an explanation of all the parts of this plan to rebuild America.

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

Primary Sources for Student Research

2009-03-05T19:20:00.002-05:00

The Reference Desk is often asked to find "primary sources" for students' projects. Primary sources are first-hand accounts of an event in the past that you are researching. In general, these are documents that were created by the witnesses or first recorders of these events at about the time they occurred, and include diaries, letters, reports, photographs, creative works, financial records, memos, and newspaper articles. In the library, there are books that have photo-essays of events, copies of speeches or newspaper front pages, and many other original documents in reference works like The Annals of America. On the Internet, a great place to access primary sources is either The National Archives or American Memory at the Library of Congress, as well as other government agencies and branches of the military.

Diana LeBlanc, Reference

Welcome to An Evening with Jay Gatsby

2009-02-21T11:49:00.008-05:00

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. Northeast Cultural Coop (NCC) and Southern New Hampshire communities of Amherst, Auburn, Bedford, Deering, Fitzwilliam, Goffstown, Hampstead, Hollis, Hooksett, Manchester, Milford, and New Boston are pleased to be part of this national program, thanks to a grant from the NEA. Our chosen book, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, will bring together these communities for a two-month long series of programs beginning in mid-March.

Our kick-off event for the series will be a reception, An Evening with Jay Gatsby, at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester on Friday evening March 20 from 6 to 9 pm. There will be jazz music in the courtyard, light refreshments and a cash bar in the cafe, a charleston demonstration, docent-led tours of the 1920's galleries, a silent art auction, and silent films with accompanying live piano music in the theater. Tickets are $25.00 per person with advance sales only. Dress in Jazz Age costume is encouraged and appreciated.

Libraries in participating towns will be sponsoring open book discussions and cultural events to commemorate the Jazz Age setting of Fitzgerald's famous story about the American Dream and the "Roaring Twenties" era of our American history. Look for Big Read events posted on our website at www.wadleigh.lib.nh.us on our online calendar or call the library at 673-2408 for more information.

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

New England Valentines

2009-02-09T16:23:00.004-05:00

Vintage Valentines

Collection of over 40 valentines, including greeting cards, 3-D cards, and postcards. "While browsing click on the thumbnail images to view the larger, full resolution, images of the Vintage Valentines day cards. From the full size image you may send a greeting and message via email." From the West Virginia University Libraries.
URL: http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/exhibits/valentine/

Will You Be Mine? An Exhibition of Early Valentines

Small display of images of valentines from a "collection in honor of Esther Howland, a Mount Holyoke [College] alumna credited with having established the commercial valentine industry in the United States. ... The exhibit contains a selection of original valentines made by her New England Valentine Co., as well as some by George TC. Whitney, the designer who bought Howland's increasingly popular company in the early 1880's." From Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections.
URL: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/archives/15733.shtml

Valentine's Day

Collection of radio programs and written features about Valentine's Day, which "elicits a variety of responses: joy, glee, bliss, and even annoyance." Topics include hickeys, kissing, Valentine's Day poetry, mix tape playlists, the meaning of the color red in textiles, gold, recipes for chocolate raspberry heart cake and a vegan cake, and more. From National Public Radio (NPR).
URL: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4497726

Copyright 2008 by Librarians' Index to the Internet, LII.

John Updike 1932 - 2009

2009-01-29T15:26:00.006-05:00

I was so saddened to hear of John Updike's death. I remember reading the Rabbit series of books so many years ago ( did they really span 30 years?) and it does give me pause for reflection because I felt I grew up with him. I hadn't read anything by him for a long, long time - I think my tastes in fiction reading have changed over the years - but I read The Terrorist when it was published last year and it reminded me of his genius for prose and character development. Yes the sex scenes were unrealistic and improbable, but the description of the angst of the young half-Muslim teenager who gets himself involved with extremists is too terrifyingly plausible.

There is a wonderful website describing John Updike's appointment by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEA) as Jefferson scholar for 2008, including biographical information and a lengthy interview.

He will be missed but his legacy as a man of letters will live on.

Posted by: Susan Amann. Reference Librarian

Author Juliette Fay at Toadstool

2009-01-22T15:10:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, January 31 @ 4 p.m., Massachusetts author Juliette Fay will make an appearance at Milford's Toadstool Bookshop. Shelter Me, published by HarperCollins, is Juliette's first book, and it has made its way onto the American Bookseller's Association Indie Next List.

HSEM URGES PRECAUTIONS DURING SEVERE COLD

2009-01-15T20:16:00.001-05:00

CONCORD, N.H. – The N.H. Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is encouraging everyone in the state to take precautions to protect themselves during the extreme cold that is predicted for the rest of this week.

“Exposure to extreme cold can result in frostbite and hypothermia,” said Christopher M. Pope, Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “We strongly urge people to dress in layers and take other precautions to protect themselves and their families.”

Pope offered a number of other suggestions for staying safe in extremely cold weather:

Monitor weather conditions via broadcast news reports or the Internet.
Limit time outdoors, especially by the elderly, the very young and pets. Anyone participating in outdoor recreational activities should dress for extreme conditions.
Seek immediate medical attention for persons showing signs of frostbite or hypothermia. Indications of frostbite are a loss of sensation and a pale appearance in body extremities. Warning signs of hypothermia are incontrollable shivering, slurred speech, disorientation and exhaustion.
Exercise caution when using alternative heating sources, such as a fireplace, wood stove or space heater. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby and test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Never use an outdoor appliance, such as a charcoal or gas grill, for indoor heating or cooking.
Be a good neighbor. Check on the welfare of elderly or disabled relatives or friends to ensure their safety.
Insulate pipes to keep them from freezing and allow a trickle of water to run from the faucet farthest from the service entrance.
If pipes freeze, do not use an open flame to thaw them. Use a hair dryer or other non-flame heat source.
Keep an emergency kit in your home that includes flashlights and fresh batteries, a battery-powered radio, bottled water, non-perishable food and a first aid kit.
Ensure that your car is properly winterized. Keep the gas tank at least half full and keep a jumper cable, tow rope, blankets and a flashlight and fresh batteries in it for emergencies.

The National Weather Service is predicting extremely cold temperatures throughout New Hampshire through the weekend.

Rebecca Rule at the Dimond Library at UNH

2009-01-13T17:33:00.003-05:00

The Friends of the Library of the University of New Hampshire are thrilled to bring you the the 2nd event in this year's New Hampshire Authors' Series from the Dimond Library. Held three times per year, the series features humorist and author of Live Free and Eat Pie , Rebecca Rule interviewing writers (fiction, non-fiction, journalists and poets) who have ties to the Granite State. Interviews are conducted in front of a live audience and recorded by New Hampshire Public Television for future broadcast and video streaming on their website. Each interview is followed by a question and answer session, light refreshments and a book signing (Barnes & Noble will be on site with books for sale).

Please join us on Sunday, January 25th at 2:00 p.m. in Dimond Library's 5th Floor Reading Room when Becky interviews
Sy Montgomery author of numerous books including the award-winning children’s book The Snake Scientist and national bestseller The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood for adults. Montgomery is also a widely-known lecturer on conservation topics.

For more information or to register, please click here and we'll look forward to seeing you January 25th!

In the meantime, please save the date for the last event in this year's series: Marie Harris on 4/26/09!

Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Daniel Amen, MD

2009-01-06T19:23:00.003-05:00


	The New Year brings the season of fresh starts, resolutions, the air of possibility and the impulse to make changes. This book came across my radar a few weeks ago when I was channel-surfing and caught the PBS program "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life" presented by Dr. Daniel Amen. After watching a few hours of his lectures, I was hooked...and decided to review what I learned in the presentations by reading his book. Dr. Amen is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who has used new brain -imaging techniques to study brain activity. As he explains which parts of the brain control which behaviors and emotions, he is able to determine and diagnose problems in brain function which underlie a patient's behavior. But as he explains how the brain works he also gives prescriptions to follow to maintain a healthy brain. He talks about how medications are used and how they work on the damaged brain, and gives recommendations for exercise and nutrition that can optimize brain function. He illustrates how nicotine, alcohol, brain injury from concussion, and alzheimer's disease can weaken or damage certain areas of the brain and interfere with proper function. I am not sure how I can use this information to change my life, but at least I will have gained some insight into how others behave. Maybe I'll be a little more patient, a little more accepting and less judgmental. Or at least I won't take everyone so seriously! Posted by: Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Snowflakes

2008-12-23T20:16:00.003-05:00

The Bentley Collection

Snow crystal photomicrographs (photographs taken through a microscope) obtained by "America's First Cloud Physicist," Wilson Alwyn Bentley (1865-1931). Discusses snow crystals and their history, as well as snow crystal classification. Browsable and searchable; also find images by classification, such as "fernlike crystal." From the Schwerdtfeger Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
http://library.ssec.wisc.edu/bentley/

Snow Crystals

Information about the physics of snow crystals and snowflakes as well as the history of early scientific observations and photographs, how to take photos, various classification schemes, preserving snow crystals, ice crystal halos, and unusual forms of the snowflakes. There are also images of ice crystals grown in the lab. Related links are provided.
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/

Wilson A. Bentley: The Snowflake Man
A site dedicated to the Vermont farmer who "attracted world attention with his pioneering work in the area of photomicrography, most notably his extensive work with snow crystals (commonly known as snowflakes)." It features articles, a FAQ, a message board, and links. (Bentley also inspired Snowflake Bentley, winner of the 1999 Caldecott Medal for illustration.)
http://www.snowflakebentley.com/

Copyright © 2008, Librarians' Internet Index, LII.

Visions of Christmas

2008-12-23T10:51:00.003-05:00

Santa Claus sure has changed over the past 200 years. The American Antiquarian Society's website exhibition, "Visions of Christmas," includes images of Santa's evolution over the years--from a slim man who gave out gifts to the large, round man we know today--as well as the origin of the Christmas tree and the original version of "T'was the Night Before Christmas."

Updated Road Closures in Milford

2008-12-15T10:44:00.006-05:00

Notification of Road Closures and Road Issues
from Milford Fire Dept.
Monday, December 15 10:30am
UPDATED Tuesday December 16, 12:00 p.m.

Mason Road at Boynton Hill
(low wires; 1 lane - no bus)

Savage Road at McGettigan Rd
(1 lane; low hanging wires - no bus)

Mile Slip Rd at Mason Road
(primaries down in street)

Mile Slip Rd at #130
(trees hanging on lines - no bus)

Mile Slip Rd at #258
(no emergency access - road blocked; passable by small vehicle only)

Osgood Road at #248
(primary lines down across road)

Osgood Road at Burns Hill Rd
(primary lines down across road; 1 lane)

Osgood Road at #375
(primary lines down across road)

Osgood Road at #56-60
(limb on wires)

Ball Hill Road at #54
(low wires - no bus)

Melendy Road at #110
(branch hanging on wires in road)

Melendy Road at #84
(wires down; low hanging across road - no bus)

Corner of Falconer Ave and Mayflower Drive
(wire down - no turn onto Falconer)

Fox Run Road
(low wires - inaccessible by trucks)

Federal Hill Road at #483
(low wires - no trucks)

Federal Hill Road at #362
(branches hanging on wires in road)

Ponemah Hill Road at #250
(branch on wires in road)

Ponemah Hill Road at #294
(tree low on road with wires across road - no bus)

Ponemah Hill Road at #397
(1 lane with primary wires down in the road)

Ponemah Hill Road at Quarrywood
(primary wires down on sidewalk)

Shady Lane at #37
(live wire across road - No Access)

Briarcliff Drive at #29-31
(tree on wires - pole #4)

Briarcliff Drive at #25-20
(low wires)

Alpine Street at #42
(wires in driveway)

Berry Court at #22
(lines down)

Merrimack Road at Border Street
(wire hanging in road)

Merrimack Road at Longley Place
(brush on side of road)

Adams Street at #50 & 57
(debris)

Mayflower at Falconer
(wires down - No Access)

North River Road at East of Hatchery
(low branches)

Purgatory Road at #6
(leaning tree - potential)

****************************************************

Information on electrical outages can be found on PSNH's web site. The site appears to be updated at least 3-4 times per day. PSNH may be contacted by phoning 1-800-662-7764.

Area shelter: Heron Pond Elementary School
Directions to Heron Pond

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

2008-12-14T14:51:00.004-05:00

The Big Read: Southern New Hampshire Reads The Great Gatsby

"The purpose of The Big Read, like the purpose of literature itself, is pleasure. Not necessarily an easy pleasure, but a deliciously rich and complex one. A great book combines enlightenment with enchantment. It awakens our imagination and enlarges our humanity. It can even offer harrowing insights that somehow console and comfort us."

~~Dana Gioia, Chairman, NEA

Program runs March 20 ~ April 30, 2009

Next Spring the Wadleigh Memorial Library will participate once again in The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA).

In cooperation with the NorthEast Cultural Coop, communities include Amherst, Auburn, Bedford, Deering, Fitzwilliam, Francestown, Goffstown, Hooksett, Manchester, Milford and New Boston and the New Hampshire Institute of Art and the Currier Museum. People from all over southern New Hampshire are encouraged to come together to read, discuss and celebrate The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's study of the American Dream in the Twentieth Century. If you think you've read it already, try it again and see if it doesn't resonate on a different level given the present precarious times in which we live. If you've never read it, I am sure you'll enjoy the experience.

Upcoming Big Read 2009 events will be posted soon.

Posted by:
Susan Amann, Reference Librarian

Local winter storm information

2008-12-13T14:31:00.005-05:00

Saturday, December 13 3PM

Report from Milford Fire Chief Frank Fraitzl:

Most Milford roads have been cleared to at least allow emergency vehicle access.

Whitten Road - Whitten open to all traffic
Ox Brook Woods – Open to all traffic
Ridgefield Drive - Blocked at Crosby
Ridgefield Drive – Blocked at Valhalla

The following roads have all limited access:

Osgood Road
Melendy Road
Ponemah Hill Road
Federal Hill Road
Colburn Road
Badger Hill Road
Mason
Savage Road @ Clark

Regional shelter available at Heron Pond Elementary School 80 Heron Pond Road. Any medical trained (Nurse, Doctor, EMT) who would be willing to volunteer to assist with the shelter please contact MACC 673-1414.

Approximately 2600 PSNH customers are still without power and it is expected to be several days until all power is restored.

*****

For up to date information regarding the status of Milford and neighboring towns, be sure to check out the Union Leader's blog of New Hampshire's Ice Storm of '08.

*****

Information on electrical outages can be found on PSNH's web site. The site appears to be updated at least 3-4 times per day. PSNH may be contacted by phoning 1-800-662-7764.

Pretty Christmas Pictures

2008-12-11T20:10:00.003-05:00

In honor of one of our favorite staff members here at the library, we offer the visual delights of these old-time seasonal pictures at Visions of Christmas. Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good-night!

Diana LeBlanc, Reference