Announcing a New Shelving System at Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Carnegie-Stout Public Library is closed today, Sunday, April 1, but you should expect big changes when we open on Monday at 9:00 a.m. We're always exploring new ways to better serve our community and we're excited to announce a new shelving system designed to better facilitate browsing and discovery.

"Often readers will be looking for a book and they can't remember the title or the author, but they do know the cover is blue. Our new shelving system is going to help those readers and it will allow library staff to re-shelve returned materials twice as quickly," librarian April Foole stated.

The new shelving system, designed by leading library design consultant Roy G. Biv, has also been applauded for its visual appeal and has rapidly grown in popularity with readers across the globe.

"While the aesthetics are a nice benefit, we made the choice for practical reasons. Common wisdom might say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but you can learn a lot from a book's cover!" Foole continued. "Mysteries tend to be darker, humorous books tend to be brightly colored, Romances are often pink. This new system is just sensible."

New Books for a New Month!

Today marks the start of a brand new month, and the long awaited arrival of spring weather! To celebrate, Andrew gives us a sneak peak at some fresh titles.

Lawn Gone
Landscaper and caterer Vivian "Kentucky" Bluegrass, Tuck to her friends, is in the weeds when she shows up for what should be a gala opening for a wealthy client's new yard but instead finds a plot of bare earth. Things really get dirty when the pinched peat shows up across town -- on top of the dead body of Zoysia Green, Tuck's biggest competition! With the help of hunky handyman Randy Bulb, psychic canine Digger, and a mysterious dryad named Sprout, Tuck's in a race against time to clear her name before the first frost!
Includes recipes and gardening tips.

Proof of Heaven
Having had his fill of tasteless communion wafers, Italian master baker Sacco Cerevisi set out to re-discover the liturgical loaves that inspired over 100 Bible verses. Cerevisi's first foray into the unfamiliar grains of the ancient Middle-East may have produced a staff of death, but through tireless experimentation he develops his seven core ingredients into a multitude of recipes easy enough to make daily, quick enough to throw together in a hurry, and hearty enough to strengtheneth man's heart.

Alex Cross, Run
 "Three dead bodies. One, Two, Three. Alex Cross, Run!"
With these three sentences, the James Patterson biblio-empire stakes its claim in the early readers market. With colorful illustrations and an appropriately simple vocabulary, Patterson spins a tale of murder and intrigue that will keep even the littlest tot flipping pages through the bitter end! 

This Is Not My Hat
The eagerly-awaited tell-all memoir from the first Pope Emeritus of modern times! The mitre is an enduring symbol of the papacy, but, for Benedict XVI, it never sat comfortably upon the papal brow. This title is heavily embargoed, with a street date enforced by the Swiss Guard, but the promise of rare glimpse of the man behind the vestments has readers lining up! 

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
A grisly true crime story that has reviewers locking their doors and calling their loved ones! In the love-drenched streets of 1960s San Francisco, death walks on padded feet. Pete the cuddly tabby prowls the night with lethal doses of LSD hidden in the buttons on his collar. What demented killer pours this kitty's kibble? How will the FBI declaw this vicious mouser?*

A Week in Winter
When a jotun magus opens a portal to Niflheim and unleashes a supernatural blizzard, Mathghamhain, Druid of the Iron Grove, must leave his sacred copse and travel north, into the frozen fury of the storm. The greatest Irish fantasist of our age broadens hir range as hir fan-favorite Celtic hero leaves the Emerald Isle to battle the villians of Norse mythology.  

Vampires in the Lemon Grove 
Something something fruit bats. 









*Blood spatter image used in creation of Pete the Cat cover from a photo by Emily Raw: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilyrawlings/5427257683

Dear Carnegie-Stout, What Should I Read?

Carnegie-Stout is here to help you find the information you need, including fun reading suggestions! Have you tried our Personal Recommendations program yet?

By filling out a short survey of your reading tastes, we'll be able to come up with a list of books and authors we think you'll enjoy!

Stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor to talk with a staff member and pick up a paper form, print a pdf version and bring it in, or submit your request online.

We also offer quick reading suggestions once a month on our Facebook page. Our next session will be on Wednesday, April 18th.

To give you an idea of our skills, we're posting our responses to some recent patron questions. Feel free to leave your own questions in the comments section!









Dear Cat Lover,
This is a problem familiar to every librarian. What to do with all that extra cat hair? Might we suggest Crafting with Cat Hair (745.5 TSU), so much more creative than shaving your furry friend.
-Carnegie-Stout









Dear Help!
If it's been a few years since you've picked up a novel, you might want to check out How to Read a Book by Mortimer Jerome Adler and Charles van Doren (028 ADL). If your new clubs simply selected a deadly dull tome try How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read by Pierre Bayard (809 BAY).
-Carnegie-Stout










Dear Anxious,
Try It Sucked and then I Cried: how I had a baby, a breakdown, and a much needed margarita (306.8743 ARM) by popular blogger Heather Armstrong.
-Carnegie-Stout









Dear Globe Trotter,
We recommend Miracle in the Andes (982.6 PAR), a true story of a terrible plane crash and subsequent cannibalism.
-Carnegie-Stout











Dear April,
A road trip may be just what the doctor ordered! Might we suggest You Can Get Arrested For That: 2 guys, 25 dumb laws, 1 absurd American crime spree (349.73 SMI) for inspiration?
-Carnegie-Stout