Weird Website Wednesday

One of our Reference Desk staplers met its end yesterday, and a coworker reminded me of an odd blog we'd found earlier this year: The Lives and Deaths of Academic Staplers. A librarian at Middle State Tennessee University decided to "document the destruction of public staplers through their general use" starting with the Spring 2013 semester. They're currently on stapler #13.

Image from The Lives and Deaths of Academic Staplers

This left me thinking about some of the other quirky websites of dubious utility that we come across in the course of the day at Carnegie-Stout, and I thought I'd share a few with you.

How Many People Are in Space Right Now?
The space shuttles may no longer be in service, but that doesn't mean there aren't astronauts, cosmonauts, taikonauts, and other space travelers orbiting the planet.

HORG: The Holotypic Occlupanid Research Group : A Database of Synthetic Taxonomy

Image from HORG

An intensely detailed classification system and archive of those little plastic doodads that keep the plastic bag on your bread closed (occlupanids). If you remember learning about kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species in Biology, you'll probably appreciate the dedication behind this site.

TV Tropes
If you ever wondered how many television programs about girl robots there've been, or why someone might refer to such a thing as falling into the uncanny valley, TV Tropes is there to tell you. Just be wary, if you've never visited before, you're liable to lose an hour.

Wookieepedia
Wikipedia for those of you fluent in Wookiee. Although we'd understand if more of our readers were fluent in Klingon.

Did you know we'll be holding an adults only light saber class on May 4th? Call the Reference Desk (563-589-4225) today to reserve your spot!

Dubuque Tournament of Books: Sweet Sixteen

The madness begins! Welcome to Round One of the Dubuque Tournament of Books!

Voting for the first round will run from March 3rd - March  9th. Winners from round one will be announced on March 10th, when voting for the second round begins.

You have until March 8th to fill out a bracket and be entered for a chance to win a prize! Blank brackets are available at Carnegie-Stout Public Library, on our website as a pdf, and in the February 28th issue of 365Ink. Your bracket must be turned into the library by March 8th to be eligible to win.

Cast your votes for the first round below! Not sure which title to vote for? Check out this blog post.

FY14 Library Budget Presentation Video

Carnegie-Stout Public Library Director Susan Henricks gave a presentation to the Dubuque City Council last night about the Library's fiscal year 2014 budget recommendations. Here's the video:


For more information, see the City of Dubuque's Fiscal Year 2014 Budget.

Comment: Prefer Mystery Movies

Library patron comment submitted at a movie screening:

Prefer mystery movies & movies that are not silent. Thank you.

Library staff reply:

Carnegie-Stout Public Library shows a movie suitable for adult audiences one evening each month. We try to show movies from a broad range of genres and eras in hopes of appealing to as many people as we can. We have shown several mystery movies over the last few years, including The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, Witness for the Prosecution, Vertigo, The Killing, The Thief, Murder on the Orient Express, The Departed, and Shutter Island. All of these had sound.

Of course we will continue to show more mystery movies in the future. When selecting titles, we must be able to acquire non-theatrical public performance rights for the movies, and they must be readily available on new DVDs. If you have specific titles you'd like us to consider, please let our library staff know in person, by email at yourlibrarian@dubuque.lib.ia.us or by phone at 563-589-4225.

mm, 5/8/12

FY13 Library Budget Presentation Video

Carnegie-Stout Public Library Director Susan Henricks gave a presentation to the Dubuque City Council last night about the Library's fiscal year 2013 budget recommendations. Here's the video:



For more information, see the City of Dubuque's Fiscal Year 2013 Budget.

Bookclub Read Alikes

Whether you're looking for the next title for your book club, or just looking for a good read, we have some suggestions for you! Carnegie-Stout's own Book Club will be discussing Shadow Divers on July 12th, you can find all the details on the library's calendar.

You may also be interested in a new service the library is offering, the Book Club in a Bag. These sets come with discussion questions, author information, and read alike lists. We currently have three titles available: The Maltese Falcon, The Weight of Silence, and Land of a Hundred Wonders. If you're interested in using one of these sets for your next book club, please stop by in person, or call the library at (563) 589-4225 and ask for the Reference Desk.


The Maltese Falcon, written by Dashiell Hammet in 1930, and first adapted to the big screen in 1941, is today recognized as a classic among detective stories. Mr. Hammet used his experience working with Pinkerton's National Detective Agency in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington state to infuse a grittier reality into the detective genre. The Maltese Falcon is a page-turner of a mystery with action, humor, and engaging dialogue. Mr. Hammet's distinctive style introduced many archetypes of the mystery genre, from the femme fatale to the hardboiled detective.

As the NEA says, The Maltese Falcon is "a brilliant literary work, as well as a thriller, a love story, and a dark, dry comedy. The only criticism one could offer Hammett’s private-eye classic is that it is so much fun to read, it might be hard the first time through to realize how deeply observed and morally serious it is."

Check out these hardboiled Read Alike suggestions for The Maltese Falcon: http://library.booksite.com/6673/nl/?list=CNL6&group=EB40&preview=1
-Sarah, Adult Services


Heather Gudenkauf, local Dubuque author, graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education and for the past sixteen years has worked with elementary children. Currently, along with writing, Heather is an Instructional Coach, an educator who provides teachers with curricular, student, and professional development support. Heather lives in Dubuque, Iowa with her husband and children.

Here is a brief summary of Gudenkauf's debut novel The Weight of Silence:
When two seven-year-old girls go missing, all are under suspicion. Calli Clark is a dreamer. A sweet, gentle girl, Callie suffers from selective mutism, brought on by a tragedy she experienced as a toddler. Her mother Antonia tries her best to help, but is confined by marriage to a violent husband. Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli have been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Now Calli and Petra's families are bound by the question of what has happened to their children. As support turns to suspicion, it seems the answers lie trapped in the silence of unspoken secrets.

If you enjoyed The Weight of Silence, may we suggest the following books: http://library.booksite.com/6673/nl/?list=CNL9&group=EB37&preview=1
-Amy, Adult Services


Land of a Hundred Wonders by Lesley Kagen
The summer Gibby McGraw catches her big break, the cicadas are humming, and it’s so warm even the frogs are sweating. Brain damaged after a tragic car accident that took both her parents, Gibby is now NQR (Not Quite Right), a real challenge for a fledgling newspaper reporter. Especially when she stumbles upon the dead body of the next governor of Kentucky, Buster Malloy.

Author Lesley Kagen, Cedarburg, Wisconsin, is an actress, voice-over talent, and restaurateur. She is also the author of the bestselling titles, Whistling in the Dark and Tomorrow River. Her new book, Good Graces, is coming out in September 2011.

All three of Kagen's titles are fast paced, family stories, that take place in rural, small towns, during the 50's, 60's and 70's. Her books are filled with quirky characters, many who must learn tolerance of those who are a little different. They contain elements of mystery and suspense, but are also sprinkled with humor.

The reading list found at this link represents other titles with those same attributes:
http://library.booksite.com/6673/nl/?list=CNL16&group=EB54&preview=1
-Becky, Adult Services

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

Summer Reading 2011, US 20 Journey 2011: A Trip Along America's Longest Road

Tomorrow, Sunday, May 22 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the Aigler Auditorium, poet, publisher and oral memoirist Michael Czarnecki will share photos, stories, poems and prose of his experiences along Route 20, both past and present. In the autumn of 1996 Michael traveled twenty days on America's longest road and wrote a book about his adventures, Twenty Days on Route 20. Now fifteen years later, he is once again driving the length of US 20, this time in the spring. His journey will begin on May 13 and end in Newport, OR on June 8. You can RSVP for US 20 Journey 2011 on our Facebook page.

Carnegie-Stout Public Library’s 2011 Adult Summer Reading Program runs from May 22 to August 5. The theme for the 5th annual reading program for adults will be “Novel Destinations.” A series of programs fostering armchair travel is planned. For more information, please call the Library Reference Desk at 563-589-4225 extension 2224

October is "Make a Will Month."

Join us on Sunday, October 10 at 2 p.m. in the Aigler Auditorium for an informational session about the importance of making a will. Alternate sessions will be occurring this October throughout the Dubuque area. These events are free to the public and include a personal inventory booklet.

See Press Release with Full Schedule Here.

Questions? Call Carnegie-Stout Public Library at (563) 589-4225, option 7.

Adult Summer Reading Program Wrap Up

The Adult Summer Reading Program was held June 8 to August 7, 2009. Programs were planned around the "Be Creative" theme. Registration began on June 8 and a grand finale party was held in the newly renovated 3rd floor auditorium on August 11.

Louis Ferrante, one-time mafia thug turned author, was our featured speaker on June 23. Alice Oleson facilitated a program on writing the Six-Word Memoir. Three of the participants created graphic displays of their work which are being displayed in the windows behind the Adult Service Information Desk. Also being displayed are 6 posters depicting participants' favorite books.

The Herb Society of Dubuque conducted a program on growing herbs in containers. Civil War re-enactor and song writer, Bob Welch, presented a program in which he performed songs from the Civil War era, as well as offering tips to songwriters. Lori Steger taught us to make beaded bookmarks.

In order to complete the Adult SRP, one had only to read/listen to 5 books, record them on a reading log and return that log to the Library. A total of 161 individuals registered and 69 finished the program.

Thanks to all those who helped create a successful Adult Summer Reading Program!

~Betty, Adult Services

Why should kids have all the fun?

When we began the Adult Summer Reading program three years ago, we asked the question, "Why should kids have all the fun?" This photo shows adults having fun at Prescott School Neighborhood Resource Center. The Herb Society of Dubuque helped us plant herbs in pots so that we could have a ready supply close at hand. More opportunities for fun are listed on the Adult Services Programs & Events page. Come join the fun at the Library this summer.

~Betty, Adult Services

Tell Your Story In Six Words

Tell Your Story in Six Words
6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 30, 2009
In the Library's 3rd floor auditorium.

I fell in love with the concept of the six-word memoir when I discovered Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. Dr. Alice Oleson consented to facilitate a writing workshop as part of our Adult Summer Reading program. Oleson is a cultural anthropologist, poet, and Sociology Department Head, University of Dubuque.

As part of her work as a cultural anthropologist, Alice Oleson has collected life histories in the Micronesian Pacific as well as in Dubuque, Iowa. In any kind of life history project, participants consciously or unconsciously choose to communicate a few key stories from their lives that are somehow representative of the whole. On June 30, Oleson will use her experiences as an anthropological interviewer and a poet to help guide participants through a workshop on the six-word memoir—a writing phenomenon that was sparked by Smith Magazine in 2006. The six-word memoir project asks writers to crystallize their lived experience into a mere six words that capture a life’s defining events, mood, outlook, and wisdom, among other things—and then to artfully communicate these things to a reader with a six-word palate.

I’m anxious to hear her six-word memoir. I’m also anxious to hear yours. Please come join us at 6:30 p.m. in the newly renovated (and air conditioned) 3rd floor auditorium.

~ Betty, Adult Services

Best Scene from A Woman Under the Influence

Hugh L. Hurd (right) sings Verdi's "Celeste Aida" during the spaghetti breakfast. "Bravo, Willie!"

Adult Summer Reading Program 2009

Be Creative @ Your Library®
June 8 to August 7, 2009


Carnegie-Stout Public Library will begin its third Summer Reading Program for Adults on June 8, 2009. The Program will continue through August 7, 2009. The Rules "R" this easy:

Register at the Information Desk or on our web page
Read or listen to 5 books
Record the titles on your Reading Log
Return the completed Reading Log to the Information Desk.

Programs are designed to stimulate the imagination and explore subjects like gardening, beading and songwriting. Louis Ferrante, an ex-mafia thug, will share his journey from robbery to writing in his memoir, Unlocked. We will feature another program designed to encourage participants to write their own memoirs in only six words.

Adults with an artistic bent will also be given an eclectic list of materials to create an 11” x 14” poster visualizing a scene or character from a favorite book. These artworks will be displayed in the Library.

For more information, call the Information Desk at 563-589-4225, option 4. Get those creative juices flowing!

The first program for adults is on Tuesday, June 9 at Prescott School at 6:30 p.m. The Herb Society of Dubuque will present a workshop on container herb gardening. The program is free, but registration is required. Call the Information Desk at 589-4225, option 4.

~ Betty, Adult Services

A Fascinating Profile of Michael May

Here's a book everyone in Dubuque should read!

Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See by Robert Kurson

Synopsis: "A fascinating profile of Michael May, a man blinded by a chemical explosion at the age of three, describes his successful life as a CIA analyst, champion skier, entrepreneur, and family man, who is offered a rare chance to see once again through risky, cutting-edge stem-cell transplant surgery."

Thanks to Dave and Sandy Parrett for thinking this is funny.

~ Posted by Michael May, Adult Services Librarian

---

Join us for a discussion of this book!

Let's Talk Books: Crashing Through
7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 10, 2009
There is no need to register, just come and enjoy the lively discussion. Copies of the books may be picked up at the Circulation Desk a month before the discussion.

Library Use Up During Tough Economic Times

If you don't see the video below on library use during tough economic times, click here for the MSNBC video.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

2009 All Iowa Reads The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown

The 2009 All Iowa Reads selection is the novel The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown. Here's a synopsis:

At her tenth birthday party, Alice, a motherless young girl protected by her father and five older brothers, encounters two people who will change her life--Theo, a mixed-race New York City boy, and Kenneth, an artist suffering from the ravages of AIDS.

All Iowa Reads is a program sponsored by the Iowa Center for the Book which encourages Iowans statewide to read and talk about a single title in the same year. Previous All Iowa Reads selections were:

2008. Digging to America by Anne Tyler
2007. Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio by Jeffrey Kluger
2006. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
2005. The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
2004. Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken
2003. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

The Rope Walk book discussion at Carnegie-Stout Public Library will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. There is no need to register, just come and enjoy the lively discussion. Copies of the books may be picked up at the Circulation Desk a month before the discussion.

~ Mike, Adult Services

Vote For Books

Please come to Carnegie-Stout Public Library on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4, and vote for your favorite book from our Summer Reading Program! Results will be posted in the Library the next day.

~ Colleen, Adult Services

November 5, 2008 Update: The winning book is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Reading Lolita in Dubuque

In observance of Banned Books Week, September 27 through October 4, 2008, Carnegie-Stout Public Library is hosting Reading Lolita in Dubuque, a program to encourage Dubuquers to celebrate the freedom to read by checking out Vladimir Nabokov’s highly controversial and frequently banned novel Lolita, along with Azar Nafisi's bestselling memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran.

Some Dubuquers have already started celebrating . . .


Dubuque City Manager Mike Van Milligen ~
 
Dubuque Police Chief Kim Wadding ~
 
Dubuque Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan~ 

To celebrate your freedom to read, go to Carnegie-Stout Public Library and check out copies of Lolita and Reading Lolita in Tehran!

Grow Your Mind Wrap Up

Now that fall is in the air I am reminded to wrap up the Adult Summer Reading Program (SRP).   Looking back it was a great success.  The theme was Grow Your Mind: Read Green, Think Green, Live Green, which lent itself to some interesting programs.

A lecture by bestselling author Tess Gerritsen launched the SRP.  Throughout the summer we sponsored a series of noon brown- bag lectures with featured speaker Bev Wagner, Education and Communication Director for the Dubuque Metropolitan Solid Waste Agency, who gave advice on living green.  Evening programs featured a celebration of the Civilian Conservation Corps on its 75th anniversary; an excellent view of Antarctica by Troy Henkels; a program on ways to reduce energy use by Tom Snyder; and a hands-on workshop by the Herb Society of Dubuque.  Over 325 people participated in these adult programs.

This was the second year for our Adult Summer Reading Program.  Registration was required, and reading or listening to 5 books was all that was necessary to complete the Program.  In the first year, 158 persons registered and 59 completed the Program for a 37% completion rate.   In 2008, 111 registered and 50 completed the Program for a 45% completion rate.  (Don’t you just love math?)

The Program wrapped up with a garden party at the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Center.  Cinda and Tom Welu, two of our SRP participants, were on hand and took some wonderful photos of the festivities:

Garden Party Slide Show (Note: This large 4.28 MB file may load slowly over some Internet connections.)

~ Betty, Adult Services

The Library Didn’t Have It

The library is a wonderful resource. Books are like art; you are at the mercy of sellers and supply and demand. Books can sell for as little as a nickel or as much as thousands of dollars. Most book range from $15 to $25 but this can add up quick if you like to read.

There was an out of print book I wanted to read but the library didn’t have it. I put a request in for an interlibrary loan and had the book within 2 weeks. The library saves me thousands of dollars a year in book purchases, movie rentals, internet services and database research.

~ Rebecca, Adult Services

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