November 2012

Sometime back in the late, late 1980’s, I started my freshman year at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Being away from home, on my own, for the first time brought many challenges (making it to class on time, figuring out what was safe to eat in the cafeteria, finding the best party, I mean, study space at the library…) and many opportunities (making new friends, sleeping in, deciding to skip a class and copy notes from one of those new friends…). College also brought many new experiences; some enjoyable and some downright shake-you-out-of-your-bed- terrifying. 

Case in point: Augustana is a Lutheran college with a history rich in Swedish traditions. One of those traditions takes place every year on St. Lucia’s Day. On this day, the Augustana Choir (yes, the entire choir!) walks through each dorm building on campus, singing songs about St. Lucia. Now, that would be fine if they did their singing at a normal time, say, sometime in the late afternoon. But, no. The choir comes through at 4:00 a.m., singing at the top of their lungs, ringing bells, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Don’t get me wrong. They sounded lovely. They just would have sounded lovelier later in the day. When I was awake.

This December at the library you don’t have to worry about being woken up by singing at 4:00 a.m. because we will be doing our singing at 4:00 p.m. instead. On the first three Fridays of the month from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. we will have Holiday Music performers in the foyer of the library. Beloit College Jazz Improvisation students will be here on December 7^th, Turner High School singers will be here on December 14^th and the Beloit Memorial High School Chamber Orchestra will be here on December 21^st. And we will also have an encore performance from the Celtic group Ogham on Tuesday December 11^th at 6:30 p.m.

October 2012

I love playing games – board games, card games, trivia games, and even puzzles and crosswords. I love playing them for a few different reasons. One, they help keep the mind sharp. Believe me, as middle age starts creeping up, I need all the help I can get to keep the wheels turning. Two, playing games is fun, especially if you are playing with family and friends. Three, I’m very competitive and love the feeling of crushing my opponents. Is it wrong for a Children’s Librarian to enjoy crushing the competition? And finally, I love playing games because I cheat. Is it wrong for a Children’s Librarian to admit she cheats? 

Okay, there is really only one game I “cheat” at. That game is Trivial Pursuit and I don’t really see it as cheating, even though my family and friends would beg to differ. When I was a kid, in order to expand my knowledge on a variety of topics, I would read the questions and answers on the Trivial Pursuit game cards. I mean really, what kid didn’t read the Trivial Pursuit cards? Is it my fault that I memorized most of those answers? Is it my fault that my family and friends were still willing to play with me? Needless to say, I crushed them. Nope. Not my fault. And needless to say, I crushed them.

If you love playing games of all kinds like I do, come to the Beloit Public Library on Saturday November 3^rd from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. for International Gaming Day at Your Library. We will have all sorts of fun and games for the whole family. Kids 12 and younger can enjoy board games in the Children’ Program Room, while tweens and teens can enjoy video games in the Public Meeting Room.

September 2012

The other day I was working at my desk when Mary Lou, our very own Story Time Lavender Library Lady, came into my office. She had a look on her face. You know the look. The one that says “we need to talk”. As she sat down, I prepared myself for the worst. Was she going to give her two-week notice because she had won the lottery and was moving to Tahiti? (No, thank goodness!) Was she going to admit to rearranging my OCD-inspired desk when I wasn’t looking? (Nope, nothing quite that nefarious.) Or was she going to tell me that the Tomato Clownfish had jumped out of the fish tank again? (Rest assured, that crazy little fish is still alive and swimming.)

What Mary Lou actually needed to talk about was a problem she was having with the Wednesday morning Story Times we do for kids 6 and younger and their families. Problems with Story Time? What possible problems could we have with Story Time? As it turns out, the problem is because we have such an amazing Story Time, lots and lots of people want to come on Wednesday mornings and we are bursting at the seams. So, how did we solve this oh-so-wonderful problem? Simple. We now have TWO, count them, TWO amazing Story Times on Wednesday mornings. Mary Lou will still do the 10:00 a.m. story time. And then she will repeat the same story time at 11:00 a.m. Since it is a repeat, busy parents can now choose which time works best for their little one’s schedules. 

So pick a time and we’ll see you on Wednesday mornings. For more information on Story Times and other library programs, be sure to find us on Facebook and on the web at www.beloitlibrary.info.

August 2012

Phil and I were out with some friends last weekend when one of them asked me if I belonged to a Book Club. The librarian in me hates to admit this, but I had to tell her that I had never participated in a regular monthly book discussion. Sure, I’ve been invited to a few over the years, but nothing permanent ever stuck. And I had my excuses for not sticking with it. I would go once or twice and then decide that the drive was too far to get to someone’s house, or their living room furniture wasn’t cozy enough, or the sky was blue that day. Poor excuses, yes, but excuses nonetheless.

Well, no more. The Beloit Public Library has a 4th Wednesday Book Discussion group that starts up this fall and runs through next spring. The drive isn’t too far, we have comfortable chairs, and frankly, the sky being blue is not a valid reason for not showing up. Heck, we even have librarians who will lead the discussions. The group meets in the Public Meeting Room from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., and we have plenty of copies of the books for you and your friends to check out.

For more information about the library or the 4th Wednesday Book Discussion group, be sure to visit us on the web at www.beloitlibrary.info or on Facebook.

September 26th 2012 – Iron City by M.H. Hedges, with introductions by Alan Wald and Frederick Burwell. Beloit College, republishing this 1919 novel, once fired Hedges for writing this cataloging of the social ills of the school and of Beloit.

October 24th 2012 – Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg. Katie is a precocious 12-year-old military brat whose mother died of cancer, and whose father often is distant, or abusive.

November 28th 2012 - Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne. This is the first of the Sister Fidelma Mystery series written by historian Tremayne, showing Celtic women of the 600s with the same legal rights as men.

January 23rd 2013 – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 16 year old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer patient, accepts her terminal diagnosis until a chance meeting with a boy at cancer support group forces her to reexamine her perspective on love, loss, and life.

February 27th 2013 - Half Broke Horses; a True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls. The author's grandmother helped break horses as a child and as an adult ran a vast Arizona ranch, surviving heartbreaking personal tragedy.

March 27th 2013 - The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age by Nathan Wolfe. A biologist shows how viruses and human beings have co-evolved throughout history.

April 24th 2013 - A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Bennie, an aging former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, a passionate young woman confront their pasts in this powerful story about how rebellion ages and friendships fluctuate.

May 22nd 2013 - Lottery: The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Perry L. Crandall by Patricia Wood. Told by Perry, a 31 year old man with an IQ of 76 whose life radically changes with his grandmother’s death and winning $12 million.

July 2012

My husband Phil and I recently decided to try an experiment. Well, I decided to try an experiment. Phil decided, in his wisdom, that he wanted to stay married and would therefore try the experiment with me. We decided that we were going to “eat out of the cupboard” for a couple of weeks. Others have called this the “eat from the pantry” or the “clean out the cupboard” experiment and I wanted to give it a try for a couple of reasons. One, I realized that in the past I have had to throw out canned foods and packaged foods that were past their expiration date simply because I never got around to using them. Oh, I had every intention of making some exotic dish that would dazzle Phil with my culinary skills; I just never actually did it. I wanted to make sure I used those ingredients before I had to toss them. And two, food costs money. Surprise, surprise. I wanted to see how much money we could save over a two week period by only purchasing essentials such as milk, eggs, and bread. The plan was to cut the grocery bill by half each week. The librarian in me wanted to be prepared to do this right. So what did I do to prepare for the two week experiment? I went to the library, of course. I found cook books that had recipes for meals made with 5 ingredients or less. I also found lots of books with recipes for money saving meals. And I even found a book that gave me 600 tips and ideas for shrinking my grocery bill while still eating well for less. At the end of the two weeks, Phil and I ended up saving over $80.00 and we still had food in the cupboard to carry us through another week. And thanks to the library I had now have tons of recipes and money saving tips to get us through another two weeks if we decide to “eat out of the cupboard” again. Be sure to check us out on the web at www.beloitlibrary.info and on Facebook. Here are two of the books that helped us through the experiment: Instant Bargains: 600+ Ways to Shrink Your Grocery Bill and Eat Well for Less by Kimberly Danger. Perfect for anyone who wants to buy smarter, spend less on food, and get the best nutritional and economic value for their buck, Instant Bargains offers more than 600 tips and tricks from Coupons.com family savings expert and mommysavers.com founder Kimberly Danger. No time for coupon clipping? No room to stockpile? No problem! (Book Description) Betty Crocker Money Saving Meals by Betty Crocker. Team up with Betty Crocker for tasty and hearty main dishes that your family will love—and save big on your grocery bills! All 200 of the delicious kitchen-tested recipes inside are easy to prepare and easy on your wallet. Delight the kids with favorites like Cowboy Casserole and Italian Chicken Fingers. Recreate restaurant favorites at home like French Dip Sandwiches and Creole Jambalaya. And take it easy with meals that yield great leftovers like Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti and Vegetarian Chili. (Book Description)

June 2012

This month's column was written by Tina Kakuske, Circulation Manager. Farmer’s Market Perspective~ What do you call a day when the temperature is in the mid to high 70s, the sun is shining, the humidity is low, a light breeze is gently blowing, dogs of all types are padding by and people are calling out “good morning” to each other? You call that ‘A Perfect Farmer’s Market Day’ and that is what happened recently on the second day of June in downtown Beloit. My husband and I have been going to Farmer’s Markets for a while now, and I have to say that the one here in Beloit is at the top of my list. Our perspective has always been that of customers, but that changed on June 2nd when I had the pleasure of being at the market as a representative of the Beloit Library along with fellow employees. Can a day get even more perfect? It can when you are able to make kids happy with a library sticker and give away pens, pencils, light blue magnetic clips and card holders. Add to that lively conversation with folks about the library and the services that we provide to the community, including upcoming summer programming for kids, teens, and adults. The combination of locally grown food, people, dogs AND the library is hard to resist and for those who want to know more, a trip to the library after the market is the ideal way to top off the day. Here is a sample of what you can take home from the library, from a farmer’s market perspective: “Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh” by Emeril Lagasse. Eating local is a big trend these days and smart chef Lagasse has put together this collection of interesting and imaginative ways to use locally grown produce. Library Journal says “Recipes such as Bay, Thyme, and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes; Creamy Spiced Rice Pudding; Curry-Scented Roasted Cauliflower; and the Pink Lady Apple Martini are imbued with fresh, vibrant, and balanced flavors” and this book is highly recommended. Curious about that great big hairy dog or the little dust mop variety that you saw at the market? Pick up “Top Dog,” a DK Publishing Incorporated publication. This book is “an extensive, exquisitely photographed catalog of more than 400 dog breeds” and features the top 50 breeds. Information about choosing the right dog for you and your family is also included. This book is truly a feast for dog fans! Learn just what eating local does and doesn’t mean as explained by Diane A. Welland in “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local.” This book is packed with information about eating local in all 50 states! Do I hear road trip? And last but not least is a book “chock-full of recipes people will want to cook.” “The Locavore’s Kitchen: A Cook’s Guide to Seasonal Eating and Preserving” by Marilou K. Suszko promotes eating the way it used to be when people ate what was in season and canned or preserved for the rest of the year. The 200+ recipes are traditional favorites with extra information for the novice and expert alike. So, be sure to look for and stop by the library stand at the Farmer’s Market on August 18, because the library will be looking for you, Beloit. Literally!

May 2012

For about a year and a half after I graduated from college, I worked three different jobs at the same time. I was a hostess at a local restaurant, a bank teller and a clerk at a bookstore. Now you might not think those would be very stressful jobs, but when you combine all three of them with the fact that I was living in my parents’ basement, just starting to pay back my student loans and planning my upcoming wedding, well, I think you can see how stressed out I was. Because of the stress, I had very vivid dreams. I would actually wake up from the middle of a dream in a panic, sit straight up in bed and think that I was at the bank. I was positive there were people in my bedroom and I needed to cash their checks for them. It always took several minutes for me to realize I was dreaming and that I could lie back down and go to sleep. Check cashing could wait until the morning. You have no need to stress out about your dreams this summer at the Beloit Public Library. Our Summer Library Club theme for kids 12 and younger is “Dream Big, Read” and we’ve got some great programs planned. Our Campfire Kick-Off event is on Thursday June 7th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Kids can sign up for the Reading Program, make campfire crafts, hear campfire stories and sing campfire songs. We have Tales and Treats programs on Tuesday afternoons, Story Times on Wednesday mornings, Tween Time programs on Wednesday afternoons, and family programs on select Thursdays and Fridays. And back by popular demand, kids can R.E.A.D. to Lilly on select Friday mornings. Our Teen theme this year is “Own the Night” and the Kick-Off event will be on Thursday June 7th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Teens ages 12 to 18 can sign up for the Reading Program, play video games, and enter their name for prize drawings. Teen events for the summer include movie and pizza nights, video game days and Wiki Wednesdays. And don’t worry, adults, your Summer Library Club fun starts in July. For more information about all of the dreamy programs we have this summer, check us out on Facebook or at www.beloitlibrary.info. And be sure to look for these new books coming soon to the library: Baby Bear Eats the Night by Anthony Pearson. Baby Bear is afraid of the dark, so he decides the best thing to do is eat the night! But as Baby Bear starts eating and the night begins to disappear, he learns that the other forest creatures need the night, and maybe he does, too. (Book Description) Do Dogs Dream?: Nearly Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know by Stanley Coren. Do dogs dream? Can they recognize themselves in the mirror or understand what they’re seeing on television? Are they more intelligent than cats? People have a great curiosity—and many misunderstandings—about how dogs think, act, and perceive the world. They also wonder about the social and emotional lives of dogs. Stanley Coren brings decades of scientific research on dogs to bear in his unprecedented foray into the inner lives of our canine companions, dispelling many common myths in the process. (Book Description)