On the road

The Bookmobile is hitting the road again this weekend, heading over to the River Market tomorrow (Saturday). Last time we had a blast reading stories to our youngest visitors...

All this travelling around made me start thinking about road trips-- that epic, American, coming-of-age, cross-country journey. Of course, we all think of John Steinbeck's classic Travels with Charley when we think of road trip books. But what other road trip books have you enjoyed? Go ahead, throw in a few movie suggestions while you're at it...

Altered Books Workshops phone contact number

Ooops. I combined some phone numbers and put the wrong one in my last blog. The contact number for Altered Books Workshops is 258-3863.
Dana McMurray

Computer Classes Expand

Now I know that everyone loves the computer classes that we offer on Monday evenings and Wednesdays at lunchtime because we hear about it all the time from the folks that sign up for our classes.

Well, how about those of you that aren't free during the times that we have classes scheduled? How about trying out our latest option, self paced computer classes that cover Microsoft Office products like Word, EXCEL, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook in both 2003 and 2007 versions as well as Word, EXCEL and PowerPoint in MAC 2008 versions that are available 24/7 from your home computer? Or perhaps you'd like a little help with a resume or cover letter for that new job you're working on? Perhaps you are going to take an exam to get a better job or to get into college... all of these are available on our electronic database LearningExpress Library.

To try out this and other free databases go to the E-databases link on the right side of our home page and take a look. If you have any questions give us a call at the reference desk during our open hours.

Word Woman

Welcome to another exciting installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! The countdown has started -- only five more days until school starts up again, so this would be a good time to warm up your brain with the Word of the Week in preparation for all of that mental exercise you may soon be getting:

Antidextrous: Lacking dexterity in either hand. -- "Urban Dictionary", Aaron Peckham, Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, Kansas City, 2005.

Example: Unhappily, I have the great misfortune of being rather antidextrous. While this is very much to the amusement of my fellow librarians, it has also resulted over the years in a regrettable number of what might best be termed "book avalanches" in the stacks.

Blank vs. Blank

Who will reign supreme?
Alien or Dinosaur?
You decide!

Which creature would you favor in a face-off? Tell us by adding a comment to this post, or vote via the MPL Facebook fansite. Which ever fearsome contender receives the most backers by 11:59 pm, Sunday, August 30th will be the featured topic in an upcoming blog post.

Altered Books schedule over next few months

Just an alert about all things ALTERED BOOK. We were going to have a display of our latest creations on Friday, September 4 in the library downstairs lobby. We changed that. Because of plans to make Altered Books part of the Montana Festival of the Book, we'll be having our art show and voting on November 6--after our next Altered Books Workshop on Friday, October 23, 2:00--5:00. So we'll be having the artistic results of TWO Altered Books Workshops displayed at our November 6 First Friday Art Show--with voting for the favorites in three categories: Kids, Teens, and Adults. Winners will get some nice prizes.

The one difference with the Oct. 23 Altered Book Workshop is that it will be strictly for teenagers and adults. We're doing that to coordinate better with the Festival of the Book that week. So bring friends, relatives, curious bystanders. It'll be a blast, as always.

Remember, the Altered Books First Friday art show on Nov. 6 will includes works by kids as well as teens and adults, because it will include creations from the August 15 Altered Book Workshop as well as the October 23 workshop. Just call Dana 243-3863 if you have questions.

Biblio-Babble

I'm not crazy about Linda Fairstein, author of many mysteries. I have trouble following where she's going with her characters' actions, dialogue and their importance, and sometimes even her purpose. But, if you like mysteries and libraries (as I do!), Fairstein’s Lethal Legacy (FAIRSTE)will give you entertainment and information. Whether or not you agree with me on how the author “maps” her writing, the book is still a good read that may have you looking at libraries and their collections with new eyes. You’ll come away from this reading with more than a little history about public libraries and the philanthropists who contributed to them, especially the New York Public Library. Fairstein provides her novel’s main character, Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper, with an abundance of villains and tenacious companions. Appropriate for adults, Lethal Legacy will be fun for those who are curious about what goes on behind the stacks!
Do you enjoy Linda Fairstein's books? Leave us a comment (below).

Do ya love your librarian?

Sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the New York Times the I Love My Librarian Award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians. The awards program will demonstrate how librarians are improving the lives of the people in their communities.
Up to ten winners will be selected annually and will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and $500 travel stipend to attend an awards reception in New York hosted by The New York Times at TheTimesCenter in December 2009. In addition, a plaque will be given to each award winner’s library. Winners will be announced in November 2009.

For more information on the award including how you can nominate your favorite local librarian see http://www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian/about.cfm and show the world that Missoula librarians rock your world!

Tiny Little Book

Someone worked hard on this tiny book, measuring just over 1 inch tall. It was left in our Comments box this week...

We, of course, recommend turning it in. Would love to hear from the author!

The Facebook

Facebook: whether you like it or hate it, it's definitely sign of the times, as far as community goes. As for me, when I joined "The Facebook" about 2 years ago, I found myself obsessively fascinated with altering my status, checking friends' pages, and taking really dumb (but strangely addictive) personality quizzes, like "Which Rock Star Are You?" and "What Is Your Romantic Profile?" Incidental, I'm told by Facebook that these quizzes collectively are called a social quizzing system.... Huh?? What does that even mean???

These days, I try to limit my Facebook time. I'll grant that it's a useful social networking tool, but it's usefulness becomes a moot point when you-- and, of course, I mean "I" here-- use it to put off doing what you're supposed to do.

Anyway, I found an article on CNN.com today called "The 12 Most Annoying Types of Facebookers" that profiles characters that all of us Facebookers have certainly run in to, for better or worse, such as "The Lurker,"The Town Crier," and "The Self-Promoter." I won't spoil the article for you by trying to paraphrase it, but in case you're curious, here's the link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/20/annoying.facebook.updaters/index.html

Word Woman

Welcome to another mind-bending episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Only one more week of freedom left until school starts up again, so sharpen your mental pencil by expanding your vocabulary. Here's the Word of the Week to get you going:

Pendent - [adjective] undecided, pending, suspended, overhanging

as opposed to:

Pendant - [noun] a piece of jewelry that hangs from a chain, or an ornament that hangs free -- "Word Traps: A Dictionary of the 5,000 Most Confusing Sound-Alike & Look-Alike Words", Jordan L. Linfield & Joseph Krevisky, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1993.

Example: Julie's decision to attend the opera was pendent, based upon whether or not she could find her diamond pendant.

Kid's Area News

The Kid’s area has just received a cool new sculpture by Aaron Thorpe. A generous Missoula patron saw this beautiful sculpture at an auction and immediately thought of Missoula Public Library and our Gnome House. I think it’s just the addition we need.

Speaking of the Gnome House, it is being rewired. Marilyn, Mona Frangos’ daughter, with help from a friend, is busy replicating the original wiring that Mona put in when she built the house. So for now the lights are off at the Gnome House, but the Gnomes have let us know that they understand and it is OK for now.

Our last Summer Activity Program was for the birds, Herons that is. Donna Love came to Missoula Public Library to read from her newest book Henry the Impatient Heron and talk about herons, loons and other birds of western Montana. We also created our own Hilarious Herons.




Our Family Reading Program is in its last week. We will be distributing prizes to all of our fantastic readers through August 31st. We all had a lot of fun this summer with our activity programs and Thursday movies. Let us know what you especially liked or maybe didn't like so much. We would love to hear from you and we can always use ideas for our summer activity programs.

What I found in the stacks today

The nice thing about working in a library is that you stumble onto the most interesting books. And not always while you're processing returns or the like, either. I ran across this little gem called "10 Sure Signs A Movie Character Is Doomed & Other Surprising Movie Lists" just lying discarded in the stacks today. The author is Richard Roeper, noted movie critic who is the reviewing partner of Roger Ebert. Here's a sample from the book:

5 Things That Happen When A Wrongly Accused Fugitive Walks Into A Bar, A Restaurant Or A Convenience Store:

1. A television will be turned on, and the news will be playing.

2. The fugitive will glance nervously at the TV and then order a drink or a pack of smokes.

3. The newscaster will start reading a story about the fugitive, with a mug shot of the fugitive prominently displayed.

4. A customer will glance at the fugitive and then back at the TV.

5. Just as the customer realizes the fugitive is RIGHT THERE, he turns -- and the fugitive is gone, the door swinging in his wake.


Does this scenario sound familiar to you? Post a comment and tell us in which movie you've seen it happen. "10 Sure Signs That A Movie Character Is Doomed & Other Surprising Movie Lists" is a fun read. You'll find it in the Young Adult section of the library under the call number 791.4302 Roeper if you want to read it for yourself. After I'm done with it, of course...

No Victor in Barnyard Brawl

Votes for Chicken vs. Cow were tied! Now what?

I have an affinity for both creatures. When I was in middle school my friend Julie and I started a club called C.O.W.S - which stood for Cows of the World Society. Why we did this I have no idea, but we thought it was funny and began making cow trading cards to swap and would give each other cow-themed gifts on birthdays and Christmas. This tradition followed us through high school but died once we parted ways for college--that's when chickens began following me... literally!

Chickens ran free in Hawaii where I attended school and entire flocks followed me home from the bus stop on multiple occasions. I also kept a chick as a pet for a time, but that story has a sad ending. Anyway, I must have developed some sort of extra-chicken sensory perception because I possess the uncanny knack for stumbling upon chicken books. I especially noticed this trend once I started working at Missoula Public Library. I never intentionally set out to read chicken books, they just kept appearing in my book bag as if looking for feed. Weird but true. No use fighting it, I've gone ahead and embraced my chicken essence. Now some of my most favorite stories feature poultry.

Since Joyce shared cow titles on the blog last week I'll go ahead and rep for chicken-kind today.

Caroline's Chicken Choice Awards go to...

Chicken Boy by Frances O'Rourke Dowell
Call # = Y DOWELL (or audio book YCD DOWELL)
I never knew chickens could be so life affirming until I listened to this book!

"Getting through seventh grade isn't easy for anyone, son, but when the first day of school starts out with your granny's arrest, you know you've got real problems. Throw on a five-day suspension (for defending your English teacher's honor), a chicken that lays green eggs, and a family feud that's tearing everyone to pieces, and you're in for one heck of a ride."


Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles
Call # = J WILES (audio book JCD WILES)
This book is laugh out loud funny! Don't be deterred from reading it just because it is aimed for kids. All ages will find this touching and humorous.

"Ruby Lavender has fun with her grandmother Miss Eula as they rescue chickens, paint a house pink and run their own secret post office. But what can Ruby do when Eula goes away?"


The Natural History of the Chicken
Call # = DVD 636.5 NATURAL
I enjoyed this bizarre PBS documentary so much I put it on the staff pick shelf at one point.

"A series of unusual stories about chickens. Ranges from a woman who revived a chicken with CPR, a man who raises chickens for his own consumption, a woman who keeps a pet chicken, a group of suburbanites who banded together to stop a neighborhood rooster raiser, a headless rooster, and a man who's life changing experience comes when he sees one of his chickens protect her chicks from a hawk."

Fast Times At Missoula Public Library

Is it just me, or was summer abnormally short this year? As usual, last May I had a long list of summer adventures planned for myself and whoever else I could lure in to going adventuring with me, and as usual, I didn't even get through half the on my list. Oh well.

Anyway, to put myself in the mood for the coming school year, I've been revisiting some of my favorite "high school" movies. You know what I'm talking about: Dazed And Confused, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Rushmore, Election, But I'm A Cheerleader, Mean Girls, and, of course, all those John Hughes classics like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty In Pink, and Sixteen Candles.

I also think there's a lot of bad high school movies out there, as well as several good high school movies I haven't seen. Maybe someone out there will respond to let me know if I'm missing out on an especially good one???

So, you're stocked up on popcorn, you've got you're best buddies in tow, you're headed off to the video store to check out Dazed and Confused, and then it hits you: you can check that movie (and all the rest of those I mentioned) out from the huge AV collection at the Missoula Public Library! Some of those titles are available right at the Missoula Library and some come here from our partner libraries across the state. Either way, though, it's free to check the movies out and you get to keep the movies for 10 days if its on DVD or 28 days if its on VHS.

Moooove over and make room for reading

So you've been to the Fair and you're feelin' blue that it doesn't last year-round (or at least I am). Here's a fun solution: read! OK, sure, that's ALWAYS my solution, but it's a good one so I'm stickin' with it. I thought I'd share some fun picture books that go along with this year's Fair theme 'I herd it through the bovine.' Just like the Fair brings out the kid in you, these treats will be enjoyed by all ages (and species, if you'll note the photo below):

Moo Who? by Margie Palatini - Hilda Mae Heifer has lost her melodic mi-mi-moo. Does she mew, oink, or honk?
The Cow That Laid an Egg, by Andy Cutbill - Marjorie is an insecure cow who wishes she had some special talent. Then one morning something extraordinary happens.
Shamoo: A Whale of a Cow, by Ros Hill - Most cows live their lives in a pasture, but Shamoo years for the sea.
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, by Doreen Cronin - Farmer Brown's cows type all day, and leave him notes.
No Milk!, by Jennifer Ericsson - How a city boy coaxes milk out of the cow.
The Cow Who Clucked, by Denise Fleming - What's a cow to do when she lost her moo? Find it, of course.
Gloria the Cow, by Paul Maar - Gloria wants to be a star, but can she find an audience who will appreciate her voice?


The only thing missing is the smell of tater pigs!

Word Woman

Welcome to another mind-bending episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Brain power is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition, so keep your mental motor firing on all four cylinders with activities like crossword puzzles, cryptoquotes, sudoku and by learning new words. Here's the Word of the Week to get you started:

Glabrous [adjective] bald; hairless; smooth -- "The New York Times Everyday Reader's Dictionary of Misunderstood, Misused, Mispronounced Words", Laurence Urdang, Ed., The New York Times Book Company, 1972.

Example: The glare from Patrick's glabrous head was so blinding as to actually cause traffic accidents in the summer when he drove his convertible with the top down.

Biblio-Babble

One of my favorite new authors is Chelsea Cain. Have you read her "Sweetheart" or "Heartsick"? Chelsea Cain's series features Detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell, who have captivated fans through these two nail-biting books. Both of them were multi-week bestsellers in The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly. Due out on September 1st is her latest novel, "Evil at Heart", when Archie and Gretchen return; Gretchen is still on the loose and Archie is struggling to move on after his ploy to catch her went spectacularly wrong. They've entered an accord of sorts—Archie agrees not to kill himself if she agrees not to kill anyone else. But suddenly there's something else to contend with that might be even worse—a copycat, killing people as a tribute to the Beauty Killer herself. At least they hope it's someone new, for the prospect of Gretchen on another killing spree is more than Archie can bear.
I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Ms. Cain's new book. If you haven't read her previous books, you can find them in FICTION-Cain. You have plenty of time to catch up on the history behind Archie and Gretchen before "Evil at Heart" hits our shelves.
If you need more convincing, here is what Stephen King says about Chelsea Cain: “We’ve been down Hannibal Lecter Avenue many times, and these two books shouldn’t work . . . but they do. Chalk it up to excellent writing and Cain’s ferocious sense of humor. The Portland (Ore.) setting is refreshing too.”---Stephen King

Feel free to leave a comment here about this author or any others you would like for us to feature here, on MPL's Blog.

Dewey's Blog

Did we really think that blogging began just a few years (1998) ago? Melvil Dewey was writing his thoughts about librarianship 123 years ago! Library Notes was a quarterly publication established by Melvil Dewey's Library Bureau in 1886. The promotional flyer for Library Notes shown above was mailed on November 24, 1886. The flyer indicates that the publication will print only items of news likely to be directly useful to its readers. It indicates that special attention will be given to the wants of private, Sunday School, and small public libraries. Library Notes was edited by Melvil Dewey, "an editor to whom natural taste, long study, and unique library experience has given unequaled facilities for the work".

Now, that's what I call informational, interesting blogging!! When we blog here on MPL's blog spot, we also try to give you "news likely to be directly useful to it's readers". Do you blog? Let us know by leaving a comment (and your blog url, if you want).

End of Summer YA Party

Remember, this Thursday August 13 is the End of Summer YA party in the YA room. Yes, we know it's not really the end of summer. But it really is a party!! Food, music, games, prizes, lots of friendly teenagers and a couple fun adults, and a great staged reading of a fan-fiction (Harry Potter meets Twilight). There will be fun, good spirits, and prizes!!! Upstairs in the YA room, August 13, 4:00. For all people 13--18 or grades 7 through 9. See you there!!

Chicken vs. Cow

Two foes pitted against each other.
Who shall be victorious?
Chicken? or Cow?
Only you can decide!

Cast your vote by commenting to this post or taking the Facebook poll on MPL's fan page. Voting is open until 11:59 pm Sun., August 16th.

May the best farm animal win!

Pirates vs. Ninjas

And the winner is…Pirates! Me heartiest congratulations and thanks to those who voted. If you didn’t get a chance to vote on Pirates vs. Ninjas do not be discouraged, you can weigh in on another set of topics later this week.

And now for your viewing, reading, and learning pleasure here is a hodgepodge of all things pirate. Aarrgh!

VIDEO



BOOKS

Piratepedia by Alisha Niehaus and Alan Hecker
J 910.45 NIEHAUS

Pirates and Pirates: Most Wanted -- both titles by John Matthews
J 910.45 MATTHEW

Pirateology: The Sea Journal of Captain William Lubber, Pirate Hunter General, Boston, Massachusetts by Dugald Steer
J 910.45 STEER

Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas
by John S. Burnett
910.45 BURNETT

Flint and Silver: A Prequel to Treasure Island by John Drake
DRAKE

Pirates Don’t Change Diapers by Melissa Long
E LONG

ONLINE

Librarians’ Internet Index listed links on everything from International Talk Like a Pirate Day [Sept. 19th] to online music file sharing or umm piracy.

Looking for ½ price on pirate flags? Well, www.piratesinfo.com has a deal for you. Also worth taking a gander at is their notable pirates section which houses bios on a scurvy bunch including a chick pirate named Madame Ching who at the height of her power commanded nearly 2,000 ships and 50,000 pirates. Her fleet was never defeated by the Chinese navy.

The Google “I’m feeling lucky!” random search yielded a link to the Pittsburgh Pirates homepage.

And lastly, I have to make mention of one of my favorite Facebook apps that lets you switch your settings to Pirate speak. Arrgh! Check it out! Go to ‘Settings’ then ‘Language’ and scroll down until you find ‘English (Pirate)’. It’s a lot ‘o fun. And while you’re at it show your pride and become a fan of MPL on Facebook!

Biblio-Babble

Steven Kellogg's books are for kids ~ and for us kids-at-heart. In 1990, my daughter participated in the Young Author's Conference in Florida and was honored to meet Steven Kellogg, one of the most famous kids' authors and illustrators! He signed the book that she had written and then he proceeded to the other awesome talent he has - story-telling, complete with on-the-spot illustrations. Although he has been at the National Book Festival many times, I found this webcast from 2003 that is close to what we were privileged to be a part of ~ back in the day before video was available like this on the internet:
http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3547 (it's long, but well worth the watch)
Mr. Kellogg's latest illustrated writing is “The Presidential Pet” in Our White House: Looking In and Looking Out (Candlewick, September 2008) MPL carries most of this author's works in our Easy section. Check these out and enjoy the fun of his whimsical illustrations and tall tales with your child! You'll build beautiful memories that last as long as mine have - 19 years and growing!

a sidenote: Steven Kellogg is also the vice-president of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, a national not-for-profit organization that advocates for literacy, literature, and libraries.

Twilight: If You Haven't Read It, Don't Bother

Last week I decided that it was finally time for me to dive into Twilight so that I would understand what all the fuss is about. For the few of you out there who haven't heard much about Stephanie Meyer's best-selling series, I'll give you a brief synopsis: Bella, a beautiful (though she doesn't realize it) high school student moves to a new school where she meets and falls in love with Edward, a handsome, young vampire. Edward falls for Bella, too, and naturally, the union of the two lovers presents several difficulties.

Before reading the first novel in Stephenie Meyer's vampire series, I expected to be entertained (but not blown away) by the writing. Unfortunately, having finished the book, I feel disgusted on several levels.

First and foremost, the sentiments of this book disgust me. Meyer continually reinforces unrealistic romantic ideals and compromising gender stereotypes throughout the novel. I mean, basically the novel's complications all center around either the insinuation that Bella and Edward are star-crossed soul mates or the fact that weak, submissive, fallible Bella must be continually saved from death by powerful, commanding, omniscient Edward. Although Bella possesses a degree of wit with which she counters the decisions that Edward makes on her behalf, for the most part her wit and her protestations seem not to matter in the least. When Edward says "eat," Bella eats. When Edward says "get in the car," Bella gets in the car. How disappointing.

Second, the writing in the book disgusts me. The images Meyer uses to describe her characters and settings are trite and repetitive. A librarian friend of mine put it like this: "By the end of the book, I thought I might throw up if Bella used the words 'cold,' 'white,' 'marble,' or 'beautiful' in reference to Edward again." Furthermore, I found at least a couple of grammatical errors in the book, including one compound sentence that uses both past and present tense verbs to make its point. Who edited this book, anyway?

Third, I am disgusted that Twilight, with its sappy sentiments and disappointing prose, is the current poster novel for young, female readers across our country. With all the great young adult literature out there, surely we can do better than this.

Fourth, I'm disgusted that, after having read Twilight and in spite of everything I mentioned above, I have to admit that I am mildly curious to see what happens in New Moon, the next book in the series. I think this is because Twilight's plot does have a few interesting turns and it is fast paced, though those attributes don't make up for all the problems I had with the book. So, will I read New Moon? Probably not; I'd never be able to get those reading hours back.

I did it again and it was fun

Here is that update I promised you yesterday about my adventures at PNLA. This morning I went to a great session covering recent award-winning books written in or on the Pacific Northwest. Here are just a few of the titles that we discussed and heard excerpts from, along with their call numbers so that you can check them out for yourself if you like:

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo (J DICAMIL)

My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath (J HORVATH)

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Y PFEFFER)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (Y BOYNE) (also on DVD)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Y ALEXIE)

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (STEIN)

Full-Court Quest: The Girls From Fort Shaw Indian School Basketball Champions of the World by Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith (796.323 PEAVY)


There are many more I could mention, but it's time for me to go back and attend my afternoon classes now. Tales of a Roving Librarian awaits my arrival. Come check out these books, if you get to them before I do, that is...

Those dancin' feet

OK, I'll admit it, I've been watching "So You Think You Can Dance," the reality-tv show where dancers compete to become "America's favorite dancer." But just because the season ended last night doesn't mean I have to go through dancing withdrawal. The library has everything I need to keep my feet tapping.

We have some cool books (and DVDs) on dancing from tango to hip-hop. Try these on for size:
Gotta Ballroom by Christine Zone, 793.33 ZONA

Tango: An Argentine Love Story by Camille Cusumano, 793.33 CUSUMAN

Let's Dance: The Complete Book and DVD of Ballroom Dance Instruction... by Cal Pozo, 793.33 POZO

You're probably noticing a trend -- our dancing books are at 793.33. Then stop by our CD collection to pick out some great tunes to go along with them. And, for when your feet ache and you need a break, we have those recent dance feature movies that have been super popular. So get your dancing fix at the library.

Do you have a favorite dance style? Let us know what type of dancing you like and we'll try to set up a dancing demo here at the library (don't worry, I won't be the performer). Add a comment here, send us a tweet, or fill out a comment form in the library. In the mean time, check out our Events page for other fun ways to spend your time.

Word Woman

Welcome to another wild and wonderful episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! It's time to get that grey matter back in shape for heading back to school, so let's pump up some mental muscle with the Word of the Week:

Dictionary attack: A hacking attempt in which the attacker tries to log in with your user name and a password. Each time the attacker tries, he uses a different word in the dictionary. -- "Urban Dictionary", Aaron Peckham, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City, 2005.

Example: Jesse had his identity stolen due to a dictionary attack. Poor guy had all his passwords set to "alphabet", so he never stood a chance.

What I did today

Checked in books? Worked in Web Alley? Shelved carts? Not today. Maybe on any other day, but today I was at the Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) Conference. In some exotic locale on a sun-drenched beach? Not at all, actually. Right here in our own fair city, mere blocks from Missoula Public Library itself. How convenient is that?

And what is this PNLA thing all about anyway? Well, it's a chance for library staff to improve themselves by taking classes in all sorts of things from cutting edge technology to forums on radical new ideas in library management. It's enough to fairly take a librarian's breath away, I tell you. Myself, I was bombarded with a whirlwind of information on Website management and the use of Flickr in collection development, which I hope to put into use in the near future.

Was it fun? Oh, yeah! In fact, it was so much fun that I think I'll go back tomorrow and do it again. Stay tuned for an update...

YA End of Summer Party

No, no, Summer's not over yet! It's just that our Summer programming is over and. . .you know, any excuse for a party. Thursday, August 13, 4 pm in the YA room, for TEENS ONLY. We'll have a staged reading of our favorite Harry Potter-Twilight fan-fiction story by Mikaela, a Pictionary contest, a YA scavenger hunt, music, food, and all your YA friends. We'll have door prizes and a drawing for a grand prize (from all the summer raffle tickets) of a $50 gift certificate to Rockin' Rudys. Come on in and join us!

Books on My Desk

Today on my desk are piles and piles of childrens’ books—but wait, don’t turn away so fast adults & teens! While the intended audience for these titles may be kids, they are loads of fun for all ages. In fact the library has a special collection called Picture Books for EVERYONE.

This growing collection features books that are longer, or have content that is more advanced than traditional picture books, but contain many illustrations. You can recognize these books by the "JE" written on the spine label.

Take a quick break from your normal reading routine and browse this section. I’m sure you’ll find a treasure.

Alright, back to my desk. Today I am processing…

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
E WILLEMS
“Wilbur is different from the other naked mole rats in the colony: he wears cloths (and he likes it!). But what will happen when Grand-pah, the oldest, wisest, and most naked naked mole rat ever, discovers Wilbur’s secret?”
(Pssst, you don’t want to miss out on Mr. Willem’s Pigeon books series. They are hilarious!)

Garfield: 30 Years of Laughs & Lasagna, the life & times of a fat, furry legend by Jim Davis
JC DAVIS
“When the world’s most famous feline hits the three-decade milestone it’s time to celebrate!”

The Adventurous Book of Outdoor Games: Classic Fun for Daring Boys and Girls by Scott Strother
J 796 STROTHE
“A treasure trove of the best neighborhood games invented by children since the beginning of time!” Plenty of great excuses here to get up off the couch. Red Rover anyone?


I loved playing tether-ball and pretty much any book by Roald Dahl when I was a kid. What were your favorite games or books from childhood? I want to know, so post a comment!

Catalog Improvements

We will be upgrading our catalog today, Sunday Aug. 2, in order to offer improved patron services. The statewide upgrade is scheduled until 5 p.m., which means our catalog will temporarily not be available. The library will be open for regular business, however overdue payments, hold status, and other account information will not be accessible until after 5 p.m. Thanks for your patience!

Pirates vs. Ninjas

Hey everyone I have a dilemma. I can’t decide whether to blog about pirates or ninjas.




Will you help me out? Please let me know which topic you’d rather read about. Add a comment to this post, send a tweet or visit Missoula Public Library on Facebook and weigh in using the discussion tab to cast your vote. You can also tell us what your favorite pirate or ninja book, movie, or quote is.

The topic with the most votes will be the subject of my Monday, August 10th blog post. You have until midnight Sunday, August 9th 2009 to make your decision. Choose wisely.

Arrgh/Hi-yah!