Word Woman

Welcome to another mind-bending episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! A rainy day is a great time to curl up with a good book and read, and while you're reading, look for some interesting new words to share with others. Here's one I found today:

Touron: A derogatory name for a tourist used in the vicinity of Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. It derives from the combination of "tourist" and "moron" -- "Dictionary of the American West", Winifred Blevins, Facts on File, New York, 1993.

Example: Gary's car was totaled when some touron gawking at a buffalo drove him off the road and into a geyser basin.

April showers/May flowers

April is certainly finishing off with a few showers, so I think we're all looking forward to those May flowers. Get ready for gardening season even when the weather isn't complying by stopping at the library. You'll find some great gardening books on everything from vegetables to wild flowers to The Book of Weeds. Learn the tricks to ripen those tomatoes to a beautiful red glow, or to bring out the sunshine in gorgeous yellow daisies. We even have titles on low-maintenance gardening that lets you enjoy your garden and the rest of your life.

If you're looking forward to getting out to the garden, here's where you should look:

• Adult, children's or young adult non-fiction: 635s
• Check the 635s in our DVD collection in Entertainment Central - we have quite a few how-to videos there
• We even have Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul on CD
• And for fiction readers - search our catalog for "gardening and fiction" - I think you'll be amazed at what you see!

I just read the most wonderful, heart-warming story and had to share with all our patrons, both the young and the young-at-heart. It's called "Library Lion", by Michelle Knudsen. The publisher reviews it best:

"Miss Merriweather, the head librarian, is very particular about rules in the library. No running allowed. And you must be quiet. But when a lion comes to the library one day, no one is sure what to do. There aren't any rules about lions in the library. And, as it turns out, this lion seems very well suited to library visiting. His big feet are quiet on the library floor. He makes a comfy backrest for the children at story hour. And he never roars in the library, at least not anymore. But when something terrible happens, the lion quickly comes to the rescue in the only way he knows how. Michelle Knudsen's disarming story, illustrated by the matchless Kevin Hawkes in an expressive timeless style, will win over even the most ardent of rule keepers. An affectionate storybook tribute to that truly wonderful place: the library."

You can check this out in our Children's Department in the EASY books, call number: E Knudsen. I recommend it for all ages! It will make you smile - guaranteed!

For more information on the author and this gentle story of friendship and acceptance, you can visit http://www.michelleknudsen.com/library_lion_77788.हतं and Kevin Hawkes' homepage is fun: http://www.kevinhawkes.com/home.htm

4x4s for the Library

Thanks to the Montana Back Roads 4x4 Club for inviting us to visit last night. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and hear what's going on in the club.

Seems like the 4x4 club wouldn't be an obvious match for the library, but we sure had a lot to talk about - like our Auto Repair online e-collection offering manuals for all sorts of makes and models from 1945 to the present, and our great collection of topo maps available by the Reference Desk.

We love to hear what's going on with your group, and sharing all the services the library provides. So give us a call at 721-2665 or email Joyce and we'll come visit with you, or we're happy to tour you around the building, too. See you at the library!

Word Woman

Welcome to another mind-bending installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Spring is here, and while you're out planting your seeds and bulbs, don't forget to break fresh ground in your brain with a little mental exercise such as learning new words. Here's the Word of the Week to get you started:

Perspicacious: (pur-spi-kay-shus) [adjective] having keen insight; discerning. -- "The New York Times Everyday Reader's Dictionary of Misunderstood, Misused, Mispronounced Words, Laurence Urdang, Ed., Weathervane Books, The New York Times Book Company, 1972.

Example: Leigh's perspicacious eye was evident in the fine quality of the antiques she selected for her office.

What to read next...

Stumped about what to read next? Try NextReads! Our newest addition to the library, NextReads offers newsletters suggesting the latest and greatest titles based on the genres you read the most. Do you like romance? Sign up for the romance list. Audiobooks? We have a list for that. Name pretty much any style book you like to read, and you'll find the perfect list to match. All you have to do is check off the newsletters you would like to receive and enter your email address for easy delivery. Your email will not be shared or used for any other purpose. See a sample newsletter before you commit - and unsubscribe anytime you wish. Just follow the link above, or find a link on our homepage too.

Never get caught without a book again!

Soup-er collection

The library has always been the spot for collecting things: books, movies, newspapers, and more. But last week we were the spot for collecting canned goods for the Missoula Food Bank. Thanks to everyone who donated. We had a great big pile ready for the Food Bank this morning:

We're done collecting Food for Fines (for now), but you can always make a food donation at the Food Bank.

You're the Tops!

We celebrated our volunteers and the amazing job they do here at the library with our annual Volunteer Breakfast this morning. Betty Fulton was honored as our volunteer of the year with a gift certificate, and had her name added to the plaque that hangs near the Reference Desk. Below: Marje, who you've all seen at the Reference desk, presents the plaque to Betty.


Celebrating our volunteers is the perfect way to cap off National Library Week which ends today. Thanks to our volunteers, and all our residents who support the library and make it such an amazing place to visit!

Final Day Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State

Wow! We've reached the last day of the scavenger hunt! It's been a lot of fun and I'll be sad to see it go. Let us know if you enjoyed working on the scavenger hunt by leaving a comment here or at the library. We may try and have a hunt of our very own, if there is interest.

Answer and submit today's question and you will have one more chance at winning an iPod Touch or pizza party for your class. Winners will be announced by April 30, 2010.

Now for the questions:
Elementary: What family does the daisy flower belong to?

Middle: What is bioenergy?

High: What was the black death?

Adult: You would like to canoe the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. How many miles is it from Three Forks, Montana to the point where the Mississippi meets the Gulf of Mexico.

Visit our website and use our electronic databases to find your answers.

To submit your answers click on the icon below.

Montana Book Awards

I really enjoyed going to the Montana Library Association Conference in Bozeman this year. There were so many interesting sessions to attend that it was hard choosing between them. Still, I think that my favorite session was the Montana Book Awards Committee's presentation on their picks for the best books of 2009. My list of books to read definitely got a lot longer after I went to this session, and yours might, too, when you see their recommended reads:

Greg Mortenson -- Stones into Schools (sequel to 3 Cups of Tea)

Robert Greer -- Spoon (modern MT Western fiction)

Michael & Elizabeth Norman -- Tears in the Darkness (about the Bataan death march)

Ted Leeson -- Inventing Montana (traveler’s perspective on MT)

Donald Jones -- Born Wild in Montana (kid’s book with great photos)

William C. Pack -- The Bottom of the Sky (memoirs of Roundup in the 1960s)

Kevin Canty -- Where the Money Went (collection of humorous, MT-related short stories)

Richard Manning -- Rewilding the West (about a proposal to buy ranchland for a reserve in MT)

Phil Condon -- Nine Ten Again (a short story collection about people facing a great moment of decision)

Debra Oberbillie -- Bug Feats (for 9-12 yr. olds, great for reluctant readers, especially boys)

Wallace McRae -- Stick Horses (memoirs of Rosebud county)

Timothy Egan -- The Big Burn (history of forest service)

Craig Lancaster -- 600 Hours of Edward (Asperger’s syndrome)

Reif Larsen -- The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet (go to tsspivet.com for more info)

Jamie Ford -- Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (this is the 2009 Montana Book Award Winner)

Word Woman

Welcome to another exciting episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Here is a quote by no less a personage than the original Renaissance man himself, Leonardo Da Vinci, which bears on the importance of staying mentally fit: "Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses it purity and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." Wise words from a wise man. Here's the Word of the Week to get your brain cells warmed up:

Pertinacious -- (pur-tin-ay-shus) [adjective]
1. Holding resolutely to a purpose, belief or opinion
2. Stubbornly unyielding
from latin pertinac-, pertinax, per- (thoroughly) + tenax (tenacious) from tenare (to hold) -- "A Word A Day", Anu Garg, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New Jersey, 2003.

Example: Rex's pertinacious hold on the squeaky toy made playing fetch difficult, as it would take five or more minutes for Jim to wrestle it away from him so that he could throw it.

Day 6 Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State

Are you all super-searchers now? You have two more days to hone your skills, get your booklight at the Accounts desk at Missoula Public Library and enter the raffle for an iPod Touch or class pizza party at the State Library Website.

Simply stop by our Accounts desk and let us know you are working on the Scavenger Hunt and we will give you a fantastic booklight. When you submit your answers at the State Libray Website you will be entered into their scavenger hunt raffle for iPods and pizza parties.

Here are the questions for Day 6:

Elementary: What tribe did Dull Knife belong to?

Middle: What are seamounts?

High: Why do some people argue that junk food taxes would encourage people to eat healthfully?

Adult: What did Ashley Olsen help develop in 2009?


Visit our website and use our electronic databases to find the answers and submit them to the State Library website by clicking on the icon below.

Good Luck and Thanks for Playing!

Day 5 Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State

Who wants a booklight? Work on these scavenger hunt questions then stop by the Accounts Desk and let us know. We will be happy to give you a cool booklight. You'll also have the opportunity to win an iPod Touch or a class pizza party, if you are in elementary school. How, you ask? Simply submit your answers to the State Library using the Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State icon below. Don't let this opportunity slip away.

Here our your questions for Day 5
Elementary: What is the highest point in Montana?

Middle: Where do the Anasazi Indians live?

High: Where is homelessness increasing in the United States?

Adult: What is Eucalyptus used to treat?

Go to our website and use our electronic databases to find the answers. If you're having trouble, the State Library is giving hints.

When you're ready to submit click on the Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State icon below.

Ch-ch-changes

If you've been to the library this week (and you better have because it's National Library Week!) then you might have noticed a bit of construction work on our lower level. What's going on? Glad you asked.

We're relocating eddie's coffeeshop from its current spot tucked against the stairs to a bigger and better location in the wing off the large meeting room. Soon folks interested in a great cup of coffee to go along with a great read will have more space to relax. Plus Eddie will be able to offer a wider variety of tasty treats - check in at the coffeeshop and see what this month's special coffee is.

Don't worry, eddie's coffeeshop and the meeting room are both open for business during the update. Once all is in place, we'll have a cool large display case for community use as well - so if your organization would like to show off what you're doing make a reservation now!

Day 4 Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State

It's wonderful to see so many of you involved in the Hunt! Three days are under your belt and the fourth day's questions are listed below.

Don't forget that today is the First Annual Bookmobile Day. Our bookmobile will be driven around town today between 10am and 1pm. If you see it, be sure and stop and get your picture taken for your very own Read Poster.

Starting at 6:30pm we will also have a Poetry Shout Out in our large meeting room in celebration of National Poetry Month. Bring along your favorite poem and read aloud for everyone to enjoy or just come to listen to the wonderful poetry.

For today's questions go to our website and use the electronic databases to find the answers. When you are ready to submit your answer click on the Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State button below.

Here are the Day 4 questions.

Elementary: Where does shrub grassland appear in Montana?

Middle: What are the three "R's" that are an alternative to animal testing?

High: What did Alger Hiss help launch?

Adult: Why did General Motors plan on recalling 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac vehicles in the United States in March 2010?

To submit your answers:

Day 3 Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State

Great job on Days 1 & 2 of the Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State!

I bet you never knew what a wealth of information was available at your library's website. Any time of the day or night just visit missoulapubliclibrary.org and you can find the answer to just about anything.

Here are your questions for Day 3.

Elementary: Where do yaks live?

Middle: List the title of two articles that have opposing viewpoints on the topic of requiring students to wear school uniforms.

High: What are two arguments against censoring suicide Internet sites?

Adult: List three additional names that Osama Bin Laden goes by?

Visit our website to find the answers in our electronic databases and then you are ready to submit your answer for the day.

To Submit Answers:
Click on Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State

Day 2 of Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State

Are you ready for the 2nd question of your Scavenger Hunt? The questions are below. Go to our website and use the electronic databases to find your answers and then click on the Treasure Hunt Button to submit your answers.

Questions
Elementary: What are the 2 types of apes?

Middle: When did Captain James Cook claim Australia for Great Britain?

High: What is transcendentalism?

Adult: List 3 types of food poisoning.

Submit your answers

Day 1 of Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State

Questions for Day 1 are:

Elementary: What job did both John Adams and John Quincy Adams have?

Middle: What percentage of Montana is covered by Plains Grassland?

High: What are two negative effects of raising the minimum wage?

Adult: What instrument did Lawrence LeRoy Welk play?

Come in to the library today to find the answer to your question and have a Sundae. Today at 2pm is Sundaes on Sunday. Stop on in for a free sundae to reward yourself for working on the scavenger hunt.

Don't forget! Stop by the Accounts desk and pick up your free booklight.

Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State

In celebration of National Library Week, Missoula Public Library will be a gateway to the scavenger hunt organized by the Montana State Library.

Starting on Sunday, April 11th you can visit this blog and read the questions for the day. You will then find the answers by using the electronic resources available online at the library's website http://missoulapublic library.org Answers will be submitted electronically by going to http://mymontanalibrary.org/treasure/ and filling out the online submission form.

There are 4 separate contest categories: Elementary School, Middle School, High School and Adult. Each category will be awarded 2 prizes with winners announced on April 30th. Statewide prizes include six Apple iPods, which will be presented to the winners in the middle school, high school and adult categories. Two pizza parties will be provided for the winning elementary school classrooms. The prizes for the contest are provided by Gale, part of Cengage Learning, the vendor that provides the electronic resources used for the Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State.

If you choose to play, be sure and stop by our Accounts desk and pick up a booklight. Just tell us you are working on the scavenger hunt and the booklight is yours!

Remember the first set of questions will be on this blog Sunday morning, April 11th. You can also see the questions at http://mymontanalibrary.org/treasure/

Have Fun!

Word Woman

Welcome to another wild and wonderful installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Homes and gardens are not the only things in need of spring cleaning. Sweep those winter cobwebs out of your mind by picking up a good book. Mental exercise is a key factor in combating long-term memory loss, so let's stretch out those neurons with the Word of the Week:

Techno-stress: [noun] Stress arising from working in a technological environment (especially with computer technology); a psychiatric illness whose main cause is difficulty in adapting to new technology. -- "The Oxford Dictionary of New Words", Sara Tulloch, Oxford University Press, New York, 1991.

Example: When his job began requiring all employees to create their own homepage and link it to the company's website, Gary started suffering from techno-stress and seriously considered early retirement.

MLA Conference in Bozeman

Greetings from Bozeman. We enjoyed the weather you sent our way. The conference has been great so far; went to a session on patrons experiencing homelessness and one with essential information on the movies that we show at the library. We were very excited to attend the Montana Book Award ceremony tonight at Bozeman Public Library honoring this year's honor books and winner, The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. The authors were all so great and there was a very nice turnout, despite the weather.

Just want all to know that we are all learning lots and doing lots of networking and enjoying the speakers and gee that Loriene Roy is hilarious, former president of the American Library Association and our keynote speaker.

National Library Week is on the way!

It's that time of year again...

National Library Week is April 11-17

This is a chance for communities of all types and sizes across the country to celebrate their libraries. And, boy, do we have a lot of great stuff in store for you - so mark your calendars:

Sundaes on Sunday April 11, 2 p.m., lets you have a cool treat to go along with your cool book.
Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State April 12-17, an online statewide scavenger hunt with fantastic prizes - watch this blog for clues!
National Bookmobile Day Wednesday April 14 we'll be driving the bookmobile around town - spot us and we'll take your picture for your very own READ poster.
Poetry Shout Out Wednesday April 14, 6:30 p.m., a chance to share your favorite published poets with everyone by reading a selection of your choice.
Teen Lit Day Thursday April 15 stop by the Young Adult room and see a video of teens reading selections for their favorite books.
Librarian Movie & NLW Raffle Saturday April 17, 2 p.m., a free showing of one of our favorite big-screen librarians, plus we'll pull the winners of our National Library Week raffle.

Stop by any time Sunday April 11-Saturday April 17 and pick up a free gift from us to you as a thanks for loving your library. And enter the raffle to win books, tote bags, movie gift certificates, or even an MP3 player (you don't have to be present to win).

Of course, you get a free gift every time you come to the library in the form of books, movies, music, and programs. So what are you waiting for? Think...MORE!

PLACE YOUR HOLDS....

…for the following new books about to arrive at Missoula Public Library and our branches or partners:

FICTION:

· Elizabeth Berg – The Last Time I Saw You – 9781400068647

· Rita Mae Brown – Cat of the Century – 9780553807073

· Jennifer Chiaverini – The Aloha Quilt – 9781416533184

· Richard Paul Evans – The Walk – 9781439187319

· Raymond E. Feist – At the Gates of Darkness – 9780061468377

· Martha Grimes – The Black Cat – 9780670021604

· Declan Hughes – City of Lost Girls – 9780061689901

· A.L. Kennedy – What Becomes – 9780307273543

· Anne Lamott – Imperfect Birds – 9781594487514

· Elizabeth Peters – A River in the Sky – 9780061246265

· Tom Rachman – The Imperfectionists – 9780385343664

· Christopher Rice – The Moonlit Earth – 9780743294072

NON-FICTION

· Edward O. Wilson – Anthill – 9780393071191

· Roger Lowenstein – The End of Wall Street – 9781594202391

· David Remnick – The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama – 9781400043606

If you need assistance in placing holds, please don’t hesitate to ask at any service desk in the library or call 721-2665. You can also ask any questions below in our comment section or join us on Facebook!

It's National Poetry Month!

Just saw this list online to share:

CLASSIC POETS to know:

• Maya Angelou
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• Billy Collins
• e.e. cummings
• Emily Dickinson
• T. S. Eliot
• Robert Frost
• Allen Ginsberg
• Langston Hughes
• Ted Hughes
• John Keats
• Pablo Neruda
• Robert Pinsky
• Sylvia Plath
• Theodore Roethke
• Christina Rossetti
• Rumi
• William Shakespeare
• Shel Silverstein
• Walt Whitman
• William Wordsworth
• William Butler Yeats

Who else should I add to this list?

Easter Sunday

Just a reminder that we'll be closed tomorrow, April 4th, for Easter Sunday. We'll open again on Monday at 10:00 a.m.

Have a nice holiday!

Word Woman

Welcome to another exciting episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! This week's word comes to us courtesy of my co-worker, who used it during the course of a conversation about the writings of Mark Twain this afternoon. Speaking of which, I'd like to thank my co-workers for making my job easier by providing me with so many good words. Now, here's the Word of the Week:

Unexpurgated: [adj.] (of a book, text, etc.) not amended or censored by removing potentially offensive material -- Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 6th Edition 2003. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

unexpurgated

Example: When Jim's mother read the unexpurgated version of his activities in Las Vegas during Spring Break, which he posted on Facebook, she went through the roof.

April Fool's!

Ever wonder how the tradition of April Fool's Day started? Apparently, a lot of people do. Acording to WorldBook Online InfoFinder, no one knows where April Fool's started being celebrated, although quite a few people believe it was in France. [I found this through our online resources - you can, too, from any Internet connection. You'll want your library card handy.]

All we really know about the holiday is that it has become a tradition for all the pranksters out there to play their favorite tricks. Not that we're encouraging any April Fool's jokes, but just in case you're looking for some inspiration - the library has it, try one of these fun books:


Causing a Scene: extraordinary pranks in ordinary places with Improv everywhere (non-fiction: 818.602 TODD)


Sir John Hargrave's Mischief Maker's Manual (young adult non-fiction: Y 818.602 HARGRAV - this is on our new shelf)


The Official Handbook of Practical Jokes (non-fiction: 817.5408 VANERL)

The library has information on just about anything you're into. No foolin'.