Memorial Day

The library is closed today in honor of Memorial Day, so we thought it would be interesting to do a little research into the establishment of the holiday. (We are, after all, librarians so we enjoy research.)

Also called Decoration Day, Memorial Day is an opportunity to honor those Americans who gave their lives in service to our country. Services and parades are held in communities throughout the nation and many people place flowers and flags on soldier graves. According to WorldBook Online and other online resources searched from the e-databases link on our homepage, while many communities claim to be the first to observe Memorial Day, Waterloo, New York, was officially given credit for first observing Memorial Day on May 5, 1866. It became a federal holiday in 1971.

The next time you're in the library, you can peruse some Memorial Day memorabilia in our Montana Collection in the form of the Memorial Day address given to the members of the Lincoln post in Maguire's Opera House, Butte, in 1898. We also have the booklet from the dedication of the Montana State Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Rose Memorial Park in November 1988.

So take a few minutes today to remember our fallen soldiers, and we'll see you at the library at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Search for your family's soldier stories

We all have heroes in our families. And yours might be in one of the two new collections that have just been added to the 100 million military records on Ancestry.com, the Civil War and WorldWar II collections. With a name or a birth year, you could learn a family soldier story you never knew about by coming into the library and using the Ancestry.com subscription on the library computers. This database is available for use in the library only.

Word Woman

Welcome to another spine-tingling installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! This is the fourth entry in our series of words which only seem to appear in the negative. And the Word of the Week is...


Unfurl:

Pronunciation: \-ˈfər(-ə)l\

Function: verb

Date: 1641

transitive verb
: to release from a furled state
intransitive verb : to open out from or as if from a furled state : unfold

"unfurl." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010.

Merriam-Webster Online. 21 May 2010

but have you ever heard anyone use the word...

Furl:

Pronunciation: \ˈfər(-ə)l\

Function: verb

Etymology: Anglo-French ferlier to fasten, from fer, ferm tight (from Latin firmus firm) + lier to tie, from Latin ligare — more at ligature

Date: 1556

transitive verb : to wrap or roll (as a sail or a flag) close to or around something

intransitive verb : to curl or fold as in being furled

"furl." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010.

Merriam-Webster Online. 21 May 2010

Example: The retired captain walked past his old post twice a day, at dawn and at dusk, just for the pleasure of watching them unfurl and furl the flag which he had served under for so long.

Family Reading Program 2010

Come on in the water's fine!

We are busily numbering our reading folders in anticipation of the June 1st start of our annual Family Reading Program. Each summer readers of all ages can participate by picking up a reading folder at the Children's Desk in the library. As you read throughout the summer you will earn prizes. Our prizes have been generously donated by Dairy Queen, Del's Place, The Good Food Store and The Friends of the Missoula Public Library. In addition to the prizes for reading, we have summer activities and family movies. Our summer activities are Tuesday afternoons at 2pm and will run from June 15th until July 27th. The family movies show every Thursday afternoon at 2pm and begin on June 17th with our last movie on July 29th. When you pickup your reading folders, pick up a schedule of activities and movies too.

This year we have a special activity folder for the little ones, ages birth to 3. This form emphasizes the early literacy skills that are so important to your child's development. Parents can choose to complete this folder instead of or in addition to the regular reading folder.

Teens also have an additional game board they can fill out. They can fill in a BINGO Card that emphasizes reading, writing and other fun activities. When the teen has made a bingo, up, down or diagonally, they submit their card along with a signed permission slip for an end of summer lock-in party. The party is limited to 20 teens so be sure to pick up your BINGO Card on June 1st and start right away.

Although you will pick up your reading folder at the Children's Desk our Family Reading Program is for reader's of all ages. We encourage all readers to stop by to get a folder and then enjoy a good book.

A special visit from New Zealand

We were very excited to have a visit from John Hornblow, deputy mayor of Palmerston North, Missoula's sister city in New Zealand. John squeezed in a visit to the library in his busy schedule this afternoon to deliver a selection of books about New Zealand and by New Zealand writers.

John and his fellow travelers are in the midst of a cultural exchange co-organized by the Missoula Cultural Council, which hosted New Zealand Days this week. What a wonderful way to make friends with people we wouldn't otherwise meet!

We took John's visit as an opportunity to show off our library, and discovered not only do our cities have commonalities, but our libraries do, too. Visit the Palmerston North City Library online and see what we mean. This is one librarian who would love to visit some day!

John presents the gift books he brought from New Zealand.

Books on My Desk

New Books Coming Soon to a Library Shelf Near You



The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer
In eighteenth-century France, Marie-Antoinette rails against the rules of etiquette that govern her life even as she tries to fulfill her greatest obligation, giving birth to the next king, but she finds diversion in spending money on clothing, parties, and gambling despite her family's warnings and the whispers of courtiers.
Y MEYER

Is It Night or Day? by Fern Schumer Chapman
In 1938, Edith Westerfeld, a young German Jew, is sent by her parents to Chicago, Illinois, where she lives with an aunt and uncle and tries to assimilate into American culture, while worrying about her parents and mourning the loss of everything she has ever known. Based on the author's mother's experience, includes an afterword about a little-known program that brought twelve hundred Jewish children to safety during World War II.
Y CHAPMAN

Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson
A retelling of the Perrault fairy tale set in pre-colonial India, in which two stepsisters receive gifts from a goddess and each walks her own path to find her gift's purpose, discovering romance along the way.
Y TOMLINS

Center Field by Robert Lipsyte
Mike lives for baseball and hopes to follow his idol into the major leagues one day, but he is distracted by a new player who might take his place in center field, an ankle injury, problems at home, and a growing awareness that something sinister is happening at school.
Y LIPSYTE

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones
After his grandfather dies, Andrew Hope inherits a house and surrounding land in an English village, but things become very complicated when young orphan Aidan shows up and suddenly a host of variously magical townsfolk and interlopers start intruding on their lives.
Y JONES

It's a Techno World

A recent study conducted by the University of Washington found that nearly 1/3 of Americans ages 14 and older (about 77 million people) used a public library computer or wireless network to go online in the past year. What are all these people doing? Many are searching for jobs, applying for college or government benefits, learning about their health, and connecting with their community. (see survey results)

This isn't a huge surprise here in Missoula. Every month we field more than 1,000 questions in Web Alley, our public Internet access room. And those are just the people who ask a question. Even more are regularly using the computers, or linking into our free wifi (have you seen the new electric outlets set up by eddie's coffeeshop?).

Feeling left behind the technology wave? Or just interested in honing your skills? We're now offering computer classes each week on Monday evenings and Wednesdays at lunchtime on a variety of topics from the basic like using the mouse to more complicated Excel spreadsheets - or how to get those holiday pictures from your camera to your computer and beyond.

Plus, we're opening our computer classroom on Saturday mornings to anyone interested in taking a practice test (we have online tutorials for the SATs, GREs, citizenship, and more - try the LearningExpress Library) or working on a resume (we also have resources to help you get started in your job search).

So come to the library for a class or just to use the wifi - 1/3 of Americans are doing it!

Word Woman

Welcome to another exciting episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! This is the third in our series of words that only seem to be used in the negative. And the Word of the Week is...

Invincible: [adjective] incapable of being overcome or defeated; unconquerable -- "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language", Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.

but what about...

Vincible: [adjective] capable of being overcome or defeated -- "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language", Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.

Example: Ted's boast of being invincible at the game of chess was disproven when he was beaten by the computer in a mere ten moves. He is now a humbler and more vincible chess player than he once was.

Gregorian Chant your style?

It may not be for everyone but I love it and we just got an order in of a great selection distributed by Paraclete Press. I'm talking about Gregorian chant... and we've got a whole series of CDs by the Monastic Choir of St. Peter's Abbey, A Benedictine monastery near Sable, France as well as other selected titles. Come take a lOOk in the New Arrivals MCD section inside of Entertainment Central.
Think... more.

Write Stuff

Congratulations to the winners of our second annual Writing Contest.

It was standing room only at our reception yesterday (Sunday May 16) where writers could read bits of their winning pieces. How fun to hear from the creative minds of Missoula and beyond!

A couple fun tidbits about their year's contest: 96 entries were submitted in time for our deadline (20 percent more than last year), with pieces coming from as far away as New Jersey & Nebraska. Winners hailed from Missoula, Florence, Huson, Victor, Helena, & Lolo.

Special thanks to our judges, and program sponsors Altrusa International, Inc. of Missoula; Missoula Kiwanis; and PEO Chapter BQ.

We'll be compiling entries into 2 bound volumes - one for our Montana Collection and the other for checkout, so watch our catalog for the chance to read some fabulous original writing. Plus, stop by the Montana Room and read last year's entries now.

A crowd attended Sunday's reception, ready to hear some great writing from our winners.

Laura Vonnessen (first place, fiction, ages 15-18) was among the winners who read their pieces.

Certificates were given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in each category.

Catalog Maintenance

Our catalog is getting an update!

Many of you have probably tried our new catalog interface, WorldCat -which lets you do cool things like write reviews, send info to your Facebook or Twitter feeds, and even corrects your spelling for you. As we complete our switch to the new version, our downloadable audiobook records needed a little tweaking. All of which means our new interface won't be accessible until tomorrow morning (Saturday, May 15).

But don't panic, you can still search our old catalog here. And, if you're looking for downloadable audiobooks, you can always visit Montanalibrary2go. By this time tomorrow we'll be using the new catalog and discovering a world of information.

Word Woman

Welcome to another mind-bending installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! This is the second entry in our series of words which only seem to appear in the negative. And the Word of the Week is:

Impervious:

Pronunciation: \(ˌ)im-ˈpər-vē-əs\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Latin impervius, from in- + pervius pervious

Date: 1640

1 a : not allowing entrance or passage : impenetrable b : not capable of being damaged or harmed
2 : not capable of being affected or disturbed

— im·per·vi·ous·ly adverb

— im·per·vi·ous·ness noun

"impervious." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010.

Merriam-Webster Online. 12 May 2010

But have you heard the word:

Pervious:
Pronunciation: \ˈpər-vē-əs\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Latin pervius, from per- through + via way — more at per-, way

Date: circa 1614

1 : accessible
2 : permeable

— per·vi·ous·ness noun

"pervious." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010.

Merriam-Webster Online. 12 May 2010

Example: Stan's raincoat, which had "impervious to water" written on the label, turned out to be rather more pervious than expected when he got drenched during a thunderstorm.

Crystal Video lives on at MPL

As many Missoulians know, Crystal Video in downtown Missoula will be closing its doors after 23 years. The first owner of this Hip Strip institution, Jace Laakso, was recently quoted in the Missoula Independent saying "I'm really disappointed that it's come to this. It's a sad day for Missoula to lose such a great collection of foreign films and independents. But it's the economy."

Well, Missoula, you haven't lost all of that great collection of foreign films and independents. Three intrepid staff members were given the opportunity today to go through the Crystal Video DVD collection. We have purchased over 260 DVDs and are in the process of getting them ready to add to our collection.


A special Thank You to the Friends of Missoula Public Library for providing the funds to purchase the DVDs.

Adding 260 items to a catalog tends to take a bit of time. We hope to have these DVDs ready for checkout by mid-summer.

Free classical music download

Saint-Saëns' Cello Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 32
Our featured download from Classical Music Library is Saint-Saëns' Cello Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 32, performed by cellist Daria Hovor and pianist Aleth Lamasse. More information about this piece is available on the Alexander Street Press Music Online blog found on our online resources page http://www.missoulapubliclibrary.org/resources/online.htm. All tracks downloaded through this promotion are owned by Alexander Street Press and are available to legally download, free of cost to the user.

For more free stuff visit our Online Resources page; you'll be amazed at what you find. Think....more music at your library.

Word Woman

Welcome to another weird and wonderful episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Have you ever noticed that there are some words in the English language that only seem to be used in the negative? Today we'll embark on a series of words of this type, starting with the Word of the Week:

in·sip·id

Pronunciation: \in-ˈsi-pəd\

Function: adjective

Etymology: French & Late Latin; French insipide, from Late Latin insipidus, from Latin in- + sapidus savory, from sapere to taste — more at sage

Date: 1609

1 : lacking taste or savor : tasteless
2 : lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge : dull, flat

-- "insipid." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010.

Merriam-Webster Online. 6 May 2010

But have you ever heard anyone use the word:

Sipid: adjective

1. having a pleasing taste or flavor.

2. of agreeably distinctive character.

-- sipid. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sipid (accessed: May 06, 2010).


Example: John complained that the minestrone soup served in the staff lunchroom was insipid. Sue, however, claimed that the minestrone was sipid to anyone whose taste buds were not burned out by eating too many jalapeno peppers.

Get Lost Exploring Montana!

A library user showed me a really fun site today, which got me to thinking about summer travel plans: www.getlostmt.com

On the site, hosted by the Montana Office of Tourism, you can read any of the 177 stories by intrepid souls who braved Montana's cities, roads and wilderness areas. You can vote for your favorite story, or submit your own story about your Montana travels to win a 7 day trip, an ipod, a t-shirt, and more.

After reading about fly-fishing in Livingston, encountering wildlife in Glacier, hearing wolves in Yellowstone, and driving sheep in Reedpoint, I am itching to get out and explore all the far-flung corners of our wonderful state. Inspired by the incredible photos I saw, I am already charging the camera batteries so I am all set to capture the moment!

Missoula Public Library has a wealth of information to help you plan your summer travels. On our shelves you will find travel books and videos, field guides , histories of the places you plan to visit, and much, much more. In addition to books and videos, we've got travel bags from around the nation. The colorful and sturdy nylon bags contain maps and regional brochures. Folks who borrow the travel bags often tuck in a new item or two, so you never know what treasures you'll find. A good book on CD or tape will make those road miles fly by!

Don't forget to check out the local libraries when you are on the road this summer. Many libraries nationwide provide free Internet access for visitors. You can check your email, share your vacation photos with friends and family, make hotel reservations, check weather conditions, or print a map and directions to that hard-to-find attraction.

When you're on the road this summer, consider sending us a tweet, telling us all about it! It'll make those of us who stayed behind feel like we are right there with you, enjoying all that the Treasure State has to offer.

Our new catalog

Notice anything different about our catalog?

We have a new interface through WorldCat Local. We librarians are excited about having immediate access to the world's riches database of bibliographic information. But what does this mean to you? You'll notice some major improvements right away:

• Narrow a search to DVDs, audio CDs, and other material types by clicking on the desired material in the left-hand column.
• If the catalog can't find what you're looking for because you spelled it wrong, it will suggest corrections.
• Write and read patron reviews.
• Send information you find in the catalog to Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter.

And that's just the start. Play around and discover all the benefits of the new catalog! And don't worry, you can still get your account information to see what you have checked out, their due dates, and your hold requests by clicking on the iBistro link under Missoula Public Library in the upper left. So now you get the best of both worlds.

Our switch to WorldCat Local is part of a pilot project we're conducting on behalf of public libraries throughout the state. Montana State University and Montana State Library are also taking part. The pilot will last one year, when we report back to the rest of the state and recommend if they should join in.

If you have questions about the new catalog, post a comment here or give us a call at 721-2665.

Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State Winners

Thanks to all who participated in the State Library's Treasure Hunt for the Treasure State. We had over 80 entries in the Adult category and many more that played through the schools.

Congratulations to Missoula's Daulton King. He won an iPod for joining in the National Library Week Scavenger Hunt at the High School level.

See all 8 winners at http://tinyurl.com/2egz752

Thanks again for playing.