Christmas Cookies

The library staff had their cookie swap this week, which got me to thinking about Christmas cookies. Why are cookies associated with Christmas? I did a little research, as librarians are wont to do. Apparently Christmas cookies have been around since medieval times. The Germans are thought to have had the first cookies specifically made for Christmas, the lebkuchen or gingergread. They also made the first animal crackers. These, however, were used as edible ornaments on the Christmas tree. The Dutch brought the Christmas cookie to America in the early 1600's. And, as they say, the rest is history. For more recent history, the cookie exchange or swap, is first mentioned in publications in 1963.

Today, everyone has their favorite cookie recipe that must be made this time of year. I have three or four that my family anticipates. Often when participating in cookie swaps, I like to try new recipes. Of course, the place to look for those are in the December editions of magazines each year or the row of cookie cookbooks on the library shelves. Stop by and take a look.

Enjoy your baking and eating!

Library Cats

You have probably noticed the lovely orange tabby next to the computer when you view our blog. Although he looks very much like a feline who used to inhabit my life, I do not know this particular fellow. Cats in libraries, however, are a long tradition, dating back to early Egypt.

In fact, research shows that there are over 600 documented library cats in the world. I knew library cats were popular, but I didn't realize anyone would go to so much trouble to document the library cats of the world. Check out www.ironfrog.com/librarycatsmap to see where the library cats past and present reside. In our area, the famous Emily of Mystic & Noank Library passed away in 2006 after seventeen years in residence. The Lyme Public Library has been home to Emma since 2003.

Another famous library cat, Dewey Readmore Books, of the Spencer Public Library in Iowa, also passed away in 2006. His obituary appeared not only in the local papers, but also in USA Today and the Washington Post. It appears, however, that he will live on in the writings of Library Director Vicki Myron, who has reportedly signed a $1.2 million contract to write his story.

The Ledyard Public Libraries have never had a library cat, although at the Gales Ferry Library, we have found some lovely cat pictures to adorn the desktop of our staff computer. It is rumored that cats are also very popular at the Bill Library.

Is it time for a library cat in Ledyard?

"Thanks" giving

I am always thankful for the library, both as a place to visit and a place to work. From birth to old age, the library has something for everybody, nearly all at no charge. Whether you are looking for books, movies, music, magazines or a cup of coffee, they are all here for you. That is something for which you can be very thankful.

The library staff is also thankful for the opportunity to serve our community. We want you to ask us questions and we hope we will be able to answer those questions. Finding the answers to those questions is not only our job, but also a chance to solve a mystery. Librarians always enjoy a good mystery! We want to see the smile on your face when you pick up the book that is waiting for you. We love it when we can introduce you to a library service that enriches your life, be it our new downloadable audio books or homebound delivery. We even love the happy little voices filled with enthusiasm, as they pursue their favorite book.

I am full of thanks for libraries, their helpful staffs and the wonderful people who visit us.

Off We Go!

It seems like everyone is going somewhere. Traveling these days could mean many things; going to see family, taking a cruise, heading to warmer climates or checking out new places. For those of you who are experienced travelers, taking off probably is exciting, even exhilarating. For me it has always been more of a struggle. When I finally come to the realization that I have to give in and go somewhere, I have no idea where to go, or rather, where I am willing to go. No place too hot or too cold, too remote or too crowded is on my list.

So I go to the library shelves and pull out a few of those bright orange books in the travel section (914-917 for Dewey Decimal fans). Mr. Fodor, or whoever he or she is, has done an excellent job of preparing a book on every place I might never go to. You can look at Mexico or narrow it down to Cancun, Cozumel,Yucatan Peninsula or check out The National Parks of the West. If you don't want to look at all of Massachusetts, you can find separate books on The Berkshires and Cape Cod. There is not only a California book but also Northern California and Southern California. Each Fodor's is full of interesting information, maps and places of interest. There was even a place that won me over, so don't look for that book in the next couple weeks.

I'm off!

Are you in a book group?

If you aren't in a book group by now, you must be the last man (woman) standing. Soon after Oprah began her book club in September 1996, book groups sprang up all over. Books were even written about book clubs. One of those, The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler, was recently released as a major motion picture. The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble and Summer Reading by Hilma Wolitzer tell a little about book groups and a lot more about the people in those groups. Judy Gelman's book, The Book Club Cookbook, however, covers a very important part of many book groups; the refreshments.

Book clubs did not begin with Oprah. One area in Gales Ferry has had an ongoing book club for over twenty years. I am sure other groups in town have been around nearly as long or longer. The Bill Library in Ledyard Center has a monthly book discussion that has met the third Wednesday evening for many years. Copies of the book to be discussed are available in the library. No commitment is necessary, come and try it out. I began a monthly book group at the Ledyard Senior Center this year. We have fun discussing many books one month and a specific book the next.

If you are sick and tired of book clubs, Virginia Ironside's book, No, I Don't Want to Join a Book Club, has recently hit the library shelves.

Seeing Red and Blue

Red and blue signs are popping up all over, so now we know that Election Day is near. No matter what your political inclination, you have the opportunity on this day to voice your opinion by casting your vote. In 2007, we are voting on matters of local importance on brand new voting machines. If you didn't take advantage of the demonstrations at your local libraries, you may be surprised to see paper ballots when you arrive at the polls. Although returning to paper ballots doesn't seem like progress, this new system does provide an easier accounting and record of voting tabulations.

Do you like the use of red and blue signs? In recent national elections, we have heard much about the red and blue states. Apparently, the elephants have turned a rosy red and the donkeys a bright blue. Equating the Republican party with red and the Democratic party with blue, makes for quick and easy identification. Deciding who to vote for takes research and thoughtful study.

Before you step into the new privacy booth to mark your paper ballot, you will be seeing lots of red and blue, so learn your colors and make good choices.

Congratulations Top Summer Readers!

Congratulations to the top readers in our Summer Reading Program! Emme and Parker Cronin tied for first place with 10,800 minutes each. Brian Healy came in second with 8,100 minutes read. Alyssa Steendam was our top Read-to-Me reader with 130 books read.

Each elementary school had a top winner who tied Mrs. Brewer up with police tape, because she was the one who hid the monkey and the ring! Gales Ferry School had a tie with Christopher Cheslog and Terry Zhao (1920 minutes), Gallup Hill School's winner was Hannah Roediger (7,380 minutes), Juliet Long's winner was Sarah Hysong (4,380 minutes) and Ledyard Center had Emme and Parker Cronin tieing Mrs. Brewer all up in knots!!

These pictures are Mrs. Brewer with Emme and Parker, and Mrs. Brewer with Alyssa Steendam.

New Reads

'Tis the season for new books to be published. In an effort to get you to purchase their books for holiday gift giving, the publishers strive to get new titles by established authors onto the shelves in October or November. For those of you who use the library instead of plunking down $25 or $30 for a bestseller, now is the time to put holds on all of these new gems (?). Here are a few of the latest or soon to be bestsellers:

At the top of the list is John Grisham's Playing for Pizza. If you are looking for Grisham's next legal thriller, this isn't it. This book has a football theme, as Grisham has been known to do in the past. If you like the way Grisham tells a story, you will probably like this book too, but you are now forewarned that it's not another A Time to Kill. Playing for Pizza is available now.

Coming soon is the 35th in the Spenser series by Robert B. Parker, Now and Then. If you aren't tired of Spenser by now, you probably never will be, but for those on the fence, a reviewer claims that Parker is "at the top of his game," in this latest entry. It will be available next week.

It is quite predictable for James Patterson to have a book coming out at any time of the year. It will be a pleasure, however, for those of you disenchanted with his co-authored books, to know that this next arrival, Double Cross, is his alone. The lucky 13th in the Alex Cross series will debut on November 13, which I assure you is not a Friday.

Unlike Parker and Patterson, Sue Grafton does not produce four or five books a year. Maybe it is because she doesn't want to use up the alphabet too soon. After a two year wait, T is for Trespass will reach the shelves in early December. Kinsey Millhone will ride again in this tale of identity theft and elder abuse.

I hope your favorite author is coming to a library shelf near you soon.

Netflix, Blockbuster or the Library

Have you been following the battle between Netflix and Blockbuster? First Netflix appears with easy home delivery and return of dvds by mail. Blockbuster, feeling the pinch, steps in with home delivery and instore pickup and return. Now Netflix has added free dvds straight to your computer. Netflix has become a household word and Blockbuster is certainly trying harder. All of which made me wonder what kind of a great deal these corporate behemoths were offering.

Visits to the web sites of Netflix and Blockbuster gleaned the costs for their services. Netflix charges from $4.99 to $23.99 a month. The lowest charge gets you 2 dvds a month 1 at a time, while the top charge gets you 4 at a time with no limit per month. Blockbuster's rates range from $8.99 to $24.99 a month, with a several options involving mailing and in store pick up. So, for about $25 a month you can get a maximum of four movies at a time, with no limit on totals per month.

All of this brings me to the options at your local public library. Here, for the cost of a trip to the library, you can get unlimited movies at a time, which you can keep for one week. You can go on line to the library's web site and reserve any titles at the Bill or Gales Ferry Libraries and get a call or e-mail when they are available for pick up. You can return the dvds to either library.

You decide which option works best for you, but for my money, I am picking the library.

What is a Mad Hatter?

Browsing through the library newsletter the past few editions, you will see many references to the "Mad Hatters." We often get questioned about "Mad Hatters." So I will try to explain what a "Mad Hatter" truly is. About a year ago, some of the people who attend the library knitting group, Stitch and Dish, decided they wanted to do outreach knitting projects. Not only did they want to do these projects, but they wanted to encourage all members of the library community who knit and crochet to participate. Since this effort was separate from Stitch and Dish, it needed a whole new name and the Mad Hatters were born.

The Mad Hatters don't have meetings. They don't have dues or keep membership lists. To be a Mad Hatter, all you have to do is contribute a knitted or crocheted item to one of their various outreach projects. To date, baby hats have been donated to local hospitals and organizations and chemo caps have been made for cancer centers. This winter the Mad Hatters are taking on another ambitious project. They have begun to collect knitted and crocheted hats, mittens, scarves and socks. These will be given to various social service organizations through out the winter. All sizes and patterns are welcomed.

If you participate, you too will be a "Mad Hatter."

The Rivalry Continues

Once again we find ourselves at that particuliarly thrilling time of the year we call the baseball playoffs. Here in southeastern Connecticut, we get to split our loyalties between those teams in Boston and New York, who almost always seem to be playing in October. Although the library is heavy on the side of Red Sox fans, in the interest of fairness and the fact that the avid baseball fan who is the author of this blog is a long time Yankee fan, what follows is a list of good reads and watches that is "fairly" split between the two teams. The list contains items available in the Ledyard Libraries, as well as, other LION libraries. To request them, access the library catalog from our homepage.
Birth of a Dynasty: behind the pinstripes with the 1996 Yankees/Joel Sherman
The Rivals: the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees: an inside history/New York Times
The Pride of the Yankees dvd
Now I Can Die in Peace: how ESPN's sports guy found salvation with a little help from Nomar, Pedro, Shawshank and the 2004 Red Sox/ Bill Simmons
The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty: the game, the team and the cost of greatness/ Buster Olney
Faithful: two diehard Boston Red Sox fans chronicle the historic 2004 season/ Steward O'Nan
Emperors and Idiots: the hundred year rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox, from the very beginning/ Mike Vaccaro
*61 dvd
Idiot: beating "the curse" and enjoying the game of life/ Johnny Damon
Fever Pitch dvd
Enjoy and let the games begin! (If we get past the Indians and Angels)

WELCOME

Welcome to the new blog from the Ledyard Public Libraries. This blog will be used to inform, enlighten and maybe even entertain you. We hope to give you a better insight into modern library service. Check back often and share your thoughts with us.