Stop Asking Questions!

At my recent visit to the Sandstone Public Library, branch librarian Jeanne Coffey, and I were talking about how her summer reading program was going. She told me about what happened at one of their special programs.

The Sandstone Public Library held a program called Meet a Musician for kids of all ages on Tuesday, June 16. The program fit perfectly with the Be Creative @ Your Library summer reading program. Peter McGuire, first violinist and John Snow, Principal Oboe from the Minnesota Orchestra visited the library for a demonstration followed by questions.

A small but enthusiastic crowd attended the program. Mr. McGuire and Mr. Snow played their instruments for a while and then paused for questions from the audience. Generally not too many young children fall in love with classical music. But after a few questions, a 4 year old boy spoke up and said, “Stop asking questions….play some more!”

How wonderful that this 4 year old appreciated the talents of these gentlemen. He knew why he had come to the program – to hear the music!

Vickie Sorn, Youth & Community Services Librarian

Photo courtesy of the Pine County Courier

Needed more than ever

Governor Pawlenty, like it or not, has just done what he feels is best for the state of Minnesota. There is no doubt that something needed to be done; we cannot continue to live beyond our budget. But it's painful and it's scary. Our libraries will no doubt be affected, as will other agencies that exist to serve the public. The problem is that we are already busier than ever and needed more than ever. People who have lost their jobs are coming in to the libraries to look for work and to file for unemployment. They are looking for classes or assistance to update their work skills in order to better prepare themselves for the workforce. They need resources on writing resumes; they need computers to produce these documents, and many need someone to show them how to use that computer.

Tighter personal budgets necessitate looking for free entertainment. We are the best bargain in town, offering all the free reading materials, movies, and Internet use one could want. We also offer many educational and leisure events in our buildings. Attendance at these events, as well as general traffic in our libraries has skyrocketed. We do our best to keep up with this increasing demand for our services. Now we face the possibility of cuts to our operating budget. I know that we will do our best to keep up with our service to the public, but to do so with budget cuts will be extremely difficult. It's a good problem to have when you are needed, but it is still a problem.

Sharon Strack
Branch Manager
Milaca Public Library

D-Day Anniversary

Today is the 65th anniversary of D-Day: the day 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy. Landings on Utah, Omaha, Juno, Gold and Sword Beaches enabled the march across Europe to eventually defeat Hitler. The History Channel had some excellent programming on today, including interviews with a number of D-Day veterans.

To find information about D-Day, check out the following:

• Search the books and media we have in the library using the call number 940.5421 in our online catalog
• Army.mil D-Day feature
• Encyclopedia Britannica's Guide to Normandy 1944, includes a collection of Veterans' oral histories

Barbara Misselt, Director

More Kill A Watt Monitors Donated to Library

Press Release

Back in February four Kill A Watt monitors were donated to East Central Regional Library for circulation to its patrons by East Central Energy. Almost immediately we had a waiting list for the monitors. With the demand so high, Mille Lacs Energy in Aitkin, donated two more Kill A Watt monitors to the library. Mille Lacs Energy services customers in Aitkin, Crow Wing and Mille Lacs counties. Any registered patron of East Central Regional Library may check out and use the monitor.

Winter may be over, but often times we use even more energy in the summer months. Everyone wants to save money and A Kill A Watt can do just that. It is a device that can help you identify what appliances in your home are the biggest energy abusers. Simply plug Kill A Watt into any appliance (refrigerator, fan, computer, etc.) and it will assess how efficiently it runs. It has a large LCD display that counts the number of kilowatts per hour used by an appliance just like your local electric utility company.

Is it time to replace that window air conditioner, fan or dehumidifier? Are they the reason that your utility bill is so high? A Kill A Watt monitor can help you make that decision by giving you the information you need.

How do I borrow a Kill A Watt device to use? Simply visit your local East Central Regional Library branch or visit the library’s website at www.ecrlib.org and place a hold on a Kill A Watt device. You will be notified when one becomes available. Then simply drop by your nearest ECRL branch to pick it up.

Thank you to Mille Lacs Energy and East Central Energy for their invaluable donations. These monitors will help consumers in the region make informed decisions on their energy usage. So why not take advantage of the Kill A Watt device and use the information you discover to help you save money? Plug it in and find “watts” killing you. Contact your local ECRL branch for more information.

Organic Puppet Theater at the Cambridge Library

Maryauna, Aaron, Brandon, and Carson learned how to lead happy and healthy lives at the Cambridge Public Library on Saturday, May 9 when Linda Sorenson and her Organic Puppet Theater were here. The children made lung puppets and then presented a puppet show donning healthy organ props and costumes.

Nancy Dunbar, Cambridge Branch Librarian

MedLinePlus for flu (and other) health information

Many of us are watchful of the potential for a flu pandemic - specifically the H1N1 flu, popularly known as "swine flu." Panic can reign when the public is uninformed, but for those who are armed with reliable information, preparation and common sense will contribute to peace of mind. I suggest MedLinePlus as a good place to look for timely and accurate medical information. MedLinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. They're doing a good job of gathering together credible information and news about the spread of this new flu. Link to swine flu resources on MedLinePlus.

Another source for information about swine flu is on the Centers for Disease Control site which is also a credible source for health information.

Use MedLinePlus or CDC whenever you need current health and medical information. There is an encyclopedia, a dictionary, and an alphabetized list of health topics. You can even look up names of drugs (both prescription and over the counter) and supplements to find extensive information about them. http://medlineplus.gov/ http://www.cdc.gov/

If you need help finding information on MedLinePlus, CDC, or other sources, ask your local librarian!

Barbara Misselt, Director

21st ANNUAL MINNESOTA BOOK AWARDS

The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library has announced the results of the 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards! A panel of judges selected winners in eight categories, and over 2000 online voters from across Minnesota selected the winner of the Readers’ Choice Award. The awards were presented on the evening of April 25, 2009, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Paul.

It was my pleasure to serve on the panel that selected The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich as the winner in the Novel & Short Story category. This remarkable novel was also a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.

Here’s the complete list of the winners:

Children's Literature: The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson

General Non-fiction: The Compassionate Carnivore by Catherine Friend

Genre Fiction: Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer

Memoir & Creative Non-fiction: The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang

Minnesota: Hard Work and a Good Deal by Barbara W. Sommer

Novel & Short Story: The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich

Poetry: National Monuments by Heid E. Erdrich

Young Adult Literature: Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy

The Latehomecomer also won the Readers’ Choice Award!

Please check the library catalog or contact your ECRL librarian if you’re interested in reading any of these books.

Enjoy!

Bob Gray, Reference and Interlibrary Loan Librarian