Where Good Things Happen
March 2009 Newsletter
Volume 1,
Issue 3
Sojourner Truth event marks Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month, and for those out there who might think that’s sort of an antiquated title, or perhaps a sexist one (when is Men’s History Month?), a couple of books might change your mind.
Princess by Jean P. Sasson is one of them. The true story centers around a Saudi princess who, despite her title and wealth, remains trapped in a society that deems women worthless. Hungry for more than the life of tedious domesticity that awaits her and all Saudi women, her ambition is kept in check by the fate of her less fortunate friends, friends who have been caught breaking the strict Saudi code of ethics. One of these young women (only a teen at the time) is drowned in the family swimming pool by her own father; another is locked for the rest of her life in a windowless room, sequestered from all human contact.
If you’re not grateful to be an American woman after that book, you can try Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody or A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini. The plight of the female is still alive and well throughout the world.
Luckily, in our country and others, there have been women whose strength, brilliance, and spirit have transcended their own desperate hardships and helped pave the way for future generations.
Sojourner Truth was one of those women. Born into slavery in 1797 at the Hardenbergh estate in Ulster County, she was sold several times before escaping to freedom in 1827. She eventually became a preacher who spoke out against slavery and advocated the rights of women.
Carolyn Evans will portray Sojourner Truth in a March 14 program at the Wallkill Reformed Church. Presented by the Wallkill Public Library and the Historical Society of Shawangunk and Gardiner, the 2 p.m. program is for ages 7 and up.
There is no fee for the presentation, though an offering will be collected and donated to the church for the use of their space.
College Girl, by Patricia Weitz
When Natalie Bloom transfers to the University of Connecticut, she’s already been schooled in the notion that in order to be more than average, she must earn better than average grades. What she hasn’t learned yet is how to make new friends (especially male ones) or overcome the intense loneliness and self-consciousness that goes hand-in-hand with being 20. She reads her way through mealtimes at the campus dining hall and spends her nights at the library, and at least she has the grades to show for it.
Until she meets Patrick, a tall, handsome senior who embodies every ideal Natalie’s formed about culture and class. Suddenly Natalie has something else to live for besides Russian history. But when Patrick seems to criticize her, she’s crushed. When he doesn’t keep his promise to call her at a particular time, she’s devastated. And suddenly her grades and future don’t matter so much as pleasing Patrick, making Patrick like her as she likes him, sacrificing whatever self-respect she has left to win his approval.
If the plot sounds simple and formulaic, it’s because it is, but there’s something about Natalie’s character and her experiences that hit home with any reader who has suffered the demoralizing aftereffects of growing pains. It’s a story not about a first love, but the imposter for which it’s mistaken, and all the doubts and insecurities that go along with it.
He was born Theodor Seuss Geisel on March 2, 1904, and would go on to become one of the most popular children’s authors ever.
Dartmouth- and Oxford-educated, Geisel worked as a cartoonist and humorist whose work appeared in such magazines as Vanity Fair and Life. It was in 1936, while on a ship to Europe for vacation, that he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street while listening to the rhythm of the ship’s engines. The manuscript was rejected by 27 publishers before a friend published the book for him in 1937.
In 1954, a report was published concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said children were reluctant to read because their books were boring. Inspired by this, Geisel’s publisher asked to him write a children’s primer using 220 new-reader vocabulary words. The result was The Cat in the Hat.
In 1960, Geisel’s publisher bet him $50 that he couldn’t write an entire book using only 50 words. He won the bet by writing Green Eggs and Ham.
Geisel went on to write and illustrate almost 50 books under his Dr. Seuss pseudonym, as well as additional books under the name Theo. LeSieg (‘Geisel’ spelled backwards).
It’s no coincidence that March 2 is Read Across America Day, a motivational program that calls for every child to celebrate reading.
Aside from the free books, DVDs, music, computer access, magazines, newspapers, and programs?
Ulster County residents can now access research databases from their own computers (or ours) that might help them learn a language, download audiobooks, study for civil service tests, and more!
The Ulster County Infoportal can be accessed through our Web site (http://www.wallkillpubliclibrary.org/). Just click “Online Research Tools” and then the blue Ulster County portal button. Those with a valid library card can then visit the following databases:
· BrainPOP – for grades 3-8, featuring science, math, English, health, and technology subjects that correspond to national science, English, and math standards for those grades
· BrainPOP Jr. – provides educational movies and homework help for K-3 students
· BrainPOP Spanish – a Spanish-language BrainPOP for grades 3-8
· HeritageQuest – for genealogical and historical researchers, with material dating back to the late 1700s
· Historical New York Times – provides coverage from September 1851 to December 2001
· Mango – language-learning software, where each lesson teaches you to engage in a new conversation
· NetLibrary – audiobooks can be downloaded to your personal computer and many portable devices, including portable music players, media centers, and some smartphone devices
· Tumblebooks – great children’s books – you can either have the text read to you or read the pages yourself
· Gale Testing and Educational – practice tests to prepare for the GED, SAT, ACT, civil service, vocational, and military tests.
Wallkill Public Library will be offering a once-a-month evening story time starting Thursday, March 5.
If work or other obligations prevent you from attending the earlier story times, you can bring your 2- to 5-year-olds at 6:30 p.m. April 2, May 7, and June 4, as well.
Call Miss Marla at 895-3707 if you have questions.
If you’ve logged on to www.wallkillpubliclibrary.org lately, you may have gotten a surprise. We’ve revamped and expanded our site to include more online research tools (including the Ulster County infoportal), links to game and social networking sites for children of any age, and more!
Don’t forget, as with the former site, users can still look up, reserve, and renew their books and DVDs online. Tax forms can also be found and downloaded through our site.
So log on and see what we have to offer!
The following are either on the shelves or coming soon to our library:
Fiction
· Life Sentences, by Laura Lippman
· Don’t Look Twice, by Andrew Gross
· Smooth Talking Stranger, by Lisa Kleypas
· Paths of Glory, by Jeffrey Archer
· Execution Dock, by Anne Perry
· True Detectives, by Jonathan Kellerman
· Outcast, by Aaron Allston
· Corsair: A Novel of the Oregon Files, by Clive Cussler
· Dead Silence, by Randy Wayne White
· Long Lost, by Harlan Coben
· Handle with Care, by Jodi Picoult
· Lavender Morning, by Jude Deveraux
· Malice, by Lisa Jackson
· Lost Quilter: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel, by Jennifer Chiaverini
· Long Fall, by Walter Mosley
Nonfiction
· Healing and Preventing Autism: A Complete Guide, by Jenny McCarthy
· Fight for Your Money: How to Stop Getting Ripped Off and Save a Fortune, by David Bach
· Psychic Healing: Using the Tools of a Medium to Cure Whatever Ails You, by Sylvia Browne
· Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You: At Work and In Life, by Spencer Johnson
Biography
· Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes, by Mary Tyler Moore
· I’ll Scream Later, by Marlee Matlin
Audiobooks
· Don’t Look Twice, by Andrew Gross
· Life Sentences, by Laura Lippman
· Dead Silence, by Randy Wayne White
· Malice, by Lisa Jackson
· Pursuit, by Karen Robards
DVDs
· Appaloosa
· Vicky Cristina Barcelona
· Duchess
· Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Fiction
· The Associate, by John Grisham
· Run for Your Life, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
· Heart and Soul, by Maeve Binchy
· The Host, by Stephenie Meyer
· Fool, by Christopher Moore
Nonfiction
· The Yankee Years, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
· Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell
· Obama, with an introduction by Bill Keller and biographical text by Jill Abramson
· Dewey, by Vicki Myron, with Bret Witter
· The Gamble, by Thomas E. Ricks
February gave us an opportunity to invite you to tell us why you love your library (via heart-shaped, anonymous Valentines deposited into a box at the circulation desk). Here’s what some of you said:
· It’s great fun!
· Everyone is very friendly!
· I love books
· I can get any book special delivery
· We have so much fun at our weekly story time – thank you, Miss Marla
· We love all the books! Great variety in this space!
· I like to do crafts at story time with Miss Marla
· It has great programs and activities for children
· It gives us a chance to spend special time together
· I love Miss Marla, Miss Lou, and story hour!
· We have a great social evening there on Thursdays… knitting and crocheting or doing fancy work of one’s choice
Some of the Valentines we received can best be appreciated by seeing them for yourselves. Take a look on our Web site, where we’ve scanned some of them.
Wallkill Public Library’s statistics for 2008 echo the nationwide phenomena – more people are using the library during these tough economic times.
Registered borrowers went up to 2,635 in 2008, up from 2,450 the year previous.
Just in case you’re curious, the other statistics for 2008 include:
· Total catalogued books – 26,290
· Program sessions for adults and children – 464
· Number of attendees for programs – 4,534
· Inter-library materials borrowed – 6,496
· Inter-library materials loaned – 3,577
We look forward to making 2009 another great year!
Wallkill Public Library
P.O. Box C
7 Bona Ventura Ave.
Wallkill, NY 12589
(845) 895-3707
http://www.wallkillpubliclibrary.org/
E-mail: wak@rcls.org