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The Atrium: March 2006 Archives

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March 31, 2006

Illegal Immigration

I woke up this morning and turned on C-Span and there was Brian Lamb talking to the good citizens of the United States. No matter how hard Mr. Lamb tried everyone from New Jersey to Hawaii wanted to talk about illegal immigration. He even tried to steer the conversation towards the topic of Iraq, but again the callers all wanted a say on illegal immigration. So, at 6:30 this morning it got me thinking that our patrons might be wondering about this issue as well. Below you will find some sources, print, electronic, or otherwise that might help you sort out the facts and help you make a decision regarding this thorny issue.

Some Recent Books on Illegal Immigration

Some Websites on Illegal Immigration

Recent Bills before Congress regarding immigration

March 30, 2006

Brazil: A nation of non-readers

An article I was reading in the Economist magazine today really caught my attention. It has to do with the country of Brazil and the culture of non-reading. You might think, like I did, that this has to do with the recent advent of electronic media, but at least according to this article it more has to do with the history of Brazil. One fact really stood out to me, compulsory schooling was not required until the 1990's. Also, just as an example, the book the Da Vinci Code costs more than a tenth of the official minimum monthly income in that country. I personally have been interested in Brazil and now want to learn more about the history of the country. One book that has always seemed interesting would be Brazil : five centuries of change by Thomas Skidmore.

March 28, 2006

A Travel Extravaganza!

Tired of paying good money for a travel book that you use only once? Well, come on down to the library and pick up all the travel guides you will ever need, and free of charge. Headed to China or Vietnam? How about Brazil? Or Las Vegas? We have you covered. Even if you are on the way to East Timor or Tanzania and Zanzibar or Nicaragua, we have a book for you. At the Main library, we make sure that we cover the whole spectrum of places to travel, and we try and get as many different guidebooks as we can. Which means full runs of Fodor's, Frommers, Lonely Planet, Eyewitness Travel Guides, Rough Guide, Rick Steves, Moon Handbooks, and many more.

P.S. Don't forget to check the travel dvds as well ...

March 27, 2006

Saving Executables on public computers

GRPL does not allow downloading of executables files to our public stations, including your USB Flash drive, floppy, or CD. An executable file can be identified by it's "exe" file extension. The reason we must restrict access to these types of files is to secure the intergrity of our systems, an entirely different discussion.

However, there is a very easy work around if you need to download an executable, like a driver file, off the Internet.

To save a file with an exe file extension from a webpage, right-click on the link and choose "Save link as". Then browse to c:\FILE_STORAGE (for a CD) a:\ (for floppy) or e:\ (for a flash drives) and rename the file extension to allow it to be saved (ie, change it from 12345.exe to 12345.ex_).

Take the CD (if you chose the the FILE_STORAGE folder you'll need to copy the file to the CD), floppy, or flash drive to the unrestricted computer (like your home PC) that you wish to run it on, and simply rename the ex_ file extension back to exe. If you have it on a CD, please remember that the medium is read-only, and you'll need to copy it somewhere else before you can rename the file.

March 25, 2006

The Lake, the River & The Other Lake

Quite exciting if you ask me. The author Steve Amick has just landed a film deal for his book The Lake, the River & The Other Lake! What makes this extraordinary is the fact that it is Mr. Amick's debut novel. In case you are not familiar with this book, I will only say that it is a fictional account of a small Michigan lakeshore town called Weneshkeen. I would give it a enthuiastic thumbs up and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a good read. If my recommendation is not enough for the discriminating reader, it was chosen for last years Michigan Notable Books.

March 24, 2006

What to do in Grand Rapids?

So do you ever wonder what is going on in the city? Wondering where that next fun filled event might be? We wonder the same thing and have come across a few calendars that might help you in that search. Click on the links below and hopefully your free time will be filled. If you think there is one missing let us know in the comments section below.

March 23, 2006

Simplicity

I have been reading a great deal lately about simplifying life. The library got me started actually by offering classes on voluntary simplicity. The book Graceful Simplicity captured the spirit of the movement for me in this quote "Just Enough is Plenty, every person lives within a household and the household has its economic needs - but the point is to attain only what is sufficient to enable one to turn away from money-getting and undertake the real activities of life"

Like many philosophical ideas, for me, the longer you think about them the less you understand, but perhaps Aristotle summed it up best in the goods of the soul...fortitude, temperance, justice and wisdom.

Perhaps it's just reaching middle age, but being released from all the getting, collecting and having is becoming pure joy. Of course from the looks of eBay, I'm standing alone on this one.

March 22, 2006

March is Small Press month!

March 2006 marks the 10th anniversary of Small Press Month.

Small presses have been responsible for publishing many of the most provocative and avant garde books being released these days. You can find them in nearly every subject area including,graphic novels, new age philosophy, political rants and vegetarian cooking to name just a few. So take some time on your next visit to the library to pick the brains of your favorite librarian and check out these small fish in a big pond publishers.

March 21, 2006

Da Vinci VS Holy Grail

I'm sure Dan Brown is hoping the old adage "any publicity is good publicity" holds true for him. After selling over 40 million copies of his book the Da Vinci Code, interest in his book has been renewed due to a plagiarism case brought by Holy Blood Holy Grail authors Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln. No doubt this lawsuit will catapult both titles to the top of the bestseller lists

Ponder this; Is any art original, or is all art merely simultaneous inspiration? Oh well,the lawyers and tabloid TV shows are involved now so sit back and enjoy the show.

March 20, 2006

Meet the Author Jodi Picoult!

Join us for the finale of the 2006 One Book, One County program featuring a presentation by My Sister's Keeper author Jodi Picoult. The program will take place tomorrow Tuesday March 21st 7:00PM at Fountain Street Church. A reception and book signing at the Main Library will immediately follow the program. This free program is for all ages and there is free parking. Call 988-5400 for more information.

Copying an entire CD

You can copy an entire CD from a select number of our Public computers. CDs can be purchased at the Retrieval Desk of the Main Library for $1.50. At the branches, you will need to bring your own. You can locate a computer with a CD burner yourself, or ask library staff to point one out. To locate one yourself, look for a computer with these 3 icons on the desktop:

Once you locate a computer with CD burning capabilities, you are ready to begin.

  1. Insert the source CD into the drive. The source CD holds the contents you wish to duplicate.
  2. Open up the Ahead Nero program by double clicking on the icon labelled "Nero - Burning Rom".
  3. After a window opens welcoming you to Nero, select CD and choose Next. [Screen Shot]
  4. You will be asked if you want to compile a new CD or copy a CD. Choose "Copy a CD" and hit the Next button. [Screen Shot]
  5. On the next screen, the source drive will already show up in the drop down box, so take the default and hit the Next button. [Screen Shot]
  6. Next, you'll see a window asking you to select the desired burning parameters. Choose "Burn" and select a Write Speed, then hit the Burn button. [Screen Shot]
  7. The Write CD window will show you your progress as a percent as it copies the contents of the CD.
  8. When it completes, the CD door will pop open and the software will ask you to insert and empty CD. Insert a blank CD. Nero will resume the process. When it finishes, you will see a window reporting "Burn Process Completed Successfully." Hit the Ok button, then the Discard button The CD door will pop open again to give your newly created CD.

March 18, 2006

Resurgence for the Humble Lecture

Someone sent me an article from the New York Times. It is an article talking about the growing popularity of lectures and author related events. In the article the New York Public Library and their new director of public programs Paul Holdengraber are featured. For one event with the French writer and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy the library had over 900 attendees. We also have had success with such events here at GRPL. Our annual One Book, One County event has gathered between 1,000-1,500 people each year.

The article offers several explanations as to why this phenomenon is increasing in popularity. Personally I believe it has to do with people looking for a sense of community, what about you, any ideas?

March 17, 2006

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

According to the book Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary the association of St. Patrick with the shamrock stems from his supposed use of its three-part leaf to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity. In the same book it states that the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City, which dates back to 1762, is the largest in the United States. More than 125,000 marchers participate in this parade. Even older than New York's parade is Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade, which started in 1737. In fact, during the siege of Boston which forced the British evacuation on March 17th, 1776, General George Washington used "Boston" as the day's secret password and "St. Patrick" as the appropriate response.

Donuthead Celebration! with author Sue Stauffacher

As part of the One Book, One County for Kids program, the Library will host a party featuring Donuthead author Sue Stauffacher on Saturday March 18th starting at 10:00 a.m. The party will be at the Main Library. Donuthead is the 2006 One Book, One County for Kids selection for Kent county. There will be food, fun and games for all ages. Plus, the author will sign autographs and copies of her book! For more information, call 988-5400.

March 16, 2006

Annie Proulx and the Oscars

So it is more than likely you have heard that the movie Crash won the Oscar for best film. You might have also heard that this movie beat the odds on favorite Brokeback Mountain. Well it seems that the author of the story that inspired Brokeback Mountain is not too happy about the fact that Crash won for Best Film. While reading the CBC I found this article where Annie Proulx vents her views about the Oscars. So tell us, do you think Annie Proulx is right, or did Crash deserve to win this years award?

By the way, Brokeback Mountain was based on a short story from Annie Proulx's book Close Range: Wyoming Stories

March 15, 2006

Sustainable Homes

The current trend toward smaller homes is something many of us never had a choice in joining -- we can't afford McMansions. Several good reasons for NOT building big include the cost of heating and cooling, reconciling needs vs. wants, and exercising what some might call a mandate to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. But it's not all about money or principles. You should see what wonders architects have worked on such smaller spaces. The library offers many recent titles highlighting their designs, from house plans to interior decoration.

Sarah Susanka is an architect who wrote a book called The not so big house: a blueprint for the way we really live in 1998, and she started a trend toward thinking about the quality of the way we live as opposed to the quantity of the stuff we have. Since then, she has also written Creating the not so big house : insights and ideas for the new American home, Not so big solutions for your home, and Inside the not so big house : discovering the details that bring a home to life.

Related books on this topic include Mini House, The big book of small house designs, 25 houses under 2500 square feet, The good house book: a common-sense guide to alternative homebuilding, and The new ecological home. There are many more.

March 14, 2006

Free Tax Assistance in GR

As April 15 looms ever closer, and the time for filing your taxes is growing shorter,
are you feeling the pressure? If you dread filing your taxes, here is some good news.
There are many places in Grand Rapids that will provide free tax filing assistance
for seniors and people who have low incomes. If you qualify, and would like free tax
assistance, click on the link below for a list of tax assistance sites in the Grand
Rapids area. Many happy returns!

Free Tax Help

March 13, 2006

Copying data files to a CD

If you need more space than a floppy can hold, and you don't own a USB Flash drive, you may use a writable Compact Disc. A CD can store up to 800 MB. If you forget to bring your own, you may purchase one at the Retrieval Desk of the Main branch, for $1.50. You will need to bring your own if you are using a branch library. You can locate a computer with a CD burner yourself, or ask library staff to point one out. Finding one yourself is just a matter of looking at the desktop. If a computer has CD burning capabilities, it will have 3 icons that look like this:

Once you have located a PC to use, you are ready to begin.

Save downloaded files from the Internet, or documents you create in Open Office in the FILE_STORAGE folder (C:\FILE_STORAGE). there is a shortcut on the desktop to reach this folder. This is the only space on GRPL's computers that patrons are allowed to save files to, regardless of what program you use.

Once you have the files you want, you can begin the process by using Nero, the CD burning software we have installed on the PCs for your use. After inserting a writable CD into the CD-ROM drive, start by double-clicking on the icon labelled "Nero - Burning Rom".

A wizard will guide you through the process by asking you a series of questions.

  • First, it will ask you to choose the kind of medium that you would like to write with your recorder. Since the only option available to you is a CD, simply take the default option by choosing the Next button. [See screenshot]

  • Next, you wil be asked "How would you like to continue?" Since we are creating a new CD (we will cover copying entire CDs and burning music CDs in other blog entries), we will choose "Compile a new CD" and hit the Next button. [See screenshot]

  • You will then be asked to choose a format with the question "Which kind of CD would you like to compile?" Choose Data CD, followed by the Next button. [See screenshot]

  • You will see a screen with two options. You either Create a new data CD or continue with an existing data CD. If you are using a CD that does not contain ANY other data, choose the first option, to create a new data CD. If you are using a CD that already contains other files, and you have left the previous burning session open for other files (called multisession), choose the second option. [See screenshot]

  • Final Step. You'll see an informative screen telling you which button you'll need to hit to actually start the burn process. Hit the Finish button to get there. [See screenshot]

  • After hitting finish, you will see a screen divided into two sections. On the left, you see the contents of the CD. It will be blank if it is a new CD.If there are files on the disc, you'll see them listed there. On the right, you see the contents of the computer. This includes the different drives (floppy drive (A:), the windows partition (C:), the CD Drive (D:), etc... It should look very similiar to this. Locate the FILE_STORAGE folder where you saved your files, and double-click it to see its contents. Once you see the files inside FILE_STORAGE, highlight the files you wish to copy, and drag them over to the left, inside the CD file section. They files you have dragged will show up like this.

  • Finally, hit the burn button icon in the toolbar. Hint: when your cursor is over the burn button icon, it will display "Opens the Write CD Dialog." You'll see one last window asking you to select the desired burning parameters. Take the default selection (Burn), choose your Write speed: and hit the Burn button. [See screenshot]

Once it completes, you'll see a box stating "Burn process completed successfully at....". Hit the OK button. Choose the Discard button. The CD drive door should pop open to hand you your disc. If you want to burn another copy of the same files, hit the burn button icon again, or close the program to exit.

To protect your privacy, double-click on the "Delete File Contents.bat" icon on the desktop. You will see the contents of the folder deleted. Press any key to close the program.

March 11, 2006

Slobodan Milosevic

This morning it was reported that the notorious Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic was found dead in his prison cell in the Hague. There have been numerous books written on the man, a few of the most recent are Milosevic : a biography by Adam LeBor, The fall of Milosevic : the October 5th revolution by Dragan Bujosevic, and Serpent in the bosom : the rise and fall of Slobodan Milosevic by Lenard J. Cohen. For a full treatment on the history of Serbia you might want to look at Serbia : the history of an idea by Stevan K. Pavlowitch, or Heavenly Serbia : from myth to genocide by Branimir Anzulovic.

March 10, 2006

10 Most Challenged Books of 2005

The top 10 most challenged books of 2005 have just been announced by the American Library Association. The full list is below.

March 09, 2006

2006 Consumer Action Handbook

Just off the press! Stop by the main library's reference area today to pick up your copy of the 2006 Consumer Action Handbook. This everyday guide to being a smart shopper is chocked full of helpful tips about buying a car or home, preventing identity theft, understanding credit, resolving problems after a purchase, and much more. In the 2006 edition, you'll find new information about Medicare prescription drug plans, free credit reports, and digital TV. And as always, there's an updated list of addresses, phone numbers, and websites for corporate consumer affairs offices, BBBs, state and local government listings, national consumer organizations, Federal agencies, and others who can help. The handbook can also be found online.

March 08, 2006

Poisoners Throughout History

Tonight at 7:00 the Vander Veen Center for the Book presents Poisoners Throughout History in the Ryerson auditorium with toxicologist John Trestrail. This engaging program will highlight poisoning from the days of early man to the present, with case discussions of real poisoners drawn from criminal history.

When I read the description of the program I wondered if there were any books written on the subject and lo and behold I found Elements of murder by John Emsley.

March 07, 2006

www.urbanplanet.org

Perhaps many of you already are aware of this site. I discovered it while reading about the secret 30 acre proposed development downtown. That thread has ended, but there are others of equal importance, like what is the best Hot Dog in GR. My vote goes to Grand Coney, but it looks like the overall winner is Yesterdog. Seriously though there are other subjects for discussion on this site all devoted to the city of Grand Rapids. You have to be a member to contribute to the discussions, but it is fascinating to see what people are saying about things that are relevant to the community.

March 06, 2006

Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

On Tuesday, March 7, there will be some noise around the library. Or at least beside the library. Fountain Street Church, right next door, will be hosting the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, which has been called the best choir performing in the world today. The concert is at 7 pm, and you can get tickets by calling 616.774.9268 or visiting www.thechoralcompany.com. Even if you can't make it to the concert, you can find out more about the country of Estonia at the library or by clicking here.

Research on GRPL Computers

The Grand Rapids Public Library provides free access to over two dozen Online Databases covering the following subject areas:

Auto Repair
Biography
Business
College and Career
Computers and Technology
Education
Genealogy
Health
Law
Literature
Newspapers and Magazines
Reference
Science
Spanish Language
Youth


The Grand Rapids Public Library also provides over 100 computers for library patron use, within its downtown building and 7 branches. General Internet browsing is not allowed on some computers, and is time limited on others, but the Online Databases are available from all GRPL public use computers with no login required.

March 04, 2006

Hip Hop at the Smithsonian

A co-worker sent me an article on the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History new collecting intiative "Hip-Hop Won't Stop: The Beat, The Rhymes, The Life." It is an effort by the Museum to collect and document the hisory and impact of the Hip Hop movement in American music and society. The Smithsonian has only just started collecting items for this exhibition, so in the meantime I would look over some the items below if you want to learn more about Hip-Hop and it's influence on America and the world.

March 03, 2006

Richard VanderVeen

The Grand Rapids Public Library lost a friend today. Former U.S. Congressman Dick VanderVeen of the 5th Congressional District passed away this morning. Mr. VanderVeen was responsible for forming the Ryerson Library Foundation in 1990. The Foundation was instrumental in the renovation of the Main Library. The VanderVeen Center for the Book and the Celebration of the Book are direct products of Mr. VanderVeen's efforts and generosity.

March 01, 2006

What People Want to Read in March

Wondering what your neighbors are reading? The following titles are the top ten titles on hold for GRPL patrons as of March 1st. The newest title on the list this month is The 5th horseman by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro in the number 2 spot with 503 holds. Put a hold on one or all of them today!

S is for silence by Sue Grafton
The 5th horseman / a novel by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Mary, Mary : a novel by James Patterson
A million little pieces by James Frey
Predator by Patricia Cornwell
At first sight by Nicholas Sparks
Light from heaven by Jan Karon
The camel club by David Baldacci
Every breath you take : a novel by Judith McNaught
On the run by Iris Johansen

Page last updated: 10/10/08