The Atrium

It's always exciting when any information about a new Harry Potter book comes out. And now is no different, especially when it is the end of the series, and most especially when you hear characters are going to die! So, which characters could they be? Author J. K. Rowling has admitted to having the conclusion of the book written even before the first book was ever published. She admits that characters must die. Of course, she won't say who. The latest installment in the movie franchise is said to be released next summer. Hopefully the last book will be out by then, too!

For fun, facts, and mystery, visit the authors official website at www.jkrowling.com. Maybe YOU can find some clues. And, by the way, who do you think will die?

Posted by Martin at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you know that the Handweavers Guild of America is meeting here in Grand Rapids? I saw a brief tidbit about this last week and today while driving by DeVos Place I noticed signs out for the guilds convention called Convergence 2006. I started looking into it and found that there were exhibitions around the city including one at Frederick Meijer Gardens There are also exhibitions at UICA, Public Museum of Grand Rapids, and Kendall College of Art and Design. Wondering what handweaving might be? Well here are some items at the Grand Rapids Public Library that might help answer your quesiton.

• Twill thrills edited by Madelyn van der Hoogt
• The tapestry handbook : an illustrated manual of traditional techniques by Carol Russell
• Learning to weave by Deborah Chandler

Posted by Martin at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

He managed to catch only one marshmallow in his mouth, and as a human fountain most of the water spilled on the ground, but comedian and juggler John Park certainly did succeed in making the more than 100 children in his audience laugh until they rolled across the floor. Maybe if "The President" and "HBO" hadn't repeatedly phoned (on urgent business I am sure) it would have been easier to maintain focus.

Park, juggling three clubs on a six-foot unicycle.

The house was packed.

Dewey Decimal System spinning plates!

Amy Kerkstra and GRCC preschooler Dean, watching plates fall.

Posted by Katy at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ah, how about that time of year when the yearbooks come out. Everyone rushes to pick theirs up and have as many people possible sign them. Mysterious messages are written by classmates photos, all the good times are remembered, and years later, graduates cringe at how they looked those many years ago. So, is this old fashioned, printed year book soon to be a thing of the past? It will if some students have anything to say about it. A virtual yearbook has been created at myyearbook.com. Students are able to go on the site, create a profile, vote for various class "elections" such as most likely to succeed, best athlete, etc, and to continue using even into college. Many students feel the printed yearbooks have become too expensive so they prefer this type of yearbook. But isn't part of the fun of having a yearbook going back and cringing?

Posted by Martin at 09:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our friends down the block at the Grand Rapids Art Museum are hosting an exhibit of the artist Ansel Adams. It started June 23rd and will run through August 27th. The exhibit is entitled Ansel Adams and Edwin Land: Art, Science and Invention -Photographs from the Polaroid Collection. According to the GRAM website Ansel Adams was invited by the scientist who invented the Polaroid camera to come and test the new invention in 1948. The pictures in this exhibit are the result of this test.

If you are interested in Ansel Adams and his work check out these items.

• Ansel Adams : a biography by Mary Street Alinder
• Ansel Adams : divine performance by Anne Hammond
• Ansel Adams: a documentary film

Posted by Martin at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was suggested to me a while ago that I do a entry on the Tom Otterness sculptures here in downtown Grand Rapids. The exhibition is called Tom Otterness in Grand Rapids: the Gardens to the Grand and is sponsored by the Frederick Meijer Gardens. The exhibition started on June 1st and will continue until Septemeber 10th. There are over 40 sculptures which are placed on a two mile walking path in downtown Grand Rapids. I have walked part of the path and I have to say that my favorite sculpture so far has been the large covered wagon located on the Gillett pedestrian bridge. You can get maps to all of the sculptures downtown at any of the Grand Rapids Public Library locations

Posted by Martin at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Starting this week, Grand Rapids Public Library (GRPL) patrons can check out a family membership from the Grand Rapids Children's Museum (GRCM). Two memberships are available and allow up to six people a one-time visit to the museum for free.

Memberships are only available to residents of Grand Rapids who have a GRPL library card and must be used within six days of being checked out.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Children's Museum on this pilot program," stated Marcia Warner, Director of the Grand Rapids Public Library. "We see this as a way to introduce our patrons to other cultural organizations in our community and to allow people to make connections between Library resources and outside events."

The Children's Museum memberships are available for check out at any of the eight Grand Rapids Public Library locations. After a patron checks out a membership, they are not eligible to check it out again for one year.

"We have been looking to implement this kind of program for quite a while, so it's very exciting to see it all put together. It will help us serve those that might not normally visit the Children's Museum, while at the same time giving families a chance to try out our membership program to see what it's all about" commented Teresa Thome, Executive Director of the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.

The Grand Rapids Children's Museum offers "hands-on" learning, which encourages self-directed exploration, inviting kids 2-10 to turn something into everything each time they visit. Visit www.grcm.org for more information. The Museum is open to the public every Monday from 9:30am-5:00pm (June 12 through August 28), Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9:30am to 5:00pm, Thursday 9:30am to 8:00pm (Thursday Family Nights 5:00pm-8:00pm) and Sundays Noon-5:00pm. Regular admission is $5 per person, Family Night is $1 and Pals Members and children under 2 are free.

For more information about the program, call 616-988-5400 or visit our website at www.grpl.org. The Grand Rapids Public Library connects people to the transforming power of knowledge.

Posted by Martin at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No? Then maybe you might want to try this site called knowagoodbook.com! This was a site that was sent to me from another colleague here at the Grand Rapids Public Library. It is put together by some book lovers, including one librarian. The site lists book related links by age, children, teens and general for adults. Within these categories you can find links to book awards, lists for book lovers, recommendation lists, bestseller lists, etc. There is also a category called Book News that lists the most current news about the book world.

Posted by Martin at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia created by a community of users known as Wikipedeans. The public can contribute content, and in fact, Wikipedia encourages its readers to add content or correct incomplete or incorrect data, as applicable.

The site began in 2001 and today it boasts 1,194,372 articles! More often than not, because the entries are based on interest of the end users, one can find anything and everything they would ever need to know about a subject on Wikipedia, despite the obscurity of the subject matter. Wikipedia ranges from exhaustive articles about the unit of temperature Kelvin; to a list of time travel devices (like the Flux Capacitor).

Wikipedia is a veritable cornucopia of rare and little-known facts, as well as everyday concepts, like dishware. The software that runs it, called Wiki (hence the name), is free for others to make their own custom Wikis. For instance, fans of the popular game World of Warcraft have created their own WoWWiki to help other players get any information they would ever need to optimize their game play.

St. Joseph County Librarian's have created their own Wiki for their patrons, called SJCPL's Subject Guides. Their subject guides were created to help patrons learn about a subject, and locate library materials and events on those subjects.

So next time you need to understand the concepts of Astrodynamics, why not skip the search engine and try a Wiki.

Posted by Kolene at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have been listening with heightened interest about the idea from Kent County Commissioner Paul Mayhue about a gun buyback. In today's Grand Rapids Press there is a whole article about the proposed program debating whether or not it is a good idea. This got me interested in knowing what has been tried before and if the results have been positive or not.

I started with a Google News Search with just the keywords "gun buyback", this provided me with 162 news items about gun buyback programs.

Then I searched the librarys catalog and there was an item at the Grand Rapids Main Library called Evaluating gun policy : effects on crime and violence by the Brookings Institution from 2003 with a whole chapter on the effects of the gun buyback program in Australia.

I finally looked in the library database Infotrac and found numerous articles on similar programs. If you try this from home just make sure you have a library card and then go into the section called "General Reference Center". Once there just type in a search with the term "gun buyback".

Posted by Martin at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I was sent this blog the other day by a colleague here at work and I thought I would share it with all of you. She stated that this site is also a favorite of childrens librarians around the country. It is a site called PlanetEsme Book-A-Day Plan: The Best New Children's Books from Esme's Shelf. According to Esme's profile she is a "professional readiologist who thinks children's trade literature is our best hope for equalizing education in America". On the site she reviews one, two, sometimes three childrens books a day.

The reason it was sent to me was due to the fact that local author Sue Stauffacher is featured on the blog on June 12th and she is rated by Esme as her favorite children's author! Just to let you in on a little secret, Sue Stauffacher will be at the Grand Rapids Public Library for our event "Celebration of the Book" this coming October.

Posted by Martin at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nazario follows the desperate and dangerous plight of illegal aliens through the journey of Enrique, a 17 year old Honduran boy determined to re-unite with his mother in America.

Abandoned by her husband and without opportunity for employment or financial support when Enrique is five years old, Lourdes must make a decision. After agonizing over her choices, she determines that going to America is the only way to provide the money Enrique needs to survive. Leaving him with relatives, she promises to return soon. As the years of separation continue, Enrique grows into a troubled teen. In his dreams, his mother and America loom larger than life. He becomes obsessed with joining her.

To reach his goal, Enrique risks his life to ride the rails north on the notorious "death trains". Traveled by children from Central America every day, these trains are hotbeds for violence, injury, and intimidation imposed by gangs, police, and other riders. Those who survive the ordeal are never the same.

There are graphic descriptions of death, violence and drug use here. Enrique is no longer innocent. He has been forced to grow up fast and is well acquainted with the dark side of human nature. Not a light summer read, this book is a gritty, gripping, true adventure story.

In the best journalistic tradition, this book does not attempt to provide "the answer" to the illegal immigration issue. Well researched and written, it opens the reader's eyes to what people are willing to endure for a chance at the American dream. With immigration policy in this country on the cusp of enduring change, now is the time to read this book.

Posted by Martin at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, they came and danced the afternoon away!

Ten teens came to check their dancing skills for Yankee Clipper's first ever Dance Dance Revolution program, and three parents urged them on. Although most of the dancers were new to this game, they all did great, even improving their first scores.

Some of the comments were: "Mary did an excellent job at setting up this fantastic program", "I like this program because she was very nice", "Very very good and exciting", and "I think they did a good job and am looking forward to another one".

Check out more pictures from the event below!

Posted by Martin at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On May 15th this blog talked about how to setup a Google Personalized Home Page. GRPL has created a Google Gadget that makes it possible to search our catalog directly from your Google Personalized Home Page. Read the May 15th entry if you haven't yet created your personalized home page.

To add the GRPL gadget:
Click on the 'Add content' link
Click on the 'Add by URL' link next to the 'Search Homepage Content' button.
Enter 'www.grpl.org/catalog.xml' and click the 'Add' button.

You will be asked to confirm, and when you go back to your home page you will see the new item titled 'Grand Rapids Public Library'. This gadget also allows GRPL patrons to access their library account. You can even add this blog to your personalized home page the same way, just enter www.grpl.org/yourlibrary/blog/index.xml in the Add by URL field. Here is how it looks on my page.

(click the image for a larger view)

Posted by Kolene at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you know that the State of Michigan has a State Librarian? Well we do and her name is Nancy Robertson. Wondering what the State Librarian of Michigan does? You can find out by accessing her blog called "News from Nancy". Right now the entries focus on her travels to different libraries across Michigan, rather liked the entry about the Jackson District Library, but I do love older buildings. If you are interested you can also visit the Library of Michigan's website. They offer many different services, my personal favorite being the genealogy section. Check out the Michigan 1870 Census index, you can search by name or by township and county.

Posted by Martin at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This article was forwarded to me from a colleague. It is from the magazine Business Week and discusses public libraries impact on entrepeneurs throughout the country. According to the story "an increasing number of would-be entrepreneurs are turning to their local public libraries for help in every aspect of launching their businesses....61% of small-business owners living in the U.S. said libraries were important in helping them get started."

Now this is something we see everyday here at the Grand Rapids Public Library. Just yesterday I had a patron come in and ask for information on how to open a candy making business from home. Below you will find a few of the resources I gave her.

• Small Business Sourcebook a great source for people looking for organizations, trade magazines, books about different small business's around the country. Just so happened we found numerous sources dealing with candy makers!
• How to start, run & stay in business: the nuts-and-bolts guide to turning your business dream into a reality the title says it all and Wiley is a very well respected publisher of all types of business publications.
• Home-based business for dummies again another publication from Wiley and part of a series of books that brings the information down to a level everyone can understand.
• Whoops! I'm in business: a crash course in business basics once again the title says it all and it is from Nolo press, which is another well respected publisher.
• Small Business Administration the government agency designed to help the small business person. Check out the start-up kit.

If you need more come down to the Main Library and we will get you what you need!

Posted by Martin at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Grand Rapids Public Library explores the world of baseball's big league managers with a presentation by Dr. Bill Anderson, author of the book View from the Dugout: The Journals of Red Rolfe on Wednesday, June 14 at 7:00 pm. The program is free and open to the public and part of the Vander Veen Center for the Book programming.

The program, Getting Inside the Head of a Big League Manager, examines the life of Red Rolfe, a third baseman for the New York Yankees from 1931 to 1942 who went on to manage the Detroit Tigers from 1949 - 1952. Rolfe is the only big league manager in baseball to keep a journal throughout his tenure as a field boss. His journal is a candid and insightful revelation of how a manager thinks, strategizes and evaluates the talents of his players and the opposition.

Baseball players as a rule aren't known for documenting their experiences on the diamond. Red Rolfe, however, recorded daily accounts of each game, including candid observations about his team's performance, and the strengths, weaknesses and tendencies of opposing players and managers, and he used these observations to coach his players and to gain an advantage. Rolfe's journals carry added value considering his career as an All-Star Yankee third baseman on numerous world champion teams where he played with Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio.

Bill Anderson is the Director of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries for the State of Michigan. His other books include The Detroit Tigers: A Pictorial Celebration of the Greatest Players and Moments in Tigers' History. Anderson used many photographs from the collection of the Grand Rapids Public Library, which has one of the best photography collections of the Tigers dating from the 1940s to the 1960s. These photographs, many never before published, will be featured in an exhibition on the Detroit Tigers opening June 14 at the Main Library.

Getting Inside the Head of a Big League Manager will be held at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 in the Ryerson Auditorium at the Grand Rapids Public Library, 111 Library St. NE. The program is free. For more information, call 616-988-5400.

Posted by Kolene at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Grand Rapids Public Library has begun offering recordings of our children's story times and guest speakers online in the form of Podcasts.

You can download them from our website at http://www.grpl.org/yourlibrary/pods/.

If you are new to the world of podcasting, we have included a Podcast Help Center to help you get started. Or, if you'd rather just grab the mp3s and get to listening, you can find those at the bottom of the page.

We are just getting started and hope to expand the content we offer. In the meantime, please let us know what you think. What type of content would you like to see the library offer in the form of podcasts?

Posted by Kolene at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Grand Rapids Public Library has quite a collection of CD-Roms for patron checkout. Often though patrons find that they cannot use the items on their home computers. Why is that? Imagine a golf cart on the highway. Obviously, while the golf cart can move under its own power, it cannot reach the required speeds because it does not have the engine power to do so. Your home computer is the same way. When it does not have the software or hardware required to run a certain CD-Rom, the game itself cannot run on the computer.

So how do you find out if a CD-Rom will work on your home computer? On the case of most CD-Roms it will tell you that a game or an educational program will work for Windows or Macintosh operating systems, or both. If your home computer is a Macintosh, CD-Roms made for Windows only will not work. The same applies to a home computer which is a PC. If the CD-Rom is only made to work with Macintosh, your PC cannot run the CD-Rom.

In recent years, CD-Roms have been made to work with both Windows and Macintosh. It must say both Windows and Macintosh compatible on the case though. When it comes to CD-Roms made for Windows, the version of Windows your home computer has can affect whether or not the CD-Rom will work. If the CD-Rom requires Windows 98 or above, your home computer which has Windows 95 may not be able to play the CD-Rom.

There are hardware and software requirements which can affect the performance of a CD-Rom on your home computer. For most CD-Roms you will need to have a sound card, video card, and enough RAM on your computer for the program to run. The sound card is what allows the CD-Rom's sound component to play on your computer while the video card does the same for the image component. RAM is the memory needed for the CD-Rom to run.

All of these small pieces can allow a CD-Rom to run on your home computer. Please feel free to ask any library staff member for help if you are not sure about whether or not a CD-Rom will run on your home computer. CD-Roms can be fun games and educational tools. Consider checking out a CD-Rom from the Grand Rapids Public Library today.

And lastly, we don't allow CD-Roms from the shelves to be installed on any of our patron stations. These CD-Roms are for home use only.

Posted by Kolene at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, summer is here, and my desire to travel is greater then ever. Unfortunately, that desire will not be fulfilled anytime soon due to a host of problems that plagues anyone who wants to travel to Barbados or San Francisco or the south of France, but only can afford a day-trip to Holland. Holland, Michigan that is. It is pretty rough to counter this urge to be on a sunny beach in the South Pacific or visiting Napa Valley, but the fine folks at Lonely Planet have published a quartet of beautiful books that make the lack of travel a little more palatable. Geared both for the person who loves to travel and wants to see more than what lies on the surface, and for the person who wants to learn more about the world around them, all four of these titles are sure to please.

First off, check out the gorgeous 2004 title The Travel Book. This book is a beautiful pictorial journey through every country on the planet, and features over 1,200 pictures from over 230 countries. Each country entry features some basic information, and then a lot of enjoyable little facts about the place, including relevant books and movies and food one can check out or take in. So, even if you never can make it to Bhutan or Saint Kitts and Nevis or Mozambique this summer, at least you will know a little more about them in case you ever hit the lottery and can afford to travel there.

Next up comes One Planet, which is a beautiful collection of travel photographs from the Lonely Planet images collection. And there are some striking pictures to be found in this little gem of a book. My favorites include number 206 and number 80, but you need to check this book out to see which ones are you would put at the top of your list. Oh yeah, number 193 isn't too bad either.

The third title, One People Many Journeys, starts with the line "There is not a 'them' and an 'us'; there is really only 'us', and goes from there, documenting what it means to be a human, no matter where one calls home or what age you are. Featuring some incredible photographs, this wonderful book features sections such as birth, work, play, love, and death, all viewed from the diverse world we live in. This is a great book that will stay with you for a good long while.

Finally, the fourth book, The Cities Book, which is also the newest one, just hit shelves at the library in April. Featuring Lonely Planet's picks for the world's top 200 cities (Paris is #1, Ashgabat is #200, with Grand Rapids not making the cut), this beauty is loaded with superb pictures and tons of interesting facts. One can find out what some of the strengths and weaknesses of each city are (a strength of #151 Tbilisi is "Food, oh!, the food ...; a weakness of #88 Tallinn is "Drunken Finns"), what to see, what to eat, and explores an urban myth of each city. Incredibly fun to read, and while it won't make you a geography superstar, it might let you know where Hobart (#91) is and what Aleppo's (#114) nickname is.

Posted by Martin at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wondering what your neighbors are reading? The following titles are the top ten titles on hold for GRPL patrons as of June 1st! The number 1 is still Two little girls in blue by Mary Higgins Clark. Happy Reading!

Two little girls in blue by Mary Higgins Clark
At risk by Patricia Cornwell
Beach road : a novel by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge
The tenth circle by Jodi Picoult ; illustrations by Dustin Weaver
The 5th horseman by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Marley & me : life and love with the world's worst dog by John Grogan
Susannah's garden by Debbie Macomber
Promise me by Harlan Coben
Divine : a novel by Karen Kingsbury
Dark harbor by Stuart Woods

Posted by Martin at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)