Sunday, September 30, 2012

Banned Books Week 2012

Banned Books Week is Sunday, September 30 - Saturday, October 6, 2012. 

Books are banned for all sorts of reasons. Should people be able to ban books, or should everyone have the freedom to choose what they want to read?

Your library supports your freedom to read. Check out this video, by many of your favorite library staff members:


What's your favorite banned book? Why was it banned, and what is it your favorite?

Friday, September 28, 2012

‘The Walking Dead’ are coming…

By now you’ve heard the Mayans predicted that the world is coming to an end in 2012. Experts and prognosticators will try and explain what exactly will happen and what the world will look like afterwards. But fans of The Walking Dead already know exactly what the end looks like; a Zombie Apocalypse! Whether you are a fan of the original Graphic Novels or of the hit TV show, the apocalypse has never been so exciting.

Imagine waking up in the hospital. You have no idea why you are there. You gather your strength to call for help, but no one comes. Eventually you make it to your feet and unhook yourself from all the medical equipment. The hospital is abandoned. From the looks of it, it’s been empty for quite some time. You make your way down to the cafeteria which appears to contain some life. You pry open the double doors and are instantly met by the terrible sight and smell of a room full of zombies! You stumble backwards. Unfortunately every zombie in the room has smelled your presence and would enjoy eating your delicious flesh. Fortunately for you, the undead are not very agile and you burst out of the hospital and into the brisk fall air and safety.

Your relief quickly turns to despair as you take in the world around you. What has happened? This is your town, but where are all the people? Why are all the cars abandoned and most of the windows broken? You must find your family. You scramble home, avoiding the lurking zombies. Your family is not there. You just know they are alive. You can sense it. But where can they be? How do you even begin to look for them?

Ahead of the Season Three premiere of the TV series, the library is hosting a party on October 11th to celebrate all things ‘Walking Dead.’ Stop by to check out the latest graphic novels in the series, meet other fans, and test your knowledge of the show. There will also be themed prizes for the trivia winners and a raffle for ‘Walking Dead’ action figures.

All are welcome to join us for this special event, whether you are a super fan or just getting started watching Season One. If you haven’t started, time is running out. The zombies are coming! Check out the website if you would like more information or have any questions.

Thursday, October 11th 7-8:30 pm
Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library
1120 Stafford Road
317.838.3800
www.plainfieldlibrary.net


-Tim

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Beer Tasting & Fundraiser

What’s your idea of the perfect Saturday afternoon? How about an afternoon spent sampling new beers and learning how beer is made locally? The master brewers from both Three Pints Brewpub and Black Swan Brewpub in Plainfield will be at the Plainfield Guilford-Township Public Library on Saturday, October 6th for a fundraiser to support the library! Whether you are an experienced home brewer looking to fine tune your favorite recipe or just a fan of local beer, this great event is the perfect way to spend your Saturday afternoon!

Both Three Pints Brewpub and Black Swan Brewpub will be providing samples of a number of their most popular brews on tap. Maybe the Beatnick Blonde is your go-to choice but you have always wanted to try Retired Red’s Ale or the Oatmeal Stout. Now is your chance! Or maybe you just don’t know what type of beer you like. The experts from Black Swan and Three Pints have a beer that’s perfect for your taste. You just may leave with a new favorite brew.

We would love to have you join us for this fun afternoon in support of the library. Space is limited though, so make sure you register online or by calling 317.838.3800. All participants must at least 21 years old and must have a valid photo ID with them. A $5 fee will be required at the door.

You don’t want to miss this great fundraiser. It’s not often you can drink beer with friends and support the library at the same time!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Apocalyptic Books

There’s nothing like the End. Pestilence. Famine. War. Rumors of the war. I love a good apocalypse story (this is probably a character defect) and fortunately, the Library indulges my curiosity. Here are some good reads along those lines.






Chalcot Crescent by Fay Weldon

Set in present day London, Weldon’s novel is an interesting look into family dynamics set against a backdrop of economic collapse and a rising fascist government.

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

This non-fiction work asks the question: what would happen to the planet - to our cities, homes, pets, the built and natural environments - if humans suddenly disappeared. Weisman explores geology, climate, evolution and other disciplines for a fascinating glimpse into the world without us.

World Made by Hand and The Witch of Hebron by James Howard Kunstler

Both of these novels by acclaimed social critic and peak-oil proponent James Howard Kunstler are set in a small upstate New York town. The residents of Union Grove learn to thrive when they are suddenly forced to live without gasoline, cars and the other modern comforts of suburbia. His novels are a bit didactic at times, which leads me to also suggest that you read Kunster’s non-fiction, especially The Geography of Nowhere (where the didacticism is more appropriate).

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

In The Road, Cormac McCarthy, with his standard magnificent prose, offers a chilling vision of humanity’s worst impulses and basest behaviors as a father and son struggle to survive the aftermath of a massive nuclear disaster. Makes for a terrifying and compelling read.

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller

One of my favorite books, Walter Miller’s one-hit-wonder chronicles events within the monastic community called the Albertian Order of Leibowitz located in the desert of (what was once) New Mexico. Comprised of three parts, this classic work of science fiction explores issues of violence, identity, power, epistemology, and religious belief.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I finally got around to reading the classic science fiction novel Ender’s Game. In the book, young Ender Wiggin is taken off-planet to a military training school for highly gifted children. At the school he participates in mock battles in the zero gravity Battle Room. He also plays strange and difficult strategy games on his ‘desk,’ something like a tablet computer.

When Ender’s Game first came out in 1985 it won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award. Ender’s Game became the first in a long series of books with sequels, prequels, short stories, Ender comic books published by Marvel, even an Authorized Ender Companion book.  

Ender’s Game is now being made into a movie with a cast including Ben Kingsley and Harrison Ford. Production has wrapped, and the movie is scheduled to be released on Nov. 1, 2013. You can learn more about the movie from the on-set blog. Or in movie news from Cinema Blend. They’re full of spoilers, though, so if you’re going to read the book, do that first! (Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.) Ender’s Game is kept in the teen fiction and also the regular fiction section. Of course, feel free to ask us to show you where it is.



Do you suppose the Harry Potter phenomenon helped set a film making climate to make Ender’s Game a movie – a movie many kids will see - now, decades after the book came out? As a big fan of Harry Potter, I see similarities between Ender’s Game and the Harry Potter series. Tough situations, kids being bullied by kids who are relatives, being whisked away to a training school, manipulative adults, bonding with fellow students to overcome great odds, life-and-death battles…

The first Harry Potter book came out in 1997. Do you think Jo Rowling may have read Ender’s Game and added it to the swirl of influences that created Harry’s magical world? She was 20 when it came out. You can ponder those questions if you like, and leave your opinion in the comments below.



~Jan

Monday, September 3, 2012

I Love Libraries

I love libraries. 

I have always loved libraries and have spent most of my like in them. My earliest recollection of libraries was in elementary school where I read every biography in the Childhood of Famous Americans series. In junior high I spent my lunch time in the school library and my Saturday afternoons at the city library. In college my husband and I often courted at the library. I was a junior in college when I took a children’s literature course and got an A in it. I had planned to teach social studies, but my college counselor suggested I also get a library science minor. When I graduated from college and started looking for a job the first school system I called hired me as a librarian and I have been one for 47 years. I have never lost my love for libraries. I enjoy helping customers find new authors or answers to questions.

Libraries are my life and it has been a happy one.  


~Jo



*Check out life-long reader Jo's quarterly selection of new titles.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Welcome to Our Neighborhoods!

It has just gotten easier to locate items in the children’s room through the creation of Neighborhoods. Some of the books and movies are being shelved together by topic rather than classified as fiction, non-fiction or format (such as DVD). The first Neighborhood created was based on the most popular requests from children of their Favorite Characters. These include Barbie, Clifford, Dora, Star Wars and Thomas. For children who love the airplane or train books, we have a Transportation Neighborhood with sub-categories of In the Air, In the Water, and On Land. Coming soon will be Neighborhoods on Holidays and the Town Values.

The call number on the spine of the book/DVD has not changed; the only changes are the location of the item on the shelves and listed in the Evergreen on-line catalog, plus the addition of a color-coded spine label. An example of a location change in the Evergreen online catalog will be “Children: Favorite Characters: Dora” instead of “children picture book”.

We hope these Neighborhoods make it easier for you and your child to locate the items you want. Please be patient with us as we take the time to transfer the items into Neighborhoods. If you need assistance finding items or have suggestions for improvements or additional Neighborhoods, please tell any of the children’s room staff.



~Joyce