The e-book, the e-reader, and the future of reading

Thank you to our library trustee Bruce Larson, for bringing to our attention this article in the Christian Science Monitor.

The e-book, the e-reader, and the future of reading

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Holiday House Tour -- 2009

I was afraid this would happen. Start a blog and then never keep it up to date!

It's been a busy fall, with more and more people coming through our doors and thousands of books, audiobooks and DVDs flying off the shelves as residents take advantage of all the free library materials and services available for loan. Libraries across the country are seeing a spike in usage as people look to save money during these tough economic times.

Early December saw the first snowfall of the season, which provided a perfect backdrop for the Friends of the Lee Public Library's Holiday Open House Tour, held on Sunday, December 6. The House Tour is a Friends fundraising event, held every few years. Seven homes, five of which are historic, were featured on this year's tour, each decorated in the homeowner's unique style for the holiday season. What a wonderful day it was! The bright sunshine on the snow put everyone in the holiday spirit. The proud homeowners were gracious hosts, issuing a warm and friendly welcome to all. Tour visitors bumped into old friends or had a chance to make new acquaintances as they traveled from home to home. All our volunteers, whether they took a shift helping out at a home or providing baked goods, gladly donated their time. Local businesses donated trees and wreaths to the homeowners. And the Friends Board of Directors, under the guidance of Phyllis Foxall, tended to the myriad of details that ensured a successful tour. While the House Tour serves as a traditional fundraiser, it also showcases the small town community spirit that thrives in Lee. The library staff and trustees are truly grateful for such strong support.

Check Out The Plastic Tower on Display Now At The Library

Lauren Banker and Alex Freid, members of Durham Students for a Democratic Society, stopped by the library today to set up a display that demonstrates the impact single- serving plastic bottles have on the environment. The display features an impressive tower of 475 bottles, which is the average amount of bottles used by students at Oyster River High School per day. Lauren and Alex note that it takes 15 gallons of oil to produce 475 bottles. That amounts to 75 gallons of oil a week-- 2700 gallons of oil per year--just for the production of those daily 475 plastic bottles used by Oyster River High School. For more information about the Durham Students for A Democratic Society: Durhamsds@gmail.com. And take a peek of the library's collection of "green" living resources on display at the checkout desk.

Wi-Fi Available 24/7

Whether you decide to cool off inside (we have air conditioning!) or take advantage of this summer's cooler-than-usual outdoor breezes, the library's Wi-Fi access is available 24/7 for all your email and Internet searching needs. No password/authorization code is required.

A Special Guest

Yesterday we had a special guest at our morning storytime program for 2-5 year olds. Gus, a real miniature donkey owned by Lee residents Gina Kemp and Laura Gund, stopped by, delighting parents and children alike! We were also glad to have the sun stop by for a visit too!

Summertime and the Readin' is Easy

Today we had the kickoff event to our Summer Reading Program. Over 70 children and their parents gathered at the Oyster River High School Multipurpose Room to enjoy a lively interactive program with musician Steve Blunt and author Marty Kelly. This was a great opportunity to escape being cooped up in the house on yet another rainy day! Thanks to the Friends of the Lee Public Library and the Durham and Madbury Public Libraries for their sponorship of such a worthwhile program.

And it isn't too late to sign up for the Summer Reading Program. Stop by the library anytime and we'll give you a reading log and a schedule of events. So far we have 90 kids ages 2-12 who have registered for the program. And we are excited that 16 young adults have signed up for our Teen program.

What Do I Read Next?

One of the benefits of working in a library is that I always have a half-dozen or so books waiting for me at home to dive into at day's end. I tend to gravitate towards contemporary fiction and some nonfiction--particularly memoirs. Much to the disbelief of some of my patrons, I am not a mystery reader, and I don't think there will be a whodunit on my personal reading list any time soon.

Since I have access to hundreds of titles to choose from on a daily basis and actually get paid to read book reviews to help in developing the library's collection, I am never at a loss as to what to read next.

But this sadly is not the case for all readers. Often times, we receive an inquiry from a patron who has read everything by his/her favorite author and would like a recommendation as to what to read next. Usually the library staff can suggest a few new authors and titles after a quick conversation to get a sense of the patron's reading tastes. But for those times when a friendly librarian isn't handy, these online resources are great to explore when wondering what to read next:

Boston Public Library Booklists -- extensive listing of books by genre

Goodreads -- social networking book recommendation site.

Library Thing -- another social networking site that allows you to connect to people with similar reading tastes.

Novelist -- includes suggested reading lists, author read-alikes, booktalks, featured articles and book discussion guides. Password required. Ask for a brochure next time you are at the library.

Beautiful Gardens

We have received so many compliments over the past few weeks about the library entrance and side gardens. We are very fortunate to have two dedicated volunteers who put in hours of labor towards the design and upkeep of these gardens. We'd like to thank Barbara McNamee and Ann Ury for sharing their amazing skills and talents to create such beauty all summer long!

Farewell to Cristy and Welcome Cheryl and Linda

Early this month the library staff bid a fond farewell to library assistant Cristy Gylfphe, who has relocated to Colorado to pursue other career opportunities. We wish her all the best. Longtime library substitute Cheryl Adams has taken on the role of library assistant. We are pleased to have Cheryl as a permanent part of the library team.

We also welcome Linda Cayford to the library staff. Linda, a long time Lee resident, comes to the library via the Senior Community Service Employment Program of the National Able Network. This is Linda's first time working in a library environment and she asks for your patience while she is learning the many facets of library services.

A Great Way to Start

I've been contemplating creating a library blog for quite some time. But I've had a hard time getting it started. Could the staff and I come up with some "interesting" library news that isn't already available through the library's website or newsletter? Could we keep it updated on a fairly regular basis and how would we launch this thing?

And then last week we had a visit from the children of the Lee Cooperative Nursery School who planted petunias in the flower boxes that now grace the library's entrance ramp. The kids plant flowers annually to thank us for the special story time programs they attend at the library throughout the school year. And I realized that I couldn't think of a better way to launch this blog than by recognizing this special community service act by some of our youngest patrons. So a great big thank you to the Acorns and Mighty Oaks of Lee Cooperative Nursery School for their act of kindness and their inspiration!