From Page to Screen

Did you watch the Academy Awards on Sunday night? It's an exciting evening of celebrities, gowns, entertainment, and awards. I enjoyed it until I fell asleep!

Did you know that eleven of the films represented through nominations are book adaptations? While you wait to check out the newest movies from the library, why not take a look at the books they're based on? I've only read five of them, but hearing about the movies makes me interested on the books they're based on. Here's a list:

The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé

The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Invention of Hugo Cabret (movie entitled Hugo) by Brian Selznick

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Moneyball by Michael Lewis

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo



Laura
On behalf of the ACL

Books As Art

I've just discovered something wonderful. And creative. And bookish.

So naturally I knew I had to share on this blog.

Brian Dettmer is an artist who uses surgical tools to cut away parts of books, leaving something absolutely stunning.

Book art! You could spend a long time studying the pictures posted on his website. Go to www.briandettmer.com to learn more about him and his work.



On his website he states:
"I cut into the surface of the book and dissect through it from the front. I work with knives, tweezers and surgical tools to carve one page at a time, exposing each layer while cutting around ideas and images of interest. Nothing inside the books is relocated or implanted, only removed. Images and ideas are revealed to expose alternate histories and memories. My work is a collaboration with the existing material and its past creators and the completed pieces expose new relationships of the book’s internal elements exactly where they have been since their original conception."

Hope this brightens your day!



Laura
On behalf of the ACL

Chocolate, Anyone?

If you're a regular at the Abington Community Library, you've probably noticed the box of Gertrude Hawk candy bars that appears every couple months. We sell it until it's gone, take a break, then sell it again!

But do you know what buying these candy bars supports? Generally, the library, but specifically the Abington Community Library Teen Leadership Committee. This group of teens runs programs all throughout the year. The money raised through candy bar sales enables them to buy materials to support programs such as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel, American Girl festivals, Creative Writing workshops, and much more.

If it wasn't for this group, led by our young adult librarian Sandy Longo, we wouldn't have favorites like All Aboard the Polar Express or Story Time Teens. The Committee's donations and leadership help Abington Community Library build a wide variety of creative programming.

So next time you visit us, buy a candy bar for $1 and support the Teen Leadership Committee. These are your delicious options:

Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter
Milk Chocolate Caramel
Milk Chocolate Toffee Almond
Dark Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Coconut Custard
Dark Chocolate Raspberry

Laura
On behalf of the ACL

Dear Library,

Happy Valentine's Day! I just wanted to tell you why I love you:

1. You are free! Where else can people from the community gather every day and do things like borrow books and movies, use the computers, and attend special events? All for free?

2. You are peaceful. Sure, no one really whispers any more. But you are a calm, safe place where we can slow down from life. Meander through the stacks and browse through the CDs.

3. You promote learning and growth. I come and work for you every day and I'm still learning things from you. A person would have have a pretty closed mind to NOT learn anything here. You have educational programs for all ages, and nice tables and nooks for studying and tutoring.

4. You are friendly. You have a pleasant staff (ahem) who loves to help. We work for you because we're passionate about you. We come in every day looking for ways to make you better, to bring more people in to visit you. When people walk in the doors, they can feel like they belong. Like they are home.

5. You have everything. I'm getting a dog? Books about training puppies. I'm building a deck? Books about construction. I'm going to college? Books about universities that might be right for me. I even find books I never knew I wanted. I look and I find. I help others find. We all leave satisfied.

Thank you, library. You are my valentine this year.

Love, Laura
On behalf of the ACL

On the Window Sill

Have you ever lost something at the library?

Hmm... maybe you have and never realized it?

Well, we have both an official and unofficial lost-and-found here at the library. The official lost-and-found is a box off to the side of the circulation desk by the tax forms. This box holds large-ish things like articles of clothing.

The unofficial lost-and-found is the window sill.

Maybe you've noticed our window sill. If you're standing at our circulation desk checking out the hottest book right now, The Hunger Games, for instance, you'll see the office behind the desk. We have large windows that you can peek through to see us, the library staff, diligently working at our desks and computers.

Or cutting out dozens of penguin feet for a craft. Or syncing new music for storytimes on the library iPod. Or putting together a display board all over the floor. Or watering our plants. Or something.

ANYway, the window sills in front of the windows are home to, currently:
a pair of sunglasses
two non-library books
one non-library CD
a toy car
keys
the instruction manual for Super Mario Bros.
a phone charger
a photo of a boy reading a book in a lawn chair at the beach
and a button.

When the window sill gets full (or items have been there for a while), depending on the value of the items, we'll throw them away or transfer them over to the official lost-and-found box. The hope is, people will see something they lost on there and claim it before it gets moved or pitched.

We've had some weird things left in the library. The fact that we discovered items such as canes, prescription glasses, and even a hearing aid in the library led one of my coworkers to comment that the library must be a place of healing!

So the next time you lose something, check out our window sill. Even if you didn't lose something, check out our window sill. It's a pretty wacky place.

Laura
On behalf of the ACL

Written and Illustrated By...

It's Children's Authors and Illustrators Week! All year long I enjoy reading through children's books, but this week especially I thought I'd share some of my favorites. Why don't you try browsing through the children's library the next time you're in? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you'll find.

Growing up, I absolutely loved the series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, beginning with Little House in the Big Woods. Not only were the stories and characters beautiful, but the illustrations were too. Garth Williams brought Laura Ingalls to life for me. I can picture scenes vividly even today - Laura milking a cow, Almanzo digging into a delicious dinner, the covered wagon rolling over a hill. Perfection.



When it comes to picture books, currently I've been engrossed with Mo Willems. He wrote and illustrated books such as Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct. Fun stories, fun illustrations! Humor that parents and "big kids" will appreciate as much as the little ones. 



I can't write a blog post about children's lit without mentioning my favorite series of all time: Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling has my respect as a gifted storyteller. I understand and relate to her characters as if they were real. The illustrations in these books, drawn by Mary GrandPre, only come at the beginning of each chapter, but they compliment the stories beautifully.


Our children's librarian here at Abington, Mary Ann McGrath, shared with me the new 2012 Newbery Medal Winner and the 2012 Caldecott Award Winner, both here at our library. Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, is a quirky middle grade novel about Jack, a boy who has to spend his summer vacation typing obituaries about the people who founded his town. A Ball for Daisy, by Chris Raschka, is a story for children told entirely in pictures about a dog and her ball and the drama that ensues. Check out these prizewinners!

Oh, this post could go on and on! Let me close with one last popular book - The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. This novel told in words and pictures just recently hit theaters as the movie Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. This story for children (and adults alike!) is unique in that it's told as much through the illustrations as through the words.

Well this post went a little longer than usual, but hopefully you've enjoyed hearing a bit more about children's lit. Do some exploring in that section next time you visit the library, and I guarantee you won't leave disappointed.

Laura
On behalf of the ACL

National Wear Red Day

Why is the library staff all wearing red today?

To promote heart health in women!

Did you know that heart disease is the number 1 killer of women? It causes 1 in 3 deaths each year.

The American Heart Association researches ways to fight against this disease, and today, Wear Red Day, helps raise awareness.

If you'd like to donate to this worthy cause, go to GoRedForWomen.org.

How will you make a difference?



Check out some books available in the Lackawanna County Library System:

Prevent a Second Heart Attack: 8 Foods, 8 Weeks to Reverse Heart Disease by Janet Bond Brill

The Healthy Woman: A Complete Guide for All Ages by United States Dept. of Health and Human Services

WomenHeart's All Heart Family Cookbook by Kathy Kastan

Outliving Heart Disease: the 10 New Rules for Prevention and Treatment by Richard Stein