Louder, Kids!

We don't get too bothered by noise here at the library.

We have live music on Second Saturdays, we talk above a whisper, we let study groups meet around the library...

and we especially like kid noise.

Adults are quieter about their satisfaction with the library. They say please and thank you, they smile, they stroll through the stacks.

Kids, on the other hand, will EXPRESS their appreciation for the library. I love to stand at the desk and watch kids dashing by on their way to the children's library. They call out things like "Story time!" "Trains!" "Spiderman!". They rarely whisper. They throw themselves on the floor enthusiastically to see the lowest shelf. They pull books off shelves hungrily until they have a stack they can barely lift. They giggle, they shout, they ask questions.

Now here are some people who really enjoy the library! This is what it's here for: to make you smile with satisfaction when you find just what you were looking for. Or perhaps stumble upon something you never knew you needed.

So be patient with loud kids in the library. We want this to be a place that builds them up, not shuts them up.



Laura
On behalf of the ACL

Mango is Delicious

What are your summer plans? Vacation? Relaxation? Barbecues, picnics, hikes?

For some, summer means learning something new. Like a language!

If you're going to a different country over the summer, or just want to pick up some phrases in a new language, the library is the place for you.

Not only do we have books and sound recordings to help you, but we also have a brand new language program available online.

It's called Mango Languages, and it's fun, easy-to-use, and FREE!

All you need to do is go to our website and click on the Mango link on the left side of the page. (You might have to scroll down a smidge to see it.) You'll then open up an account using your library card, email address, and a password. After getting an email confirmation, your account is open and you have access to over 40 different languages.

Choose one, and begin sessions that will walk you through words, phrases, and sentences. Repeat after the computer and improve your accent. There's even a "Translate" section where you can immediately get just the word you're looking for. Not only will you learn grammar and vocabulary, you'll learn how to communicate in practical situations.

Go on and give it a try! Get started with Mandarin, Italian, French, Hebrew...even Norwegian, Vietnamese, and Pirate. That's right, Pirate. You curious yet?



On behalf of the ACL,
Laura

Elementary, My Dear Watson

Happy Birthday to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, born this day in 1859! (Click here for a more detailed biography.)



He is, of course, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, detective extraordinaire. Arguably the most famous detective who never lived, Sherlock Holmes is the star of stories such as The Hound of the Baskervilles (novel),  "The Speckled Band," and "The Red-Headed League" (short stories).

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle shaped the way the classic detective novel was written, and Sherlock Holmes was his greatest creation. Movies and tv shows are still being produced and enjoyed by fans of Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick, Dr. Watson.

In honor of Doyle's birthday today, check out some great mystery stories below, available for borrowing through the Lackawanna County Library System. As always, feel free to ask for guidance the next time you're in the library. We'll show you the mystery section and recommend some of our favorite latest reads.

Body Double by Tess Gerritsen

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

Laura
On behalf of the ACL

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It's a quiet morning here at the library. Once in a while a damp patron will drift in, water dripping off a raincoat or umbrella making a trail through the library.

I heard it's supposed to rain all day. Should be quiet here all day, then. Who wants to leave the house on such a day?

I love the rain when I'm inside. As long as I don't have to be out in it, I love to listen to it. Especially at the library. The big windows in the back of the office provide a lovely view of the hillside leading up to Fidelity Bank. The rain is coming down in a curtain now, and it's soothing watching it when you're safe and warm inside. If I go in the children's library, the rain sounds really cool on the roof.

If you do come visit us today...did you know we have puzzles to work on? A rainy day just calls for puzzles, don't you think? In the Young Adult area, on the bottom shelves, we have several puzzles to work on. Start it and leave it for others to do, too!

You may not make it to the library today. But the next time you're in, take a look at some of our "rainy" materials. And Happy Rainy Tuesday to you!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (Adult Fiction, this month's Afternoon Book Club book. I just finished it and it was simply brilliant.)

Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld (Children's picture book. We read it in Story Time Teens last month and it's super cute.)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Children's dvd, based on the book by Judi Barrett.)

Scholastic's The Magic School Bus: Wet All Over by Patricia Relf (Children's book on the water cycle.)

Singin' in the Rain (Adult dvd...it's a Gene Kelly classic!)

Laura
On behalf of the ACL

First Lines

Here's something fun to do on this gloomy, rainy, Tuesday. Check out some first lines of well-known novels down below. Can you guess where they came from?

It you'd like, identify one or two in the comment section. Good luck!

"It was a pleasure to burn."

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

"Call me Ishmael."

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."

"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."

"Marley was dead: to begin with."

"Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy."

"On Friday, 12th June, I woke up at six o'clock and no wonder; it was my birthday."

"To the red country and part of the grey country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth."

"Serene was a word you could put to Brooklyn, New York."

"'Tom! No answer. Tom! No answer. What's gone with that boy, I wonder?'"

Laura
On behalf of the ACL

Happy Birthday, Harry!

Well, he was born as Harry Lillis Crosby, but we know him as Bing Crosby! He was born on this day, May 3, in 1903. He started out singing, then become a movie star. His mellow singing style made him one of the most successful entertainers of his day.



When I think of Bing Crosby, I think of White Christmas. His version of the song calls to mind a nostalgic Christmas, and always makes me happy. And the movie White Christmas is on my list of top 5 Christmas movies. There's nothing like an old musical! His voice is so relaxing and soothing; I just love to hear it.

We have several Bing Crosby movies, CDs, and books in the Lackawanna Library System; check out a few the next time you're in:

DVDs:
Going My Way
High Society
Holiday Inn
Robin and the 7 Hoods
White Christmas

CDs:
Bing's Gold Records
Bing Crosby's Greatest Hits
Christmas Jump & Jive: Songs That Won the War
It's Christmas Time

Books:
Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams by Gary Giddins
Bing Crosby: The Hollow Man by Donald Shepherd

Laura
On behalf of the ACL

We Have a DVD for That

We have a collection in the library that is often overlooked, though it has great value.

It's the non-feature films. The biographies, the how-tos, the exercise dvds. Though they are ignored because they are not popular movies, don't pass them by! You never know what you'll find over in the non-fiction dvds.

First, where are they? Well, walk through the library past the circulation desk towards the entrance to the children's library. Before you enter the children's library, look to the right. There are the non-fiction dvds! They are marked with a blue sticker, as opposed to the red sticker marking the feature films.

They follow the dewey decimal system, same as non-fiction books. So look in the 500's for nature films, the 600's for yoga workouts, the 700's for sports instruction, and so on.

Give it a try! Learn something new! Get help with something, such as wedding planning or improving your golf swing.

Here are some of my favorites, and where to find them:

America the Beautiful, 791.6 America. documentary on the ugly truth behind the fashion and beauty industries.

Colonial House, 974.102 Colonial. PBS historical reality show tells the story of modern people going back in time to live in the 1600s.



The Eleanor Roosevelt Story, 92 Roosevelt. biography.

Elle Glam Fitness: Total Toning Workout, 613.712 Elle. Easy-to-follow yet challenging exercise routines.

Martha's Summer Favorites, 392.37 Martha. Martha Stewart teaches viewers how to prepare summer dishes and be creative with projects.

Paperclips, 940.5318 Paper. Documentary on students who collected paperclips to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust.

Happy watching!

Laura
On behalf of the ACL