When I was at a movie theater, recently, I saw a poster for an upcoming film, Ramona and Beezus, based on the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. Instantly, I was flooded with memories of Ramona Quimby. I laughed out loud at her confusion at the expression, “Sit here for the present” in Ramona the Pest. I felt bad for her when she cracked an egg on her head and threw up in class in Ramona Quimby, Age 8. I appreciated the effort that she and sister, Beezus, made to convince their father to stop smoking. I have to admit that I did laugh though when Mr. Quimby asked who “Mr. King” was because her sign looked like “Nosmo King” rather than “No smoking.” I was grateful that I didn’t have any mean babysitters like Mrs. Kemp or a bossy older sister like Beezus. (Beezus had one chance to tell us her side of the story in the series’s first entry, Beezus and Ramona though we did get her and her friends’ frustrations through cameo appearances in the Henry Huggins books. Ms. Cleary was smart in realizing that Ramona, not Beezus, was the real star of the show.)
I know very little about this movie, but seeing that poster made me decide that I would like to re-visit Klickitat Street by re-reading the series. (Klickitat Street, by the way is a real street in Portland, Oregon.)
Our children’s librarian, Nancy, likes to ask adults, “What was your favorite book as a child?” So readers, what were your favorite books as children? What would you like to re-visit as an adult? Were any of you fans of Ramona Quimby?
posted by Laura
It’s almost Summer, and I know that I have vacation on my mind since the last two books that I’ve read have been travel based non-fiction.
Don’t let the title fool you. There is little talk about rappers or porn in Maslin’s book. What Maslin gives his readers is an amazing story about the many stereotypes of Iran and Iranians, his journey there, his travels inside the country, and, most importantly, the many people he meets.
If bicycle adventures don’t interest you, don’t let that stop you from reading this book. The majority of this book focuses on the places he visits and the people he meets. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is that he was born in Vietnam and came to the United States at a young age. This brings forth many stories about his family, their escape, and the impact it has on how he sees things and how others perceive him while traveling in Vietnam.
Tiffany with her prize
Emily
Kat
During National Library Week 2010, five lucky people won gift baskets and sixteen people won gift certificates, but all 60,000 Waltham residents are winners every day when it comes to free library services! Congratulations to Shannon Eagan, Kat Pasek, Emily Montoya, Karen Vinciulla, and Tiffany Kurema, who each took home baskets brimming with books, certificates, and other goodies.
Thanks to City Councillor Kathleen McMenimen and to all the City Councillors for signing the National Library Week resolution, and for putting the library in the spotlight for a part of their meeting, calling attention to the great resources and services available to all at the library.
Several City Councillors were also present at a Tuesday evening reception at the library. They enjoyed desserts created by the High School Culinary Arts Program, heard moving stories from library users about the ways the library has made a difference in their lives, went on a behind-the-scenes tour, and had their photos taken with their favorite books by professional photographer Andrew Kubica. The photos will be featured in READ posters which will soon be on display in the Lecture Hall and Children’s Room.
The Friends of the Library signed up many new members over the opening weekend of National Library Week, thanks to the efforts of Board members who attended the membership drive table all weekend long. Even so, there are still a good number of people who haven’t renewed their memberships since 2009. If your membership has lapsed, it’s never too late to rejoin!
Downloadable audiobook titles are available FREE to Waltham Public Library patrons from their home computers via the Internet!
Two different services provide access to approximately 2,500 titles for your listening pleasure. Titles may be transferred to many portable devices including iPods, MP3 players and other audio-capable devices for listening on the go.
The Minuteman Library Network provides OverDrive service to all Minuteman library card-holders. It’s a brand new collection with over 900 titles so far and will be growing in size in the near future, so check back frequently! These titles will also appear in the online catalog. Please visit the Minuteman Library Network website to try it out! Overdrive also has a mobile site for Windows Mobile or Android smartphone users.
The Waltham Public Library subscribes to the Recorded Books downloadable program. Patrons who live or work in Waltham can sign up for a free account online or with the library’s Audio-visual staff. This collection contains approximately 1,500 titles from the Recorded Books audio publishing company and more are added each quarter. Visit the Waltham Public Library website to check out Recorded Books.
Both services have “Getting Started” demos and Frequently Asked Questions sections to help you out. Feel free to contact the library at 781-314-3425 and press 5 for the Audio-visual Department if you’d like more information.
In addition, all MA residents are eligible to sign up for a Boston Public Library e-card. The e-card gives you access to BPL’s OverDrive collection, as well as any remote access databases. For information on the e-card, visit the BPL website. Already have one? Explore their OverDrive collection!
Happy Listening!
posted by Deb
On the evening of April 1, in celebration of the third annual United Nations World Autism Awareness Day many prominent buildings across North American and the world including Fenway Park in Boston, the Empire State Building in New York City and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada will be lit up blue to raise awareness for autism and to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day on Friday, April 2.
The month of April is designated Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders. Many parents and professionals refer to this group as Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. There is no medical detection or cure for autism. 1 in 110 children are diagnosed with autism. 1 in 70 boys A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes. Autism is more common than AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined. Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups. Early intervention can make a huge difference in a child’s life. Please visit http://www.firstsigns.org or the Centers for Disease Control for more information.
Some other resources for help are Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about autism and its effects on individuals families and society, Asperger’s Association of New England,
Autism Alliance of Metrowest, Inc., and the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.
There are also many books and DVDs on the subject of autism. Several of these are available at our library or through Interlibrary Loan.
Books for Children and Teenagers
Books for Adults
DVDs
posted by Gerry C.
There are many ways to observe National Library Week!
Introduce a friend to the library
Become a Friend of the Library
Explore our online resources
Make use of the beautiful library building and all its treasures
Calculate how much the library mean$ to you
Tell us your library story
Enter raffles for gift baskets and gift certificates
- 50 cents/ticket
- One ticket free at checkout
- Gift certificates from The Chateau, The Cafe on the Common, and The Tea Leaf – drawings daily
- Gift baskets for book lovers of all ages – drawing Tuesday, April 20th:
- Children’s Book Basket
- Teen Basket
- Multimedia Melange Basket
- Wise Words Basket
- Book Group Basket
As we face yet another few days of rain, and yet more fears about flooding, there are some resources that can help you in the event of flooding.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has provided a variety of pamphlets to the library. These include Answers to Questions about the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), Flood Insurance Claims Handbook, Avoiding Wind Damage: A Checklist for Homeowners, Avoiding Flood Damage: A Checklist for Homeowners, Help After a Disaster, and Repairing your Flooded Home. Some of these pamphlets are available in both English and Spanish. Here are a list of other sources that may help you in the event of a flood:
posted by Laura
This iPhone app was created by one the network’s patrons. He created it to make his library life more mobile, and it is available as a free download from the iTunes Store. Unfortunately, it only works with the iPhone and not the iPod Touch.
When I first heard about the app, my first concern was patron privacy, but the creator/owner of the app, guaranteed that he collects no data. The application only communicates with you (the user) and the Minuteman Library Network’s servers.
You can read about & download the app here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mln-library/id338776686?mt=8
Unfortunately, no patrons or librarians have made an application for Android or Palm, but, hopefully, one will appear sometime in the near future.
Here are some resources if you are looking for information about loved ones in Haiti, or if you are looking to help. My thoughts are with anyone affected by the earthquake.
Information Regarding Locating Relatives and Loved Ones
Relief Organizations (Donation Pages)
posted by Laura
I can’t imagine how many books my co-workers read over the past 12 months, but I do know what their favorite reads were and now you do too. Not all of these books were written in 2009, but they were all read by one of us in 2009.
Jeanette: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter.
Gerry: The Woods by Harlan Coban
Maureen: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.
Paula: The Help by Kathyrn Stockett
Virginia: Wicked Prey by John Sandford
Nancy R: Leonardo’s Shadow by Christopher Peter Grey
Janet: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson.
Laura: Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Todd: Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
Kate: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Louise: Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh
Marie: The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris
Jan: The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
Doreen & Marjorie: The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Marialice: Miss O’Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved by Chris O’Dell
Pat A: Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell
Deb: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Cathy: The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr
Have a great 2010!