Downloadable Audiobooks now available!

One Book One Community at Lancaster County Prison

Community reading is a liberating experience at the Lancaster County Prison. For the past six years, One Book, One Community book discussions have been happening at the Lancaster County Prison. GED students were asked to read this year’s One Book selection, The Grace That Keeps This World by Tom Bailey in preparation for the scheduled book discussion, led by Mary Ann Heltshe-Steinhauer, Community Relations Manager for the Library System. The informal discussions centered on the community book have been very popular in the past and this year was no exception. This year’s title The Grace That Keeps This World, a story set in the Adirondack community of Lost Lake, is a powerful narrative about the shared values that underlie and sustain human relationships. Ultimately, it is a tale of profound loss, human fallibility, and the love—romantic, neighborly, or familial—that can sometimes blur our line of vision. The story also explores the relationships between a father and his two sons. Each year, the insights that the prison students share during the book groups have been impressive. Many of the students begin an interest in reading while being incarcerated. As one student said, “I have lots of time on my hands right now and reading helps to pass the time.” During one the discussions, a student compared the main character of the novel with his grandfather who was a strict but loving man, “Before my grandfather died, I didn’t tell him that I loved him…I wonder if he knew. All of us (grandchildren) still remember his lessons.”

Hero of the Year?

Fellow mobile librarian, Yohannes Gebregeorgis, the founder of Ethiopia Reads, has been named a CNN Top Ten Hero of the Year. You can vote for Yohannes to be named the Hero of the Year over here: heroes.cnn.com/

The Ethiopia Reads website can be found here: www.ethiopiareads.org

Watch out! Colbert is on to us!

Hat tip to Stephanie!

Our Mascots- Mr. Pink and Ms. Pink

Mr. Pink and his lovely sister, Ms. Pink, have been with us for years now and it is beginning to show. Most of the time they just hang out there on the dash, looking ugly. Occasionally, they get pressed into duty as a prop for story time. In their most heroic roles they comfort little ones who are frightened by the whole bookmobile experience. Despite their humble origins as footwear, Mr. and Ms. Pink are noted advocates for literacy and education. I like to tell people that Mr. and Ms. Pink are perfect examples of what is possible when you stretch yourself.

Can you say Nerd Fighters?

Breaking news! I have been told by very credible sources that the world-famous Nerd Fighters are coming to Lancaster. That's right! Hank and John Green will be coming to Lancaster on November 11, 2008 where they will be making a special public appearance at Conestoga Valley High School at 6:30 p.m.

Go visit the Nerd Fighters at their website. Be sure to RSVP for this event through the links in the left-hand column.

You can also see information about the tour at John's website.

While you are at it, you can go to the library and check out John's books,
An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska.

Catalog Upgrade - My Reading History

I see you doing it. Lots of you. You stand there looking at the shelf with a small notebook, or even a 3-ring binder where you log the books that you have read. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me if I can tell them if they've already read a book (no, I can't).

But, now, we are making it easier for you to keep track of your own reading histories.

Those of you who use our online public access catalog (OPAC) will note the new look rolled out today. I'd like to draw your attention to the "Help Center" menu on the right hand side of the front page. There you will find a link to "My Reading History." By activating this feature, you can keep track of every book, movie, or cd that you check out with your library card. The list is strictly confidential. It can only be activated by you and accessed with your password and PIN.

What do Curious George and the Bookmobile Have in Common?

We were both at the Ephrata Parade on September 24, that's what.
He wanted to drive, but his license had been revoked so...

...he just chilled on the back of his ride.


Later on C.G. decided to sign a few autographs for his many fans. Who knew he could even write?

We were joined by the hard working crew of youth who passed out 6,000 copies of a special edition of the Ephrata Public Library Newsletter and about 50 pounds of candy. Parents, here's a secret. Your kids will work for pizza!

New Flikr Photostream

We are moving our photostream to a new location. While you are there be sure to add us as a friend. Pictures from the old photostream will eventually be migrated, but for the time being can still be viewed here.

Mobile Libraries of the World

If you have ever been tempted to complain about the availability of books on the bookmobile you might take a moment to read this article about the donkeycart library in Ethiopia.

Healthy Lancaster

Another radio spot.

Student Resources @ Your Library

Listen to our new radio announcement!

Ain't WEB 2.0 Grand

For those of you ahead of me on the Web 2.0 curve, please understand that I am old enough to remember typing papers in college on an IBM Selectric.  So for me to figure out how to post a blog via email (which I am currently doing) and have that blog digested and sent to a mailing list by email, and to have done it myself is amazing.  I know, it’s not the Starship Enterprise, but it is still cool.

New Email Digest Function

Please  forgive me for doing some experimenting in public.  While Bookmobile 2.0 has been less active over the summer, we expect to begin more actively publishing soon.  The purpose of this post and the next post is to test out an email digest of our blog that I have been toying with.  Thanks for your patience.

 

 

A Visual Representation of our Library System

courtesy of wordle.net, this represents the permanent text features of the front page of the Library System of Lancaster County.