Friday, February 27, 2009

Yearbooks in the Dayton Collection

Did you know that the Dayton Metro Library’s Local History Room collects school yearbooks from all over Montgomery County for our Dayton Collection?

We have over 200 yearbooks from area elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as some university yearbooks, spanning the years from 1909 to 2005. (Roosevelt High School is pictured above, click for larger image.)

You can view these yearbooks by coming to the Dayton Local History Room on the lower level of the Main Library. Before you come in, you may want to check first to see whether we have the yearbook you want. You can check our online list of yearbooks available. (You can also access this list by visiting the Dayton Metro Library’s web site and clicking on Reference Desk, then Local History, then Yearbooks Index.)

We acquire these yearbooks mainly through donation, so please keep the Dayton Metro Library in mind if you have any Montgomery County school yearbooks that you no longer want.

-- Lisa, Local History, Main Library

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Remembering Dayton's Days Gone By

This series of programs highlights the glory days of Dayton, when life moved at a slower pace, but exciting times were just around the corner. Our Local History Specialist will share vintage images from the Library's historical photo collections for these programs held at the Main Library:

Tuesday, Mar. 03 - Meet Me at the Soldiers' Home

Tuesday, Mar. 10 - Masterpiece Makers: The Barney & Smith Car Works (Pictured above, click for larger version)

Tuesday, Mar. 17 - Miami Valley on the Move: Transportation & History

Tuesday, Mar. 24 - Dayton Underwater: The Great Flood of 1913

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

WHO Wrote a Book? About WHAT?

Celebrities are always writing their autobiographies, that's nothing out of the ordinary...but sometimes the famous people write books you might not expect them to. You can find these slightly odd, but no less interesting volumes here at Dayton Metro Library:

We love to hear Miss Patti LaBelle sing. But did you know she loves to cook? LaBelle Cuisine: recipes to sing about was her first. (She has a secret for making carrot cake without grating tons of carrots...you'll have to check it out!) Then she found out she had diabetes. She wrote Patti LaBelle's Lite Cuisine. Her newest Recipes for the Good Life just hit our shelves.

Dixie Carter and Suzanne Somers make us laugh in sit-coms...but would you expect them to write books? Dixie's Trying to Get to Heaven: Opinions of a Tennessee talker is chock full of her opinions and some of them may surprise you. (She also has a CD on which she sings the songs of her friend John Wallowich...but you'll have to get that through the MORE system). Everyone knows Suzanne Somers went from Three's Company to Thighmaster, and many probably know she has diet books out there...but her newest is Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness a New Age health guide.

Martina Navratilova was a superstar on the tennis court...but did you know she wrote a series of mysteries--starring, of course, female tennis player Jordan Myles. Total Zone, Breaking Point, and Killer Instinct are all available at Dayton Metro.

Michael Jordan, Tracy Gold, Judge Judy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julie Andrews Edwards...the list goes on and on. Check 'em out

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Abraham Lincoln Comes to Dayton

On September 17th, 1859, Abraham Lincoln gave a two and a half hour anti-slavery speech on the steps of Dayton's courthouse. This one-hour program with music celebrates the 150th anniversary of his visit with photographs, local newspaper accounts of his speech, trivia, and a discussion of the legacy of Lincoln for our times. Catch this program on Tuesday, Feb 24 at 6:30 P.M. at the Kettering-Moraine branch library, Thursday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 P.M. at the New Lebanon branch library and Sunday, March 1 at 2:00 P.M. at the Main Library.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Oscar Nominees at the Library

Yes, many of this year's Oscar nominees are too new to be out on DVD, but that doesn't mean you can't find them at the library. Check out the books and short stories on which they were based.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. You can find it in the collection of his work titled Novels and Stories, 1920-1922. There is also a graphic novel version.

The Reader was based on a book of the same name by Bernard Schlink. Besides being the inspiration for one of the Best Motion Picture nominees, it's also an Oprah's Book Club selection, so don't hesitate to ask your librarian to reserve it for you. You can expect it to fly off the shelves.

Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan was a play before it was a movie, and the library has the original script.

The only movie nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published that is not a Best Motion Picture nominee is Doubt. At the library you can find the script of the play, Doubt: a Parable by John Patrick Shanley. Unlike the movie, the play is staged with only four actors. All four of the actors in the movie playing the original characters from the stage version have been nominated for Oscars as well.

There isn't much time left before the awards, so get reading!

-- Kristen, Main Library

Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Big Read for Business

The Dayton community Big Read is underway, providing a forum for everyone to read and talk about one book: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. This fictional story echoes real life tragic events such as Columbine and Virginia Tech, where young people were killed as a result of violence at schools.

The Big Read begins in March, with discussion groups and events, and ends in May. Dayton Metro Library and the Dayton Daily News are major sponsors, in cooperation with other local libraries and community businesses. Your business is invited to provide a discussion group time for your staff to participate in the Big Read. A librarian will be provided at your group to lead the discussion, if you wish. This is an opportunity to be part of the community discussion and celebrate reading at your workplace. For more information, or to request a discussion leader, please call Sandy Prell, Business Specialist, Dayton Metro Library, at 937-496-8610. The Big Read website is www.bigread.org.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Mindfulness Not Just for Buddhists Anymore

Mindfulness plays a central role in the teachings of Buddhism. Mindfulness involves realizing that our minds are constantly commenting on the world, and that those comments are not concrete or lasting. Practioners of Mindfulness feel free to let go of those commentary-thoughts and live in the world rather than getting caught up in flimsy webs of thought that do damage...or rather cause suffering.

Recently, the concept of Mindfulness has caught on. More and more books are being published that employ the idea and practice of Mindfulness but have less of a Buddhist focus. Here are some of the titles you can check out at Dayton Metro Library:

On Becoming an Artist by Ellen Langer offers a Mindful approach to Creativity. Mindful Dreaming by David Gordon shows that paying attention to dreams can keep us in touch with our emotions. Life is a Verb by Patti Digh urges you to live intentionally. Secrets of the Lean Plate Club by Sally Squires is about Mindful eating, a sane way to diet. Calming Your Anxious Mind by Jeffrey Brantley teaches you to free yourself from fears and anxieties. The Five Good Minutes series, also by Jeffrey Brantley, are each on a different topic and can serve as an excellent (and quick) introduction to Mindful living. And Mindful Woman by Sue Thoele offers calming techniques to help women balance their busy lives.

-- Tim, Main Library

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Every Book Its Reader

Here at Dayton Metro Library we work long hours to perfect what Librarians refer to as Readers’ Advisory. RA, as it’s known in the business, is helping readers find books they will be likely to enjoy based on what they have enjoyed reading in the past or what they like to do aside from reading (If you like Stephen King, you may like Nate Kenyon. If you are interested in Interior Decorating and want to read a mystery, you might like A J Orde). Library schools teach classes in RA. Our library staff experts teach other library staff how to recommend books. We also provide you access to a great database called Novelist (and the kid’s version Novelist K-8) through our website. On that you can search authors, titles, subjects, series, character names, settings…just about any aspect of a book to find others like it…

But in searching the web, I found the perfect “quick and dirty” Readers’ Advisory tool that ANYONE can use. Zero training necessary, you just need the link below and the name of your favorite author.

http://www.literature-map.com/

When you put in the name of your favorite author, you get a cloud of authors who are enjoyed by other people who enjoy your favorite author. My favorite writer is Sheri Tepper…so I might enjoy Connie Willis or Sharon Shinn BOTH of whom I have cast an interested eye on in the past. Give it a shot next time you need a quick suggestion of an author. And the base website Gnod (which seems to be German) will also suggest movies for you. Sweet!

-- Tim, Main Library

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Stuff We Found While Weeding

The Skeleton in Armor, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, illustrated by A.V.S. Anthony. This is the 19th century equivalent of a coffee table book, but only if your coffee table is rather small. The famous Longfellow poem is meted out one couplet at a time over 94 pages. Each page of text is followed by remarkable engravings of the knights and ladies described in the poem. It is all so wonderfully romantic.

Doggerel: Great Poets on Remarkable Dogs, with linocuts by Martha Paulos. Not just another collection of dog poems, these are all by the greats: Lawrence Ferlinghetti (“The dog trots freely in the street…”), Ezra Pound (“When I carefully consider the curious habits of dogs…”), John Ciardi (“A dollar dog is all mixed up. A bit of this a bit of that.”), and the sublime Ogden Nash (“The dog is man’s best friend. He has a tail on one end. Up in front he has teeth. And four legs underneath.”). All this is humorously illustrated by Martha Paulos’ woodcuts, which could be a book on their own.

Shrinklits: Seventy of the World's Towering Classics Cut Down to Size, Maurice Sagoff. Looking for Cliff’s Notes that are even smaller than Cliff’s Notes? You can find them here summarized succinctly and hilariously in rhyme.
Here are the beginning lines of Oliver Twist:

Workhouse orphan asks more gruel—
Zap! He’s out. The world is cruel.

Or how about these lines first lines of Jane Eyre:

My Love behaved a bit erratic;
Our nuptial day Brought truth dramatic:
He had a wife, Mad, in an attic.

And of course there is always good old Beowulf:

Monster Grendel’s tastes are plainish.
Breakfast? Just a couple Danish.

What is weeding?

-- Sue, Main Library

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The Angel of Grozny

Norwegian journalist Åsne Seierstad, author of the international best seller The Bookseller of Kabul, chronicles the plight of both Chechens and Russians in her latest work The Angel of Grozny. In December of 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin ordered Russian troops to enter Chechnya, which had declared its independence three years earlier, in order to disarm “illegally armed groups.” As an eager journalist living in Moscow at the beginning of the Russian invasion, Seierstad volunteers to ride shotgun with Russian soldiers into the Chechen capital Grozny just a few weeks after the beginning of the invasion. During her visit to Grozny, Seierstad sees first hand the horrors of the war: orphaned children living in the streets, countless families uprooted after the men were killed in combat, evidence of mass graves, and widespread destruction of the country’s infrastructure. While in Chechnya, Seierstad also befriends a Chechen woman named Hadijat, who has taken in scores of abandoned orphans into her own home and gives them the care that the Chechen government cannot provide.

Ten years later, Seierstad returns to Chechnya in 2006 to see how the country has changed. She soon discovers that despite the so called peace in the region, the Chechens are no better off than when she was in the country ten years prior. Chechens still live in fear under the new Russian puppet regime headed by the extravagant dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. The Angel of Grozny is a definite eye opener to a brutal war that has not received as much media coverage as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Other titles available from the author at the Dayton Metro Library include: A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal, and With Their Backs to the World: Portraits from Serbia.


-- Jared, Main Library

Monday, February 16, 2009

Formerly Bestselling, Now Awaiting Your Request

I have been around books, either in the bookstore or the library, for years. And if there’s one thing I have learned, it is that today’s bestseller is tomorrow’s shelf sitter. At the library we buy the books you want to read. If everyone wants to be reading the same book (the very definition of a bestseller) then we buy extra copies of them. But what happens when the demand for titles goes down?

We send those extra copies to storage. So we still have multiple copies of former bestsellers waiting for those of you who didn’t get around to reading them when everyone else was reading them. Here are some names you might not have heard in a few years…but we still have many of their books. If you meant to read them but didn’t get around to it, request them now!

Non-Fiction: Og Mandino, Thomas Moore, Barbara De Angelis, M Scott Peck, John Gray, Richard Bach, James Redfield, and Stephen Hawking.

If fiction is more your taste: Robert James Waller, Dan Brown, William Peter Blatty, Erica Jong, and Joseph Heller.


-- Tim, Main Library

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Thursday, February 12 is the two hundredth birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Not only is Lincoln a favorite subject of biographers, but he has appeared in his fair share of fiction, too. Here are a sample of his less-than-completely historical appearances:

Abe: A Novel of the Young Lincoln by Richard Slotkin tells the story of a journey Lincoln takes down the Mississippi shortly after the death of his mother. This novel was a New York Times Notable Book of 2000.


Another book from NoveList's recommendations is Booth: a Novel by David Robertson. It tells the story of Lincoln's assassination and the hunt for his killer from the perspective of James Surratt, one of Booth's fellow conspirators.

Henry and Clara by Thomas Mallon tells the story of a couple who witnessed the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It was featured in NoveList's article on fiction for Lincoln's bicentennial.

-- Kristen, Main Library

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Dayton's Martyr: Sister Dorothy Stang

The Dayton Metro Library program "Dayton's Martyr: Sister Dorothy Stang -- Lessons Learned from Her Life and Death" will be broadcast on DATV, Dayton's public access channel 20, at the following times:

  • Friday, February 20 at 5:00 pm
  • Saturday, February 28 at 11:00 am
  • Wednesday, March 4 at 3:00 pm.

Join Dayton Daily News columnist Mary McCarty, photographer Lisa Powell and Sister Joan Krimm for a reflection on the life and work of Sister Dorothy Stang, a sister of Notre Dame de Namur who grew up in Dayton and was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize in 2008. Against a backdrop of photos from their trip to Brazil, McCarty and Powell discuss the trial of the rancher who ordered her killing. Her lifelong friend Sister Joan Krimm shares personal reminiscences of Dorothy. All three guests address the issues to which she devoted her life: saving the rainforest, seeking justice for poor farmers, and sustainable farming. They also discuss why her life and death still matter.

The Dayton Metro Library has two biographies available for check out:

The Greatest Gift: The Courageous Life and Martyrdom of Sister Dorothy Stang by Binka Le Breton

Martyr of the Amazon: The Life of Sister Dorothy Stang by Roseanne Murphy.





-- Joy, Main Library

Friday, February 13, 2009

Valentine's Cookbook

Here is a great little book if you are planning on making your Valentine a chocolate treat for Valentines Day. The book begins by describing where chocolate comes from (the chocolate tree). A chapter on “general instructions” provides information you will need before cooking with chocolate: tools you will need, instructions on melting, tempering, molding, and storing your final project. The chapter on molding chocolate includes a recipe for Giant Peanut Butter Cups. Another chapter offers recipes for brownies. Pies and Tortes are represented as well. Dipping chocolate can be tricky, but this book’s recipes for dipping are easy to follow. The book ends with a chapter on chocolate drinks that includes Real Hot Chocolate. Have Fun!

-- Mary Ellen, Main Library

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Digital Photography Series




Mike Petrose and Paul Rybold are co-owners of Fairborn Camera & Video. Both have been at the store for over 20 years. They were the first in the Dayton area to embrace digital technologies for photographic equipment and have stayed abreast of the technologies all these years.

After graduating from the Ohio Institute of Photography, Kim Coughnour worked five years as a commercial photographer with clients including Folgers Coffee, Duncan Hines, and Sunny Delight plus many other recognizable large companies. Then she moved on to instructing at the Ohio Institute of Photography for over 13 years. She taught Camera Skills, Black & White Photography, Color Concepts, Lighting Techniques, Medium Format, and Advanced Commercial Photography courses. She was instrumental in the school's transition from traditional photographic methods to today's digital technologies. For the last five years, Kim has headed her own portrait studio, Red Leaf Photography, in Oakwood, Ohio.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Grow Your Own Business

If you have an idea that could be turned into a business, the library and our partners in the community have resources to help you succeed. The library’s Business Collection at the Main Library includes books on all aspects of starting and growing a business. The library partners with organizations such as SCORE to offer free counseling and business workshops. Stop by the Main Library to check out our business books and pick up a copy of the monthly Business Bulletin as seen below.



2666

Undoubtedly last year's most hyped novel, 2666 is bound to be one of the least finished. It's long - 892 pages in the single hardcover volume, stomach-turningly gruesome, and, challenging. The book is composed of five parts which revolve loosely around a fictionalization of the Ciudad Juárez murders in Northern Mexico, but this is not a plot-driven work. It is, rather, a tapestry of literary and philosophical musings which portrays what we must, given that Bolaño died in 2004, assume is the author's view of the world's spin into moral entropy. Whether these bits of profundity accumulate into a coherent statement is something you'll have to judge for yourself.

Here are a few more extensive reviews of 2666:

Slate.com by Adam Kirsch

The New York Times by Jonathan Lethem

New York Magazine by Sam Anderson

The Guardian by William Skidelsky

Saturday, February 7, 2009

The Corleone Family Saga

In 1969, American author Mario Puzo published The Godfather; an epic saga that detailed the story of the fictitious Corleone family and the Sicilian Mafia of New York City. The family was led by Don Vito Corleone and later, his son Michael. The book was a huge bestseller and portions of the book were adapted into two Academy Award winning films: The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974); generally considered to be among the best films ever made.

If after reading the book and viewing the films, you thought you knew everything there was to know about Vito and Michael Corleone and their family, let me make you an offer you cannot refuse…

In 1990 Mario Puzo and Frances Ford Coppola produced the final chapter of the saga, The Godfather Part III (1990). While the critics considered this film to be below the standard set by Parts I and II, many fans of the earlier films felt some satisfaction with the conclusion. After Puzo’s death, Random House published two “authorized” sequels to the original novel, The Godfather Returns (2004) and The Godfather’s Revenge (2006), written by Mark Winegardner. Together, these books and films chronicle the Corleone Family saga, interweaving national and international events with the power struggles of criminals and politicians (sometimes indistinguishable). In his attempt to ruthlessly protect his family, Michael Corleone slowly destroys that family and everyone he loves.

Chronology:

Book – The Godfather – 1945-1955 (including the early life of Vito Corleone 1910-1939)

Film – The Godfather – 1945 –1955

Film – The Godfather Part II – 1958 – 1959 (including the early life of Vito Corleone 1910-1939)

Book – The Godfather Returns – 1955 – 1962 (includes the early life of Michael Corleone, 1920-1945, and fills in several gaps in between the films)

Book – The Godfather’s Revenge – 1963 – 1964 (also explores the early life of Tom Hagen, 1920 – 1922)

Film – The Godfather Part III – 1979 – 1997

To read about the real Mafia and the story of organized crime in America, see:

Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires by Selwyn Raab.

-- Jamie, Main Library

Friday, February 6, 2009

Free Tax Help

The city of Dayton has a set of webpages with info on the EITC (earned income tax credit.) This page has the addresses and phone numbers of the places that are providing free tax preparation services this season -- it's a list of all our old friends like the Dayton Urban League, the Job Center and Community Action Partnership! There are also "Quick Hits" on the right, to help folks find out if they are eligible.

Here is the link to the tax preparation page: http://www.cityofdayton.org/departments/pcd/ca/EITC/Pages/freetaxhelp.aspx

-- Bonnie, Main Library

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Looking for Some Good Valentine’s Day Reads?

A book doesn’t have to be a Romance to be romantic. Whatever genre you like, here are some suggestions:

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig has a little bit of everything. It’s a historical adventure in the style of The Scarlet Pimpernel, based on the premise that after The Scarlet Pimpernel’s career came to an end, he was replaced by a spy named The Purple Gentian, who was replaced by The Pink Carnation, the only one of the three whose identity was never revealed. Framed by the research of a twenty-first century grad. student doing her thesis on the three spies, a bit of chick lit is added to the historical fiction, romance, and adventure in the eighteenth century main plot.

For Fantasy with a bit of romance, you cannot beat Juliet Marillier. Try Daughter of the Forest, based on the fairy tale The Six Swans and set in early Christian Ireland, her first book and the first of the Sevenwaters Trilogy.

Fans of historical fiction may want to try Elizabeth Chadwick. The Conquest is about a young Saxon woman who is widowed in the Norman Conquest. She loses her child as well and attempts to kill herself, but is saved by a Norman lord. This book tells the story of their complex relationship and the equally stormy times in which they live.

Or if you prefer pure but unconventional Romance, check out Vicki Lewis Thompson’s Nerd series. These campy, racy books avoid the traditional Romance hero types in favor of accountants, stock brokers, and computer programmers, and as it progresses the heroines become increasingly nerdy as well. The perfect one for this time of year is My Nerdy Valentine.


- Kristen, Main Library

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

We Love You Too!


Did you know that February is Library Lovers Month? Friends of California Libraries have put together a website with suggestions for how to love your library. Some of the ideas are appropriate for individuals, for groups, or for educators.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Pinch Your Pennies

Join us as Don Schweitzer of Day Air Credit Union presents tips for managing your finances in this tough economy with our Financial Planning for Life series of programs. This series is hosted at the Kettering-Moraine branch library. Topics and dates follow:
  • Feb. 11 at 7:00 PM - Raising Money-Smart Kids
  • Mar. 11 at 7:00 PM - Credit Score Enhancement
  • Apr. 8 at 7:00 PM - Home Buying Seminar
  • May 13 at 7:00 PM - Take the Wheel: Get Your Best Car Deal

Monday, February 2, 2009

Abraham Lincoln Comes to Dayton

On September 17th, 1859, Abraham Lincoln gave a two and a half hour anti-slavery speech on the steps of Dayton's courthouse. This one-hour program with music celebrates the 150th anniversary of his visit with photographs, local newspaper accounts of his speech, trivia, and the legacy of Lincoln for our times. The Huber Heights branch library hosts this program on Tues. Feb. 3 at 6:30 PM.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Too Fat To Fish?

MadTV alumnus and current Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange spares no gruesome detail as he recounts his journey through show business in this memoir. Lange discloses the impressive sums he was paid, e.g $750,000 for a development deal with a major studio, the terms of which he satisfied by shooting a single pilot which he knew was going to be bad and which was, of course, not picked up. In many ways, the book is actually quite troubling as it lays bare the tortured psychology of a funny man who lost the father he idolized at a young age. Fans of the Stern show should understand that the book does not cover a lot of that period in Artie's life or give much behind-the-scenes dirt on other show personalities. I have the feeling Lange is saving all of that for a second book, one to be published shortly after his imminent firing.

- Steve, Main Library
 
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