Complementary Health Care

Panel Discussion on Tap @ your library
Complementary health care includes a very broad spectrum of interventions, aids, counselling and approaches. Join us from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 15, for a panel discussion featuring complementary care practictioners with offices in our local area.

Our current line-up of panelists includes:
Joseph Belanger, Holistic Physical Therapist
Dr. Patrick Connelly, Chiropractor
Susan Fielding, Massage Therapist
Dr. Bret Lieberman, Naturopathic Physician
Sherry Russenberger & Mary Ann Dayton-Fitzgerald, Reiki Energy Healing
Natalia Seguro-Wright, Acupuncturist
Michael Smithwick, Hypnotherapist

Reserve your seat by registering online or phoning the library at 860.267.6621.

The Great Outdoors: Connecticut Style

CT Adventures
The Connecticut Explorer's Guide is a clearinghouse website featuring a wealth of information on how to choose, plan, and undertake your next outdoor adventure in our home state. Organized by type of outdoor undertaking (hiking, paddling, biking, etc.) the site integrates National GeographicTM topographical maps to help you pinpoint the "where" in your next CT-based adventure.

The site also includes a link to adventure forums through which you may read or post news articles; share your personal adventure stories; or "Ask the Pro" for tips on a specific type of outdoor skill.

Though there is plenty of commercial content on the site, the .com content is not overwhelming and doesn't seriously detract from what you may learn about Connecticut's outdoor assets. Surf's up!

A Turn of the Friendly Page

Molly Maturo: Teen Reader
Molly Maturo is well-known to our library's staff and to legions of our community's teen readers. (She's the kid with a locker full of books and ready recommendations on books you might like to read, too.)

Molly has also and more recently made her mark in the CT Nutmeg Book award world; she's a teen book reviewer for Nutmeg 2010. Congratulations, Molly!

We'll be working with Molly to launch a YA book review section on the library's MySpace page this March and in May, a downloadable book review newsletter for and written by teens -- just in time for summer reading season.

If you would like to volunteer to help Molly and the library start up web services that are for and about what you like to read, make a friend and send us a MySpace comment, contact us, or stop by the library to chat with Jondahl or Sue.

In Like a Lion...

And Roaring All Month Long!
Upcoming Programs @ your library
Our March 2008 schedule of public programs offers a blend of information and entertainment. All of our programs are free and held in the Community Room. Browse our online events calendar for details and make plans to join us!

Community Drum Circle: Drop in, Tuesday, March 4, 6:30 p.m.
Adult Book Discussion: Wednesday, March 5, 7 p.m.
Consumer Prescription Information: Thursday, March 6, 1 p.m.
Contemporary Photojournalism: Wednesday, March 12, 7 p.m.
Complementary Health Care Panel: Saturday, March 15, 2 p.m.
Identifying/Selling Antiques: Thursday, March 20, 1 p.m.
Water Gardens, Start to Finish: Wednesday, March 26, 7 p.m.
'Too Human' in Concert: Saturday, March 29, 2 p.m.

2008 Nutmeg Book Award Winner: It's Official

Lightning Thief Wins Top Honors
Rick Riordan's adventure story about 12 year-old Percius "Percy" Jackson's quest for Zeus's master lightning bolt won the 2008 Nutmeg Book Award in both intermediate (grades 4-6) and teen reader categories (grade 7-8).

The book has everything a discriminating reader could want: a main character faced with many challenges, a quest against all odds, and a goal to prevent World War III. Percy, plus friends Grover and Annabeth, are believable characters (Percy is the wisecracking narrator) who also happen to visit the Underworld and Mount Olympus. Many of the classic Greek myths blend nicely into the first part of a continuing story.

If you were not one of the almost 9,000 Connecticut kids who voted Lightning Thief the hands-down Nutmeg winner, catch the buzz at the library. Other nominated Nutmeg books are also available for checkout.

Museum Pass Update

Discovery Room Now Open for Exploration
If you haven't recently visited the Children's Museum of Southeastern CT, you're in for a treat. The new Discovery Room opened in January and features numerous sensory experiences for children of all abilities. Try an Interactive Bubble Column, a Tongue Drum, a Tactile Panel, or a Musical Wall.

You can save yourself some money if you visit the museum using our circulating museum pass. The pass may be reserved up to 24 hours in advance of the day you plan to check it out/use it and circulates for 2 days. The pass admits up to 4 people free against the regular, individual admission price of $5.

Our pass program is funded by the Friends of the East Hampton Public Library and provides free or discounted admission to 13 area attractions. The Friends' annual membership drive is now underway. Become a Friend for as little as $5! You'll save that and more by using our pass program.

Summer and Twilight

Stephenie Meyer's Series Continues
Love, love, love this young adult series. Intelligently written with very believable characters (a vampire and a werewolf, so?), these books sound and feel authentic to teen readers and from what we can see, to many of their moms, too! Can't wait to find out what happens to Bella, Jake, and Edward.

Breaking Dawn is scheduled for release on August 2.

What's New?

Our Online Catalog: Using the Recent Item Search
If we had to pick a winner FAQ (frequently asked question), it would be "How can I find what's new?" The question comes to us in different forms, depending on your material type preferences: new books, DVDs, audio in varied formats.

If you're a fan of online browsing, the quickest way to find out about additions to our collections is to use the Recent Item Search. This search may be limited by time period (last week, 2 weeks, up to 3 months) and may also be limited by material type. This search also comes with benefits. You will learn about on-order/forthcoming books as much as 3 months in advance of publication, as well as additions to our DVD and audio collections (new release or must-see/listen).

If your style is online, give the Recent Item Search a try. If you would prefer that we facilitate the online part for you -- stop by or give us call. We offer several programs to keep you informed about new, classic, and in-demand additions to your library's collections.

Rethinking the Picture Book

2008 Caldecott Medal Winner
Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic) won the Caldecott medal late last month, much to the surprise of many who know their way around a picture book. The book weighs in at a hefty 533 pages (very unusual for a picture book); is a novel (first novel to win the Caldecott); and is not a book for 4 and 5 year-olds (the usual picture book audience).

This being said, Hugo Cabret uses pictures in a highly inventive and carefully-crafted way to convey the story of a boy in a 1930's vintage Paris train station and his friendship with a very mysterious toymaker. The detailed drawings are spectacular and add layer after layer to the entertaining and well-written story.

About the Caldecott
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Poet of the Month

February's Featured Poet
Langston Hughes (1902-67) received his B.A. in 1929 from Lincoln University and wrote operettas and poems in the spirit of jazz, spirituals, and blues. “The mood of the blues is almost always despondency, but when they are sung people laugh,” Hughes said. (He was perhaps the first person to grasp Lucille Clifton’s gifts, extolling her work in an anthology of African‑American poetry.) Here is a blues poem:

Morning After
I was so sick last night I
Didn't hardly know my mind.
So sick last night I
Didn't know my mind.
I drunk some bad licker that
Almost made me blind.

Had a dream last night I
Thought I was in hell.
I drempt last night I
Thought I was in hell.
Woke up and looked around me‑‑
Babe, your mouth was open like a well.

I said, Baby! Baby!
Please don't snore so loud.
Baby! Please!
Please don't snore so loud.
You jest a little bit o' woman but you
Sound like a great big crowd.

Further Reading: Langston Hughes, Collected Poems, and Langston Hughes, I wonder as I wander : an autobiographical journey, with an introduction by Arnold Rampersad.

Coming in March: Emily Dickinson

Content developed by local resident and poet Leland Jamieson

TR Packs the House

Bully!
Theodore Roosevelt historical interpreter, Ted Zalewski (pictured left), attracted a standing room only crowd to the library today, leaving no doubt that TR's remarkable life continues to inspire and enlighten.

Welcomed by the familiar strains of Hail to the Chief, Zalewski led off with one of TR's more comedic lines, "My son Kermit said I wanted to be the bride at every wedding, and the corpse at every funeral." Using TR's words, Zalewski then led the audience through Roosevelt's life as a rugged cowboy, Governor of New York, historian, naturalist, explorer, author, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and 26th President of the United States.

Zalewski looked no worse for the wear after his stunning performance, offering gracious comments while closing the event with a presidential receiving line.

YA's Read

YA Reads
"Gossip Girl" set in 1899 Manhattan? Try Anna Godbersen's Luxe -- all 448 pages of this first in a planned four-part series with next installment due in June. Into Project Runway or Tyra's America's Next Top Model? Try Rachel Maude's Poseur. Of course, there's the Stephenie Meyer books -- Twilight, New Moon, and Meyer's latest, Eclipse. Or try Jeff Kinney's Diary of Wimpy Kid, a "novel" take-off on Kinney's popular web comic.

There are series books galore at the library (Pendragon, Gossip Girl, Alex Rider, Darren Shan and Meg Cabot books) not to mention our growing collection of great "regular books" and graphic novels.

Hope to see you soon and just as we ask everyone else in our community, let us know how we can better serve your needs. Comment here or make us a friend on MySpace.

Fountain of Youth

Puddles of Shame?
Or so we have discussed after eating one too many low food chain sweets over the holidays...

A number of heath and fitness books have peppered the hardcover bestseller non-fiction lists of late. What better time to dream of spring and plan for a healthier you? These plus others are available at the library.

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen
Pollen offers deceptively simple advice: "Eat food, not too much, and mostly plants."

The 12 Second Sequence by Jorge Cruise
Cruise is a spokesperson for Bally Fitness Centers and 'ballyhoos" his success stories online and in TV interviews. First in series of three planned books.

You: Staying Young by Michael F. Roizen, M.D., & Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.
The Roizen/OZ health and fitness franchise continues with an offering geared to those a little older than those (ahem) a little younger.

Living Well by Montel Williams
Popular talk show host Montel, who lives with MS day-to-day, describes his diet regimen. Briefly: "no white flour, white sugar, salt, anything bleached" and a preference for yams over potatoes. Sounds smart and yammy-yummy.

Who Knew?

Ukuleles Can Be Cool

Yes, they can. An inter-generational audience of near 80 people enjoyed the smooth sounds of the Jim Rosokoff Trio this afternoon at the library. The trio delighted the audience with familiar jazz standards and pop songs from the 30s though the 70's, as well as tunes that every child (or the child within you) knows by heart.

Rosokoff is a Glastonbury-based dermatologist who as Dr. Uke also leads the Glastonbury Ukulele Club. If you're a lapsed guitar player or a 'youngster' of any age who's looking to enjoy music and the camaraderie of others like you, give the club a try.

Special thanks to Jo Ann Ewing and the Senior Center crowd for coordinating a potluck luncheon to coincide with concert, which produced the "inter" in inter-generational enjoyment.

Laughing Out Loud

Colbert

Regardless of your point of view (we've got some whopper but always friendly differences on our staff), Stephen Colbert is good for a laugh.

Colbert's looney-funny book, I Am America (and So Can You) and his Best of the Colbert Report DVD, are both available at the library.

But we must weigh in on one particular Colbert DVD routine. To any of us in the credible information business, Wikilaity/Truthiness is a hoot and we librarians remain unafraid...

The Capital of Happiness

Finding Bliss on a Map
In The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World, former NPR foreign correspondent Eric Weiner takes us on a world tour with a twist. Off to Iceland, Bhutan, Qatar, Holland, Switzerland, Thailand and India he goes to try to figure out why residents say they're happy. The answers end up being simple (you might not be happy in Bhutan but the Bhutanese sure are) and this read is also simply well worth it.

Taking Home a Starbucks

...Cup of Inspiration, Two Creams, One Sugar
Starbucks ranked 16th on Fortune's 2007 "Top 100 Companies to Work For" list. Little wonder according to the latest in our library's Starbucks book corner.

How Starbucks Saved My Life
Michael Gill explains how he was born into privilege, was "downsized" out of his upscale career, divorced by his wife after the woman with whom he was having an affair became pregnant, and learned that he had a slow-growing brain tumor—all of which eventually led him to an entry-level job at Starbucks at the age of 64. A quick read about the healing power of a java job well done.

The Starbucks Experience
Joseph Michelle touts Starbuck's success, boiling company practices down to a portable canon of essential business advice. A hot cup of mocha frappuccino for your inner MBA.

Poet of the Month

January's Featured Poet
Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1969) was born in Worcester, MA, and grew up in New England and Nova Scotia. She lived also in Key West and Brazil. Each locale furnished vivid landscapes for her work. She taught at Harvard late in her life. She is an astute observer of the physical world, and finds in it metaphors for feeling she does not, without them, express in her poetry. “Late Air” is a good example of this:

Late Air

From a magician’s midnight sleeve

the radio-singers

distribute all their love-songs

over the dew-wet lawns.

And like a fortune-teller’s

their marrow-piercing guesses are whatever you

believe.

But on the Navy Yard aerial I find

better witnesses

for love on summer nights.

Five remote red lights

keep their nests there; Phoenixes

burning quietly, where the dew cannot climb.

Further Reading: Elizabeth Bishop, The Complete Poems, 1927-1979; available at our library.

Coming in February: Langston Hughes

Content developed by local resident and poet Leland Jamieson

Farewell Flashman

George MacDonald Fraser, 1926-2008
George MacDonald Fraser, creator of Harry Paget Flashman, that infamous swashbuckler of the 19th century British Empire, died of cancer on January 2. If you enjoy first-rate historical novels -- though politically incorrect by today's standards -- set aside some lounge chair reading time for the Flashman.

The Reavers, Fraser's last novel, will be published posthumously in April of this year.

Happy New Year East Hampton!

New Year's at Noon
Who says libraries don't draw crowds anymore?

Over 100 local residents today left us with little doubt that if we want to welcome the New Year, the best time to so is noon at the library!

Our 7th annual New Year's at Noon celebration featured oh so edible or made to be noisy crafts, plus group sing-alongs, dancing, and of course -- our signature balloon drop. Par-taay!

ICONN Resources for Students

Graphics for Presentations and Papers




Need a chart or photograph to make your paper or presentation all the more powerful? Take it up a notch by exploring the Associated Press (AP) Multimedia Archive found at iCONN.org. The database allows you to search and browse AP images as far back as 1860 -- then download, email, or print them to use in your assignments. You’re sure to find a picture worth a thousand words (which you will still have to write) among the 3.5 million images in this archive.

About iCONN
iCONN is part of the Connecticut Education Network. It provides all students, faculty and residents with online access to essential library and information resources. It is administered by the Connecticut State Library in conjunction with the Department of Higher Education. Through iCONN, a core level of information resources including secured access to licensed databases is available to every citizen in Connecticut.

Take That, Google!

Clusty: a Different Way to Search the Web
If you've ever grown tired of slogging through pages and pages of Google hits, take Clusty out for a test-drive. Clusty searches for the information you are looking for and delivers the results in ordered groups, or clusters. The clusters help you see the information by topic and often reveal the relationships between results. If you would like to find useful information before suffering a mouse-related wrist injury, Clusty's a 'robusty' choice for sure.

Hello, Baby!

If You're Happy and You Know It... Wiggle and Giggle!
Did you know the the library offers regular programs for babies throughout the year?

Wiggle and Giggle programs are scheduled Mondays and Fridays and begin at 10 a.m. in the Community Room. Programs last about an hour, and are intended for babies 24 months and under, accompanied by a parent or guardian. The programs typically include a short story followed by structured/unstructured play and socializing. Toys are provided. Staff member Rae Strickland leads the programs.

Come when you can. No registration is required.

History Lessons

Teddy Roosevelt: 'Steward of the People'
A former president of the United States will charge up the hill this January to visit East Hampton.

Well, it’s actually Ted Zalewski who will portray Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, our 26th president.

Zalewski, an historical interpreter of Theodore Roosevelt, combines education, history, drama and fun in his acclaimed presentation Teddy Roosevelt: Mind, Body and Spirit. Highlights of TR's life as cowboy, soldier, naturalist, historian, father and statesman help us understand a man who won the Noble Prize, inspired the Teddy bear and, and who at age 42, became the youngest person to serve as President. Zalewski also uses Roosevelt’s own words to illustrate Roosevelt's personality and leadership style.

Mr. Zalewski has performed as 'TR' at the National Theater, the Museum of American Political Life, and prestigious universities around the country.

This must-see, one-man show takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday, January 26, at the East Hampton Public Library. For seating purposes, please phone the library to register at 267-6621 or register online.

MySpace, YourSpace...

And the OurSpace We Find in Between...
It has no windows and doors. You don't need a car, bike, skateboard, or your feet to get there. It's a branch of the library that didn't cost any money to build but is a work in progress. It's open 24-7 and is part of our friendly mission to connect with youth/teens/young adults in our community.

Join us on our EHPL MySpace realist page -- no begging, just happy to make new friends. View pics, blogs posts, check out events, search the catalog, send us a message about what the library can do for you.

Great American Novelists

The Year of Cormac McCarthy
Anyone who has confronted a high school summer reading list has heard of Cormac McCarthy, author of the bestselling novel All the Pretty Horses, first in a series. McCarthy is perhaps one of America's greatest living novelists. He also had a banner year in the way of public recognition.

In March 2007, Oprah selected McCarthy's The Road for her book club. In April 2007, the same novel was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. In November the Coen Brother's released No Country for Old Men, a film based on McCarthy's 2003 novel of the same name. The film was nominated for the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival and last week, received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture Drama.

Most of McCarthy's novels are available at the library (try our quick search box, right) with several in more than one format. Also catch David Kushner's interview with the reclusive McCarthy, in this month's holiday issue of Rolling Stone Magazine.

WW II: Liberation Trilogy

The Series Continues
Wars are often compared to intersections because after one is over, the civilizations involved go off in different directions. The new directions ultimately cause all of us to change. The war in this book is WWII, the book's author is Rick Atkinson, and the book is second in the author's Liberation Trilogy.

The Day of Battle, The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 is a hard-to-put-down book about WW II's Mediterranean Campaign; i.e., battles in Sicily and Italy. Rick Atkinson -- a Washington Post guy with a Pulitzer for Army at Dawn (North Africa Campaign)-- has unearthed and reveals details about building combat effectiveness, misjudgments, and offers us an eerie awareness of the price paid along the way. Atkinson also makes a convincing case that the Mediterranean Campaign played a decisive role in breaking German power.

Holiday Parties for Little People

Merry Five, Four, Three, Two, One
Santa Pays a Visit
Thursday, December 13th brought us our first major snowstorm. By Friday morning, very little kept our community's littlest folks from enjoying the library's 2007 Holiday Party. Of course, nothing interfered with Santa using his sleigh and go-to reindeer to pay a visit to East Hampton. A good time was had by all.

We offer our special thanks to parents (who provided refreshments) and to Dennis Griswold, a local resident/business owner, Friend of Lake Pocotopaug, and the best Santa surrogate ever!

New Years at Noon
Begins 11 a.m. sharp on Monday, December 31
Celebrate the coming of New Year 2008 at the library! Open to lapsit-aged children (12 to 24 months) and preschool children, this event is formatted to provide you and your kids with a great way to celebrate and to connect with each other. Older siblings are most certainly welcomed. Contact the Children's Services staff at 267-6621 for more information.

Library Launches Movies and Music Blog

The holiday season is officially and well underway. In the harried days between now and the new year, we'll be wishing you many happy returns when you visit the library to borrow great books, films and music to add maximum happy to your holidays.

Music Rocks and Movies Roll @ your library
During this holiday season, we'll be turning up the volume on library services by ramping up a new blog devoted to movies and music. We'll provide you with quick links to latest titles added to our movie and music collections and make recommendations on all too easy to miss titles you might also enjoy. We'll add to our service recipe reading suggestions tied to your viewing and listening interests. We'll also chat about new films, still in theatrical release, before they make it to our DVD shelves.

Official launch date of our Movies & Music Blog was December 1st.

Green Living

Green Giving
If you' re looking for ways to "give green" this season, try Green Living's 25 great consumer-less gift ideas. Some of the suggestions point to the greatest gifts we have to give each other: our time, our talents, and our friendship. Other suggestions focus on giving gifts that aren't things.

Happy holidays!

Resources for the College Bound

Connecticut Student Financial Assistance
If you are planning to attend college in Connecticut and want to learn more about financial aid, your best resource is the financial aid office at the college you wish to attend.

You may also learn about public and private sources of college grants, scholarships and loans on the web. Call or email the Education and Employment Information Center for a comprehensive list of financial aid websites.

Our state's Department of Higher Education also recommends the following web sites.

CTMentor
CT Student Loan Foundation
Check out the comment from Mariana Evica "the loan geek" at CSLF!
CT Higher Education Trust
Federal Student Aid Information Center
CT Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority
CT Talent Assistance Cooperative/Educational Opportunity Center
CT Department of Higher Education Student Financial Aid Page
FastWeb
Financial Aid Information Page
Federal Student Aid on the Web

Your Federal Libraries

Under the Information Superdome
Did you know that our country has four federal libraries supported by your tax dollars? All four libraries are located in the Washington D.C. area and house a plethora of materials on their respective topics, both very old and cutting edge. All of these institutions are considered to be some of the leading libraries in their field. Check out their websites, explore, then visit them early and often!

National Agricultural Library
This library houses one of the world's largest and most accessible agricultural information collections and serves as the nexus for a national network of state land grant and USDA field libraries.

National Library of Medicine
This library is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care. The NLM supports Medline Plus, a comprehensive medical information database.

Library of Congress
This library is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps, and manuscripts in its collections.

National Library of Education
This library is the world's largest federally funded library devoted solely to education and is the federal government's main resource center for education information.

Poet of the Month

December's Featured Poet
Walt Whitman (1819-1892), was a mystic and upbeat pitchman for the unfolding of the United States as a Great Poem. He was, like the nation itself, nearly broken by the loss of life, human suffering, and the devastation of families resulting from our Civil War. He exhausted himself visiting the sick and dying in D.C. area field hospitals — as described in the “Drum-Taps” section of Leaves of Grass, from which this comes:

By the Bivouac's Fitful Flame

By the bivouac's fitful flame,

A procession winding around me, solemn and sweet and

slow — but first I note,

The tents of the sleeping army, the fields' and the woods'

dim outline,

The darkness lit by spots of kindled fire, the silence,

Like a phantom far or near an occasional figure moving,

The shrubs and trees (as I lift my eyes they seem to be

stealthily watching me),

While wind in procession thoughts, O tender and wondrous

thoughts,

Of life and death, of home and the past and loved, and of

those that are far away;

A solemn and slow procession there as I sit on the ground,

By the bivouac's fitful flame.

Further Reading: Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass; James E. Miller Jr., A Critical Guide to Leaves of Grass, Francis Murphy (Ed.), The complete poems / Walt Whitman.

Coming in January: Elizabeth Bishop

Content developed by local resident and poet Leland Jamieson

The Girls Have Their Say

Daring Do's
Last summer's Dangerous Book for Boys became a not so surprising bestseller by celebrating what many may have considered (before reading the book) old-fashioned activities for boys.

The Daring Book for Girls talks back by celebrating what many may consider (before reading the book) old-fashioned activites for girls. The twist is this book also takes time to showcase more modern-girl ideas.

Both of these books are available at the library and offer a wealth of ideas on constructive play for boys, girls, or both. Use the books alone or together but both are great, parent-friendly guides with news worth sharing.

New Magazine Subscriptons

Periodically Speaking
We've recently added 10 new titles to our collection of circulating periodicals. New titles complement already popular titles on topics you've indicated you most enjoy. Add a magazine to your checkout selections!

Travel: Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, Travel and Leisure
Cooking: Easy Home Cooking, Taste of Home
Crafts/Craftsmanship: McCall's Quilting, Fine Woodworking
Home Finances: Smart Money
Picture Perfect: Popular Photography
Your Home and You: Ladies Home Journal, Real Simple

Each issue, excepting the most current, may be checked out for 14 days. Outdated issues are eventually deposited in the library's drop-and-swap bin located in the lobby.

In Memoriam

Former Governor William A. O'Neill, 1930-2007

East Hampton's favorite son, Bill O'Neill, died Saturday in his East Hampton home at the age of 77 and after a life led in public service.

From Around Our State

Hartford Courant: "Titan" of State Politics

CT State Library: Roster of CT State Governors

Gov. O'Neill Archives: CCSU Oral Histories

CT Post Online: Former Governor William A. O'Neill

WTIC News Radio: William Atchison O'Neill

News from the Books and Reading Front

It's All In How You Read It
On November 19th, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) released "To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence" a compendium of over 40 studies that indicate we, as a nation, spend less time reading than we did 20 years ago and as consequence -- we read less well.

On the tail of the NEA's report came the November 26th issue of Newsweek and its cover story featuring Jeff Bezos, e-commerce pioneer and Amazon's CEO. Bezos describes the Amazon Kindle, a potentially transformative e-reading device.

All in all, it's been a week or more of leading-edge news about the state of books and reading in our nation. We certainly have much to say about the news but we're far more interested in your views.

Post a comment on how you read it.

Friday Story Hour Update

Cool Shoes Story Hour
As many of you know, the library hosts a Friday afternoon story hour led by Rae "Cool Shoes" Strickland. Children ages 3-5 are invited to drop in with their caregivers and participate in a rousing round of well-told stories aimed at helping young children acquire a range of ready-to-read literacy skills.

Cools Shoes Take a Second Step
On Friday November 16, our Cool Shoes story hour became a collaborative effort. JoAnn LePage, coordinator for the East Hampton Early Childhood Council's Second Step Program, joined our Friday afternoon team and enhances our ready-to-read emphasis with Second Step's larger ready-for-school focus. So come on down to the library on Friday's at 1 p.m. and enjoy the coolest ways to use your preschool shoes to step, step, step forward on your way to kindergarten!

About Second Step
Second Step, a violence prevention program, teaches the pre-kindergartner empathy skills, self control/anger management skills, and non-aggressive problem solving skills. Each lesson's topic is addressed through stories, discussion, role play, music, puppetry, and games. The 15 -20 minute award winning curriculum offers lessons such as calming down strong feelings, dealing with not getting what you want, and fair ways to play. Second Step is designed to teach children from their earliest years to understand feelings, to make positive choices and to keep anger from escalating into violence.

Calling All Kindergarteners!

You're Big, You're Strong, You're Especially Special... and Ready to Read!
Being in Kindergarten means it's that special time when you can learn new things, make new friends, and get your first card at the East Hampton Public Library!

Come on down to the library with your parents, get your very own library card -- and take home a special little treat to mark the milestone. Then go pick out lots of books to celebrate you -- the mighty Kindergartener!

Library of Congress Enters the Blogosphere

207 Years Old and Growing Younger by the Day
The Library of Congress, 207 years-old on April 24, 2007, is made of sturdy stuff. Widely known as a leading provider of reputable online content -- the LOC web site features 22 million digital items and receives 5 billion hits a year -- the LOC is not surprisingly among the first federal agencies to join the blogosphere. Both the Smithsonian and National Endowment for Arts are also experimenting with blogs.

Matt Raymond, the Library's Director of Communications, writes for the LOC's blog, which also features contributions from the Librarian, curators, and other Library staff members. The blog features "new" information about LOC activities and "old" information that draws attention to the LOC's extraordinary digital collections and LOC web site features that deliver reputable content.

Raising the Blogger Bar
"Given the presence of some 70 million blogs worldwide -- and the exponential increase in blogging as technology makes it easier to access the Web, even with wireless devices and cell phones -- it's crucial that the Library of Congress be part of the collective conversation taking place," Raymond said. "Some of the top blogs have far greater readership than even some top newspapers and magazines," he said. "Blogs are expected and even demanded by people who surf the Web." Raymond all noted the LOC will strive to interest other bloggers while maintaining a high standard of content and conduct.

Quotes appeared in the LOC's June 2007 Information Bulletin

A Whole New Look and...

A Very Stylish Parking Lot
As many of you know, both the library and the Senior Center are proud to call the East Hampton Community Center 'home'. We collectively serve thousands of residents each year and are a port-of-call to many who enjoy and count on our services.

The next time you visit the library and/or Senior Center, please take a moment to notice our new look. We've installed two-sided signs in the front parking lot noting our long-time presence on Main Street. Each side, Senior Center and library (library side shown above) is ready-made to convey our service purpose and our service commitment to you. New signage was funded by grants and donations. We welcome your comments.

Logos and signs designed by Greco Design, East Hampton CT

Poet of the Month

November's Featured Poet
William Wordsworth (1770-1850), a poet of the English Lake District, said at 31 that his life had been “unusually barren of events.” He was a walking poet, like Wallace Stevens, and also like him he sought to wrest meaning out of life through creativity as a function of the imagination. The London of his time was awash with disorder, as reflected in this poem addressed to John Milton:

London, 1802
Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

Further Reading: Negrotti, Rosanna, William Wordsworth : a biography with selected poems; Mahoney, John L., William Wordsworth, a poetic life; Sisman, Adam, The friendship : Wordsworth and Coleridge.

Coming in December: Walt Whitman

Content developed by local resident and poet Leland Jamieson

Museum Pass Adventures from Our Friends to You

Friends on the Go Museum Adventure Passes
The Friends of the East Hampton Public Library fund circulating passes to 13 premiere museums in our area. Passes provide free or discounted admission and circulate for 2 days. Reserves are accepted by phone or in person, up to 24 hours in advance of the day you plan to check out or use the pass. All reserves are on a first-come, first-served basis. One pass at a time, per household please.

Which museums may I visit using a Museum Adventure Pass?
Children's Museum of CT (West Hartford)
Children's Museum of Southeastern CT (Niantic)
CT River Museum (Essex)
Florence Griswold Museum (Old Lyme)
Lutz Museum (Manchester)
Maritime Aquarium & IMAX Theater (Norwalk)
Mashantucket Pequot Museum (Mashantucket/Ledyard)
Mystic Aquarium (Mystic)
Mystic Seaport (Mystic)
New Britain Museum of American Art (New Britain)
Peabody Museum (New Haven)
Roaring Brook Nature Center (Canton)
Roger Williams Park Zoo (Providence, RI)
Wadsworth Atheneum (Hartford)

Email Notices: Opt In Today

Saving Your Money
The library runs overdue notices every Thursday and mails them every Friday. The process includes the costs of paper, envelopes, staff time, and postage. Not to mention the annoyance we cause you when notices cross in the mail.

Saving Your Time
What we can offer you is the option to receive your overdue notices via your email. Via email we can notify you more quickly about an overdue and both you and we save time -- not to mention a couple of trees. The e-notice might also serve as a reminder to renew items (online or by phone) and help minimize overdue fines. Using your email address, we can also immediately notify you if an item you have placed on reserve is ready for checkout!

Opt In to Email Today
If you would like to opt in to email notices and reminders, you may use Contact Us to send us an email; use the suggestion box to tell us you'd like to opt in to email service. Or you may log into our online catalog, click My Account and input your email address. We'll do the rest and we'll both enjoy saving your money, your time, and everyone's trees.

Does Civics Still Rock?

Decide for Yourself
There's much ado being made by conventional news outlets and in the blogosphere about what we'd best describe as the Great American Civics Test.

"In fall 2005, researchers at the University of Connecticut’s Department of Public Policy (UConnDPP), commissioned by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s (ISI) National Civic Literacy Board, conducted a survey of some 14,000 freshmen and seniors at 50 colleges and universities. Students were asked 60 multiple-choice questions to measure their knowledge in four subject areas: America’s history, government, international relations, and market economy."

The result were disappointing: college seniors, on average, failed all four subjects, and their overall average score was 53.2%.

Try the quiz yourself and no matter how well you fare, taking the quiz is a great way to review topics still discussed in our local schools and referred to in our contemporary media. Rock on, civics!