TumbleBook Library Goes Everywhere You Go

If you haven't already tried TumbleBook Library there is no better time than now. Upgrades to the database allow you to access kid-friendly materials on your iPad or mobile device so entertainment and information are at your fingertips everywhere you go.

Click TumbleBook Library for access.

When you log onto the TumbleBook website from your mobile device you should be automatically redirected to the new mobile-compatible version of the website (it will appear almost exactly the same). This is not an app you need to download from the iTunes Store. It is accessed through your regular browser just like TumbleBooks.

Get excited for new content on the way including educational games, quizzes and book reports built specifically for the iPad and mobile platform. Existing content such as story books, non fiction, audiobooks and National Geographic videos are also being converted to support mobile devices.

  

Questions? Leave a comment, call the library, or come in for a visit.

Happy Tumbling!

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Shelf Life [adult]

The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby
@SPL: FIC Ruby  

Magical realism is a fiction genre that incorporates mythic elements into an otherwise realistic story. This layer of the mythic highlights the strangeness of reality, makes it brighter, more surreal. At its best, magical realism can provide crystalline, almost psychedelic insight into everyday truths taken for granted.

In The Salt God’s Daughter, author Ilie Ruby weaves an epic tale that follows the lives of three generations of women in one family. Diana is a hippie whose life is ruled by full moons, farmers’ almanacs and Jewish mysticism. She and her daughters live a transient, rootless lifestyle in southern California. While both Dolly and Ruthie long for a more stable life than the one they grew up in, they’re both profoundly affected by their mother’s spiritual outlook.

When Ruthie finally has a daughter of her own, the mysticism surrounding her mother’s memory wells back up and winds around her own relationships, defining how Dolly, Ruthie, and daughter Naida see the world and each other.

Like all the best magical realism, Ruby resists the urge to explain which elements of the story are myth and which are reality. With a resonantly Piscean tone, Ruby weaves in elements of Scottish silkie folklore among the brilliant SoCal landscape and strands of Jewish mysticism.

The end effect is masterful, rich enough to get lost in. The Salt God’s Daughter is highly recommended to any readers who love magical realism.

This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on October 25, 2012. Written by Shauna Thomas, Librarian.

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Shelf Life [kids]

Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra By David A Adler, 30 pages
@ SPL: J 512 Adl

There’s a creepy haunted house with a math mystery behind every door. How many bats are in the haunted house? How many skeletons? How many cats? When Mandy and Billy discover the haunted house, they are quickly able to answer these questions by learning and applying some simple, well-explained algebra rules, with some helpful tips from “Igor,” the caretaker.

Soon they know how many bats, cats, and skeletons are in every room, and how many ravens are sitting on the hydro wires outside the house. By following the same basic algebra rules using simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, readers can also discover the answers to the math mysteries in the haunted house.

They’ll discover how useful – and easy – algebra can be, and that solving math mysteries really isn’t scary at all … it’s fun! Colourful illustrations by artist Edward Miller and large-print text are used to explain algebra principles in a light-hearted way in this Halloween-themed picture book, making it an inviting book for elementary students who may be intimidated by math.

The attractive collage-style illustrations feature friendly-looking cats and jack-o-lanterns and skeletons with silly expressions. A hands-on project (making a balance scale) is included at the back of the book to reinforce the algebra principles for readers in a fun, practical way.

David A. Adler is the author of many children’s books, both non-fiction and fiction, including other math concept books such as “Working with Fractions,” “Fractions, Decimals and Percents” and “Time Zones”

** Recommended for ages six to 10 … at Halloween or any time of year!

Nightsong, By Ari Berk, 48 pages
@ SPL: JP Berk

Chiro, a young bat, was about to make his first flight to hunt for food without his mother. He was both fearful and worried. The world seemed so very big and so dark at night, and Chiro’s sight, like that of many bats, was poor. How would he find his way without Mother Bat? Mother Bat offered this advice.

“There are other ways to see, other ways to help you make your way in the world. Use your good sense….Use your song.”

Chiro remembered her advice when he flew out from the bat cave into the scary night world. He sang a song, quietly at first, and then louder.

“His song flew ahead of him, and soon he could hear something singing back.”

In this way, listening to the echoes of his song, Chiro could “see” his way. He could see the trees, birds and insects of the forest. The nocturnal world was no longer scary for Chiro, but exciting, and he explored everywhere, eating as many tasty bugs as he could before he returned to Mother Bat.

Ari Berk, an English professor at the University of Michigan, has created a lyrical, almost-poetic story that would be perfect to share with a young child who is about to try something new for the first time. The story is beautifully illustrated by award-winning artist Loren Long. Note: the library has many children’s books about bats which explain how these nocturnal creatures use “echolocation” to navigate and detect food in complete darkness.

** Recommended for ages four to seven.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on October 25, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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An Evening with Parliamentary Poet Laureate Fred Wah

Tonight come join us at the new University of Waterloo Stratford Campus for an evening of poetry and discussion with award-winning poet and essayist, Fred Wah. The talk's theme is ‘Readings and discussions about Canadian poetry, creativity and where it all fits in our everyday life.’

Canada’s fifth poet to hold the office of Canadian Poet Laureate, Mr. Wah’s honours include :

• winning the Governor General’s Award for poetry
• international recognition for his work
• past president of the Writers’ Union of Canada
• a distinguished writer and professor emeritus at the University of Calgary, he also teaches at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

October 24, 7pm, Admission is free. All are welcome. 

If you can't make it tonight, Wah wil lbe at the Queen's Bakery in Blyth on October 25 at 7:30pm.
The tour is spearheaded by the Foundation for Education and the Huron Arts and Heritage Network with support from partners like the Stratford Waterloo Campus and the Stratford Public Library.

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Intelligent Community

Hip hip hooray!

Stratford is included in the Top 21 Intelligent Communities for 2013 making it our third year in a row as a finalist.

Click HERE to learn more about the competition.

Click HERE to read an article about us in the Stratford Beacon Herald.

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Google Maps

My favourite part about Google Maps? There is no folding required before, after, or during use.

If you haven't explored Google Maps yet you're missing out. This site does more than provide directions from point A to B, it can show you biking trails, current traffic jams and weather conditions and images of the neighbourhood using Street View. While you're always welcome to visit the reference desk for directional queries, here is a quick overview on some of the tools Google maps offers to make life just a little bit easier, no folding required.

Step one: Visit the Google Maps website

Step two: What are you looking for?

Directions
In the toolbar at the top of the website type in the address or institution name you are seeking. When you've pressed enter the location will appear as a red push-pin indicated on a map. In some cases multiple red push-pins may appear for various locations such as when you search "Stratford Cafe". Each push-pin is assigned a letter that corresponds with the point of interest listed on the left-hand side of the screen. You can click on the place you're interested in visiting on the left-hand side or on the map and a box will appear providing information including directions and a street view option (see below).

Once you've narrowed your search to a specific area such as Kitchener, Toronto or London you can select different visual aids to indicate trails, weather, and traffic in that area. The larger cities offer more options, thus, searching Stratford, ON will not offer all of the same options as I will be using in this blog.

Trails
Click on the Satellite icon on the top right of the page and you will see a drop down menu with various options such as traffic, photos, weather and terrain. Continue to scroll down to the little arrow that will provide you with even more options and select Bicycling. You can view all routes including Trails, Dedicated bike lanes, and Bicycle friendly roads.

Weather
Click on the Satellite icon on the top right of the page and you will see a drop down menu with various options such as traffic, photos, weather and terrain. Scroll down and select weather. As you move the map around, the current weather conditions of the area visible will appear over each city.

Traffic
Click on the Satellite icon on the top right of the page and you will see a drop down menu with various options such as traffic, photos, weather and terrain. Scroll down and select traffic. The coloured lines show the current volume of traffic in that area. You can adjust the settings to show the traffic volume on a particular day and time in the box located at the bottom left hand of the map.

Street View
Street view allows you to see photo-quality images of a particular area. It is an excellent tool if you are going somewhere new and want to see what a building looks like. That being said, these images were captured over time and are not current. You may have seen a Google van drive by with bunch of gadgets on top - they're busy keeping these views as up-to-date as possible but there is a lot of ground to cover! Ready to give it a try? You'll need to do a very specific search to use this function in Google Maps such as the location of the Stratford Public Library. Once the red push-pin has landed on the location of interest click and grab the yellow man from the zoom in/out bar and drop him onto the street where you'd like to view the Street View. You can navigate the area by double-clicking in the direction you'd like to view.

Step 3: Take away ~ Printing
To print your directions select the Print icon from the column on the left. This will take you to a page offering the option to include the map when printing and allowing you to type your own personal notes into the document. You can also scroll over each step in the directions to customise the information and imagery provided.

Have questions? Don't be a stranger, come visit us at the library, call, email, or leave a comment on this blog.

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Shelf Life [adult]

The Impossible Museum: The Best Art You’ll Never See, By Celine Delavaux
@ SPL: 364.16287 Del

“The history of art is full of ghosts,” begins Celine Delavaux’s book about works of art that have been stolen, lost to time and wars, hidden away in private collections and damaged, some beyond hope of recovery. Gathered from reprinted manuscripts, archived photographs, lithographs and studies, Delavaux has not just focused on framed paintings, but on artworks of all fashion – textiles, jewels, sculptures, monuments and manuscripts that may never be seen again, at least not in their original forms.

Each work of art is presented in a reproduced image, with a brief history and provenance, and grouped into chapters by their fates. Heartbreaking is the word for artworks and monuments that have been destroyed by war, vandals or mere shortsightedness – the Buddhas of Bamiyan are well-known; less so is the 16th-century Dance of Death, a fresco which decorated a cemetery in Bern, Switzerland by Niklaus Manuel Deutsch.

Originally more than 100-meters long, the colourful and often comical mural was destroyed by urban re-development in 1660 – only a print copy of it remains from a contemporary manuscript. Just as lamentable are the thousands of “hidden” works of art – in storage lockers of private collectors, not even on display for their owners to enjoy, or locked away from the public eye by protective governments (ie when you visit the cave paintings of Lascaux you’ll be ushered into a fake cave with replicas of the originals).

A chapter on stolen art tells stories of brutal attacks by Nazis and elaborate heists that have stumped INTERPOL, but one of the most fascinating chapters is that of works of art that have been transformed over the years – such as the Spiral Jetty created by Robert Smithson in Great Salt Lake, in Utah – it disappeared under the surface of the lake to be seen only from an aerial viewpoint, but when the lake’s water lever dropped it reappeared, encrusted by salt crystals. Four months later it disappeared again under the water.

Poignant in a vastly different way is Fritz Koenig’s The Sphere. Commissioned by the Port Authority of New York City to symbolize world peace, it sat in the Austin J Tobin Plaza amid the World Trade Centre and was damaged – but not destroyed – in 9/11. It has been relocated, still bearing its scars, to Battery Park where it is now a monument to “the indestructible spirit” of the United States. Thanks to Delavaux’s book, this collection of the impossible will also endure.

This review appeared in The Stratford Gazette on October 18, 2012. Written by Robyn Godfrey, Librarian.

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Shelf Life [kids]

Mr. Zinger’s Hat, By Cary Fagan, 30 pages.
@ SPL: JP Fagan

Where does a story come from and who can create a story? When Mr. Zinger, an author, loses his hat to the wind, Leo stops playing with his baseball and runs to catch it. The boy and the man sit down together on a bench. Mr. Zinger suggests that his hat blew away because a story was trying to escape. He peers into it and affirms that indeed, a tale is trying to get out.

Would Leo like to tell the story as it emerges? Leo doesn’t think that he can do that, so the two create a story together – with the author cleverly prompting Leo to supply most of the plot. Their story is about a rich, bored and unhappy young boy who offers half of his wealth to the person who is able to cheer him up. Although many children try – bringing an electric guitar, a flat-screen TV, a canoe, a monkey and other things to amuse the boy – nothing works until one boy brings an ordinary baseball.

The two play catch all afternoon and become good friends. The young boy is no longer bored. When Mr. Zinger leaves, Leo continues to play with his ball until a girl, Sophie, appears. They play ball, become friends and then together, they create another new story from Leo’s baseball cap. Canadian award-winning children’s author Cary Fagan’s imaginative picture book demonstrates the universal appeal of stories – and the truth that anyone, of any age, can create a story.

** Recommended for ages four to seven.

Bear Has a Story to Tell, By Phillip Stead, 30 pages.
@ SPL: JP Stead

Winter was coming quickly and Bear was getting sleepy. But before he went to sleep, there was something that he wanted to do. Bear had a story to share. He looked about in the forest for his friends. Mouse was busy, scampering about, collecting food for the long winter months ahead. Bear helped, but when they were finished, Mouse immediately disappeared into his underground tunnel until spring.

Next, Bear found Duck, who was just about to fly south. Bear tested the wind for him and then, Duck was gone. He found Frog hunting for a winter bed. Bear made one for him among the dry leaves on the ground. Frog hopped right in and was asleep in seconds. And Mole was already asleep deep under the ground. Snowflakes were beginning to fall just as Bear sleepily made his way to his winter cave.

Months passed. When Bear awoke, it was spring. He rolled out onto the green grass and remembered that he had a story to tell his friends. One by one, Bear’s friends woke up from their winter naps, and Duck returned from the south. Bear prepared to tell his tale. But suddenly he realized that he had forgotten his story!

“Winter is a very long time for a bear to remember”, he said sadly, hanging his head. The ending to this charmingly-illustrated story, in which Bear’s friends came to his rescue, is just right for this gentle tale about stories, friendship and patience.

** Recommended for ages two to five.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on October 18, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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Turn your smartphone into your library card!

Do you carry your smart phone more than your wallet these days? Me too.  I'm always forgetting my library card at home, and usually when I need it the most. The good news is that as of today, you can use your smartphone as your library card! It’s simple when you use Key Ring - an app that allows you to consolidate your reward and membership cards from libraries, stores, and other businesses onto your smartphone. It's free and can be set up in minutes.

Here's what you need to do to get started.

1. Install the free Key Ring app on your smartphone.
2. Open the app.
3. Select Add Card from the main menu.
4. Select No Barcode and then search for Stratford Public Library.
5. Enter your 14 digit library card number and tap Create Card.
6. Visit Stratford Public Library and try it today!

The first time you use this service at the library, you will be asked to present some ID so be sure you have something with you.  While you can use your Stratford Public Library card at the St. Marys, West Perth and Perth East Public Libraries, digital barcodes are currently only being accepted at the Stratford Public Library. 

If you have any questions, please let us know!

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Ontario Public Library Week is here!

October is Canadian Library Month and
at SPL October 14 to 21 is Ontario Public Library Week

There is a lot going on!

• Sunday: We are open again 2-5pm!
• Monday - Friday: Food 4 Fines
• Monday: Whale of a Tale, 6:30-7:15pm
• Tuesday: Visit with Author Eric Zweig, 10:15am
• Thursday: Noon Hour Club, 12-1pm
• Thursday: Probus Club Travelogue, 2pm
• Friday: Lunchtime Learing on using Ancestry, 12-1pm
• Saturday: Red Hot Booksale, 9am-3pm
• Sunday: James Reaney Memorial Lecture

For full event details, visit our OPLW webpage. 

Come on out and show the love for your library!

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SPL Shelf Life [adult]

I’m not sure about you, but when I travel to a place where English is not the first language, I get a little nervous. I’m concerned about whether or not I will be able to effectively communicate the basics such as: Hello, Goodbye, Thank you, and Where is the washroom? 

Luckily, the Stratford Public Library has recently gained access to a new foreign language database called Powerspeak Languages.   This web tool is a fun and easy way to learn a new language for travel, business, school, or even just for personal enrichment.  Through Powerspeak, members of SPL can choose to study one of five foreign languages: French, Spanish, German, Mandarin and English as a second language for Spanish speakers. 

This interactive program includes pictures, matching, listening, music, sentence construction, games and more. Lessons begin simply and gradually increase in difficulty as you move through the program. Powerspeak allows you to not only hear the words, but also lets you record yourself speaking new words so that you can play them back and compare your pronunciation. 

To access Powerspeak visit the library website at www.stratford.library.on.ca, click on Online Tools and then Databases. Under Languages you will find the link to Powerspeak Languages. Outside the library you will be prompted for your Stratford Public Library card number. Once you have logged in, select the language you want to learn and get started right away. When you are done for the day, create an account to save your progression.

Try it out. We’d love to hear what you think. If you have a question about how to use Powerspeak, stop by the Stratford Public Library and one of our staff members will be happy to help you out. 

Krista Robinson, Acting Systems Librarian

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SPL Shelf Life [kids]

School! Adventures at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School, by Kate McMullan and George Booth, 160 pages.
@ SPL: J FIC McMul

Welcome to Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School, where nothing is ordinary and everything is extraordinary, wacky or even bizarre!
In this hall of learning, the confusion and chaos begin each Monday morning and continue until the final bell on Friday afternoon. Under the “leadership” of Principal Miss Ingashoe, Secretary Miss Celia Seeyalater and Custodian Iquit, events unfold at a furious pace, cheerfully aided and abetted by students such as Ron Faster, Chuckie Upkins, Adam Up, Sid Down, Oopsie Spiller, Abby Birthday, Izzy Normal, Dewey Haveto and Gladys Friday.
The book relates one particular week in the school, beginning with a school bus stuck in a ditch.
Readers will discover that no classroom, even the kindergarten room, is exempt from the constant madcap mishaps and misadventures which occur in this unusual school.
Kate McMullan’s hilarious chapter book will highly entertain children who enjoy quirky humour and “wordplay” (which is non-stop in this book), especially puns and homonyms. Embellished with George Booth’s comic-style illustrations, School! Adventures at the Harvey N. Trouble Elementary School would be a good choice for a classroom read-aloud, for readers who enjoy graphic novels or for reluctant readers. (Elements of the story which are repeated from chapter to chapter would further enhance the appeal to reluctant readers.)
Interviews with the author and the illustrator plus some wordplay activities are provided at the end of the book.
Kate McMullan, a former elementary school teacher, has written over 50 books for children, including the popular “Dragon Slayers Academy” books.
** Recommended for ages 7 to 10 years.

Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters, by K.G. Campbell, 32 pages.
@ SPL: JP Campb

When Cousin Clara’s cottage was consumed by a crocodile (fortunately, she wasn’t in it), she came to live with Lester and his parents.
All was well until Cousin Clara, who loved to knit, decided to make a new sweater for Lester to wear to school.
Shriveled yet saggy, with holes and purple pom-poms everywhere, the sweater was hideous to behold and hideous to wear. To be polite, Lester wore it to school, where he was teased all day long.
Later, the sweater was found in the laundry, mysteriously shrunken, stringy and unwearable.
“No problem!” declared Cousin Clara and immediately began to knit again.
The second cardigan was just as dreadful as the first. It was pink with a tail and upside-down pockets all over.
After school was finished that day, the pink sweater was “somehow” shredded to pieces by the lawn mower.
“No problem!” said Cousin Clara, and started to knit again.
And so the week continued, each morning with a frightful new sweater for Lester to wear to school, and an inexplicably ruined sweater each evening.
Not once did Cousin Clara grow tired of knitting yet another cardigan – but how Lester dreaded wearing them each day!
Was he doomed to look ridiculous for the rest of his life?
Listeners will laugh when they discover how a troupe of clowns is able to save the day for Lester in this droll, witty tale, generously sprinkled with alliteration, wordplay and clever illustrations.
** Recommended for ages 4 to 7 years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on October 11, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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Perth County's Biggest Used Booksale!

Mark Your Calendars! The 2012 Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale is just over a week away!

Saturday October 20, 9:00am - 3:00pm
Stratford Rotary Complex
353 McCarthy Road
Volunteer at this event

• If you are a Friend of the Library, come do a little early bird shopping from 8 - 9am (become a Friend)
• For the younger shoppers, Sally's Stories will be read between 10:00 AM and noon.
• Please be green and bring your own cloth bags.

Thank-you to our sponsors:
The Compudoc, Stratford Fire Department, Alexandra MacDonald Quimby Chadwick Designs, Hyde Construction Limited, Fundamental Books and Toys, Fanfare Books, and J.S. Services.

For more events happening at the Stratford Public Library during OPLW visit the library website. 

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Food 4 Fines is back!

Ontario Public Library Week is coming up... and you know what that means! Food 4 Fines!  Help SPL stock area food banks by paying off your overdue fines with non-perishable food items.

Each food item will take off up to $2.00 of late charges from your record (to a maximum of $20.00). The food items will be donated to the House of Blessing Food Bank.

Food 4 Fines runs Monday October 15 to Friday October 19

Sorry, food items may not be used to pay fees (ie. lost items, lost cards etc). 

For more events happening at the Stratford Public Library during OPLW visit the library website. 

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Sunday Hours are Back!

Sunday hours at the Stratford Public Library are back! We are open 2pm - 5pm on Sundays starting October 14, running until May 12, 2013.  Hope to see you out this Sunday!

For all library hours and upcoming closures, visit the library website at http://www.stratford.library.on.ca/hours.html

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Shelf Life [kids]

Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story, By Ruby Bridges, 30 pages. 
@ SPL:  JE Bridg  

Although it will seem incredible to children today, there was a time when black children and white children could not attend the same school in some areas of the United States.

Ruby Bridges grew up in New Orleans during that time.

She attended kindergarten in an all-black school far from her home, although William Frantz Elementary, an all-white school, was much closer.

The American government had recently declared that black children were to be allowed in every school, and on November 14, 1960, her mother took Ruby, now a grade one student, to the William Frantz School. For their safety, they were accompanied by five marshals.

They were met by a noisy, threatening crowd as they neared the school and went in, but Ruby wasn’t afraid. In the following days, every other student in Ruby’s class was withdrawn from the school, and she was left alone with her teacher. However, they became good friends. Ruby enjoyed learning and Mrs. Henry helped her to deal with the difficult experience of being ostracized.

Gradually, the other children began to return to the classroom, and Ruby made many friends among them.

In subsequent years, children from many black families were able to attend the school without controversy.

Today, Ruby is a confident mother of four sons who has returned to the William Frantz Elementary School as a volunteer. She is not bitter about her childhood experience there, and she has made numerous public speaking presentations, accompanied by Mrs. Henry, her grade one teacher. Ruby’s inspiring story has been the subject of books, a movie and at least one song, and her first day at William Frantz School was the subject of a famous Norman Rockwell painting,entitled “The Problem We All Live With”.

In this book, Ruby’s compelling story is retold as an “easy reader” for beginning readers, complete with photos.

It’s important that people of all ages are aware of the segregation which once existed in the United States and of the efforts by people like Ruby to end it.

** Recommended for ages five to eight years.

Straight Talk About Racism and Prejudice, By Marguerite Rodger and Jessie Rodger, 48 pages.
@ SPL:  J 305.8 Rod

Racism and prejudice still exist in society today. Too often, people are treated unfairly and unequally because of race, culture, religion, sexual orientation or abilities.

Regardless of why racism occurs, it is never right or just.

Racism and hate are destructive in so many ways to societies and to individuals. Studies have actually shown that for victims, the stresses of dealing with constant discrimination and oppression can lead to long-term effects such as heart disease or mental illnesses.

For children, it’s often difficult to separate fact from fiction, especially when they hear someone they trust making racist statements. The purpose of this book is to help children understand what racism is, why it’s wrong, and how they can play a part in changing society to one that accepts and embraces people’s differences. As Ruby Bridges once said, “Racism is a grown-up disease and we must stop using our children to spread it.”

The authors ask readers to imagine, for example, that they are being rejected from joining in some fun on the schoolyard simply because they have green eyes instead of brown or blue. How would that feel?

The authors also point out that in fact, everyone is different in some way – which is what makes each of us an individual.

The “Straight Talk About” books, a new series published in Canada for students, will address various other complex social issues in an unbiased, honest and easy-to-understand style.

** Recommended for ages 10 to 13 years.

These reviews appeared in The Stratford Gazette on October 4, 2012. Written by Sally Hengeveld, Librarian.

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