More jobs lost

Another blow to our fair city came today as 475 employees of ATK were laidoff. Hundred of jobs are disappearing before our eyes. Some departments lost entire sections of people as the cuts went deep and wide throughout the company. My husband described it like this, "It felt like bombs exploding all around me. You didn't know who was going to be set off next."

This is the third layoff this year and another one will be coming shortly. Changes to the community will surely begin to be visible as homes go on the market, as shoppers stop going to stores and domestic violence and suicide rates increase.

It is hard for me to understand how a company goes under, but the hardest thing I have understanding is how one employee is chosen over another to be laid off. With the first cuts I'm sure that things like performance evaluations and job knowledge were taken into consideration but when the cuts go deeper how do they really decide who gets the ax? One of our patrons from Corinne was laid off in the last round and tells me often that he believes that it was more because of office politics than job performance. Apparently he was the only person working on some projects and customers have actually called the company and asked why work has stopped on them. I guess if you lay off the only employee who knows or works on a project, work will cease.

My heart goes out to the families in crisis over this job loss. My hope is that somehow the loss will open new opportunities for them and that eventually they will end up in a better place. As for those who remain, it will be a waiting game to see what comes next. I've said it before but it feels like rats going down with a sinking ship. The funny thing is that trillion dollar contracts hang in the balance in Washington that could save this company. Will the senators and congressmen vote the contracts through and help the employees of this company? Not likely in a year when so many are running for re-election. So even more than office politics affecting lives is the politics in our capital that keeps us and our family afloat or sets us adrift. Ahoy mateys!

Michele, Children's Librarian

Thomas S. Monson Book is here!

We've got it in - the new biography about Thomas S. Monson, President of the LDS Church. Be the first to read "To the Rescue" before the waiting list starts. To read a review of the book, check Deseret Book at http://deseretbook.com/a/i/5051210?s_iid=hprtr1_1&utm_source=db.com&utm_medium=rotator&utm_campaign=home%2Bpage&utm_content=hero_1

ePrep Now Available to BCPL Patrons!

Prince Frederick, MD, 28 September 2010: Recorded Books LLC, in partnership with ePrep, Inc., is pleased to announce the launch of a new library version of ePrep’s revolutionary suite of online, video-based study programs. This partnership will allow libraries to offer patrons the opportunity to improve SAT, ACT, PSAT, and PLAN scores without paying the excessive fees associated with private tutoring or classroom courses. With over 90 percent of college-bound students taking either the SAT or ACT each year, earning high scores has never been more important. SAT and ACT scores are not only critical in gaining admission to college, but also in qualifying for attractive merit-based scholarships.

ePrep successfully uses expert instructors to deliver a student-adaptable learning experience that patrons can access within the library or remotely. Using a proprietary video delivery platform that replicates the private tutor experience, ePrep makes test preparation easy. “We’re pleased to deliver a product to libraries that will aid students in preparing for one of the most important tests they’ll ever take,” said Jim Schmidt, Vice President of Product Development at Recorded Books.

All of ePrep’s study programs employ the proven practice-grade-review cycle of learning: Students take practice tests under timed conditions; have them graded online; and immediately launch into video reviews. ePrep’s Study Hall tracks student progress throughout each course and guides remedial efforts, while WordSmith encourages vocabulary building. A Parent Center allows parents to track student progress non-intrusively, while ePrep’s Study Scheduler helps students stay on track. “With multiple ways to use ePrep’s software, students can take ownership of their test prep experience like never before,” adds Schmidt.

Details on ePrep’s video test preparation service can be found at www.eprep.com/overview or at your local library. Click here to access ePrep. If you have not yet created an account and are a Brigham City Resident, Brigham City Library card holder, or a student at one of the schools in Brigham City, contact the Brigham City Library to obtain your verification code.

About ePrep

Founded by Princeton University graduates Karl Schellscheidt and Eric Barnes in 2005, ePrep has its roots in more than 20 years of teaching and professional tutoring experience. ePrep’s goal is to help students of all ability levels reach their educational potential by offering expert instruction that is engaging and convenient. Centered on the proven methodology of a test-grade-review cycle, ePrep's instructional video platform delivers personal, highly-effective, and expert instruction.

About Recorded Books:

Recorded Books, LLC produces and distributes unabridged audiobooks and other audio products to public and university libraries and schools on CD, cassette, Playaway digital player, and in downloadable formats. Over 8,500 titles are available for adults, children, and young adults in English and Spanish languages narrated by professional, award-winning actors. Recorded Books also distributes language courses, educational lectures, independent films, and nonfiction films on DVD. For more information, visit www.recordedbooks.com

2010 ALA Banned Books Read-Out

Read a Banned Book during Banned Books Week

Today begins Banned Books Week. It runs from September 25 through October 2, 2010. I think this is my favorite Library "Holiday." I call it a holiday because I like to celebrate.

Banned Books Week is an annual event that is held the last week of September. It's most important purpose is to allow me to celebrate my freedom to read whatever I want without anyone having the ability to keep "dangerous" books away from me. It also celebrates the importance of my First Amendment rights.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a particularly political person. (I hear snickering!) But there are certain rights that I hold to be self evident: My right to access any information I feel necessary to know in whatever form that may take; My right to decide for myself and any minors in my care what is unsavory, unorthodox, unpopular, misleading, distressing, disturbing or any of the other 'un's, 'mis's, or 'dis's.

Below you will find a list of the most Banned and/or Challenged books of the 20th Century courtesy of ALA.org. I hope you will use your First Amendment rights and choose to read one this week. For a more complete list or to find out why these books were banned or challenged go to the link provided.

Connie

Banned and/or challenged books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century:

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger

"The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

"Ulysses" by James Joyce

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison

"The Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

"1984" by George Orwell

"Lolita" by Vladmir Nabokov

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

"Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell

"The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

"As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner

"A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

"Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

"Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

"Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell

"Native Son" by Richard Wright

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey

"Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway

"The Call of the Wild" by Jack London

"Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

"All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren

"The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien

"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair

"Lady Chatterley's Lover" by D.H. Lawrence

"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess

"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

"Satanic Verses" by Salman Rushdie

"Sophie's Choice" by William Styron

"Sons and Lovers" by D.H. Lawrence

"Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut

"A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

"Naked Lunch" by William S. Burroughs

"Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh

"Women in Love" by D.H. Lawrence

"The Naked and the Dead" by Norman Mailer

"Tropic of Cancer" by Henry Miller

"An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser

"Rabbit, Run" by John Updike

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

Head of the Class

Libraries are Shaping Future Valedictorians

Straight A students aren't just the product of good genes, great teachers, superior school districts or hard-core study skills, although all of these certainly help kids. New research points to other factors that may impact kids' intelligence over the years.

Words make a difference. Babies raised among books obtain an average of three years more schooling than book free kids according to an Australian National University research. How this works is still being studied but several factors stand out. First, children of literature loving parents develop rich vocabularies through oral exposure to stories and books. This early exposure helps children develop cognitive skills.

Second, kids raised in a text rich environment know how to use a book. From the sounds of letters to the understanding of story structure toddlers exposed regularly to books are ready to learn to read earlier than their peers and will learn in every subject faster and with greater comprehension. Third, children who do not read well will have trouble learning every subject, from Art to Algebra. As they struggle to keep up, those who do read well can outpace them, until by graduation the best readers will have learned almost three years worth of information more than those on the lowest reading skill level.

This difference in exposure to words and books is expanding between economic classes. Children raised in lower class economic families are least likely to have books, magazines, newspapers and a computer in the home. Too often these families have to choose between paying rent or buying groceries, let alone choosing to subscribe to a magazine or order books from the book order that the teacher sends home from school. Children raised in these conditions are also less likely to be read to by a parent, less likely to spend quality time in conversation with an adult and less likely to be encouraged to complete assignments for school and be expected to excel in classes.

Thank goodness for the public library! We can provide every child with opportunity to see, feel, read and explore words through all these media. Parents can bring their child to the library regardless of economic status. It is interesting to see children as they come in, I can usually tell by their reaction to the activities offered in our library, how much exposure to books they have been getting outside the library. As years pass, teachers can predict a child's success or struggles based on their reading skills.

Want to read more of the research? Visit the ALA website and look for the Every Child Ready to Read program on the link: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/ecrr/index.cfm and click on the research tab.

Help your kid succeed, READ!

Michele, Children's Librarian

How to Make and Keep a Critique Group

On Tuesday, 21 September 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Josi Kilpack will present “How to Make and Keep a Critique Group” at the Brigham City Library’s writing group. Kilpack’s presentation will include a demonstration on how to give and take critique.

Josi S. Kilpack grew up hating to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began her first novel in 1998 and hasn’t stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing, won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Her most recent novel, Key Lime Pie, is the fourth book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, four children, one dog and varying number of chickens. For more information about Josi, you can visit her website at www.josiskilpack.com or her blog at www.josikilpack.blogspot.com.

The Brigham City Library is located at 26 East Forest Street. For more information about this program please call Elizabeth, 435-723-5850.

Headstart visits the library

Centro de la familia de Utah brought 60 preschool Headstart students and their teachers to the library on Wednesday for a tour of the library and a story.

As much of a challenge that 60 preschoolers present, it becomes twice as hard with the Spanish/English language barrier to contend with. Many of the students had never been to a library before and this was a new, exciting and sort of scary place for them. We began their visit with a song of welcome, followed by a short discussion about how to take care of a book and protect it from damage. Connie took half the group for a walk around the library while I stayed in our auditorium with the others and read stories and sang some more songs. The highlight of the trip was doing the jumping and counting song by Jim Gill. Those who were struggling with the language barrier could follow along just fine because everybody can jump and even I can count to 10 in Spanish! Then we switched and did it all again.

As the group was leaving the director asked if we carry spanish language material. I told her that we do and we also have some bilingual materials as well. Connie laughed later because that had been a major part of the tour! Maybe the director missed that as she struggled to keep everyone safe and together. If you have need for Spanish language materials, come in and check out our selection! If you need more information on Centro de la familia de Utah, check out their website, http://www.cdlfu.org/

Michele, Children's Librarian

Put Your Name on the Top of the List for These Upcoming Releases!

Fall of Giants By Follett, Ken 2010-09 - Dutton Books 9780525951650 CHECK CATALOG The first novel in The Century Trilogy follows the fates of five interrelated families--American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh--as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage. …More

Towers of Midnight By Jordan, Robert Author Sanderson, Brandon 2010-11 - Tor Books 9780765325945 CHECK CATALOG The Last Battle has started. The seals on the Dark One's prison are crumbling. The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to boil out of the Blight. Perrin Aybara is now hunted by specters from his past, while an unseen foe is slowly pulling a noose tight around his neck. …More

The Confession By Grisham, John 2010-10 - Doubleday Books 9780385528047 CHECK CATALOG Grisham delivers his most extraordinary legal thriller yet. Filled with his trademark intriguing twists and turns, this newest novel proves that no one keeps readers in suspense like America's favorite storyteller. …More

Dead or Alive By Clancy, Tom 2010-12 - Putnam Adult 9780399157233 CHECK CATALOG For years, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his colleagues at the Campus have waged an unofficial and highly effective campaign against the terrorists who threaten western civilization. The most dangerous of these is the Emir. This sadistic killer has masterminded the most vicious attacks on the west and has eluded capture by the world's law enforcement agencies. Now the Campus is on his trail. Joined by their latest recruits, John Clark and Ding Chavez, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his cousins, Dominick and Brian Caruso, are determined to catch the Emir and they will bring him in...dead or alive. …More

Legacy By Steel, Danielle 2010-09 - Delacorte Press 9780385343138 CHECK CATALOG This compelling, centuries-spanning work brilliantly interweaves the lives of two women--a writer working in the heart of modern academia and a daring young Sioux Indian on an incredible journey in the 18th century. The saga journeys from present-day Boston to the wilds of Dakota lands and the glittering palaces of Louis XVI. …More

Worth Dying for: A Reacher Novel By Child, Lee 2010-10 - Delacorte Press 9780385344319 CHECK CATALOG There's deadly trouble in the corn country of Nebraska . . . and Jack Reacher walks right into it. First he runs afoul of a local clan that has terrified an entire county into submission. But it's the unsolved case of a missing child, already decades old, that Reacher can't let go of, in this follow-up to the "New York Times" bestseller "61 Hours." …More

American Assassin By Flynn, Vince 2010-10 - Atria Books 9781416595182 CHECK CATALOG In the latest novel by the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Protectand Defend" and "Extreme Measures," Mitch Rapp takes on his first, explosivecounter-terrorism assignment. …More

Chasing the Night By Johansen, Iris 2010-10 - St. Martin's Press 9780312651190 CHECK CATALOG Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan is drawn into the mystery of a child that had been abducted eight years earlier, and must use her skills with age progression as a way to reunite mother and son. But Eve must face looming demons of her own, in this latest thriller by #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author Johansen. …More

Don't Blink By Patterson, James Author Roughan, Howard 2010-09 - Little Brown and Company 9780316036238 CHECK CATALOG While conducting a once-in-a-lifetime interview with a legendary baseball bad-boy, reporter Nick Daniels accidentally captures a key piece of evidence that lands him in the middle of an all-out war between Italian and Russian mafia forces. …More

The Reversal By Connelly, Michael 2010-10 - Little Brown and Company 9780316069489 CHECK CATALOG Longtime defense attorney Mickey Haller is recruited to change stripes and prosecute the high-profile retrial of a brutal child murder. Together Haller and LAPD Detective Harry Bosch set off on a case fraught with political and personal danger. …More

Bad Blood By Sandford, John 2010-09 - Putnam Adult 9780399156908 CHECK CATALOG A young man hits a farmer on the head with a steel bar, drops him into the grain bin, waits until he's sure he's dead, and then calls the sheriff to report the "accident." Virgil Flowers quickly breaks the kid down, and the next day the boy is found hanging in his cell, in this saga of multigeneration, multifamily monstrosities. …More

Deja Vu By Michaels, Fern 2010-10 - Kensington Publishing Corporation 9780758246936 CHECK CATALOG …More

In the Company of Others By Karon, Jan 2010-10 - Viking Books 9780670022120 CHECK CATALOG Father Tim and Cynthia arrive in the west of Ireland, intent on researching his Kavanagh ancestry from the comfort of a charming fishing lodge. The charm, however, is broken entirely when Cynthia startles a burglar and sprains her already-injured ankle. …More

Our Kind of Traitor By Le Carre, John 2010-10 - Viking Books 9780670022243 CHECK CATALOG The unrivaled master of spy fiction returns with a taut and suspenseful novel of dirty money and dirtier politics. Perry and Gail are idealistic and very much in love when they splurge on a tennis vacation at a posh beach resort in Antigua. But the charm begins to pall when a big-time Russian money launderer enlists their help to defect. …More

The Brave By Evans, Nicholas 2010-10 - Little Brown and Company 9780316033787 CHECK CATALOG Powerfully written and intensely moving, "The Brave" traces the legacy of violence behind the myth of the American West and explores man's quest for love and identity, the fallibility of heroes, and the devastating effects of family secrets. …More

Djibouti By Leonard, Elmore 2010-10 - William Morrow & Company 9780061735172 CHECK CATALOG Dara Barr, a documentary filmmaker, is at the top of her game, but now she's looking for an even bigger challenge. So she and her right-hand-man--a six-foot-six, 72-year-old, African-American man named Xavier--head to Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, to tackle modern-day pirates. Once they start filming, though, they find more than they bargained for. …More

Painted Ladies By Parker, Robert B. 2010-10 - Putnam Adult 9780399156854 CHECK CATALOG Called upon by The Hammond Museum and renowned art scholar Dr. Ashton Prince, Spenser accepts his latest case: to provide protection during a ransom exchange--money for a stolen painting. The case becomes personal when Spenser fails to protect his client and the valuable painting remains stolen. …More

Secrets to the Grave By Hoag, Tami 2010-12 - Dutton Books 9780525951926 CHECK CATALOG …More

The Templar Salvation By Khoury, Raymond 2010-10 - Dutton Books 9780525951841 CHECK CATALOG The much-anticipated follow-up to the "New York Times" bestseller "The Last Templar." With his trademark blend of incendiary history and edge-of-your-seat suspense, Khoury returns to the world of the Templars with a sequel that's every bit as eye-popping and gripping as its predecessor. …More

Naked Cruelty: A Carmine Delmonico Novel By McCullough, Colleen 2010-12 - Simon & Schuster 9781439178317 CHECK CATALOG In this gripping follow-up to "Too Many Murders, "Colleen McCullough once again pits Captain Carmine Delmonico against a dangerous villain. …More

Oprah's Latest Selection

Have you been keeping up with the selections for Oprah's Book Club? If so, here's the next one you'll want to check out!

Freedom By Franzen, Jonathan 2010-08 - Farrar Straus Giroux 9780374158460 CHECK CATALOG BookPage Notable Title From the National Book Award-winning author of "The Corrections" comes a darkly comedic novel about family. Franzen's intensely realized characters struggle to learn how to live in an ever-confusing world--one with the temptations and burdens of liberty, the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, and the heavy weight of empire. …More

Preschool Pioneer now available!

Website for Preschoolers

Teachers, caregivers, librarians, parents and their young children are all exploring many new activities with Preschool Pioneer, a website for kids ages 3 to 6. (http://preschool.uen.org/)

UEN created the free site to give preschool age children, their parents and caregivers trustworthy educational resources and multiple ways to develop critical school readiness skills. “Utah has more than more than 285,000 children under age six. Preschool Pioneer provides options for parents and caregivers to prepare children to be successful students when
they enter school,” says Lisa Cohne, Preschool Pioneer Project Manager.Featuring familiar PBS programs and characters, Preschool Pioneer encourages young children to have fun while developing school readiness skills for reading, numeracy and community awareness. The interactive website includes games, printables, links for parents and caregivers, and a calendar of Utah activities and events for families with young children. The site is accessible via the Internet in homes, libraries, care centers, and school-based early childhood programs.

Check out this fun, free resource with your child today!
Michele, Children's Librarian

Book Sale a Success

Peach Days Book Sale


Thanks to everyone who helped make our annual book sale a success. Even though we had a smaller sale this year, we were able to make $1,932. This money will go towards the purchase of more books or items needed by the library that the library budget cannot stretch to buy. The few books that were left from the sale were donated to the organization Reading Tree who have two missions: First, to keep books from contributing to the saturation of our nation's landfills. Second, to collect books from families who no longer want them, and deliver them to children, families, schools and libraries that desperately need them. If you want to learn more about Reading Tree check their web site at http://www.readingtree.org/

Susan

What kind of reader are You?

Got Books?

At the beginning of every school year we see loads of students returning to the library looking for reading material. The first week of school they receive from their teachers a number of required reading pages for the term. Moms want to get them started early on those book reports so we are kept hopping. We suggest titles, give directions and help with using the card catalog. I always give suggestions on books I have read and liked but find them to be popular and almost always checked out. We do have a couple of written resources in the form of binders, with reading lists both by age and topic, called "What to Read". We also have "read-alike" lists, so if a student has a favorite title we can suggest something similar in theme or writing style.

Most of the avid readers that come in don't have trouble picking out a book. They will read so many titles that the choice doesn't seem so critical. But what about the others? They fall into three major reading styles:

Dormant Reader: People who do not find the time to read but who like to read.

Uncommitted Reader: People who do not like to read but indicate that they may read more in the future.

Unmotivated Reader: People who do not like to read and are unlikely to change their minds.

Each of these types of reader will use the library differently and our challenge is to help them all to find a book that will help them complete those reading assignments. One challenge that I have had this week is the reader who has read every single title that I suggested. I think this child should choose books at random, she would probably enjoy the surprise of choosing a book this way. For everyone else, consider using the following criteria for selection of a book:

1. Is it on my reading level or slightly above.
2. Am I interested in the topic?
3. Do I like this author?
4. Is it recommend by someone?
5. Does it look interesting?
6. Do I like this genre/type of book?

I usually suggest that readers, especially those in the Uncommitted or Unmotivated categories, take 2 or 3 books. Then if they read the first 25 pages and don't like the book they can switch without another trip to the library. My philosophy is: If you don't like it in the first 25 pages, then don't waste your time, because there are plenty of others to choose from.

The final thing that I see often at the beginning of school is a parent selecting books for their children, which may work for small kids and early readers but I don't suggest it for kids beyond 1st grade. Kids are more likely to read and enjoy a title that they selected themselves. So mom, bring them, make suggestions, talk about the books to them, but let them choose.

Happy reading everyone! Don't forget to finish your book reports on time :)
Michele, Children's Librarian

Oxford English Dictionary

Reference materials as we once knew them are changing daily. It seems no one uses our encyclopedia sets anymore - they remain in pristine condition on the shelf. Now the book format of the dictionary is on its way out. One of the oldest and most prestigious dictionaries, the Oxford English Dictionary, weighing in at 130 pounds and in publication for 126 years - may only be available online. The current digital version gets 2 million hits a month from subscribers who pay $295 a year for the service.

Susan

Teens can vote for favorite books!

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), invites all teens to get out the vote for the Teens’ Top Ten. Teens can vote for their favorite books from the last year in the annual poll at www.ala.org/teenstopten. Voting is open now through Sept. 17. The 26 nominees for this year’s Teens’ Top Ten are available at http://www.ala.org/teenstopten.Teens' Top Ten allows teens to vote for their favorite books each year—it’s the only reading list with titles nominated and voted on by teens. The 2010 nominations were chosen by 15 teen book groups from across the United States.
The final 2010 Teens’ Top Ten list will be announced in a webcast during Teen Read Week, Oct. 17-23, 2010.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading,
or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm

American Libraries News