Red tide display this month at the Beach library
Weekly Activities
nPreschool Story Hour for children on Wednesday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m.
nCardmaking session on Thursday, May 14, at 10:30 a.m.
nBook Discussion Group meets Tuesday, May 19, at 10:00 a.m.
Activity Details
If you’d like to try your hand at making greeting cards or cards to be used for special occasions, consider joining the Cardmaking session on May 14. Caroline Vasterline will make the time easy and you’ll leave the session with a unique card as she offers step-by-step instructions and materials. Pre-registration and $3 materials fee are due before the class.
The Book Discussion group discusses “Plainsong” by Kent Haruf. The author presents characters that many in the group will likely relate to and it’ll be particularly interesting to see where book characters and reader’s experience of people in their community overlap.
Upcoming Events
Knitters will meet for a regular session on May 20 at 6:30 p.m. This is open to both experienced and novice knitters.
Dog Day is on May 21 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. and an ideal opportunity to sign up children who can grow in reading skills, especially in learning to appreciate reading.
Red Glass
We are pleased that resident Carol Baldridge shares her collection of ruby red glass this month. View the display in the Senior Zone area. You’ll find a beer bottle from the 1950s, a dinner setting, pitcher, assortment of glasses, a hand-blown bowl and a vinegar cruet. There’s a gorgeous English biscuit jar that is truly pigeon red, a color that fits perfectly with the Red Class and is a color Crayola hasn’t yet added to its series of 133 colors!
The collection remains on display til the end of this month.
Funding
All state funding for libraries was cut in a proposal dealing with the state budget balancing last week and this prompted a statewide sharing from library users to the Governor and key legislators. A week later library funding had been restored to the state budget.
Floridians are more dependent than ever on public libraries, and to reduce service at this critical juncture would have hurt many residents.
The News-Press editorial on May 8 said it well: “Modern libraries are a treasure trove of resources, filled with books, CDs, newspapers, DVDs, magazines and audio resources to choose from. And for many patrons-even more so in today’s economy-their only access to the Internet is at the library.”
Red Tide
Be sure to enjoy the new display devoted to a pertinent local topic-red tide. The display, made possible by START (Solutions To Avoid Red Tide, Sarasota), provides helpful facts and better understanding to control and mitigate red tide in Florida. The display will be here until the end of this month. Near the display, on the second floor, is a stand on which a brochure, fact card, and bookmark can be found to encourage more research on this topic.
Hummel
Berta Hummel, born May 21, 1909, and whose one hundredth anniversary we celebrate, was a brilliant artist who used the countryside and village of Massing, Germany, as inspiration for her art. In 1935, collaboration began between the masters of fine ceramics at W. Goebel Porzellanfabrick and the accomplished artist, Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel.
M.I. Hummel figurines have evolved over seven decades with the figurines being reinterpreted by Goebel artists through the years, with subtle differences between today’s versions and the originals. In the years since the designs of Franciscan nun Berta Hummel were introduced, over 500 figurines have been created. They come in a variety of sizes and colors, special editions, anniversary editions, and reissues making always something more to be learned by the dedicated collector.
Beginning in February of next year, a new company, founded solely for the purposes of producing M.I. Hummel figures, Manufaktur Rodental GmbH will begin producing Hummel figurines. This new Hummel line will include not only the name Hummel but the shapes, colors and rights to the entire Hummel catalog.
We will have on display a delightful array of Hummels in January. Meanwhile explore guides that elucidate the world of Hummel such as “Hummel: an illustrated handbook and price guide” and “Hummel: the complete collector’s guide and illustrated reference”, both found in 738.82 MIL.
Phillips
Summer is a good time to discover new authors. Arthur Phillips has proven he’s a versatile writer who can move from contemporary subjects to historical points of interest. In addition, there is a beauty to his prose that has a way of drawing in the reader and then caring about the characters in his novels.
One reader hadn’t heard of Phillips before reading “Prague” (PHI). By the end of chapter two, she found herself delighting in a fresh presentation that was well written. The storyline revolves around a family in Budapest in the early 1990s. Phillips recognizes that it takes time to perfect language and gives idioms a unique home as he weaves his story.
His novel “Angelica” offers both historical and psychological insights and the language is sure to transport you to another place and time. Read “Prague” first, and then graduate to “Angelica” (PHI).
Collections
You may notice some moving of shelves in the coming months. We are adding new gondolas units devoted to several collections. These shelves are lower, at a slant to make viewing easier, and will concentrate on new additions to the respective areas.
Among the first collections to receive attention will be Travel (you may have already noticed that the current titles are not in their usual place) and Health. In a few months, Self-Help/Psychology will be added and improved with many new additions. All of these three will be concentrated in the non-fiction collection on the second floor.
New titles to non-fiction were recently available on shelves just as you came in the front door. These have now been moved to the top of the stairs on the second floor.
Library Hours
Don’t remember library hours? Call for information. When we are closed, a recorder gives the hours of operation, either on 765-8162, or on 765-8163. Except for holidays, which would be mentioned on the recorder, we are open Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We look forward to seeing you.