Study shows American adults are reading more literature
Weekly Activities
nPreschool Story Hour for children on Wednesday, March 25, at 10:30 a.m.
nComputer Savvy Users class on Wednesday, March 25, at 1:30 p.m.
nJewelry Making class on Thursday, March 26, at 10:30 a.m.
nContainer Gardening on Thursday, March 26, at 1:30 p.m.
nPublisher on Friday, March 27, at 10:30 a.m.
nFort Myers Beach via Angel’s Eye on Friday, March 27, at 1:30 p.m.
nEaster/Spring Floral Arranging on Monday, March 30, at 1:30 p.m.
Activity Details
Families with pre-schoolers are encouraged to participate in the enjoyable childrens stories shared in the Preschool Story Hour and opportunity for crafts that accompany the stories on March 25.
Those who want to have some lead time to understand better how to manage files and utilize better Windows features or how better to use programs on the computer, might consider the Computer Savvy Users class on March 25. Pre-registration is necessary.
Jewelry Making class on March 26, facilitated by designer Anna Withrow, focuses on making wire spiral earrings. Pre-registration and $10 materials fee.
A wonderful time with master gardener Barbara Hill on March 26 looks at how one can garden or enjoy flowers in limited space by utilizing the benefits of container gardening. Pre-register please.
Using the software program Publisher will be Gary Peterson’s focus on March 27.
Native Floridian and artist/poet Carrie Hill will share a variety of ideas from her book “Poems from An Angel’s Eye” that highlight special aspects of Beach life.
Floral arranging, just in time for Easter and Spring, is the concentration by florist Lorrie Wolf on March 30. Many of us have come to appreciate her creativity and she has a way of making it seem easy to do these arrangements. Pre-registration and materials fee of $8 are necessary.
Upcoming Events
Knitters meet again Wednesday, April 1, at 6:30 p.m.
Florida Heritage month is a month-long tribute to heighten awareness of our state’s rich history, and its historical sites and the arts. Join Edwina Raffa as she presents an informative and interactive program designed to celebrate Florida history on April 2 at 10:30 a.m.
Captain Mike Denegre, local fisherman, will share pointers from his many years of enjoying the fishing in Florida, on Friday, April 3, at 10:30 a.m. Pre-register please.
At 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 3, Beach resident and musician and councilwoman Jo List will be our Road Scholar of the day and share personal favorites of Robert Frost along with a glimpse into his life and times.
Harry Potter
There’s a good chance you have read several of the Harry Potter books, seen a few of the movies, or at least know that this series was popular with both the young and the old.
J. K. Rowling probably has enough wealth from the publication of these works to last her not only through her lifetime but also through that of her first and second generation heirs.
She went to court to get the publication of an upcoming “Lexicon of Harry Potter” stopped, holding that it violated fair use of her material. The draft for this lexicon was more than 400 typed pages with 2,437 entries organized alphabetically.
What made this case particularly challenging was that a lexicon is a compilation of facts, and you can’t copyright facts, but Rowling’s books are invented facts, hence original and inventive. The case, which involved long deliberation, is covered in “Harry Potter & the Order of the Court: the J.K. Rowling Copyright Case and the Question of Fair Use” (346.73 WAN). This book not only adds further insight into Harry Potter and Rowling but also offers examples of what likely does, or does not, constitute fair use.
Reading Is Increasing
For the first time in more than 25 years, American adults are reading more literature, according to a new study by the Endowment for the Arts. The overall rate at which adults read literature (novels and short stories, plays, or poems) rose by seven percent.
Those of us in public libraries are aware of this increase because we see the growing use of resources in the library.
We designated a special collection composed of highly respected and works which have stood the stand of time in our “Classics” collection. We know readers like it because circulation of these titles has seen over a 60% increase.
We see too that the number of titles being checked out is growing, e.g. in February, 13,446 titles were checked out compared to 13,144 last year in the same month.
Have you calculated the value of library services for yourself? Go to our homepage at www.fmb.lib.fl.us and click on the calculator. This gives you a listing of services and you can see what you are saving by using the library. If you look at an overall picture, just for the 13,446 titles checked out in February, a value of $201,690.00 is saved as titles are calculated at $15 each and as you know that a great price for most titles, print or audio or media.
Returning Materials
When you return materials during the hours the library is open, please come in the front door and leave them on the counter. You don’t need to wait-just put them on the counter. If you drop them in the materials return slot, the material take extra wear and tear and make their check-out more prolonged and extra work for staff.
Please do the same too if you’re here in the morning. Carry your titles with you into the library instead of dropping them in the materials drop. Thanks.
Three Notables
2009 is a memorable year. Three notable figures were born within a few weeks of one another, 200 years ago. Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allan Poe, and Charles Darwin (born also on the same day as Lincoln) occupy a place that has influenced many thoughts in our small world. Their bicentennial of birth is accompanied by a flourish of titles dealing with their contributions. While Lincoln clearly has a torrent of books, those celebrating Poe and Darwin occupy considerable space.
To get started, consider picking up “A. Lincoln: a biography” (921 LIN) or “The Age of Lincoln” (973 SBUR). A condensed narrative can be found in “Poe: A Life Cut Short” (921 POE). Some of the best birthday books on Darwin include “Darwin’s Gift to Science & Religion” (576.8 AYA) and “The Reluctant Mr. Darwin” (576.82 QUA).
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 8p.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.