We recently closed out the 2010-2011 fiscal year at the Salado Public Library.  It has been a very busy and productive year.  I want to provide information on four areas of special interest: the space issue, our financial situation, technology and the library and a partial listing of various activities that took place at the library in 2010-2011.

As I mentioned in last year’s annual report a committee representative of theSaladocommunity was formed to look for a solution to lack of space at the library.  The committee members put in many hours of work and explored a number of options to remedy the shortage of space.  The committee also directed the board to solicit input from an architect/planner.  Once the report from the architect was received and reviewed by the committee it was turned over to the board for final consideration.  After much consideration and thought the board at its August meeting once again reviewed the options available.  The final decision of the board was to proceed with the recommendation of the architect to expand at our current site rather than purchase property away from our current location.  At this time the board is in the process of meeting with the architect and a contractor to determine the exact scope of the expansion.  I hope that we can have the scope of the project and the cost nailed down by the end of November.  We will keep you posted as we near construction.

My second topic for this years report is finance.  I am pleased to report that your library is in outstanding shape financially.  We have lived within our means, which includes operating with unstable sales tax revenue, maintaining services and adding to the building fund.  When we paid off the mortgage on library we continued to deposit to the building fund an amount equal to the monthly mortgage payment.  Consequently we have a balance of over $300,000.00 in our building fund.  This will provide an outstanding head start as we begin construction on the library expansion.

Third, the library continues to expand our technology efforts.  As the use of technology continues to expand we need to adapt to how technology can help us better serve our patrons.  Currently the library has expanded the use of technology in several areas.  None is more stunning that the BTOP program.   The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) began at Salado Public Library in April of this year.  The library received federal funds to purchase eight new laptop computers and to replace four older laptops.   Through the Tech-To-Go program the computers are available to patrons for educational or career advancement purposes.  They may be used both in the library and at home.  Several patrons have checked out the computers to help them in their job search.  A few have used the computers to prepare for important exams or tests.  To increase the use of the computers the library also began two off-site classes for ESL students – one at First Baptist Church ofSaladoand one at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church.  The classes have been successful in helping students improve their English language skills as well as their computer skills.  This year also saw the addition of e-books to our offerings.  It is now possible to download an e-book from your home computer.  The library continues to strive to provide an electronic as well as physical presence for our community.

I am not sure that anyone knows for sure where libraries are headed when it comes to technology.  Part of our job is to stay aware of what is available and use those new technologies as best we can to benefit our patrons.  I am convinced that our staff is on top of new technologies that will be best suited for the Salado Public Library.

As mentioned above, it has been a busy year at the library. Below are some statistics and activities from the past year.

Circulation                      48,483

Patron Visits                             30,401

Interlibrary Loans            216 borrowed, 50 loaned

Books                                      15,588 volumes

Movies & Audio books   4,432

Computer users               6,199

 The value of our collection is $359,437.57 and the value of the donations that were added to the collection in 2011 was $3,025.00 (299 items).

In 2011 the library offered more than 25 different computer and technology classes for the community, hosted six presentations in the very popular Texas Master Naturalist series, taught Spanish language classes, challenged the community to read in the July Salado Reading Challenge contest, presented monthly noon book reviews, held card making workshops for Christmas and Valentine’s day and supported community wide events such as the Wine & Chocolate Weekend, Art Fair, Heritage Days and the Christmas Stroll. 

 It is clear from the above that he past year has been very successful. I want to acknowledge the hard work done by the library staff to make all of this possible.  Whenever I enter the library I am greeted with a smile, a warm hello and an attitude that says I am here to help you.  We are blessed with a great staff.

We did have a major setback amid our successes.  As you know we lost Taylor Willingham this year.  Taylorwas a member of the board and served as our secretary.  We miss her contributions to our meetings and positive attitude and concern that the library be the best that it can be.  While she will be missed she will not be forgotten.

I encourage you to contact me if you have questions, concerns or suggestions about our library.  Please come and use what I think is the best small community library inTexas.

Sincerely,
Bob Denton
President, SaladoPublic Library Board of Trustees

Coming soon to Salado Public Library!

Texas Naturalist Series presents a workshop on Central Texas raptors.  Gil Eckrich, outreach coordinator for the Natural Resources Management Branch at Fort Hood, will make a presentation on the hawks, eagles, vultures and other birds of prey found in Central Texas.  The event is scheduled for Thursday, October 27, at 1 pm at the library.

November Book Review!  Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, is the book that we will review in November.  Presented by members of the Central Texas Master Naturalists on November 10, this book addresses the important relationship between children and nature.  This is a hands-on book review, because attendees will participate in discovery activities they can do with their own children or grandchildren.  Join us for what promises to be a fun and interesting review.  The book review will take place at 12:00 pm at the library.

Book signing.  On November 19, from 1-2 pm Salado native Johnny Gidley aka George Eliot Rambeau will be signing copies of his play, In the Arms of Morpheus: A Philosophical Romance.  In addition to being a playwright Johnny is a poet and musician.  Come by and pick up a copy of this interesting play.

Local Author’s Reception.  Our village has been blessed to be the home of many talented and wonderful authors.  On November 17, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, the library plans to recognize these authors and their works at a reception in their honor.  Please come have some refreshments, meet and visit with these talented people and become acquainted with their works.

Now that I have you really thinking about books I would like to ask a question:  What is your favorite book?  Do you have one favorite or is it impossible for you to pick just one book?  I fall in the latter category.  But, as we move closer to the holidays I am starting to think about A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  That is one of my seasonal favorites.  It does not feel like Christmas if I have not read the story or at least seen one of the classic movies based on the book.  I would like to know your favorite book or books.  You can email the names of your favorites to me at livelyj@vvm.com.  Thanks ahead of time.

I would like to close this article by giving a great big thank you to Letta Meinen.  In September we had our fourth Death by Chocolate contest.  This popular event would not be possible without Letta.  She is the brains behind the whole contest.  She recruits the judges, prints up and assembles the entry packets and does whatever she needs to do to make the contest a success.  Those of you who know Letta know that she is always on the move.  She is a great asset to the library and we are so glad to have her.  Thank you Letta!

If you have any questions about the upcoming events in the article please feel free to call the library at 947-9191 or email me at lively@vvm.com.  See you at the library!

With the advent of advanced digital information resources in Library Science, libraries are no longer expected to have a reference librarian nor maintain an extensive reference library of materials. In the past, in order to get help with a project, research or homework, patrons would work with a reference librarian to find information that, in most cases, occurred in a bound form that had to be used within the library confines. Electronic reference resources have greatly simplified the process by providing in-library or at-home research capabilities.

Salado Public Library’s in-house reference materials mainly consist of publications covering county and city history and local family genealogy. In many cases, these books are out-of-print, have a very limited circulation or are written by local authors and must be used in the library. However, in the relatively new electronic library environment, librarians can now direct patrons to global research resources for information through subscription databases available with the use of the personal library card. The patron uses their designated number from the card to access numerous databases and programs offering help with research and homework. The process is simple and provides a free service.

Just by logging into your account on the Salado Public Library catalog website (salado.biblionix.com), you are provided numerous gateways to global research possibilities through Search the Library Catalog. TexShare Databases include thousands of full-text magazines and newspapers, as well as HeritageQuest Online, health and medical, science and literature databases, WorldCat (35 million library records), and on-line encyclopedias. New York Times [historical] includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue in downloadable PDF files, currently covering 1851-2003.

If you are unable to find a title in our Catalog, you may search other libraries and place an Interlibrary Loan request by choosing the Texas ILL System. Also, the Library of Texas allows you to search multipleTexas library catalogs. These alternative resources have proven useful to educators and professionals doing research that requires the use of pertinent trade journal articles. The larger libraries can maintain a more diversified catalog and therefore provide the necessary information.

Overdrive, Project Gutenberg, and Librivox allow you to download books, audio books, music, and recordings of public domain literature to a wide variety of electronic devices. Classic literature on school reading lists is downloadable to electronic reading or hearing devices to help simplify homework assignments, for example.

Where, oh where, has the 22-volume set of World Book Encyclopedias gone? It was gobbled up by the new electronic world wide web of library reference. But no matter how we obtain information to complete a project, research or homework, there will always be publications in the local library that may not be accessible online, such as The Genealogist’s Address Book: State and Local Resources by Elizabeth P. Bentley (2009), American Revolutionary Soldiers Buried in Texas by Clovis Brakebill (1998) or Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist by Buzzy Jackson (2010). Salado Public Library reference shelves contain a wide selection of irreplaceable histories of local families and churches. We have had visitors that traveled many miles to obtain genealogical information from these publications, which proves that even though libraries are embracing the digital innovations age and advancing rapidly with information technology, the basic paper copy is still in demand!

Don’t forget our great book sale at the Art Fair this weekend, October 22 and 23^rd from 9  to 4.  The Friends of the Library will be at theCivicCenter under the portico with hundreds of books, movies and audio books of all types.  Come on down and shop with us!  All proceeds go to support your library.

Halloween is one of the world’s oldest holidays. It was originally a Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced sow-in), and marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of the new year (November 1st). The priests or Druids in ancient Britain and Ireland believed that ghosts and spirits roamed the earth, and they lit bonfires as protection.

When the Romans took over the Celtic lands, they adapted the day to honor one of their own gods- Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees, who was represented by an apple. Maybe that is why  we bob for apples at Halloween parties now. In time, the Roman Catholic church adapted the day as All Saints or All Hallows Day to honor saints who did not have their own specific feast day. The name evolved into Halloween.

 Trick-or-Treating dates to All Souls Day parades in England. Villagers gave the poor ” soul cakes” in return for prayers for their dead relatives.

 In 1920′s America, children began going trick-or-treating in their own neighborhoods. By then, Halloween had lost its religious meaning and became a holiday where people for one night could wear costumes and not have to be themselves.

 Other countries have their own celebrations, but with different meanings. In Mexico, people celebrate El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead on the night of November 1st. Families bring food and flowers to their loved ones graves and honor their deceased relatives.

 The candy-collecting tradition on Halloween has spread from America to Canada, Australia, and Western Europe. In parts of England, children carry lanterns called “punkies” (Jack-o-Lanterns), and parade through their towns. In Ireland, rural towns light bonfires, and children play “snap apple”. Apples are hung from trees or a door frame and children try to take a bite of the apple.

 Chocolate is about three-quarters of a trick-or-treaters loot according to the National Confectioners Association. Candy Corn, made of sugar, corn syrup, and marshmallow, has been made with the same recipe since 1900. Thirty candy corns have 140 calories, equal to three miniature Hershey bars. Again, the National Confectioners Association reports that more than 35 million pounds or 9 billion kernels are made each year.

 Our Salado Public Library has almost seventy Halloween books, fiction and non-fiction, as well as DVD’s to check out for Halloween. Some easy reading books are ” A Creepy Countdown” by Charlotte Huck, “Shake Dem Halloween Bones” by W. Nikola-Lisa, “Clifford’s Halloween” by Norman Bridwell, and “The Hallo-Wiener” by Dave Pilkey.

Our chapter books include “Who Stole Halloween” by Martha Freeman, “The Boy of a Thousand Faces” by Brian Selznick, and “It’s Halloween, You Fraidy Mouse” by Geronimo Stilton.

 In Non-Fiction, the library has “Halloween: 101 Frightfully Fun Ideas” , “My Very Own Halloween: a Book of Cooking and Crafts” by Robin West, and “You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together” by Mary Ann Hoberman.

 Among our DVD’s, we have “Thomas’s Halloween Adventures”, “The Teacher from the Black Lagoon and More Scary Stories”, and “Sesame Street- A Magical Halloween Adventure”.

Come and check out what we have for you at the Salado Public Library!

Karen, say it ain’t so! After years of funny and informative columns our primary contributor to the library’s news has decided to fully retire. Karen Kinnison began writing the library’s column in 2006. She has diligently written a weekly article for lo these many years, with only sporadic contributions from the rest of us. Karen retired from working in the library in 2009 but continued to write for us every week. Over the years we have had so much positive response to her articles, her humor and her slant on life that we begged her to continue and she did. But all good things come to an end and she has decided to lay down her pen. Karen – you are and will be missed. So the library staff will now take up the task of keeping everyone up to date with library happenings, new books and movies and news. We have some big shoes to fill.

New movies at the library
Do you know and love the British series Doc Martin? Martin Clunes plays a curmudgeonly doctor who relocates his practice from London to a small fishing village in Cornwall. The series is very funny and quirky. Everyone at the library has fallen in love with it. I’ve looked around and found some more Doc Martin movies. The series is filming its fifth season this summer and the library has seasons 1 -4 but if you need a Doc Martin fix come in and try these.

Saving Grace – This story was filmed in the fishing village of Port Isaac, the setting for TV series, and the character of Doc Martin was created in this 2000 movie. Craig Ferguson stars in this “prequel” to the series about an about an aimless Scottish gardener and a middle-aged British widow with a green thumb.
Doc Martin: The Movies (Doc Martin and Doc Martin and the Legend of the Clouties)
After Saving Grace came out Martin Clunes made two made-for-TV movies developing the Doc Martin character and the village of Port Isaac. This Doc Martin is not the same grumpy Doc as the TV series but it is interesting to see how the character evolved. The location is the same and some of the supporting cast is the same. The movies tell the story of how the Doc leaves behind city life to be in the country and how he comes to be established in the village.
William & Mary – This lovely British series has no relation to Doc Martin, except that Martin Clunes stars in the title role. It ran for only six episodes but is warm and funny. William Shawcross, an undertaker, is looking for love and meets midwife Mary through a dating service. The comedy juxtaposes the working lives of the two with their very funny, warm and all too human attempts to build a relationship despite their very different lives. This one is well worth your time.

Until next week, stay cool by coming to the library. We have it all – cool air, places to sit and read the paper or a book and movies, movies, movies.

        We made it!!!  The Salado Reading Challenge was a great success.  We are still tallying but as of today folks inSaladoread over 3200 books in July.  We were shooting for 2800 and passed that number with ease.  So we are throwing a party to celebrate and we want everyone to come.  Jeanie Lively, our program guru, has music, food and a caricaturist planned for the afternoon.  Jeanie deserves a big hand – she wanted to make sure that everybody kept reading through the summer and she worked very hard to make it fun for all of us.  So come by and snack and have your caricature made on the spot – for free.  Thanks Jeanie for all your hard work.

     On a sad note, we regret to report that long time library supporter Alayne Fuller-Ramsden passed away last week.  Alayne worked at the Salado Library for a number of years and was responsible for our adult programs.  She loved the military,Texas,Salado, libraries, and children of all ages.  She loved to read and was a volunteer in many community activities.  She will be missed.

      I got wind of a thematic trend in the newest books for August —is it possible that authors all write inside a kind of bubble of ideas unbeknownst even to themselves?  The theme here seems to be betrayal, trust and justice.  Here are a few that sounded good to me.

Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance

Beaumont and Mel, both working for a special murder unit inWashingtonState, are called in to probe what could be a potentially explosive scandal.  The strangulation video of a young girl is captured on the cell phone of the governor’s teenage grandson who then hangs himself in the mansion.  Even more shocking is that the crime’s multiple perpetrators could all be minors.  P.J. soon discovers what might have started as a childish prank has much deeper implications.  This dark novel of all too accessible techies, well-heeled parents, adolescent bullying and adult hypocrisy ought to keep you cooled off this August.

Flowering Judas by Jan Haddam

In this 26^th mystery featuring PI Gregor Demarkian (the Armenian Poirot), we find that the body of a long-missing college student turns up hanging from a billboard bearing his image.  Called in to consult by the local police Demarkian soon spots some anomalies that suggest that the student didn’t die where he was found.  The discovery of a backpack containing an infant skeleton adds to the puzzle that Demarkian will try to unravel and reveal the real truth of what happened years ago in this tragic and complex case.

Cold Vengeance by Dougles Preston

In the 2^nd of this popular and eagerly awaited trilogy about Helen Pendergast’s reputed murder, Special Agent Pendergast is devastated and wants revenge.  As he stalks his wife’s betrayers from the wilds ofScotland, toNew York’s bustling streets, and the darkest bayous ofLouisiana, he is stunned to learn that Helen may have been a collaborator in her own murder.  He begins to realize the conspiracy is deeper, goes back generations, and is more monstrous than he ever could have believed.  Worse though is that everything he ever trusted or believed in has been a horrific lie.

 “If it weren’t for greed, hate, passion and murder, you would have no works of art, no great buildings, no medical science, no Mozart, no Van Gogh, no Muppets and no Louis Armstrong.” – author Jasper Fforde

       Alice Walker in The Color Purple said “I think it makes God mad if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it”.  We are very fortunate here in Salado to live in such beautiful natural surroundings.  Almost everyone has at least a yard, a field, or a patio garden.  Here we have access to creeks, springs, ancient live oaks, deer in the fields and hawks overhead, and the sounds of birds all day.  This is the very essence of life in Salado.  We don’t walk by “the color purple” and not notice.  But there are people, especially children, who live in small boxed up worlds, walk only on concrete and hear only sirens.  They suffer from nature-deficit disorder.  Yea, I know you thought you had heard the last of the “deficit syndrome” in this country– but sadly no, you haven’t. 

Here are three books to get you up to speed and maybe help you save a child or yourself!

Last Child in the Woods-Revised by Richard Louv

In this landmark work Louv points to the importance of direct exposure to nature as essential to a child’s healthy development.  Louv describes a generation so plugged into electronic diversions that it has lost its connection to the outside world.  Remember when your mother told you to “go outside and play?”  Well she was right.  These deprived children are not exposed to unstructured outdoor play.  They have never built a fort, chased lightning bugs, built a tree house, or camped in the woods—all those things that give them the smells and sounds of nature.  Some of this is due to our plugged in lifestyles, but it also stems from a generation of anxiety ridden parents.  Is the water clean? Should we call the DEQ?  There are bugs out there!  Is that a rash?  Don’t get in the sun! Don’t get wet!  Don’t touch anything!  While safety is important today, they were just going to wade in a creek for Pete’s sake! And so it goes.  Kids cannot value and love what they cannot name, see, smell, hear and taste.  Louv makes a very strong case that our children today will lose their ability to “learn the language of their fields” (Thoreau).  This is a book every parent needs to read.

The Nature Principle by Richard Louv

Like his theme in “Last Child in the Woods”, Louv here moves to the importance of reconnecting to nature for the rest of us.  It is about the power of living in nature—not with it, but in it.  Tapping into the restorative powers of the natural world can cure everything that ales you!  I know when I sit outside with the sun warm on my skin, the birds chirping happily in the oaks above me and the Texas breezes cooling me, my heart soars and my soul is a peace.  We still have that little child in us that played free and unfettered in the fields of summer—we need not let that go as adults.

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature and the Shaping of the American Nation by Andrea Wulf

Today the U.S. is awash in patriotic rhetoric about the Founding Fathers: but what did they honestly have in mind?  Citing previously ignored terrain, Wulf follows the public and gardening lives of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison.  This insightful book shows us that these four men devoutly wished for nothing more than to be home farming and gardening.  They viewed these connections as the sources of their strength and consolation.  Wulf shows us that the garden, the natural world, and the shape of new nations were part of a whole.  This is a delightful book for all.

 “The poetry of the earth is never dead.” John Keats

       According to Francois Truffaut “film lovers are sick people” !  So I guess I am terminally ill.  I love movies of all kinds and judging by the checkout rate on DVDs at our library, most ofSaladois sick too.  Who was Francois Truffaut anyway, huh?

Here are three new DVDs not to be missed.

South Riding

Based on Winifred Holtby’sYorkshireset novel, this TV miniseries tracks an ambitious young headmistress’s noble efforts to transform the girls of her former hometown into women who are strong and fearless.  It is a complicated story of anachronisms in British society—grinding poverty, moral hypocrisy, and resistance to change.  Of course, she collides with the forceful personality of a tradition-bound (and handsome)Yorkshirefarmer dealing with a tragically broken marriage, a rotting estate, and a troubled daughter.   As a period piece, this is second to none.

Doc Martin 

This is simply one of the funniest British series I have ever seen.  I LOVED it!  Martin Clunes stars as a flashy and brilliant Londonsurgeon crippled by a sudden and inconvenient fear of blood.  He abandons Londonand sets up shop as a country GP in a scenic Cornish sea side hamlet filled with lots of quirky citizens.  At first he is a source of consternation to the citizens and especially to a certain pretty young teacher.  Although brilliant, the plainspoken, suffer-no-fools, probably-asperger-plagued “Doc” struggles to fit in with the affable, easy going citizens.  It is totally quirky, charming and touching with many medical incidents that make for a very realistic and modern series.  Don’t miss it—trust me.

The King’s Speech  

Colin Firth gives the performance of his life in this 2011 Academy Award winner for Best Film and Best Actor.  This is the true story of King George VI and his struggles with an debilitating stutter.  His wife solicits a commoner and unorthodox, tough Australian “speech therapist” – Lionel Logue – to treat him.  Logue’s pioneering treatment and unlikely friendship give the royal leader the confidence that serves him and his nation well during the dark days of WWII.  The film captures the burden of royalty and the class distinctions of the era.  It also captures, very touchingly, the loving character and support of his wife and two young daughters–now Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. 

For young patrons we also have these new movies:

It’s Kind of a Funny Story – PG-13

Being a teenager is too hard for 16 yr old Craig and he checks himself into a mental health clinic for some R&R.  However as it turn out, he has to spend his time among the adult patients in this quirky, refreshing and life changing movie.

The Illusionist  – PG Animated

Nominated for Best Animated feature in 2011, this wistful tale set in the 60’s follows the fading career of a vaudeville magician who finds old age and rock and roll are nipping at his heels.  He is adopted by a young girl who almost believes that he really can work magic.  It’s a gentle and charming tale.

     That’s it for this week folks.   For those of you who have expressed alarm that I am not writing “my article” anymore—-I am—- just two times a month.  Jeanie and Kim also write each month about adult and children’s programs.    And thanks for asking!

                   “There is no thief like a bad movie.”  Sam Ewing

By Kim Manger, Children’s Librarian

The annual Texas Reading Club 2011 at the library will be starting before you know it!

The theme this year is “Dig Up A Good Book.”  The program will be held on each of the four Mondays in June at 11:00 A.M.  TheTexassummer reading program encourages children to read during the summer months.

 The Library has received a grant from the Texas State Library Loan Star Libraries for professional performers and storytellers for our programs.

 You may pick up your Texas Reading Club 2011 Time Log as early as the last day of school on Tuesday, May 24 or at any of the programs.  Remember, there will be three age categories for reading the most books.  The categories are Three to Five years, Six to Eight years, and Nine to Twelve years. Using the log, children will write the total time spent reading. Everyone who participates will receive one new book.  Children from each category who have read the most hours will receive five new books of their choosing.  All children have until Monday, June 27 to turn in their Reading Time Log.

 On Monday, June 6, we will feature Mr. Puppet, a comedy entertainer who works with all kinds of silly puppets.  I have seen him perform and he is funny!

Monday, June 13 is Bonzo Crunch, “Fool at Large”.  He is a graduate of the Ringling BrothersBarnum & BaileyClownCollegeand performs a comic juggling and magic show.

 On Monday, June 20, we will have Mr. Johnny & Sharon who delighted everyone last year.  They sing silly songs, use rhythm sticks and scarves, play the guitar and keyboards.

 Our final program is on Monday, June 27 and features The Telephone Company.  They are a wacky duo who dance and jump while singing and playing instruments at the same time.

 After each of the first three programs, we will have a craft for everyone to do if they like.

On June 27, we will distribute “Dig Up a Good Book” certificates, bookmarks, and new books for all! Come and join us!