Love, Your Library

South Parkersburg Library Manager

2012-02-14T12:03:00.009-05:00

OPEN UNTIL FILLED

Full Time position (35 hrs /wk)
Available to work Mon – Thursday from 12pm – 7pm and Fridays 10am – 5pm.
High school diploma or equivalent with a minimum of two (2) year's library experience. A Bachelor’s Degree with library courses is preferable.
Pay is between $19,547 - $30,048 dependent upon experience.
DUTIES INVOLVE the daily operation of the Branch Library, planning of special activities, customer service to library users by checking materials in and out, handling customer accounts and fine/fee transactions, responding to customer inquiries, and communication and cooperation with the Emerson library.

Applications are available at the Circulation Desk at the Emerson Ave. Library.

Complete job description here.

Money Smart Week Essay Contest

2012-02-13T09:56:00.000-05:00

As a part of Money Smart Week, Junior Achievement of West Virginia will host an essay contest for kids. This contest is open to WV students in grades 6, 7, and 8. The essay question, deadline, list of prizes and more details are available on the contest flyer and at the bottom on this blog. Click here for the contest entry form.
For complete rules and more information, please visit the Junior Achievement of West Virginia website.

Contest Information

Deadline

Essays must be emailed or postmarked on or before Wednesday, March 14, 2012.

Prizes

Grand Prize Winner
$1,500 SMART529 Plan
Kindle Fire & $50 Kindle Gift Card

First Place Winner in Each Grade
$750 SMART529 Plan
Kindle Fire & $25 Kindle Gift Card

Second Place Winner in Each Grade
$500 SMART529 Plan
Kindle Fire & $25 Kindle Gift Card

Essay Question

What do you plan to do after you graduate
from high school – attend college, take
vocational training, join the military or
another choice?

Will you continue to live with your family
or relocate to achieve your goals?

What financial decisions do you need to
make to prepare for your future?

Reading Group Update

2012-01-16T15:19:00.003-05:00

The reading group for adults will start in February! We will begin by having a meeting every 3rd Thursday of the month at 7pm starting February 16th. Please feel free to call or email me for more information! 304-420-4587 or lindsay.place@park.lib.wv.us

We will have more of a discussion during the first meeting about what everyone is interested in reading and a meet and greet.

Reading Group for Adults

2011-12-23T14:56:00.005-05:00

If you are interested in joining a reading group for adults, please take the time to answer a few questions through the following survey so that we can better understand the needs of those interested.

Reading Group Survey

View Results of the Survey

Williamstown branch's bookmark design contest winners

2011-12-09T12:23:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to the winners of Williamstown Public Library's bookmark design contest! Three winners were chosen by the Williamstown Library Committee out of 291 entries from grades K-6. These three bookmark designs will be produced and offered at the Williamstown branch through the spring.

All 291 entries are on display at the Williamstown branch and will remain through the month of December. Stop in with your student and see their design!

Click the photo above to see the bookmarks at their full sizes.

What to Read After The Hunger Games

2011-12-07T11:49:00.005-05:00

Did you read the Hunger Games? Are you looking for books similar to this series? Check these books out that others say are a must read for Hunger Games fans...

The Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Uglies by Scott Westerfield

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2011-11-30T14:33:00.004-05:00

Audiobooks are now just OneClick away!

The Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library is pleased to announce that downloadable audiobooks are now available through OneClickdigital, a new product of Recorded Books. This is the long awaited replacement for our old service provided by Netlibrary.

http://parkersburgwoodwv.oneclickdigital.com/

Check out the newest downloadables or an old Recorded Books favorite. Over 2,500 titles available all of the time. No late fees.

After a quick one-time account set-up process (you will need your library card number), library users will be able to checkout and download audiobooks.

What to Read after the Twilight Saga

2011-11-21T11:14:00.009-05:00

Stumped with what to read now that you have finished the Twilight Saga? Here are a list of books that are bound to keep you entertained. Twilight Fans will love them! (And no, they aren't all about vampires.) Written for Young Adults, but adults will love them too!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Movie coming out 2012) (The hunger Games, Catching Fire, MockingJay)

The Immortals by Alyson Nöel (Evermore, Blue Moon, Shadowland, Dark Flame)

The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith (The Awakening, The Struggle, The Fury, Dark Reunion, The Return: Nightfall, The Return: Shadow Souls, The Return: Midnight

Twilight Night - ROUND TWO!

2011-11-10T16:45:00.006-05:00

Did you miss our "Twilight Night" on Thursday? Do you still want to congregate with other Twi-hards and play some games, eat some good food and win prizes? Need something to do before the midnight release of "Breaking Dawn - Part 1"?

Well you're in luck! We had such a good time last night, we're doing it all over again next week! Adults and teens over age 13 are encouraged to join us on Thursday, November 17th from 7:00-8:30 – just hours before the midnight premiere of "Breaking Dawn - Part 1".

We'll hold a book and film discussion, play a variety of games including Twilight Scene-It, eat delicious vampire-themed snacks and give out some awesome door prizes!

Prizes include sets of Twilight books - the original saga, the graphic novel, the movie books, the official illustrated guide and more - plus DVDs and passes to see Breaking Dawn - Part 1 at Regal Cinemas.

Questions? Call (304) 375-6052 or (304) 483-6846.

The library's first Twilight night

2011-11-01T16:01:00.004-04:00

The library will be hosting its first ever "Twilight Night" on the evening of Wednesday, November 9th.

From 6:00-8:00PM, those age 13 and older can join us for book and film discussions, a variety of games including Twilight Scene-It, vampire-themed snacks and some awesome door prizes including sets of "Twilight" books, "Breaking Dawn" movie passes and more!

Space is limited so please e-mail us your name, age and phone number to register: matt.emrick@park.lib.wv.us

E-Book News and Survey

2011-10-18T12:23:00.009-04:00

Did you know that the Library has E-Books and E-Audiobooks available now? You can access it at wvreads.lib.overdrive.com by using your library card number and pin # (contact the library about the pin # if you don't have one).

We also have a short survey (2-3 minutes) asking people for feedback on what type of E-Books and E-Audiobooks to purchase for the new collection. Please take the time to fill it out and let us know. SURVEY.

You can see the live results of the survey here.

Quarantine

2011-10-17T16:25:00.000-04:00

It's always a wonderful thing when a part of our library family or their family becomes a published writer.

Rahul Mehta's book Quarantine is a collection of short stories that navigates through the lives of men in their 20's and 30's who deal with sexuality and their culture. Although a work of fiction, the realism the book portrays brings forth compelling dimensions. Mehta's tone is gentle yet powerful when he speaks of relationships, emotions, and challenges facing Indian Americans.

Take a look at the video below where Mehta speaks about his new book, Quarantine.

Request a copy to check out!

Did You Know?

2011-10-14T23:02:00.002-04:00

When thinking of library services, some may not realize ALL of the things the library has to offer. Did you know the library offers...

Talking Books
Framed Art
Can't find what you want, let us know and we'll get it
Download E-books and Audiobooks
Novelist
Chiltons
Ancestry Plus
Newspapers, Obituaries, other historical records downstairs.
Meeting rooms
New Book List emails
Graphic Novels
Young Adult collection
Young Adult Reading Club
Story times on Thursday and Friday
Free WiFi and Computer Access
Copy Machine
Faxing
Reader's Advisory
Tax Information
Literacy
Online Bookclubs
Learning Express Library

and more!

Check back as we highlight and explain these great services!

Fall Book Sale Coming Oct. 21-22

2011-10-11T17:23:00.009-04:00

The Friends of the Library

Fall Book Sale

is coming your way!

Friday, October 21st 9am-5pm

Members of Friends of the Library Association ONLY

(Become a Friend! Individuals: $2. Family dues: $5. Pay at the door)

Saturday, October 22nd 9am-5pm

Sale Open to the General Public

Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library

3100 Emerson Avenue

Parkersburg, WV

Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books

2011-09-29T13:53:00.007-04:00

NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books

August 11, 2011

More than 60,000 ballots were cast in NPR's annual summer reader's survey. Below is a printable list of the top 100 winners. Which ones have you read? Are there books missing from the list?

The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

The Dune Chronicles by Frank Herbert

A Song Of Ice And Fire Series by George R. R. Martin

1984 by George Orwell

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

The Wheel Of Time Series by Robert Jordan

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Watchmen by Alan Moore

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

The Stand by Stephen King

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

The Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne

Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keys

The War Of The Worlds by H.G. Wells

The Chronicles Of Amber by Roger Zelazny

The Belgariad by David Eddings

The Mists Of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson

Ringworld by Larry Niven

The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Once And Future King by T.H. White

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

Contact by Carl Sagan

The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

World War Z by Max Brooks

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson

The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

The Mote In God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

The Sword Of Truth by Terry Goodkind

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist

The Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks

The Conan The Barbarian Series by R.E. Howard

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Way Of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

A Journey To The Center Of The Earth by Jules Verne

The Legend Of Drizzt Series by R.A. Salvatore

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson

Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

The Kushiel's Legacy Series by Jacqueline Carey

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series by Steven Erikson

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart

Anathem by Neal Stephenson

The Codex Alera Series by Jim Butcher

The Book Of The New Sun by Gene Wolfe

The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn

The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldan

The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge

The Caves Of Steel by Isaac Asimov

The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

The Xanth Series by Piers Anthony

The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis

Book to Movie: The Hunger Games

2011-09-07T11:45:00.008-04:00

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives...

How about reading a trilogy that is guaranteed to be a page turner? This Young Adult series will grab the attention of anyone who picks it up and is definitely a must read. Movie to be released in 2012!

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

Take me to the Catalog

September 2011's Author of the Month, Joyce Carol Oates

2011-09-02T11:44:00.004-04:00

Award-winning author, Joyce Carol Oates was born in 1938 and grew up in upstate New York.While a scholarship student at Syracuse University, she won the coveted Mademoiselle fiction contest. She graduated as valedictorian, then earned an M.A. at the University of Wisconsin.In 1968, she began teaching at the University of Windsor.In 1978, she moved to New Jersey to teach creative writing at Princeton University, where she is now the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of the Humanities.

A prolific writer, Joyce Carol Oates has produced some of the most controversial, and lasting, fiction of our time.Her novel, Them, set in racially volatile 1960s Detroit, won the 1970 National Book Award. Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart focused on an interracial teenage romance. Black Water, a narrative based on the Kennedy-Chappaquiddick scandal, garnered a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and her national bestseller Blonde, an epic work on American icon Marilyn Monroe, became a National Book Award Finalist. Although Joyce Carol Oates has called herself, "a serious writer, as distinct from entertainers or propagandists," her novels have enthralled a wide audience, and We Were the Mulvaneys earned the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list (Fantastic Fiction)

Click here to see all of our books by Joyce Carol Oates

What Should You Read Next?

2011-08-16T10:36:00.011-04:00

You have your favorite books and authors and have hit a dead end.
You have exhausted every option... so you think!
Jump over to What Should I Read Next?
This database allows you to start
entering an author name or title of a book that you love and
automatically generates a list of books that you should read next.
How easy is that!? Find new authors and titles and expand your reading options!

If You Enjoy Jennifer Weiner...

2011-08-08T10:32:00.010-04:00

You might want to try...

The Flamenco Academy: a novel by Sarah Bird
As Husbands Go by Susan Isaacs
The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes
Rich Again by Anna Maxted
Red Hook Road: a novel by Ayelet Waldman
Marrying Mom by Olivia Goldsmith
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
Hush by Kate White
Promises to Keep by Jane Green
Last Night at Chateau Marmont: a novel by Lauren Weisberger
From Barcelona with Love by Elizabeth Adler
The Book of Tomorrow: a novel by Cecelia Ahern
Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
Any Place I Hang My Hat by Susan Isaacs

If You Like Rita Mae Brown...

2011-08-03T10:03:00.005-04:00

You May Also Like...

Joanne Fluke

Lillian Jackson Braun

Laura Childs

Agatha Christie

Diane Mott Davidson

Nancy Atherton

Rita Mae Brown writes witty, clever mysteries and mainstream fiction with a strong sense of place and memorable, if quirky, characters. Currently best known for two mystery series, she started with mainstream fiction exploring themes of community and belonging, and has written a few historical novels. Her stories feature strong women characters, and also include non-human characters (cats, dogs, and horses) who are much wiser than their human counterparts. (NoveList Plus)

August 2011's Author of the Month Bill Crider

2011-08-01T15:16:00.003-04:00

"What kind of books do I write? All kinds, but mostly mysteries. The Sheriff Dan Rhodes series features the adventures of a sheriff in a small Texas county where there are no serial killers, where a naked man hiding in a dumpster is big news, and where the sheriff still has time to investigate the theft of a set of false teeth. The first book in this series won an Anthony Award for "best first mystery novel" in 1986. The latest book in the series is Murder in Four Parts."

"And then there's my private-eye series. Truman Smith operates on Galveston Island, not far from Houston. The first book in the series was nominated for a Shamus Award by the Private-Eye Writers of America, but to date no one has had the wisdom to publish the books in paperback, and the series is out of print."

"But wait! There's more! Yes, I write nonseries books, too. In the mystery field, there's The Texas Capital Murders in which you get murder, politics, and a bunch of pretty odd characters, some of whom aren't even Texas legislators."

Click here to see everything we have by Bill Crider.

Click here to go directly to Bill Crider's website.

July's Feature Blog - Book End Babes

2011-07-25T10:27:00.007-04:00

Book End Babes is Girls Night Out meets great reads, celebrating books and girlfriends. With real-life chapters around the country, they feature 4 Top Picks each month, share book reviews, recipes and prizes to start a reading revolution. The reviewed books are typically supplied by the publisher, though reviews are not guaranteed. BEbabes was founded by author Malena Lott.

I highly recommend reading the bios of all the ladies involved in writing the blog. Reading about these ladies will really make reading the blog that much more enjoyable. No two women are alike therefore, no two blog entries are alike! Check out the current entry on BEbabes by clicking the picture!

Sour Mash Memorial

2011-07-15T12:56:00.003-04:00

Why not play a few holes and help the community? The Sour Mash Memorial is coming up on August 15th. If you or a group would like to join, the application is here. Some of the funds will go towards new paint and artwork on the bookmobile!

If you like Sarah Dessen...

2011-07-14T11:10:00.010-04:00

You might also like...

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Hope was Here by Joan Bauer
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The E arth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle
Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani
Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks: A Novel by E. Lockhart

July 2011 Author of the Month Sharyn McCrumb

2011-06-30T14:25:00.013-04:00

Sharyn McCrumb is an award-winning southern writer, best known for her Appalachian "Ballad" novels, including the New York Times best sellers The Ballad of Frankie Silver and She Walks These Hills, and for St. Dale, winner of a Library of Virginia Award and featured at the National Festival of the Book.

Her current novel, The Devil Amongst the Lawyers, deals with the regional stereotyping of rural areas by national journalists. The Ballad of Tom Dooley, to be published in September, tells the true story behind the celebrated folk song.

In 2008 the Library of Virginia named Sharyn a Virginia Woman of Achievement in Literature.

Find a complete list of all the books by Sharyn McCrumb housed by the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library through the following link. Sharyn McCrumb

Summer Program Book List

2011-06-27T16:25:00.005-04:00

The Emerson Library Summer Reading Program-One World Many Stories June 22nd- August 17th will use the following books:

All the World

We All Sing with the Same Voice

My Granny Went to Market- A Round the World Counting Rhyme

Hip, Hip Hooray for Annie McRae!

The Buffalo Jump

Long Night Moon

We're Roaming in the Rainforest

Cinco De Mouse-o!

F is for Fiesta!

Rubia and the Three Osos

Gumption!

Africa Calling

The Jungle Grapevine

Starry Safari

Olivia Goes to Venice

Gaspard on Vacation

Belinda in Paris

The Ugly Vegetables

Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to be Noticed

Pea Blossom

Wolf! Wolf!

The Biggest Frog in Australia

Snap!

Pouch!

Antarctica

Immi's Gift

Cold Paws, Warm Heart

Polar Opposites

Click Here to find these and more

West Virginia Culture and History

2011-06-22T14:16:00.008-04:00

The West Virginia Culture center would like the public to become involved and give them the opportunity to review and comment upon the State Historic Preservation Office's proposed Annual Historic Preservation Work Program for Federal Fiscal year 2011-2012. You can review this draft and comment at the reference desk of the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library or you can watch the link below to view it online and email your comments. The 2011-2012 has not yet been posted to the West Virginia Division of Culture and History website. Please check back for updates.

West Virginia Division of Culture and History

Awful Library Books

2011-06-16T09:59:00.005-04:00

You read it right! Just picture it... you're in the stacks perusing some books and you pull something that catches your eye. You start to look through and have this thought in your mind like, "Really? Is this really a book that people read?" Well, there is a blog dedicated to these types of books and it's hilarious! Check out Awful Library Books and really see what some are finding on the shelves!

If You Liked the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins...

2011-06-03T16:27:00.012-04:00

You May Like...

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Cherry Heaven by L.S. Adlington
City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
Dr. Franklin's Island by Ann Halam
Epic by Conor Kostick
Exodus by Julie Bertanagna
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Gone by Michael Grant
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Little Brother by Cory Doctrow
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton
Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The Dead and Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Rash by Pete Hautman
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Graceling by Kristin Cashore

June 2011's Author of the Month, Ward Swift Just

2011-05-27T15:08:00.013-04:00

Ward Just is a novelist, and he has been a novelist for thirty-four years. It is important to remember this because Just’s credentials as a journalist are so impressive -- he was a war correspondent in Cyprus for Newsweek, and he was the Washington Post’s point man in Vietnam -- that perhaps his credentials as a writer of fiction are underestimated. Just is the author of seventeen novels, a play, and three collections of short stories. His novel Jack Gance won the Chicago Tribune Heartland Award for fiction, and Echo House was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction. His novel, An Unfinished Season, won the Tribune’s American Heartland Prize for fiction.
http://www.bookslut.com

Books:

A Soldier of the Revolution
Stringer
Nicholson at Large
A Family Trust
In the City of Fear
The American Blues
The American Ambassador
Jack Gance
The Translator
Ambition & Love
Echo House
A Dangerous Friend
The Weather in Berlin
An Unfinished Season
Forgetfulness
Exiles in the Garden
Rodin's Debutante

PHS 9th Grade Honors English Summer Reading Book Requirement

2011-05-23T15:59:00.001-04:00

Please choose ONE of the following books from the list and read it over the summer. Click on the link for your chosen book to be taken to its record in the Parkersburg and Wood County Library's catalog.

PHS 10th Grade Honors English Summer Reading Book Requirement

2011-05-23T15:35:00.005-04:00

PHS AP English 11 Summer Reading Book Requirements

2011-05-23T15:02:00.010-04:00

Students in AP English Language (AP English 11) will be required to complete summer reading. Students will read two texts: one from the nonfiction list and one from the fiction list. Check the links below for your chosen books available through the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library.

Nonfiction (choose one)

Dust Tracks on a Road (Angelou)
Mother Tongue (Bryson)
In Cold Blood (Capote)
Autobiography of Frederick Douglass (Douglass)[Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass]
Fast Food Nation (Schlosser)
Night (Wiesel)

Fiction (Choose one)

Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury)
House on Mango Street (Cisneros)
Invisible Man (Ellison)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)
Ethan Frome (Wharton)

FREE SUMMER PROGRAM FOR KIDS

2011-05-10T12:51:00.005-04:00

The Emerson Branch will will begin registration for two FREE paperback books on May 11-June 22 for children 3-16. One World Many Stories will be held each Wednesday from 10-12 starting June 22nd and end August 17th. Board a cruise ship and travel the seven continents with fun stories, crafts, food, and free drawings each week. For more information contact Ms. Brenda @ 304-420-4587 x20. Look for new updates each week

Living Well Library Health Fair

2011-05-08T14:40:00.009-04:00

Join us at the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library,
3100 Emerson Avenue,
May 18th, where The library will be welcoming
The Arc of the Mid Ohio Valley,
The Wood County Society, Wood County
Senior Citizens Association, Athena,
Westbrook Health Services, Mid Ohio
Valley Health Department, and the YMCA.
Booths will be set up with information and
all are welcome to attend.

Specialists will also be here checking ears and eyes!
Stop by and see
what services are available in your community!

May 2011's Author of the Month Kristin Hannah

2011-05-02T16:27:00.007-04:00

Kristin's story of becoming a writer-

"After working in a trendy advertising agency, I decided to go to law school. "But you're going to be a writer" are the prophetic words I will never forget from my mother. I was in my third and final year of law school and my mom was in the hospital, facing the end of her battle with cancer. For the next few months, we collaborated on the worst, most cliched historical romance ever written. After my mom's death I packed those bits and pieces away and put them in a box in the back of my closet. I got married and continued practicing law. THEN I found out I was pregnant and was put on 5 months of bed rest. By the time I had read every book in the house and started asking my husband for cereal boxes to read, I knew I was a goner. That's when my darling husband reminded me of the book I'd started with my mom. By the time my son was born I had finished the first draft and found an obsession. "

To see the books by Kristin Hannah that the Parkersburg & Wood Co. Public Library has to offer click here

If You Like Darren Shan's Cirque Du Freak...

2011-04-25T10:00:00.010-04:00

You may also like...

Thirsty by M.T. Anderson

In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

The Gathering by Isobelle Carmody

Look for Me by Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn

A Stir of Bones by Nina Hoffman

The Silver Kiss by Annette Klause

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Klause

Dangerous Girls by R.L. Stine

The Boy Who Couldn't Die by William Sleator

The Afterlife by Gary Soto

If you enjoyed Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson...

2011-04-19T14:43:00.004-04:00

You might also enjoy...

Big Mouth and Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
Break the Surface by Daniel Parker
Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Cut by Patrick McCormick
Dancing on the Edge by Han Nolan
Dunk by David Lubar
Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates
Hate You by Graham McNamee
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
Margaux With an X by Ron Koertge
Names Will Never Hurt Me by Jaime Adoff
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
Stoner and Spaz by Ron Koertge
Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones

If You Like Janet Evanovich...

2011-04-18T09:29:00.007-04:00

With a Little Help from our Friends

2011-04-14T18:28:00.005-04:00

Friends of the Library Book Sale!!!

Friday, April 15

9am-5pm

***Friends members only***

Saturday, April 16

9am-5pm

***Open to the public***

at the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library--3100 Emerson Ave; Parkersburg, WV

Book prices range from 25 cents to $1.00 with remainders being sold for $1/bag or $3/box after 12 pm on Saturday.
Preferred payment method is cash, but checks will be accepted.
Patrons can also make direct monetary donations to the Friends of the Library organization at the book sale, but we would prefer that any book donations be received in advance.
You can become a member of the Friends of the Library the day of the sale. Membership dues are $2/year for individuals and $5/year for families.
The Friends' fundraising goal for this weekend's sale is $3,000. This will help provide for Summer Reading Programs, the group's contribution to the literacy program, and funding special library purchases.

Do you love your library? Then become a Friends member and be part of the effort to make our library the best that it can be. Watch this blog and our facebook page for more information about upcoming Friends of the Library meetings and opportunities for you to get involved in the work of this important organization.

It's the Bookmobile Lady!

2011-04-13T15:00:00.009-04:00

Today is National Bookmobile Day, so it seems fitting that we take time out to recognize and learn a little more about our bookmobile librarian for the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library, Diane Mercier. A Parkersburg resident, Diane used the old Carnegie library on Green Street as a child and is not only a librarian herself now, but a real mover and shaker, driving our bookmobile van to locations throughout the county.

Rachel Hyde: How long have you been the bookmobile driver?
Diane Mercier: Seven years! I didn't realize it had been that long.

RH: How is being the bookmobile librarian different from working at one of the branches?
DM: It is different. I like it because I am on my own and I go to the same places and have the same patrons every week. You get much more familiar with people, especially the kids. I have some kids that I started having them as patrons on the bookmobile when they were toddlers in daycare center and now I visit them in elementary school and they are in third grade.

RH: For those who have never seen it, What exactly is the bookmobile?
DM: It is a traveling library!

RH: Does it offer the same services as the other libraries?
DM: I don't have as much variety on the bookmobile, but I can bring anything to people that they request, so my patrons have access to everything that is in the system.

RH: What types of materials do you have on the bookmobile?

DM: I carry adult large print, juvenile fiction and non-fiction, easy readers and some young adult fiction.

RH: Where all does the bookmobile go?
DM: I go to three elemetary schools, all of the Headstart programs in Wood county, several daycare centers and three nursing homes.

RH: What sort of feedback do you get from the patrons on your route?

DM: The kids are always thrilled to see the bookmobile and the schools that I go to don’t have large libraries, so the teachers even take advantage of the bookmobile for things that they need, too. My readers at the nursing homes are excited to get the large print books and I even switch out the talking books from the Talking Books service for the blind and handicapped for them. What is difficult about the nursing homes is that you get patrons you have taken materials to for two or three years and then they pass away. It is like losing a friend. You learn so much about these people.

RH: What is one of your favorite memories from the bookmobile so far?

DM: The funniest thing that I ever had happen to me happens frequently now, but it really surprised me the first time. My daughter and I were in Walmart one day and a child and her parent came running after us, pretty much chasing us through Walmart. They came running up to me and it was all because the child was so excited to say "Hi" to me because I was the "Bookmobile Lady." It still happens. [laughs] My kids tease me about being a celebrity.

RH: How has being the bookmobile driver impacted you personally?
DM: The thing that amazes me the most when I go to the elementary schools or preschools is the amount of kids that have never been to any library before--and here I can bring it to them every week. It amazes me that they have never got to experience what the library has to offer and I can give it to them.

RH: What does someone need to do if they have an organization they would like added to the bookmobile route?

DM: Well, it does not go to individual homes. I do have a set route I go to every two weeks and you can ask that a group be added to it. You can contact the director [Brian Raitz] or myself and ask to be added to the route next fall when we do the schedule for that school year.

Learn more about bookmobiles and National Bookmobile Day here http://atyourlibrary.org/celebrate-national-bookmobile-day

National Library Week: Twaiku Contest!

2011-04-11T18:21:00.005-04:00

What do you love about libraries? How has the library changed your life? Share your personal library story via a twaiku (Twitter haiku) on Twitter.com with the tag #nlwtwaiku and you could win a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com! Read all about it on The Campaign for America's Libraries site here.

If You Like Meg Cabot...

2011-04-07T15:20:00.008-04:00

Chick Lit, Humorous Love Stories

Then you May like...

Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

Confessions of a Not It Girl by Melissa Kantor

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon

Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jacylyn Moriarty

Girls in Love series by Jacqueline Wilson

Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar

Jason and Kyra by Dana Davidson

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

LBD: It's a Girl Thing by Grace Dent

Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras by Cathy Hopkins

Truth or Dairy by Catherine Clark

April 2011's Author of the Month Randy Wayne White

2011-04-06T08:46:00.010-04:00

New York Times best selling Author, "One of the hottest writers in America" (Booklist), and a Florida Literary Legend, Randy Wayne White has grabbed writing mysteries by the horns. His mysteries featuring a marine biologist Doc Ford and Randy Striker novels have accumulated devoted fans world wide. Randy was a light-tackle fishing guide on Sanibel Island for 13 years and draws heavily on his experiences on the charters for his Doc Ford novels.
"Randy Striker" novels

Key West Connection

The Deep Six

Cuban Death-lift

Assassin's Shadow

Everglades Assault

Grand Cayman Slam

Doc Ford novels

Sanibel Flats

The Heat Islands

The Man Who Invented Florida

Captiva

North of Havana

The Mangrove Coast

Ten Thousand Islands

Shark River

Twelve Mile Limit

Everglades

Tampa Burn

Dead of Night

Dark of Night

Hunter's Moon

Black Widow

Dead Silence

Deep Shadow

Night Vision

Check our Randy Wayne White collection

Did you like Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series?

2011-03-29T16:28:00.010-04:00

Then You May Enjoy...

Harry Hole Series by Jo Nesbo

Chief Inspector Van Veeteren Mysteries by Hakan Nesser

The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg

Detective Superintendant Anders Knutas Mysteries by Mari Jungstedt

Johanne Vik and Adam Stufo Series by Anne Holt

Inspector Sejer Mysteries by Karin Fossum

If You Like Barbara Kingsolver...

2011-03-25T10:33:00.003-04:00

Women's Lives and Relationships, Literary Fiction

You Might Like...

Margaret Atwood

Kaye Gibbons

Alice Hoffman

Anne Rivers Siddons

Anne Tyler

Here are some specific books written similar as well...

Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

The Maytrees by Annie Dillard

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdich

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

If you liked the TWILIGHT Saga by Stephenie Meyer...

2011-03-15T16:40:00.013-04:00

You might enjoy...

Melissa Marr

Ellen Schreiber

Nancy Holder - Wicked Series

Melissa de la Cruz - Blue Bloods Series

L. J. Smith - Vampire Diaries & Night World Series

Libba Bray

Cassandra Clare

Cynthia Thayer

March 2011's Author of the Month - Anne Rivers Siddons

2011-03-01T14:27:00.015-05:00

Anne Rivers Siddons, born 1936, graduate of Auburn University, started her career off as - what people may call, a free minded writer. She knew she was meant to be a writer when she was fired for her powerful articles in an Alabama Newspaper in which gained national attention. It was her articles like these that got her an offer from an editor; eager and interested to have her write a novel. Today Anne writes Domestic Fiction, women and relationship stories, romantic stories, and psycholgical fiction. She states that she doesn't want to romanticize anything, she wants to write about the South as it really is.

Books

Burnt Mountain

Off Season

Sweetwater Creek

Islands

Nora, Nora

Low Country

Up Island

Fault Lines

Downtown

Hill Towns
Colony

Outerbanks

Kind's Oak

Peachtree Road

Homeplace

Fox's Earth

The House Next Door

Heartbreak Hotel

Click Here to view Anne's books in the Catalog.

Two FREE tickets for reading!

2011-02-28T14:54:00.003-05:00

The Emerson Branch Library will give two FREE tickets to the person who checksout and reads the most books from March 1st until March 25th. Courtesy of the WVU-P Criminal Justice Department children grades 1-8 will get to see the Harlem Rockets Comedy Basketball Team coming to Parkersburg South HS on March 26, 2011. For more information ask for Ms. Brenda or Mrs. Tina @ the Emerson library, 304-420-4587 x20.

If You Like Nevada Barr...

2011-02-15T12:19:00.008-05:00

Mystery

Local Children's Author to appear

2011-02-09T15:15:00.007-05:00

The Parkersburg and Wood County Library will have a special guest for story hour on Friday February 25, 2011. Local children's author, Phyllis Johnson will read and sell her book, Betsy Star Ballerina, from 10am until 12noon. Children may dress in ballet attire if they wish.

February 2011's Author of the Month - Orson Scott Card

2011-02-01T10:10:00.023-05:00

Best known for his Science Fiction Novels, Card has written many other forms and genres that appeal to audiences from teens to adults (kind of the Jack of all trades in the writers world). Card is known for his engrossing and moral stories and provocative view of a world in which individuals can make a difference. His stories feature familiar themes--family, duty, and sacrifice--and the battle between good and evil is frequently explored.

In 1978 he won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer from the World Science Fiction Convention. He has wrote screenplays for animated children's videos, written poetry, directed and ventured into writing illustrated novels in the comic series Ultimate Iron Man for Marvel.

Click here to view Card's books available at the library.

Past authors of the Month

James Michener

Maeve Binchy

Click on the labels below to be taken to their blog posts!

If You Like David Baldacci...

2011-01-27T16:19:00.008-05:00

Suspenseful...Fast Paced...Intricate Plots...Twists and Double Crosses...

You may also like...

Steve Martini

Stuart Woods

Nelson DeMille

James Grippando

John Grisham

Michael Connelly

Lisa Scottoline

Scott Turow

Brad Meltzer

Robert Ludlum

Vince Flynn

Richard North Patterson

Robert K. Tanenbaum

If You Like Jeffrey Archer...

2011-01-19T11:00:00.014-05:00

If You Like... Then Try...

2011-01-11T14:09:00.009-05:00

Have you read all titles written by a certain author and want more like them? Keep checking in to our blog to get the latest Author Read-A-Likes A to Z!

This Week check out the Authors that write like VC Andrews...

Sally Beauman

Robin Cook

Marilyn Harris

Victoria Holt

Gloria Murphy

Anne Rice

Whitley Strieber

Mary Higgins Clark

Joy Fielding

January 2011's Author of the Month - Maeve Binchy

2011-01-03T10:16:00.018-05:00

Maeve Binchy, a true Irish storyteller, had her name at the top of Britain's most popular writers list and the New York Times Best Seller's List. Binchy's novels touch on issues such as parent-child relationships and the illusion of love. Her novels do not focus entirely on sex, but their appeal, instead, stems from the author's creation of the ordinary, identifiable characters who love and sometimes lose.

Binchy, as a child would spend her holidays in what she called, "far flung places." "I wrote marvellous long, rambling letters home from these trips, editing out the bits they didn't need to know, bits of falling in love with unsuitable foreigners. In fact, my parents were so impressed with these eager letters from abroad, they got them typed and sent them to a newspaper, and that's how I became a writer." (http://www.maevebinchy.com/)

Check out our Maeve Binchy display downstairs at the Emerson Library. Here are some titles to look for...

Light a Penny Candle

Echoes

The Lilac Bus

Firefly Summer

Circle of Friends

Whitehorn Woods

Heart and Soul

Minding Frankie

Click here to be taken to the library catalog of Maeve Binchy's books

The Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library is ever changing it's displays on the main floor and downstairs. Check out the Main Floor displays located near the circulation desk and the lower level displays located in the main area near the desk also. Check out our Resolutions display upstairs and the Cozy Mysteries and Hen Lit displays downstairs!

Past Authors of the Month

James Michener

Library Closed @ 5pm on 12/16/2010

2010-12-16T15:21:00.004-05:00

The Library will be closing today (Thursday, December 16th) at 5pm due to the snow. Stay Home. You can call the library at (304) 420-4587 ext.12 to check for closings due to weather or holidays.

Sincerely,

Brian E. Raitz, Director

December's Author of the Month - James Michener

2010-12-02T11:42:00.035-05:00

Something we do every month at the Emerson library is recognize an author and display their books. This month we are spotlighting James Michener.

James Albert Michener (February 3, 1907-October 16, 1997) was an American Author of more that 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations and incorporating historical facts within the stories. Michener took upon himself great, meticulous research when writing his novels. Michener was known for his lengthy novels, some of which ran over 1,000 pages and the author stated that he would spend 12 to 15 hours per day for weeks at a time at his typewriter.

His writing started during World War II as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. There, he was a naval historian and turned his notes and impressions into fiction novels. His first, being Tales of the South Pacific, which was produced on Broadway and film musical as South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Money certainly wasn't something Michener gloated about. He selflessly donated over $100 million of his earnings to libraries, universities, museums, and other charities. He also founded a Master's in Fine Arts program now named the Michener Center for Writers and upon his death left his entire $10 million estate and copyrights to his works to his Alma mater, Swarthmore College.

(James Michener on "How to Use a Library")

Books by Michener

Tales of the South Pacific 1947

The Fires of Spring 1949
Return to Paradise 1950
The Bridges at Toko-ri 1953
Sayonara 1954
Hawaii 1959
Caravans 1963
The Source 1965
The Drifters 1971
Centennial 1974
Chesapeake 1978
The Watermen 1978
The Covenant 1980
Space 1982
Poland 1983
Texas 1985
Legacy 1987
Alaska 1988
Caribbean 1989
Journey 1989
The Novel 1991
South Pacific 1992
Mexico 1992
Recessional 1994
Miracle in Seville 1995
Matecumbe 2007

West Virginia Children's Book Week

2010-11-18T17:09:00.011-05:00

In honor of West Virginia Children's Book Week, November 14-20th, here is a sampling of some great children's books by West Virginia authors. Click on a title to go to the library catalog and request a copy today.

Roberta Price has Head Lice! by Cheryl Ware

The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant

Dear Baby: Letters From Your Big Brother by Sarah Sullivan

Only One Neighborhood by Marc Harshman and Barbara Garrison

The Journey: Stories of Migration by Cynthia Rylant

Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby

Mrs. Bindergarten Has a Wild Day in Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

Rocks in My Pockets by Marc Harshman

Sally Arnold by Cheryl Ryan

When I was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant

The Prince of Warwood and the King's Key by J. Noel Cinton

Did we forget your favorite? Mention it in the comments below, so folks know to look for it, too!

My Life in the Stacks: Part Two

2010-11-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

An unavoidable byproduct of blogging about one's relationship with the library is that it forces one to ponder each event in the history of said relationship. All relationships have their golden era, but also times that were less than golden--maybe more of a mustard color, or a muddy brown. Last week, I reminisced about the role the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library played in my childhood. This week, the music is all minor chords and the stage lights darken as I delve into a more dramatic era of my library patron-ship: the teen years.

There are few photos from this era, but I did find this one on the right (in a ninth-grade yearbook from Van Devender Junior High School.) Note that in the photo I am supposedly looking over the proofs for the yearbook. Perhaps I was distracted by my interesting head-wear, as I failed to notice the misspelling of my own last name in the photo's caption (and, yes, I was an eccentric dresser.)

Scene 2: It's not just about the books.

To begin, let's spotlight the real hero, here: The public library. In this case, our public library. Anyone who has spent large amounts of time in a public library can attest that they are havens for the lost and resource-less. That is the great, hidden role of these facilities. Yes, we have books. Yes, we love books. But, it's not just about the books. It's about serving the community in a myriad of ways, some of which can seem greater in priority than being put on hold for the latest bestseller. (It is understood, of course, that the relative urgency of that task varies from patron to patron.)

The set up for the supporting role (that's me): My life from middle school to marriage was--how shall I put this?--marked by upheaval? action-packed? There is no obvious catalyst attributable to a single party, no clear chain of events; life at home became complicated. In fact, I could say that the real force at play during this time was my inner compulsion to solve every problem independent of outside help, even those problems that I could not yet name or understand. I ran away (multiple times). I quit school (multiple times). My priorities changed (multiple times); my residence changed (multiple times); my responsibilities changed. I was desperately passionate, and was not always able to find a constructive outlet for those energies.

(Here is another picture, taken when I returned to school for a brief period when I was seventeen.)

As the audience, watching a decade's worth of my entering and exiting the Emerson branch, all that unfolded before you would underscore that theme stated above: It's not just about the books. Just in this one case, the case of my life, scene after scene demonstrates that statement.

The library provided a safe, warm place, where it was o.k. for me to spend the day even if I had no money in my pocket. (And I could read all the books I wanted while I was there...bonus!)
The library provided a place where I could get free help and unbiased information from adults, even when I had burned that bridge with other adults in my life.
The library provided resources to help me learn about the world--resources I could access on an as-needed basis--even though I had not been able to keep up my attendance obligations as a student and had dropped out of the established educational system.
The library provided a way that I could still have access to library materials, even though I had moved several times and lost some items. (Don't think your future as a patron is over if you have long lost or long overdue materials.)
The library provided public computers on which I could create a basic resume` to aid in applying for jobs.
The library provided assistance in how to obtain my GED and ACT, and a way to study for them.
The library provided free access to the internet and help applying for scholarships and applying to college.
The library provided a wide variety of information about local and general childbirth and parenting resources, a way to learn about what all the options were and the pros and cons of each.

I know that there is more. I know because now I provide those services every day: notarization, computer help, research assistance, community services referral, job search assistance... It is a list that always reflects the needs of our community. Yes, books are big part of it, but it is definitely not just about the books.

To be continued...

Library Mobile App Available to Wood County Patrons

2010-11-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

We are currently testing a mobile connection to the catalog along with library information. You can access your account, renew materials, place holds, check library hours, or even contact us through this site. Check it out if you have a smart phone (droid, iphone, etc.).

A couple quick things about it: start typing in search bar, and you can choose the library (Parkersburg) to search in. This will be a key word search. Secondly, in the top right corner, you can browse for our specific library, and get hours, phone numbers and more.

Tell us what you think!

Library Anywhere Mobile App:
http://www.libanywhere.com/m/312

My Life in the Stacks: Part One

2010-11-04T17:21:00.000-04:00

I am a local girl--born, raised and educated in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Incidentally, that means that the library I work for is the same one where I used to check out Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books as a kid, and no small influence on my life as a whole. From tiny patron to branch librarian, my personal library arc is descriptive of how libraries can shape the lives of their patrons.

Scene 1: I'm the One with the Monkey

You know how you can look back on your childhood and pick out the things that your parents really got right? Well, my mom gets a big green check mark for taking me to the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library. She wasn't able to set me up with the sort of enrichment activities that many of the kids I know today participate in (dance classes, art classes, trips to the theater and museums), but the public library was, is and always will be free.

I was a born bibliophile, and I have hazy memories of desperately negotiating to be able to check out more books than she thought was prudent. In the days before we had a nice backyard, I especially loved taking my new reads out into the grassy area that is now the Arboretum and being able to read them right away in that green and almost pastoral setting.

Unfortunately, my mom didn't seem to take any photos of those early library trips, but I did find this one from circa the same era of a friend and I with an honest-to-goodness monkey in front of G. C. Murphy's. Oh, and this one of me reading a Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia volume while sitting in this awesome chair (pssst: I am holding the book upside-down.)

As I got older, I secretly rejoiced when reports were assigned because that meant I had good reason for cleaning out an entire subject area in juvenile non-fiction and poring over each book, eager to find answers to my questions, and more importantly, to uncover new questions, ones that I never would have thought to ask before.

I don't remember ever going to any story hours, but that is OK, because for me it was the books themselves that were exciting. There were a lot of adult concerns in my younger years that I couldn't control, but each and every time the pre-adolescent me walked into that building on Emerson Avenue, I felt as if I suddenly had super powers. All these magic worlds were mine--the books with fabulous pictures that ignited my love of art, the stories that allowed me to become any character and travel to any land, the heavy tomes that promised I might never run out of new things to learn about--and for fourteen days I could hold them in my lap or stash them under my pillow, reading my favorite parts again and again and memorizing each line of the pictures I loved best. Then, I got to go back and do it all over again.

To be continued...

"Like" us on Facebook

2010-10-26T14:08:00.000-04:00

Hello fellow Bloggers! Do you have a Facebook account? We would like to personally recognize our online "fans" and support, so for the month of November get everyone you know to click "Like" on the top of our Facebook page. We will show our appreciation by having a poster printed out of all our fans together and display it at the library. Spread the word and SUPPORT YOUR LIBRARY!

Check out the link below to see the format of the poster.

Printing Facebook

Have You Heard of Chick Lit and Lad Lit?

2010-10-26T09:04:00.000-04:00

Are you looking for a Smart, Fun, and Modern book written for your gender by your gender? Usually these books target ages from early 20's to late 30's. If your looking for a personal, light, and humorous book in which you can relate to, try a chick or lad lit book today.

Some authors you may already be familiar with are,
Eric Jerome Dickey - Liar's Game, and Lauren Wiseberger - The Devil Wears Prada.

Need help finding a good chick lit or lad lit book? Try these websites to help you get started...

Chick Lit

http://www.candycoveredbooks.com

http://www.chicklitbooks.com

Lad Lit

http://www.librarything.com/tag/lad+lit

http://chicklitbooks.com/sub-genres/lad-lit/

See Nicholas Sparks at the West Virginia Book Festival this Weekend!

2010-10-15T14:44:00.000-04:00

The 10th Annual WV Book Festival will be held in Charleston this Saturday and Sunday, October 16th and 17th. There will be several activities available, including a used book sale and appearance by authors Nicholas Sparks, Diana Gabaldon, and Carmen Deedy as well as historian Dr. James Robertson and West Virginian Jayne Anne Phillips. Admission is free.

For event times, location and detail, please visit the festival website at http://wvbookfestival.org/

South Branch Offers All-ages Story Hour on Friday Mornings

2010-09-23T15:49:00.000-04:00

The South Parkersburg branch library is offering a story hour on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. beginning September 24th. No registration is required and all-ages are welcome. Parents of children two-years old and under are asked to participate with their small child, though, and assist them with activities. Home-schoolers and older children are encouraged to attend, as well.

The story hour will be led by Amy Sandy (read our June interview with "Miss Amy" here), who is the branch librarian for the Waverly library, and will feature crafts, songs, games and stories centered on a different topic each week. The first week's theme will be "Manners with a Library Book" and activities will include a tour of the library and creating a favorite books poster.

When asked why parents should bring their kids to story hour, Miss Amy remarked "Story time is great. It gives children the opportunity to get excited about books and develop a love for reading."

The South Parkersburg library story hours will be held weekly through April 29, 2011. For more information, you can call the South branch at 304-428-7041 or send an email to the South Parkersburg branch librarian at rachel.hyde@park.lib.wv.us

Photo credit: Francesco Marino/ freedigitalphoto.net

Harry Potter Fans!

2010-09-23T12:40:00.000-04:00

We are all gearing up for the the last Harry Potter Movie right? Well J.K. Rowling wanted all her fans to be able to experience her website to the fullest and she now has posted a version specifically for the Blind, Vision Impaired, and Hearing Impaired. Visit the website at http://www.jkrowling.com/ and enter the Accessibility Enabled Version.

Talking Books is a member of the National Library Service

for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Friends Book Sale

2010-09-20T12:43:00.000-04:00

The Friends will have their Fall Book Sale on October 8th and 9th from 9am to 5pm. The sale on Friday the 8th is only for Friends of the Library, but you can purchase a membership at the door for $2. Saturday the 9th is open to the public.

Proceeds from the sale provide financial support to the Parkersburg & Wood County Public Library. In the past, the Friends have given their support to the Library with projects like buying new materials, furniture, support of the Summer Reading Program, computer equipment, and much more.

Escapism Wins: A Review of Jennifer Crusie's Latest

2010-09-16T17:53:00.000-04:00

Here are three great things:

1. Not all books are the same.

2. There is a book for every mood.

3. We, as readers, have the the power to self-diagnose at will and prescribe our own literary panacea.

Normally, I am serious in my selections, seeking ultimately to improve myself in some way: "I am going to read this book because it will make me a better person," and am a bit of a stranger to the chick lit and romance genres.

This Tuesday, though, as I simultaneously browsed the new book shelf hoping to find one to read/review and mourned the fact the seasons are flying by faster than ever, I began thinking "I can't believe it's almost fall and there were so many things I wanted to get done this summer and now I need to start planning for the holiday season and I feel like I am running out of time..." my chest began to tighten, my stress level rose and I realized that perhaps this time I should pick a fun book to read. (There's a novel idea!) So, I went for a little escapism and settled on Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie -- mostly because a Publishers Weekly review assured me the book would be a "bright, fun romp."

The protagonist of Maybe This Time is Andromeda "Andie" Miller, a 34-year-old high-school English teacher who drops in on her ex-husband, successful lawyer and workaholic North Archer, at the book's opening to return ten-years'-worth of uncashed alimony checks and casually mention she is getting remarried to a well-known writer. North has a flash of inspiration, and makes Andie an offer she can't refuse: $10,000 to put her life on hold for one month and play governess to two young orphans, distant cousins under his guardianship who have driven away three nannies in the four months since their Aunt May's mysterious death.

Andie arrives at her new wards' house--an isolated, ominous-looking sixteenth-century structure complete with tower and moat, imported from England by an Archer ancestor--to discover the housekeeper, Mrs. Crumb, is at best a drunk and at worst a criminal, the children are disturbed and withdrawn, and the house is haunted by not one but three ghosts: two malevolent spirits from the house's distant past and the lonely but unstable 19-year-old Aunt May. It isn't long before Andie begins making progress with Alice, 8, and Carter, 12, but as her affection for them grows, so does her desire to remove them from the ghosts' influence. The book is as much romance as ghost story, though, for as her engagement to writer, Will, begins to recede into the background, Andie's feelings for the handsome, if distant, North Archer are (of course) rekindled.

The entire second-half of the book is devoted to a climactic and stormy weekend when North's younger brother arrives at the house with a news-hungry female reporter, her cameraman, a ghost expert and a medium. Their arrival is followed by that of Andie's mother, her fiancee, and finally Andie's ex-mother-in-law and North Archer, himself. I found it impossible to put the book down after I reached this point, and the ensuing mix of social ridiculousness, seances, attempted exorcisms, bedroom antics, and real concern for the children was so riveting the book became a one-night read (never mind that I didn't get any shut eye until 4:30am).

Maybe This Time has a lot going for it in as an escapist read: Andie is colorful, bold and unpretentious, the dialogue is comedic, the plot moves quickly and Crusie seems very comfortable with her characters. The setting is the familiar-to-me Columbus and southern Ohio, and the author managed to include enough detail to make it real for the reader, but not so much that it slowed the action. Looking back, there were only a few places where it fell short for me: my belief in the story was stretched thin during a few of the ghost scenes at the end and North Archer could have been a little more human. Crusie's ghosts walk the line between campy cliche and horror-film scary, but they were frightening enough for this chicken-hearted reader, who, embarrassing as it may be, woke her husband at 3:00 am that night and insisted he escort her to the restroom (which, in my defense, is on a whole other floor of the house).

With Maybe This Time, I feel I got exactly what I was looking for and then some. It wasn't perfect and you probably won't see it appearing on any Contemporary American Literature syllabi anytime soon, but Crusie knows what her audience wants and I am recommending it as an entertaining (weekend!) read this Halloween season. Just make sure you don't have to get up early the next morning.

E-Books - We want your help!

2010-09-10T11:17:00.000-04:00

The library is looking into purchasing E-Books. Please take 2-3 minutes (real short survey) and fill out the following survey to help us determine if we should purchase E-books, and what types.

Click here to take survey

Sincerely,
Brian E. Raitz

New Hours at South Parkersburg Branch

2010-09-03T12:05:00.000-04:00

Starting Tuesday, September 7th, the South Parkersburg branch of the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library will be under new hours of operation. The branch will be open and ready to meet all your library needs Mondays through Thursdays from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Make a note of the new hours and stop in when you are in the area. The South Parkersburg branch is conveniently located at 1713 Blizzard Drive.

Back to School With Talking Books

2010-08-24T12:17:00.000-04:00

Frustrated with reading assignments for class? Is it because the book itself is hard to focus on? Or could it be that you, or a student you know, can't really see the print? Are you worrying about the book list a teacher gave out in class due to visual or physical inabilities? DON'T. Let us help! We know it's not the actual assignment that has you down, it's the ability to do it like everyone else. Let us help you stay on track!

School can get pretty tough and we want students to know about a program that can give them a little hope.

Are you wondering about a student you know or are a teacher or parent wondering how a child with visual or physical disabilities can strive in school? Why not let the Talking Books department help you? Is there a book list that you know a student will need to read for the year but they can't use a standard print book? Let us help you by getting the books in Large Print, Braille, or Audio.

The Talking Books Department is open to partnering with Schools who would like to participate in the program, as well as individual students. Any teacher or school may apply. Students who apply must fall within the guidelines of the program application.

For more information about how Talking Books can help your student or school, call the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library at

304-420-4857 ext 13.

Dictionary.com: Too Cool for Words

2010-08-20T14:16:00.000-04:00

I have been having a lot of fun lately on Dictionary.com. That's right...fun. On a dictionary website. And, I suspect that this isn't just a "librarian thing," either. Now, I have always been a lover of words in general (according to the site that means I'm a logophile) and any reference book in the lexicon family in particular (my favorites include Descriptionary and Word Origins), but there is more to my love of Dictionary.com (part of the larger site, Ask.com). The site's tabs include not only Dictionary, but also Thesaurus, Quotes, Encyclopedia, and Translator (over 50 languages). Features du jour include a Word of the Day, Quote of the Day and Question of the Day. There are word games and amusing little asides, too, and don't miss the frequently entertaining, but always informative site blog, The Hot Word.

More titles for fellow word buffs can be found on our shelves. You might want to check out some of the following:

Weird and Wonderful Words

More Word Histories and Mysteries: from Aardvark to Zombie

They Have a Word for It

Marvelous Monikers

The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary

Book Review: The Bucolic Plague

2010-08-12T14:05:00.000-04:00

When a book causes me to laugh out loud twice — before I even get to page one — I’m pretty sure that I’m going to like it.

From the page just after the dedication:

“This is a memoir of a certain time in my life. The names of some characters have been changed, and some are composites of various people, experiences, and conversations I had then. If you think that’s unfair, you’ve obviously never lived in a small town and written a memoir about your neighbors.”

Author’s caution (from the page after that):

“This book is not about living your dream. It will not inspire you. You will not be emboldened to attempt anything more than making a fresh pot of coffee.”

I was already hooked.

Josh Kilmer-Purcell goes on with that quote to compare The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentleman Farmers to other memoirs that are “written by courageous souls who have broken with their past, poetically leaving behind things such as drugs, career ennui, and bad relationships.” Of course he’s writing with tongue firmly in cheek, and as an advertising exec, he’s learned the value in setting the bar low so as to exceed expectations.

With a little knowledge of the book’s subjects, I was ready to dive head-first into their story. I was first turned on to The Fabulous Beekman Boys by my partner a few weeks back. One of its stars, Dr. Brent Ridge, was the Vice President of Healthy Living at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and was instrumental in developing the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City. The author, his partner of ten years, is a former drag queen and ad executive-turned-author. Within the first few episodes of the TV program, I began seeing similarities between their relationship and mine.

It was one of the first things that intrigued me about my partner: his fascination with and admiration for Martha Stewart, domestic goddess. He had even interned on her talk show during his freshman year at Marymount Manhattan. But despite an educational history in journalism and a love of the written word, I wouldn't quite classify myself as a writer. (Not to mention I’ve never worn a dress in my life!). Now if only we could afford to retire to a million-dollar estate in upstate New York!

Moving on…

The first year they experience at the Beekman (while commuting on weekends from high-powered jobs in Manhattan) is full of joy and discovery. Their weekends become the days they are fully alive, toiling in the soil, wearing knee high barn-mucking boots, enjoying goat cheese and heirloom vegetables as the fruits of their labor.After buying a mansion and farm as a weekend getaway from their busy lives in Manhattan, Josh was inspired after attending an Oprah taping to figure out how he could really live his “best life.” He decided to achieve this by living full time in the bucolic setting of their new country home, growing vegetables, raising goats and becoming a part of the local community.

They beautified the run-down 200-year-old New York showplace just beyond Albany. They didn't even have to aggrandize its name. The grand white house, complete with 60 acres and “a perfect red barn in the architectural style of Fisher-Price,” was already known as the Beekman Mansion.

After an appearance on The Martha Stewart Show, the couple’s goat’s milk soap business and their Beekman1802 brand takes off, causing what was meant to be an escape and a place of restoration to become a plague — on their relationship and to their time off.

By year two, they try to make a go of full time farm living. They learn just how challenging surviving as a farmer in a small, depressed community actually is. Things seriously spiral downward for the couple as they suffer, argue and stress about how exactly to make this work.

There really isn't a resolution by the journey's end. Things get very hard, very frustrating, and about as far from the idyllic life they're selling as possible. Yet I still felt engaged in these men's intensely interesting attempt to live authentic, simple, rural lives in a lovely and faintly decaying farm mansion. I wanted them to return to the happiness of their first year at the Beekman Farm. I want to have my own Beekman Farm, actually, in spite of the difficulties reality would impose.

The humor in this book kept me flying through the pages, as did Brent and Josh’s struggles and extraordinary experiences (like creating and cooking from their heirloom garden). I came to care about this farm, the community, and its owners. I wanted to see them succeed, because their effort and intent was courageous, but also to prove to myself that it was possible to go for it and achieve your dream, to live your “best life.”

The Fabulous Beekman Boys can be followed on the small screen on Discovery’s Planet Green and was just picked up for a second season. For more information, visit Beekman1802.com.

Click here to put yourself on hold for The Bucolic Plague.

Let's Get Digital

2010-08-11T11:10:00.000-04:00

Talking Books is making things easier for it's consumers! Digital Books are here! No more searching for the right cassette, flipping, rewinding, etc. The entire book is on one cartridge, making the casing smaller and less hassle with multiple cassettes. Just insert the digital book into the new player and push play. You'll love the new player! It's smaller, less hassle, and double the battery life of the cassette player. Search chapter to chapter instead of fast forwarding and switch between books and the machine automatically knows where you stopped with each one. How much better could it get? Call in or stop by if you would like more information or a demonstration on the digital books and player. Remember, disabilities do not have to be permanent to be eligible for this program. For more information on eligibility check out my earlier post or go to http://parkersburg.lib.wv.us/BlindHand.html

5 Ways the Library Makes Back-to-School Easier

2010-08-05T17:05:00.000-04:00

1. Find out what they need to know. We have books that list and/or offer short-lessons on the learning requirements for each grade. Review material from the grade before, or get a head start on this year with books like What Your First Grader Needs to Know and the rest of the Core Knowledge series, the Making the Grade series, or Home Learning Year by Year. You can also search West Virginia’s Content Standards and Objectives by grade to see what local schools require.

2. Use the internet for free and make low-cost print-outs. All of our branches offer free internet services for you or your child. Children under the age of sixteen will need a parent's permission and anyone wishing to use the internet needs their library card. Visit school websites, print-out academic calendars, and, once school starts, you can print out reports and other homework assignments for ten-cents a page.

3. Take advantage of our on-line subscriptions to enhance learning. The library subscribes to several on-line databases and research sites that can help kids and adults alike. Visit the library website to use Kids Search and Student Research Center from EBSCO, Grolier Online and Grolier Online Kids, Searchasaurus and more. You may need to obtain a password from the library.

4. Get help from a reference librarian or a tutor. If there is a question you just can’t find the answer to, you can ask the reference librarian to research it and they will do their best to find the answer for you. Also, if your child needs some extra help on a regular basis this year you might consider one of the many independent tutors that use the library space.

5. Research education alternatives. If you are considering homeschooling or private school, you can find out more about those topics at your library, too. Many branches maintain a resource file for local home-schoolers, or you might check out some of the following titles: The Parent’s Guide to Alternatives in Education, How to Pick a Perfect Private School, The Homeschooling Book of Answers, The Homeschooling Handbook, or Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling.

Quote regarding libraries -

2010-07-22T10:30:00.000-04:00

The people who welcome us to the library are idealists who believe that accurate information leads to good decisions and that exposure to the intellectual riches of civilization leads to a better world. The next Abraham Lincoln could be sitting in their library, teaching himself all he needs to know to save the country. While they help us get online, employed and informed, librarians don’t try to sell us anything. Nor do they turn around and broadcast our problems, send us spam, or keep a record of our interests and needs, because no matter how savvy this profession is at navigating the online world, it clings to that old-fashioned value, privacy. (A profession dedicated to privacy in charge of our public computers? That’s brilliant.) They represent the best civic value out there, an army of resourceful workers that can help us compete in the world.”

—Marilyn Johnson, author of This Book Is Overdue! in “U.S. Public Libraries: We Lose Them at Our Peril,” editorial in Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2010

For more quotes like this visit Amercan Libraries.

NoveList Updated

2010-07-21T09:29:00.000-04:00

New release will include, but is not limited to, the following updates...
• Quick and easy access to reading recommendations for every title and every series
• New author pages with recommendations for similar authors
• More intuitive searching
• Addition of Appeal Factors (storyline, pace, writing style, and tone. Examples: plot-driven, fast-paced, heartwarming, steamy, lyrical, witty, and violent).
• New page in K-8 and K-8 Plus dedicated to helping parents find books for their children

Try it out by going to our website, click on NoveList, log in (wood / library), and click on Beta Version.

Have you heard of the Talking Books Department?

2010-07-13T11:19:00.000-04:00

The Parkersburg and Wood County Library Talking Books Department serves hundreds of qualifying residents throughout Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt and Wood Counties who cannot read standard print materials due to a visual or physical impairment, whether temporary or permanent. We are a Sub regional Talking Books Library through the West Virginia Library Commission.

Our mission at the Parkersburg Library is to give those that have physical or visual impairments the same library service as those with no impairments and with this program all of this is achievable.

Who is Eligible for the program? Residents of the above counties who are unable to read standard print materials as a result of a temporary or permanent visual or physical impairment qualify for services. This includes individuals who cannot turn the pages of a print book, or are unable to hold a print book. Both individuals and organizations, such as schools, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers are eligible for the program as well.

Through this program, an eligible individual or organization can take advantage of the following services provided...

Postage Free Mail. This program is completely free, including postage!

Recorded Digital Format Books. All your popular authors on recorded audio.

Braille Books and magazines.

Recorded magazines.

Newspapers.

Descriptive Videos.

Downloadable audio books.

All equipment needed for the program is shipped to the consumer free of charge.

Most of these services can be can be shipped through the mail, making it more accessible for our patrons.

How to Apply.

There are 3 easy ways to apply for the program.

1. Visit the Parkersburg Library on Emerson Ave.
2. Call to have an application mailed to you. 1-304-420-4587 ext. 13
3. Visit http://wvlc.lib.wv.us/specialservices/html/gettingstarted.html and click on the Download application link.

Don't let this program go unknown! Tell everyone you know that this program is out there! We have no waiting list so please don't be shy about applying.

Summer Fun for Your Ears

2010-07-08T14:38:00.001-04:00

OK, so you are ready to hit the road for your big family vacation: Sunscreen? Check. Swimsuits? Check. Audiobooks from your local library?...
What!?! You were just going to listen to the radio!?! In our family, whether we are traveling with the kids or alone, choosing books on CD or cassette to listen to while en route is a road trip must. Audiobooks range in length from thirty minutes or less for picture book and cassette/CD sets, to thirty-plus hours for large, unabridged novels. You can find the length in the item's description in the on-line catalog, or printed on the back of the item's case, so it is easy to choose titles matched to your travel time.

Kids in tow? Five reasons why audiobooks is the way to go.

Captivate them with one of your own childhood favorites. If you have tried in vain for the last three years to get your twelve year-old to read The Indian in the Cupboard, A Wrinkle in Time, or whatever your favorite chapter book from childhood was, now is your chance. A book that may not be able to hold your child's attention in print can be downright addictive when read-aloud by a professional actor. They will still be glued to their seats, begging to listen to "just one more chapter" when you begin unloading the car at your destination. (Tip: Check out the print version, too, so if they can't wait for the next installment they can read on by themselves.)
Find out what the fuss is all about. Is your teenage daughter a Twilight fanatic? Check-out the CD-version of Twilight, and listen together so you can have that all important Edward vs. Jacob discussion. If seeing the new Twilight movie, Eclipse, is part of her summer plans, get the book on CD to listen to first. Or get the latest by the author, Stephanie Meyer, and play it on the car's audio system to guarantee an earbud/iPod/cellphone-free trip.
3. Help them get ahead while getting there. Some schools or summer programs issue kids a summer reading list to be completed by the end of the season. Check the titles and see if you can get any audiobook versions to listen to on your trip. Examples of classics that are often included on these lists and are available on CD include: The Door in the Wall, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and Old Yeller.
Provide them with a fuller experience of your vacation destination. Going to the beach? Listen to an ocean-themed book like The Tail of Emily Windsap or Call it Courage. Camping in the woods? Try My Side of the Mountain. Visiting New York City? Check out The Cricket in Times Square. How about Disneyworld? Preface the mania of the mega-park with some true-as-folk, old-fashioned fairy tales.
Start a series to help the hours pass. If you know you are going to be spending more hours in the car than you would like to think about, try starting a kid's series on audiobook. Check out the first few audiobooks in the series, if you can, and as your family gets drawn into the story, the hours (and miles) will seem to fly. Try Harry Potter (the audiobook versions are superbly entertaining), the Prydain Chronicles (the movie The Black Cauldron came from this series), Gregor the Overlander, Laura Ingalls Wilder or The Chronicles of Narnia (a new Narnia movie is coming out in 3D this winter, another bonus).

Adults only? Three ways audiobooks make vacation time sweeter.

Catch up on all those novels you were hoping to read this winter. Pick up the audio versions of some of this years fiction bestsellers, like The 9th Judgement, The Shadow of Your Smile or House Rules. This is a good activity if you are traveling as a couple, as it gives you a new shared experience and good conversation material for later.
Learn something new. Challenge yourself with some non-fiction audiobooks. Utilize your drive time to expand your understanding of personal finance, healthy eating, or philosophy. We also offer several biographies on CD.
Download e-audiobooks for ultimate convenience. If you haven't taken advantage of our downloadable e-audiobooks, yet, summer is the perfect time. Just contact the reference librarian at 304-420-4587 ext. 21 to set up your password and then visit Netlibrary. You can choose any e-audiobook and instantly download it to your iPod or other listening device. You don't even have to leave your house!

WV Author Flashes His "Shorts"

2010-07-02T11:27:00.000-04:00

'Ever heard of flash fiction? Flash fiction is a genre of super-abbreviated short stories, concise little nuggets that can be taken in snippets here and there. A story has to be under 1,000 words to qualify as flash fiction, but some are much shorter than that. I just learned the term myself when I was introduced to the work of flash fiction author, Salvatore Buttaci. Mr. Buttaci lives in Princeton, West Virginia with his wife Sharon and has been writing for most of his life. A former marketing exec and English teacher, Buttaci's also authored A Family of Sicilians, and multiple volumes of poetry. I interviewed him Wednesday night to learn about his latest project, a collection of flash fiction titled Flashing My Shorts (All Things That Matter Press, 158 pages, ISBN 9780984259472).

RH: Your bio says that you have been writing since childhood. What first got you interested in writing?

Buttaci: I think I was about 9 years old. Most writers usually start pretty young. We've all heard a story like this one before: I wrote a poem for my mother for Mother's Day. When I gave it to her, she liked it so much she cried. You know, I was afraid I had hurt her in some way! My father came over and he read it and he said that now I had to write one for him for Father's Day--and that was it. They were always there to encourage me. I was lucky. As a teacher, I saw

too many who could have been writers, but didn't receive that support.

RH: Where did you grow up? Are you a writer with strong sense of place, of origin?

Buttaci: Oh, yes. I grew up in Brooklyn. We lived in a cold-water flat in a tenement house and went to Catholic school. My father worked two jobs. My mother took care of us. And those were the happiest days of my life.

We lived in the Williamsburg section in Brooklyn, it was primarily a Hasidic area, but there were Italians, some African Americans--a lot of different ethnic groups--and everyone was kind to each other, you know. We all went to church, or synagogue or wherever, but a lot of our moral education came from the neighborhood.

RH: Did you have any favorite authors or poets as a child? Had you read something that made you want to write that first poem?

Buttaci: Yes. I recall being in the library on a Saturday, doing some work for school and accidentally, although nothing happens in this life accidentally, I found sitting on top this desk a book by this lady poet Rosa Zagnoni Marinoni, an Arkansas poet laureate. I happened to be done with my work and picked up that little thin book--she had written nature poems and characterizations and it was very interesting. After that I tried to read as much poetry as I could.

I read a lot of local poets, poets from Brooklyn and New York. This was in the 1950s.

RH: Let's talk about your current project. Right now you have a book for sale on Amazon called Flashing My Shorts. I have seen it described as flash fiction and microfiction, which term do you prefer?

Buttaci: Flash fiction. Microfiction, to me, is a little shorter than flash fiction. My book has stories that are 50 words, 100 words long, but no story is over 1,000 words.

RH: What about flash fiction might attract a reader who usually reads in another genre, say novels?

Buttaci: The reason I wrote the book is that I like flash fiction myself--both writing it and reading it--and also because in this world of ours everyone is in a hurry: fast cars, fast food...and people don't really have time to pick up a book and read it through. But flash fiction is like when you go to a restaurant and it is a smorgasbord. You can have some of this or some of that. With a book like mine you can read a little bit anywhere: one story at the bus stop, one at lunch. In other words, you are not committed to reading long chapters at a stretch. A lot of people seem to like that.

RH: I noticed that. You have a lot of positive reviews on Amazon!

Buttaci: I think is is a book anyone would enjoy. It has all kinds of stories: horror, love, crime...and there are humorous stories, because I love humor, too. I know I am prejudiced, it is my book, but I have bought books and not been excited by them and I am happy that the people who are reading my book are saying that they have read it again and again. I think the computer age helped it [flash fiction] along. Just imagine reading a novel on a computer, it is difficult. So, flash fiction you can sit down and read it and be done in one sitting.

RH: Is Flashing My Shorts available in an e-book format?

Buttaci: It is not available for Kindle or any other e-readers, but it will be available at Barnes and Noble in August and you can get it on Amazon or from the publisher right now. [You can also check it out from the Parkersburg Library-RH] I sell copies at speaking engagements. I speak to groups about my growing up years and writing. The response has been good.

RH: Over what range of time did you write these stories?

Buttaci: I came up with the title Flashing My Shorts first and I had a handful of these stories. I told it to a friend of mine, Nancy Schrader, who had a book of haiku, published by All Things That Matter Press and talked to her publisher. I sent him five examples, five little stories I already had. So, he said, "OK, now go back and give me over 150." And then I had to write them! It took me a little over three months to get them all. The book came out in January. It has taken me a little longer to write the ones for the follow-up one which has 175.

RH: So, how many separate stories are in Flashing My Shorts?

Buttaci: 164 stories.

RH: All under 1,000 words? Do you have to do a lot of editing after your first drafts, or are the stories this concise in their initial form?

Buttaci: Sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes the answer is no. I have written stories 6,000 words long and because I decided I want them in this form, I have cut it all the way down to 1,000. Many of them I just wrote like this, though. Maybe it is because of the practice. I write every single day. I write poetry, short stories, flash fiction, and novels. I have two [novels] that I am editing right now. The ideas come from everywhere.

When I write, I envision the scene of the story. I try to imagine what the story looks like as if it is a movie. Then, my next step is to find an opening sentence that is a hook enough to drag the reader in, and then, after that I can write--and usually I can keep it down to under 300
words.

I remember in high school, when I started submitting things for publication, and an editor said you are a good writer but you are not giving your reader foreshadowing. I went and looked it up! Then, things got a little bit easier.

RH: How does writing flash fiction compare to writing drama or poetry or songs? I saw that you are also a songwriter.

Buttaci: Well, I write for Nanowrimo. It is a project where you commit to writing at least 60,000 words in the month of November. That is how I wrote my novels. In writing a novel, I use index cards and do scene by scene in my head and put some bios of characters onto the index cards, too.

RH: How much time a day you you devote to writing?

Buttaci: Now that I am retired, I will write 5 or 6 hours a day. But I am writing all the time, really--while I am watching TV, whenever.

RH: What keeps you writing?

Buttaci: I always tell people: I am an addict. People say: what are you hooked on? I say: writing. Not because it will kill me if I write or not write--it leaves kind of a sadness in me when I don't write because I don't like how the absence of it makes me feel.

I keep that little pad with me always and jot down something that will start me off.

RH: Does everything become a story or a poem?

Buttaci: Some of it is just free-writing. I have about 300 pocket pads where I scribbled notes, but then I go through them and look for things. There is always something in the works.

When I write poetry it is different. I just sit down and I let the poem carry me--but I
am at a loss if I don't write at all.

RH: What do you like to read?

Buttaci: I read a lot of books about writing. I always keep a Harbrace English handbook ready to make sure my grammar is correct, even though I taught it for 30 years (laughs).

I read all kinds of books, too--seven or eight books at a time. I just finished this Folsom espionage novel, The Exile--which I highly recommend--and Jeffery Deaver's The Twelfth Card. I like biography. I love history. I like all kinds of reading.

RH: Who has influenced you as a poet?

Buttaci: Well, the poet Marinoni, that first one, and, Leonard Cohen--to me he is a true poet. Why not? He influenced me the greatest. I read a lot of the Spanish poets: Neruda, Vallejo--I keep going back to their poems.

RH: What is your next project?

Buttaci: There is this next book of flash fiction. The stories are fiction but many of them are from that Williamsburg neighborhood.

I have two novels that I am editing, also. One is called Carmelu, the Sicilian. I have done a lot of work in Sicilian-American groups combating media bias. This novel is about a Sicilian who becomes an actor who portrays gangsters on film and then in his old age tries to rectify what he has done in non-violent ways. Then, I have a science fiction one called Denver-under-Dome. It is alternate history/time travel. Those were both Nanowrimo projects. It will take me four months to edit each one and get it ready. I hope everyone remembers me when my next book comes out too...that's the dream of the writer.

RH: Any last comments to our blog readers?

Buttaci: I would like to say to the blog readers who are writers, often what happens is that people write and then they get discouraged because no one is reading them. You know, you have to keep doing it. You have to keep studying the craft and reading the works of others who are already established, because they know the craft. Learn the craft and keep doing it, never stop. Write every day. Get better and better and then have the courage and confidence to send material out and then, when you get rejected, try not to take it personally.

Talking Books is Looking for Volunteers!

2010-07-01T14:12:00.000-04:00

Can You Spare Some Time to Those That are Vision or Physically Impaired?

If you can spare

a few hours a week to help

us share the joys of reading with people

unable to read regular print, then the

Talking Books Department

is looking for YOU!

For more information call

304-420-8587 EXT. 13

or
email: bhdept@park.lib.wv.us
or

stop by the Emerson Library

Have You Met Your Friendly, Neighborhood Librarian, Yet?

2010-06-23T13:59:00.000-04:00

We all have experienced it--running into someone who seems familiar, yet you still can't seem to find a name to go along with the face, especially when you are seeing them out of context: the cashier from the grocery, the nurse from your doctor's office, that nice young man that always helps you find the book you need at the library. So that you might better know the faces (and the people behind them) at your local library, once in a while we will publish a post introducing you to one of our great staff members.

Meet Amy Sandy. You may recognize her from the circulation desk of the Emerson or Waverly branches: the petite brunette who always seems to be smiling. Amy has worked for the library since February of 2006; first, as part of the circulation staff at Emerson and as the story hour librarian for the South Parkersburg Branch and South Parkersburg Baptist Preschool, and now as the branch librarian for the Waverly library. Amy and her husband have an eight-year-old son and welcomed a new baby daughter in 2009.

Amy is managing the Summer Reading programs for both the South Parkersburg and Waverly branches this year. She was here at the South branch on Monday to conduct the first activities of the summer, and was kind enough grant me an interview after all the fun and splashing died down.

RH: What is planned for the Summer Reading Programs at the Waverly and South Parkersburg branches this summer?

Amy Sandy: At Waverly, we are having a story time on Wednesdays at 10am where we will be doing activities involving water. Themes will include pirates, ice cream and bubbles. The program at Waverly is still open to any kids in the community there who would like to participate.

We have a "Make a Splash, Read!" theme at the South Parkersburg Branch this year. There are two field trips lined up: a boat ride to Blennerhasset Island [this took place today] and one at Southwood pool and slide. The registration for the program at South is already full and the children seemed to really enjoy the first day, especially looking through the microscope and the crawdads.

(PHOTO AT LEFT: Elijah-Blue Rubart got a little wet splashing at the South branch on June 22.)

RH: How does being the librarian for the Waverly branch compare to working at the big library on Emerson Avenue?

Amy Sandy: The biggest thing is really the personal interaction. You get to be more personal with the patrons. You just don't get time for that at the main library. Waverly is slower paced, too, and I get to work one-on-one with the children at the school.

RH: Why do you think libraries are important?

Amy Sandy: I think they are important because they offer free materials, books, DVDs--things that otherwise some people may not be able to have access to.

RH: What is your favorite part of working for the library?

Amy Sandy: My favorite part is definitely getting to share books and knowledge with the public.

RH: What are your some of you favorite books, then?

Amy Sandy: I like the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer and anything from Janette Oke. A favorite children's book I would recommend is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

RH: Wow...those things are very different!

Amy Sandy: Yes!

RH: If you could tell each and every library patron one thing, what would it be?

Amy Sandy: Visit the library on a regular basis, because there is always something new, and...don't forget your library card.

NPR Story on Digital Libraries

2010-06-22T12:20:00.000-04:00

Listeners may have heard the NPR story on Digital Libraries during this morning's drive. The meat of the story talked about how indispensable libraries are in communities, because there is still a digital divide with many people unable to have personal broadband access to the internet at home or work. The story also looked at how many libraries are suffering from funding cuts (Parkersburg also) and reduced hours (not yet here). The story throws around a lot of statistics that emphasize the need for libraries, but it misses the boat in terms of personal stories about the service. There is the out of work person coming in to submit job applications (have to be done online), search for jobs, or even take tests to improve their ability to get a job. There are the family members of those in the military who use chat rooms, messaging and email to communicate with their loved ones. There are those needing medical information about a recent diagnosis, medication, or treatment that is coming their way.
What would happen if you had to go without your access to the internet at home or work? Where would you go? How would your life be different if there was no place to go?

Appalachian Author Gets Ambitious in Mexico, a Book Review

2010-06-17T16:24:00.000-04:00

Barbara Kingsolver, the Kentucky-born author of The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer, takes some risks in her newest novel, The Lacuna (Harper, 507 pages, ISBN 9780060852573). Here's a list of just a few of the elements from The Lacuna that might have paralyzed the hand of a less courageous writer: the author leaves her Appalachian roots behind and sets most of the story firmly in Mexico, even including some Spanish dialogue for good measure; the action takes place over a forty-year timeline, in at least two countries; characters include the historic personages of Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Lev Trotsky; the plot includes ancient Aztec and Mayan civilization, the Spanish conquest, rural and urban Mexican life in the early 20th century, the Russian revolution, the Mexican Revolution, the Great Depression, two world wars, Communism, McCarthyism, the politics of the art world, and small town life in the American South; and, like a bug on the windshield of that colossal 747 of a plot--a complex, private protagonist who struggles with his sexual orientation and is fated to be misunderstood by all but a few of his contemporaries.

Really? Really, Barbara Kingsolver, you think you can put all that in one novel? Well, she did, and not only was it successful (she won the international Orange Prize for Fiction for the book on June 9, 2010. The judges cited the book's scale and "moments of poignancy," see link.), but it embodies the very quality that makes her other books so commendable: a very real sense of humanity and an adeptly-crafted, inside look at how the big issues of the world impact the life of a few individuals. While it doesn't have the romantic action of Prodigal Summer, which is still my favorite of her novels, The Lacuna creates that palpable intimacy between the reader and the characters, maintaining believability in even its most ambitious moments.

It could be said that I have a special place in my heart for Kingsolver's writing, though. At some point after I began working for the library, it dawned on me that I was going to have to start reading fiction. I had spent most of my adult life after college reading non-fiction (for my benefit) and children's literature (for my kids'), when I learned that to be able to recommend authors to patrons, I was going to have to actually read some novels. I went through several popular titles I expected to like, only to be left frustrated when the protagonist did something completely out of character or the reality the story created became flawed and shadowy. I had recently listened to the audiobook of Kingsolver's non-fiction work on eating local and organic foods, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and, as a West Virginia girl, had immediately felt at home with the Appalachian lilt of her voice (a slight stumbling-block on the first CD of the author-read, audiobook version of The Lacuna) and her no-nonsense approach. I checked out and read in one night, The Bean Trees, her first novel and have been a fan ever since. These days I am reading and enjoying other fiction authors, like Isabel Allende, as well, but you can be sure to find a copy of Kingsolver's next book on my night stand.