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One of my favorite things about checking out library materials is the fact that I can check out new things, whether they are books, movies, TV shows, or magazines, for free. I love it! Not sure about that new movie? Check it out first to see if you like it. Want to catch up on the gossip magazines without paying $5 an issue? Check them out from the library! Don’t feel like spending $40 on the doorstopper that is The Goldfinch? That’s ok, just check it out from the library!

I only occasionally run into snags with this system. Maybe I’m on vacation already and can’t stop by the library because it’s in Ohio and I’m in North Carolina, or maybe I don’t think I can fit those 5 books into my carry-on and still manage to lift it over my head once I get on the airplane. Sometimes, it’s even simpler: my Sunday afternoon is suddenly wide open, and the library is closed for the day. Fortunately, the library has a wealth of digital resources that can be accessed from anywhere with a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Axis 360 is one of my favorite digital resources the library provides. It’s like a hidden treasure trove of new, popular titles, and usually there is almost no wait time. It doesn’t have hundreds of older titles, but I’m almost always able to get the newest bestsellers with long wait lists on the print editions.  It’s my go-to for these newer titles–I was able to check out and read The Girl on the Train without any wait time at all 🙂

Another one of my favorites is Flipster. It’s the library’s new eMagazine service. The best part about Flipster: you never have to wait (ever). I use it all the time to read the more popular magazines, especially the weeklies. It’s really easy to download and print pages, which is helpful when I find a new recipe or an article I don’t want to lose. Plus, I’m able to read the Sports Illustrated articles on the latest March Madness developments before the tournament ends in a couple of weeks.

Don’t get me wrong: I still love a good, physical book. It has a heft that you just can’t beat. But when I can’t wait to get my handson a new title (this happens frequently), or I’m traveling and don’t want to increase the weight of my suitcase by 30 pounds, or when the library is closed, etc., going digital provides the solution. And the bottom line is, whether it’s print or it’s digital, as long as I’m reading, I’m happy 🙂

-Kathryn Green, Technology Manager

“What do you mean, you never read The Giver?”

Thus began a lengthy discussion with my roommate about what we had to read in school. She shook her head at me, suddenly suspicious of my education, since I had been cheated out of Lois Lowry.

Neither had I suffered through A Brave New World or Their Eyes Were Watching God. I had not read Heart of Darkness in high school, but I had to for a college course, which I think was probably worse.

In regards to Steinbeck, I have my roommate soundly beat. She never read The Pearl or Cannery Row or The Grapes of Wrath.

We both had to read To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, and, to our mutual dismay, Wuthering Heights.

Both of us had the freedom to choose what books we read for our book reports, though my roommate had to choose from a list. I almost shivered when she said that. I had no such list to go by. I distinctly remember reading Nerd in Shining Armor by Vicki Lewis Thompson (an adult romance), All-American Girl by Meg Cabot (a tween book), and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (yes, all three of them, thanks to a boxed set I got for Christmas). In other words, I used that freedom to explore all kinds of books, not just the ones that would have made it onto a teacher’s reading list. To not have had that freedom – I dread to think what I would have ended up reading.

The discussion went on to include the best stories by Edgar Allan Poe and left me with some observations about the books we have to read in school.

First of all, my librarian brain noticed immediately that the vast majority of the books we talked about have been banned or at least challenged at one point or another.

I also wondered about the reputations that some of these authors have. In school, I never read a comedy by Shakespeare. It was all tragedy, all the time. If I hadn’t been a complete Nerd and read A Midsummer Night’s Dream on my own, I’d never have known that the Bard can be funny. Likewise, if I had only been forced to read The Pearl, I would never have picked up a Steinbeck by choice. It wasn’t until I had to read Cannery Row that I recognized Steinbeck’s entertainment value and searched out more Steinbeck at the library.

I believe that what we read in our youth, especially what we read in school, has the capacity to make or break us as readers. If we like it, we’re set for life. If we have the freedom to read what we like, not just what we have to, we’ll learn the value in all reading, not just in high literature.

Part of the fun of reading is being able to explore different worlds. There really is something for everyone. Luckily for us, we have libraries to help us find the right book, even if we missed it in school.

Liz

-Teen Librarian

PS: After having this discussion with my roommate, I did, in fact, check out The Giver, and it is, as she said, awesome.

Here in the Tuscarawas Valley it really is not a big deal when you see an Amish buggy rolling down a country road. Amish patrons use our library and Amish fiction is one of the highest circulating genres at the library. Many of us have worked with or gone to school with Amish people. Still, there is no question that Amish life and culture intrigues most of us. How do they continue to live the way they do in this modern age? What is true and what is myth about their way of life? Are they really that happy? In an attempt to answer some of these questions, the library is pleased to announce that Brenda Nixon will be speaking on Saturday, March 21 at 2:00 PM. Her program is “Beyond Buggies & Bonnets: True Amish Tales.” Nixon is an English, or non-Amish, parent to Amish “runaways,” this intriguing program will present her intimate understanding of the Swartzentruber Amish Order. In fact, Nixon’s daughter is married to an ex-Amish man-the son of a bishop-and their home has become a safe house for young men and women making the transition out of the Amish community. Nixon will discuss Amish culture and topics such as rumspringa, ordnung, shunning, and Amish sex ed. The public is invited to bring their questions at this intriguing program. Call the Dover Public Library at 330-343-6123 for more information or to register for this free program. For more info about Brenda Nixon, click here.

Jim Gill, Director