DPL Blog

$200 Contest deadline fast approaching…

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To all of my fellow Tuscarawas County residents :

This is the final week Dover Public Library will be accepting entries for our soon-to-be-published living history book! If you would like to see your story in print and want a chance at the $200 prize, stop in to the library and pick up your entry form at the front desk. Or you can download and print it here: Tapestries of Tuscarawas County

Either way, make sure your entry is returned to Dover Public Library by May 1 for consideration! (Since May 1 happens to be a Sunday, we will accept any sealed envelopes placed in our outside drop box before the library opens at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 2. We will also accept any mail postdated before May 1.)

If you find it difficult to begin, you can review the prompts on the submission form for story ideas. If you find you are still having trouble, read on for clarification of some issues I have addressed throughout the contest:

  1. This is NOT a history paper. Please don’t send a report detailing the Gnadenhutten Massacre or the building of the Ohio Erie Canal – we’ve heard those stories already! We want to hear a story that is personal to you. Maybe tell us about the first time you went to see Trumpet in the Land performed, or how you remember catching and eating fish from the Tuscarawas River when you were a kid.
  2. You can incorporate a favorite family story, joke, or legend even if the teller is no longer living. If you think your grandmother had a great story about life in Tuscarawas County but she is no longer around to tell it, you can submit that as your story, as long as you give credit where credit is due.
  3. Please don’t submit genealogies. While we are always happy to accept any complied histories of local families for our genealogy collection, this is not what we are asking for in this particular case.

That’s it! Simple, right? And if you contribute, not only will you have a chance to win a $200 or $50 cash prize, but you will be contributing to the historical record, something your great-great-grandchildren will be able to appreciate!

 

For any further questions, please contact Claire Kandle at (330)343-6123 or email localhistory@doverlibrary.org 

 

– Claire Kandle, Local History & Genealogy Librarian

Move with Mortimer this Summer

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Coach MortimerWell, Mortimer here again.  I wanted to come here on this computer to tell you about my summer reading program.  It is called “Park it AND Read” because we are teaming up with Dover Park.

But we all know summer reading is all about the Moose. That’s me. Mortimer.

I’m all over this summer reading thing, and I’ve got the scoop. We’re going to have all my favorite programs like LEGO Club (Moose are the best at building, you know), Treats & Treasures (Miss Jen always lets me have a leftover treat ^^), and Art Club (I am the Van Gogh of Moose kind). We’re also going to start checking out sports equipment like bocce ball sets and flag football sets. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s all working properly before we let it circulate. And we’re going to have lots of visitors this summer to talk to us about bike safety, Ohio animals and butterflies, tell stories, and much more!

I’m super excited for  will be the exercise programs called “Movin’ with Mortimer.”  Yes.  That’s me. Did you know that the YMCA is coming HERE to the LIBRARY?!  Well, not the YMCA the building, but YMCA the staff…you know what I mean!  They will teach Zumba and Yoga.  Moose are VERY good at exercise!  But I don’t know much Zumba or Yoga.  You’ll come and help me, right?

Details on all our fun summer programs are coming in the next edition of Footnotes. But you can stop by and ask a non-moose library human for more information any time.  They are pretty nice, even if they don’t have much in the way of fur or antlers!

 

– Mortimer the Moose

Volunteer of the Month: Paula

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Paula HCongrats to our Volunteer of the Month for April: Paula! Paula helps us shelve and keep caught up on those busy Mondays here at the library. Thank you, Paula, for everything you do to help our library!

 

How long have you been volunteering at the library?

Since last Fall

 

Why did you want to become a volunteer at the library?

I have always loved books! I always thought that if I won the lottery I would buy a library and live in it!

 

Who are some of your favorite authors?“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” ― Jorge Luis Borges

I like several genres. I’m always trying to expand my horizons, but my favorites are:

  • Classic Fiction: Thomas Hardy
  • Historical Fiction: Michael & Jeff Shaara and Philippa Gregory
  • Faith & Inspiration: Max Lucado and Wayne Dryer
  • And for some good stories: John Grisham, Daniel Silva, and Kurt Vonnegut

 

What do you enjoy most about being a volunteer?

Working with the staff. Everyone is friendly and greets me with a smile. They are always so appreciative of my time and efforts. It’s a very happy work environment for me. I very much look forward to coming in each week.

 

And we look forward to seeing your smiling face every week, Paula! Thank you for all your hard work!

Would you like to volunteer? Contact Wendy Contini for more information on how to help your library.

Keeping your computer safe

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CABS-Social-MediaLast night, we had Jeremy Bailey from Kent State Tuscarawas in to discuss ways of keeping your computer and your information safe in the digital environment. In case you missed it, here are some resources with best practices for computer security.

This article has simple, easy-to-follow instructions on a variety of aspects of computer security: http://www.howtogeek.com/173478/10-important-computer-security-practices-you-should-follow/

Phishing attacks are used to try to trick individuals into giving out valuable personal or financial information. The tricky thing is, they often appear to be legitimate requests from people or organizations you recognize. Here’s a link describing how to spot and protect yourself from these common scams: https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/phishing.htm

GCF Learn Free has some great tutorials on Internet Safety for both adults and kids!

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/onlinesafety/internetsafety

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/onlinesafety/internetsafetyforkids

Keeping your computer and your personal information safe can seem like a daunting task. Taking a little time to make yourself more knowledgeable can go a long way in protecting you from common digital threats.

Kathryn Green, Technology Manager

What is that thing?

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Psaltery and Bow on a Music Stand

This is a psaltery.

Technically, this is a bowed psaltery. Because, you know, you play it with a bow. I think of it as a sort of a cross between a violin and a harp. The psaltery (no bow) has been around since before the 12th century, when it hit Europe. The old psalteries were plucked, they were wider, and were more harp than anything else. The bowed psaltery was popularized in the 1940’s. It was developed by a music teacher to teach proper bowing. He elongated the instrument, turning it into more of this triangle shape, and added the bow. So, all at once, the bowed psaltery is a very old instrument and a relatively new instrument.

Why am I posting about a weird instrument you’ve never heard of? Because this psaltery happens to be mine.

One of the first things people ask me when they see me with this weird thing is “Where in the world did you find that?”

So, this is the story of how I met the psaltery.

It was about three years ago. I had just purchased a hundred year old house that needed electrical work and plumbing work and… well. You know. Work. A friend and I took a day off home improvement to go to the Zoar Harvest Festival. Walking around, looking at the crafts, we heard this music.

We were like “What’s that? A violin? Where’s it coming from?”

So we followed the music to a booth run by Terry and Sharon Kirby, who showed us their Psalteries.

But, remember when I said I’d just bought a house? Yeah. I wasn’t going to let myself spend $300 on a musical instrument I’d never seen before. So, I didn’t even pick one up. Because I knew, if I picked it up, I’d have to have it.

Two years go by, and I still can’t get this instrument and its haunting music out of my head. So, I look up Terry Kirby online, meet him at his workshop in Massillon, and pick out my psaltery. 

And the rest is musical history. Or, well, to me, anyway.

To hear more about the bowed psaltery, come to my program on Saturday, April 16 at 2:00 PM. I’ll talk more about how to play it (it’s incredibly easy) and play a few of my favorite songs. Then, if anyone would like to hold the instrument and try it out, you’ll be more than welcome to do so. Don’t worry; I won’t let you take it from me, even if you do fall in love with it.

 

Introducing Dani Gustavich, new Children’s Librarian

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As you probably know, Miss Pat retired on February 29th of this year. As the new Children’s Librarian, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and to fill you in on some of the changes which will be taking place in the Children’s Department over the next few months.

 

I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wilmington College, where I majored in Communication Arts. Since graduating, I have been a substitute teacher for Canton City Schools, a lead teacher at a family care center, and a co-director of an after-school program. My most recent position was as the Children’s Librarian for the Stark County District Library’s Main location. I recently earned my Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from Kent State and now, here I am, working for the wonderful community of Dover.Peanuts_gang

 

My goal is to make the Children’s Department more user-friendly for all of our patrons. In order to do this, we are weeding the entire collection. This means that we will be discarding the non-fiction books which are out-of-date and replacing them with more current information. The remainder of the collection is also being gone through to discard/replace popular books which are in poor condition and those books which have not been circulating very well. Some of our older collections, such as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, have been moved to our basement collection (ask any employee for access to this collection) in order to make room for new materials. Rest assured that we are not discarding every book which meets this criteria. We don’t like getting rid of books any more than you do, but it has to be done to make room for new material. These decisions are not made lightly.confused squirrel

 

Refreshing our collection is a time-consuming project, so please bear with us as changes are being made. The first major change we are working on is turning the “Tween” shelving area into a popular series and graphic novel section, which will allow you to easily find the books you are looking for without having to look in the paperback and hardback sections. The remainder of the paperbacks will be shelved with the hardback fiction.

 

Another thing we will be trying out is adding the paperback beginning readers to the hardback beginning reader collection and using the “box” shelving for popular character books. For example, super hero books will be housed in one of the “boxes,” whether they are paperback, hardback, beginning reader, or easy readers so that you can see them all in one location.

 

As new books come in, they are being labelled with the A.R. level on the spine, which will help our Accelerated Reader students to quickly and easily find books in his or her level. We will work towards labelling the rest of the collection as time permits. In addition to labelling the books, the A.R. and Lexile levels are being added to the catalog so that you will be able to search by A.R. or Lexile level. At this time, there are not enough items entered in the system to make this a worthwhile search, but I will keep you posted.

 

I am very lucky to have a job that I love and am here to listen to and to answer and questions, concerns, and/or comments you may have. Thank you for welcoming me to the Dover Community.

 

AIbEiAIAAABECIuetaO6gJe99QEiC3ZjYXJkX3Bob3RvKigzZTEyMjVjZjQxYmZhMmI5YTcwNjc4ZjBiZTlmZWVkNGNhOTM3NWQ4MAGnxi2kte99FRzH8LyAw5-9ZOZRHQHappy endings,

Dani Gustavich

Children’s Librarian

Painting the Tuscarawas Valley Green

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Celtic Rush

The Library invites the community to its 3rd Annual St. Patty’s Celebration on Saturday, March 12!  Regardless of your heritage, everyone can be Irish for at least one day per year. Join us for a wee bit of Ireland at this fun, family-friendly annual event.  Enter to win a Luck-of-the-Irish gift basket and don’t forget to wear green!  Call the library to register or for more info: 330.343.6123.

10:00 AM: ‘Tis a Wee Folk Family Party!
Calling all kids! The library is throwing a party for the “wee folk,” or leprechauns. Join us for music, stories, games, crafts, and refreshments.

10:00 AM: Irish Folklore & Traditions
Presented by the Library’s very own Linda Toohey, this fun program for teens and adults explores the rich tradition of Irish legend and folklore.

12:00 PM:  Irish Movie Time, starring Sean Connery. Popcorn, pizza, and more provided.
Join us for free popcorn, pizza, and a showing of a classic Disney film starring Sean Connery.

2:00 PM: Haunted Ireland, presented by Sherri Brake
Ireland’s centuries-old castles, creepy cemeteries, and battle sites hold plenty of secrets…and maybe a few ghosts. Join acclaimed ghosthunter Sherri Brake on a journey across the magical and mysterious country of Ireland.

4:00 PM: Celtic Rush performs LIVE till 5:30 PM
Enjoy the unique & lively sound from this popular Irish pub band. The group performs with a variety of instruments including fiddles, guitars, tin whistle, bass, mandolin, and Irish drum.