DPL Blog

When the kids head back to school and the late summer days get a tad bit shorter and the nights a bit colder you know that it is that time again.  One Book, One Community, our county’s community-wide reading initiative, kicks off each September and runs through Columbus Day, October 12. One Book, One Community is a grass-roots reading initiative that strives to create conversation and bridge differences through the share experience  of reading the same book. This year, schools, libraries, book clubs, community agencies and more are joining together to read and discuss Jay Asher’s bestselling novel, Thirteen Reasons Why.  The book is controversial because it tells the story surrounding an incident where a teen girl takes her own life. Mental health is a huge angle of this year’s project so the Tuscarawas County Literacy Coalition, the primary organization planning the project, is excited to partner with area mental health agencies, namely Community Mental Healtchare and the ADAHMS Board. For complete information about this year’s project, click here.  Join the conversation!

-Jim Gill, Director

I have been watching a BBC series called Vera. We don’t have this particular series at our library, but that’s where Inter Library Loan (or ILL) comes in! At the Dover Public Library, we can pull from over two hundred twenty other libraries to find, request, and send to our library. This DVD series is based on the mystery books by the author Ann Cleeves. (Check out her books!)The setting is in Scotland, and anything Scotland related, I’m interested. The scenery is beautiful. The stories are great, and they keep you guessing. The Main character is DCI Vera Stanhope, a rude, abrupt, no nonsense older woman who has her own personal issues. But, she gets the job done. I would recommend this series for all mystery lovers. both the books and the DVD’s.

Again with the Inter Library Loan, my husband and I were talking about TV shows that we watched when we were kids. One was Car 54 Where are You? I was able to get the first season from another library. If you remember this show, and the character who made a two word phrase famous, come to the front desk and ask for me. If you correctly say the phrase, I will give you a little gift. The first one who answers correctly wins!

Thanks for reading this little blog, and remember, we are here for you and your favorite books, TV shows, and more, at Dover Public Library.

Denise

Adult Services

This blog post is a few days late, but this time I have a really good excuse…

Last Friday was the Library’s Teen Lock-In! We had 14 teens ages ranging from 11-16 stay in the library all night for a variety of activities including games, crafts, a movie, and more. Here’s the play-by-play.

5:00 PM: I arrive and start setting up for the Scavenger Hunt and gathering other materials.

6:00 PM: Teens arrive in the Community Room!

6:15 PM: We play get-to-know-you games in front of the Circulation Desk. These included the Question Ball (a beach ball with questions written on it in Sharpie) and Magic Carpet Ride (in which a team has to flip over a blanket while standing on it and without losing anyone)

6:45 PM: Pizza from East of Chicago

7:15 PM: We start our Community Service Walk around the Library to pick up trash and pull weeds

7:45 PM: Drawing with Sidewalk Chalk!

8:30 PM: Scavenger Hunt around the library looking for “diamonds,” solving mysteries, and learning to use library resources.

9:30 – 10:30 PM: Games in the Community Room. I brought my Wii in and we played Just Dance 2 and 3. Even Jim participated! The teens had a blast!

11:30 PM – 12:30 AM: We made Paperback Hedgehogs out of discarded paperbacks and miscellaneous crafting supplies. They were super cute and easy, though a little time-consuming. 

12:30 – 1:30 AM: Sardines in the dark. If you’ve never played Sardines, here’s how: Pick a person to hide. The rest count to 50, then go look for that person. When they find him/her, each person hides  beside them. So, you end up with lots of people hiding in the same place until everyone finds the hiding spot.

1:30 – 3:30 AM: Movie (Disney’s Into the Woods) and games on the computer for those who aren’t into musicals

3:30 – 4:30 AM: Hide and Seek in the dark out front

4:30 – 6:00 AM: Mug Cupcakes in the Microwave. Everyone got to come up with their own cupcake recipe, bake it in the microwave, and then decorate it with a variety of candy and sprinkles. While some of the combinations didn’t turn out that great, and one in particular looked a bit odd (green cake?!?!) everyone had a great time, and it was a perfect snack for the wee hours of the morning. When finished, the kids all washed their own mugs! Yes, I told them to, but they didn’t give me any trouble about it, so I still count it as a win.

6:00 AM: Wake up, everyone! We did have a few kids who were sleeping, so we woke everyone up and cleaned up the library. We sent a group to look for anything left over from the Scavenger Hunt and sent a group to help put away crafting supplies. While everyone was still a bit sleepy, they did a great job helping us put the library back together.

7:00 AM: Parents arrive to retrieve their teens.

7:30 AM: I go home, stopping by McDonald’s for a well-earned bacon, egg, and cheese bagel.

So, that’s how we stayed up all night with 14 kids and didn’t go crazy. I’m still recovering, but it was worth it. We had such a blast! And the group of kids we had this year was fantastic! I hope next year is just as fun.

Did you ever go to a lock-in? Tell me about it in a comment!

-Liz

Teen Librarian

First thing I learned: It is Minecraft NOT Mindcraft. When you work in the public library and you see kids obsessed with playing this video game on the library computers you have to stop and wonder. First, the game has very bad graphics and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to what happens on the screen. Now that it is the heart of summer we see kids arrive in packs to play the game and to interact virtually with each other, which is funny because they are usually sitting right next to each other. I admit they can get rowdy sometimes and a bit loud and yes, annoying. But I then think that at least they are at the library in a safe environment.  So what is Minecraft all about? Did you know that Minecraft since its inception in 2009 is the third most popular video game of all time behind Tetris and Super Mario Brothers? Players create virtual worlds in Minecraft and basically dig holes and create blocks worlds.  Thanks to Teen Librarian Liz Strauss and Technology Manager Kathryn Green, the  library recently put together a Minecraft for Parents program to clue moms and dads in a bit about the video game that is currently king of the mountain. We also did a Minecraft Party recently that allowed the kids to stay after hours in the library and get as loud as they want and play Minecraft and eat pizza.  So in my book the jury is still out. I like the fact that the kids are using their imaginations and not blowing each other up but to be honest it disturbs me that they spend so much time playing a video game while real life is happening all around them– if they could only look up from their glowing digital screens.

-Jim Gill, Director

I have to admit that when it comes to DNA testing for genealogy, I am no expert. I once sat through a class on the subject that made my eyes glaze over as the instructor tried to cram a complete undergraduate degree in genetics into 45 minutes. It was great because I am the type of person who wants to know exactly how something works, down to the last detail, but there is a LOT that goes into the study of genetics and inheritance. Having a science background helped, but if you are someone who doesn’t have that prior knowledge, there are many resources out there on the ever expanding web for you to explore DNA testing. I will try to boil down the essentials of what it is and what you can learn from the test.

First of all, a DNA test is not the golden ticket that will automatically fill in your family tree and break down your brick walls. In fact, it may even leave you with more questions than answers. But if you are willing to put in the work, DNA testing is a useful tool that can help you in conjunction with traditional research methods.

For non-science majors, you need to know that what is generally tested is “Autosomal DNA,” or everything but the x’s and y’s. FamilyTree Magazine has a pretty great definition of the Autosomal DNA test: “An autosomal DNA test analyzes the 22 pairs of non-sex chromosomes that make up your genetic composition. These tests can tell you about both sides of your family, confirm living relatives and can even include a predicted relationship. They often include a ‘biogeographical estimate,’ which means they can estimate your ethnicity by comparing your DNA to reference populations of people in a particular location for hundreds or thousands of years. Tests can be taken by both men and women, and are offered by companies such as 23andMe, AncestryDNA and Family Tree DNA.”

So when you are talking about going back several generations, the key word to remember here is estimate: they can give you an idea of where your ancestors come from based on their best comparison matches, but you have to take the results with a grain of salt. It will take diligence in research on your part to turn their estimates into fact. Why so uncertain? Mainly because of how inheritance breaks down.

As you can see, only a little over 6% of your DNA matches with your great-grandparents, and there is no definite pattern of inheritance when it comes to autosomal DNA. So you could have your great-grandmother’s eye color, but your sister might not.

If you are curious and want to try DNA testing, here are some links to comparison sites so you can determine which company is the best for you:

http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_testing_comparison_chart

http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2014/04/06/2014-most-bang-for-dna-bucks/

Have you had the test done? Reply in the comments to this post and let us know what you think! Or stop in to our genealogy forum on Saturday July 18 from 1-4 in The Roots Cellar to share your experience.

Happy hunting, genealogists!

– Claire Kandle, Local History & Genealogy librarian