52 Ways to Use Your Library Card

One for each week of the year!

1. Get to know your librarian, the ultimate search engine @ your library.
2. Update your MySpace page.
3. Research new job opportunities.
4. Find a list of childcare centers in your area.
5. Learn about local candidates for office.
6. Pick up voter registration information.
7. Check out your favorite graphic novel.
8. Pick up a DVD.
9. Get wireless access.
10. Participate in a community forum.
11. Find out how to navigate the Internet.
12. Prepare your resume.
13. Get new ideas for redecorating your house.
14. Get a list of community organizations.
15. Attend a lecture or workshop.
16. Hear a local author reading his/her latest novel.
17. Join a book discussion group.
18. Attend preschool story hour with your child.
19. Get homework help.
20. Look up all kinds of health information.
21. Research the purchase of a new car.
22. Trek to another planet in a Sci-Fi novel.
23. Call the reference desk if you have a question.
24. Research your term paper.
25. Learn about the history or your city or town.
26. Decide which computer to buy using a consumer guide.
27. Check your stock portfolio.
28. Borrow or download an audiobook for your next road trip or commute.
29. Use the library’s resources to start a small business.
30. See a new art exhibit.
31. Volunteer as a literacy tutor.
32. Find a new recipe.
33. Ask for a recommended reading list for your kids.
34. Make photocopies.
35. Get a book from interlibrary loan.
36. Enroll your child in a summer reading program.
37. Take a computer class.
38. Hear a poetry reading.
39. Take out the latest fashion magazine.
40. Enjoy a concert.
41. Trace your family tree.
42. Check out a special collection of rare books.
43. Check out a legal question or issue.
44. Find out how to file a consumer complaint.
45. Learn about home improvement.
46. Borrow some sheet music.
47. Learn how to use a database or computerized catalog.
48. Find the latest romance paperback.
49. Pick up tax forms.
50. Connect with other people in the community.
51. Find a quiet spot, curl up with a book and enjoy.
52. Read a newspaper from another country.

(from http://www.ala.org/ala/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/card/52ways.cfm)

Reading Guide for “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”

We would like to thank St. Bonaventure University for providing us with a copy of their reading guide for “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot created for the All Bonaventure Reads 2010 program. (©ABR Committee, St. Bonaventure University, 2010)  for distribution to our patrons.  Ms. Skloot will be appearing at St. Bonaventure on September 29, 2010 at 7pm in the Reilly Center Arena.  

Reading Guide for “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”

New Bios and Non Fiction 08/19/2010

BIO BROWNE  Psychic : My life in two worlds  Browne, Sylvia

BIO CARPENTER  Little girl blue : the life of Karen Carpenter  Schmidt, Randy L

BIO CASH  Composed  Cash, Rosanne

BIO CLEVELAND  Frank  Dunlap, Annette

BIO GARFIELD   James Garfield  Rutkow, Ira

BIO HOOVER  Lou Henry Hoover  Young, Nancy Beck

BIO POLK  Sarah Childress Polk  Bumgarner, John R.

BIO TAFT  Nellie Taft  Anthony, Carl  Sferrazza

BIO VICTORIA  Becoming Victoria  Williams, Kate

BIO WILLIAMS  Color blind  Williams, Precious

005.276 E  Professional ASP, NET 4 in C# and VB Evjen, Bill

005.276 M  Pro ASP. NET 4 IN C# 2010  MacDonald, Matthew

005.446 W  My new Mac  Wang, Wally

277.308 D  Almost Christian  Dean, Kenda Creasy

306.85 W  Barack Obama’s America  White, John Kenneth

306.874 K  My teenage werewolf  Kessler, Lauren

332.024 D  Retirement breakthrough  Duff, Richard W

362.734 T  In a heartbeat  Tuohy, Leigh Anne

364.152 M  Coldspring  Mancuso, Cheri

364.152 P  The girls of Murder City  Perry, Douglas

615.321 D  Prescription or poison  Dasgupta, Amitava

636.7 A  Through a dog’s eyes  Arnold, Jennifer

641.5 B  The I hate to cook book  Bracken, Peg

658.311 R  Using LinkedIn  Rutledge, Patrice-Anne M

659.2 R  Develop your PR skills  Richardson, Neil

796.342 M  Hardcourt confidential  McEnroe, Patrick

973.04 O  The ghosts of Cannae  O’Connell, Robert L.

978.665 R  Goodbye wifes and daughters  Resnick, Susan Kushner

986.106 B  Hostage nation  Bruce, Victoria

ST. BONAVENTURE PROFESSOR TO GIVE PRESENTATION ON HIS JOURNEY THROUGH CHINA

Dr. Barry L. Gan, professor of philosophy and director of the Center for Nonviolence at St. Bonaventure University, will share his impressions of his 2,000-mile journey through China this summer in a talk at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, at the Olean Public Library.

The presentation will consist of an informal talk accompanied by slides and movie clips.

Gan’s host, Zhang Miaoli, a lifelong resident of China, introduced him to four different cities in China, representing the newest and the oldest aspects of Chinese culture. During his journey, by taxi, private car, rail, and air, Gan spoke about Gandhi at two different universities and spent time in three different households.

He saw the usual tourist attractions, including the World Exposition in Shanghai, the Great Wall, and the Terra Cotta Soldiers. He also experienced China’s record-setting summer heat wave marked by temperatures well over 100 degrees and high humidity.

Gan said he hopes that he can help dispel many false perceptions that Americans entertain about China, and he welcomes questions and comments throughout the talk.

Gan is editor of The Acorn: Journal of the Gandhi-King Society, and is co-editor with Robert L. Holmes of “Nonviolence in Theory and Practice,” a leading anthology of writings about nonviolence. He has lived with his wife and two children in Cuba and Olean over the past 27 years.

The Olean Public Library is located at 134 North Second Street, Olean, NY. For more information please call the Reference Desk at (716) 372-0200 or visit the website at www.oleanlibrary.org. This event is free and open to the public.

Dr. DiDonato Recommended Reading List

If you attended the program on fossils by Dr. DiDonato, he recommended some books in his presentation.  Here is the list of books and also where you can find them in our library or through other libraries.

Annals of a Former World by John McPhee (557.3 M)

This is one of my favorites.  McPhee is an entertaining writer who can weave a great story about the geology and the history of the land.  I like to open Google Maps and a good geology dictionary.  If I come across a topic that interests me (just about every other paragraph) I do a google search and get even more on a subject.  But I am indebted to McPhee for bringing so many new subjects to my attention (like “the gangplank” in Wyoming.)

Wonderful Life, The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Stephen Jay Gould (available as a hold from James Prendergast)

This is an interesting account of the discovery and reinterpretation of the Burgess Shale- but its not the end of the story.  Gould was a paleontologist who knew how to tell a good story.  This is for any interested beginner who wants to know more about the behind the scenes action in paleontology.

Fossils of the Burgess Shale by Derek E. G. Briggs, et. al. (available as a hold from James Prendergast)

Briggs gives a good short introduction into the background on how the fossils where discovered and the best photos on major representatives.  This is probably better suited for serious readers but even beginners will appreciate the vivid pictures and the historical overview.

The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt by William Nothdurft with Josh Smith (567.909 N)

This is the story of a young paleontology expedition that followed in the footsteps of German paleontologist Strommer who collected dinosaurs that were lost during WWII.

Trilobites by Riccardo Levi-Setti (565.393 L)

This is a comprehensive look at lots of trilobites with great detail.  It is written for someone with a real interest in learning more.

The Jehol Biota edited by Mee-mann Chaing, et. al. (available as an Interlibrary Loan)

This book is tough to find.  It is a serious work covering the feathered dinosaurs, beaked birds and the flowering plants.  It is filled with photos of the best in class specimens from the Liaoning Province.

T. Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Alvarez (Y 576.84 A)

The Alvarez father and son team advanced the hypothesis about the extinction of the dinosaurs and this is a lively account of how it could have happened.  Written for the popular audience.

Dinosaur Digs by Blake Edgar (available as an Interlibrary Loan)

This is published by the Discovery Channel Travel Adventures and details lots of dinosaur digs throughout the US and how to get on a dig.  It is full of interesting ideas for a family or individual vacation to see the best dinosaur fossil locales.

Digging Dinosaurs by John R. Horner (available as a hold from James Prendergast)

This is an interesting account of Horner’s life as a fossil hunter.  He is passionate about dino’s and willing to share everything.  He has found some great discoveries and this makes it a terrific book.

African Dinosaurs Unearthed- The Tendaguru Expeditions by Gerhard Maier (available as an Interlibrary Loan)

This is a detailed account of the fossil hunting into what was once called German East Africa and it is for the intermediate to serious student.  It is very well documented and brings into view little known activity in East Africa before WWII.

Planet Ocean- Dancing to the Fossil Record by Brad Matsen & Ray Troll (available as an Interlibrary Loan)

This is a fun account of the vast ‘ocean’ of fossils from marine environments.  It is illustrated with great graphics and would be good for the young reader.

Rocks & Fossils- a visual guide by Robert R. Coenraads (552 C)

For readers who like lots of pictures to guide their identification this is a good reference especially for rocks, minerals and marine plant life.  The photos are especially good quality.

Dawning of the Dinosaurs-the story of Canada’s oldest dinosaurs by Harry Thurston*

A short account of dinosaurs found in Canada.  Especially fun if you’re going to travel up to see the world class museums – Tyrell and Ontario.

Hunting Dinosaurs by Louie Psihoyos with John Knoebber (available as a hold from James Prendergast)

The photographs alone are worth looking at and Psihoyos has the knowledge and background to tell a great story about lots of dino’s.

Discovering Dinosaurs in the American Museum of Natural History by Mark A. Norell, et. al. (567.91 N)

If you want to get the backstory on the Grand Dame of American Paleontology this is a great resource.  Lots of interesting stories.

*unfortunately this book seems to be only available from Canada for loan.