Young Adult and every day patron Zac Hoenig just won the first place Gold Medal at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America Skills Competition at Hocking College in Nelsonville. This winning young man received a perfect score for his hospitality industry research project and presentation.  Zac is about to graduate from Lorain County Joint Vocational School where he majored in hospitality.  His Grand Prize includes a two-year full scholarship to Hocking Technical College.  Way to go, Zac!

Along with his formal education, Zac spends quite a bit of time at the Library reading up on a variety of topics.  It’s been my pleasure to help him with his research.  He also is active with his church youth group and is currently fundraising for a second trip to Mississipi with the group to help rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. 

Zac is a friendly, thoughtful and hard-working young man who makes me hopeful for our future. Congratulations Zac on a well-deserved achievement!

Materials Processor Anne Herrilko is one of the two Library staff members who prepare every item in the Library for our shelves.  After each book, magazine, CD, DVD, kit or whathaveyou is cataloged, Anne or her co-worker Cheryl Harmon label, sticker, box, stamp, inventory, reinforce and otherwise prepare for the shelf each item.  You may never see these two workers in action, but the LIbrary would ground to a halt without them.

Anne is also a mom and she has successfully strived to teach her son just how much he can accomplish.  One of her lessons has come from a Shel Silverstein poem: Listen to the Mustn’ts Child, from Where the Sidewalk Ends.  Anne says this is a family favorite.  ”We spent many an evening reading Shel Silverstein to Mike when he was younger. Now, we carry this poem in our wallets and I know most parents wish this for those they love.”

We’ve got ten titles of Shel Silverstein’s books in our collection, most of them in our Children’s Library, everyone of them a great deal of fun.  And now, on our new non-fiction shelf, A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein. 

A poem for spring, for Earth Day, for a gorgeous day, thanks to e.e. cummings:

Associate LIbrarian Cindy Pulliam chose Shel Silverstein’s poem Shadow Race as her favorite poem. Here’s a collection of eighteen Silverstein poems, including Cindy’s fave.

Cindy works in our Children’s department where she has occasionally brought one of her well-trained and friendly dogs for special programs. You can tell from her choice in poetry that Cindy is a very fun-loving person.

Children’s Librarian Sally Klepper gets to spend a fair part of her days selecting children’s books, creating clever crafts and sharing both with children. It’s rough, but somebody’s got to do it! Yesterday, she shared with me the poem I’m Going to the LIbrary, from poet Jack Prelutsky’s new book, My Dog May Be a Genius. The Poetry Foundation has named Prelutsky “the nation’s first Children’s Poet Laureate.”

We have numerous books by Prelutsky in our Children’s Department. He’s a sure bet with both children and fun-loving adults which makes any of his books a great way to introduce poetry to any children in your circle of love.

Now this issue of unreturned library books is not limited to children or children’s literature! Comic mystery writer Ian Sansom’s librarian hero Israel Armstrong has strong opinions on unreturned books. The second book in the “Mobile Library Mystery” series, Mr. Dixon Disappears, begins with Israel’s rant, “He was sick of the excuses and the lies. He was tired of the evasions and the untruths, of people refusing to stand up and speak the truth and take responsibility for their own actions. It seemed to him like yet another symptom of the decline of Western civilisation; of chaos; and climate change; and environmental disaster; and war; disease; famine; oppression; the eternal slow slide down and down and down. It was entropy, nemesis, apotheosis, imminent apocalypse and sheer bad manners all rolled into one. People were not returning their library books on time.”

Our staff doesn’t quite get this bent out of shape over late returns, but some of our patrons waiting for their turn at the book (or other item) do!

See you at the book drop!

Prodigious Reader and Assistant Cataloger Cheryl Paganelli contributed two poems to our poetry collection here at the Library.  Here’s the second for your enjoyment:

Jabberwocky

by Lewis Carroll

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Did you know that the Jabberwock is a character in

 Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland.

 Of course, we have both books and

 The Walrus and the Carpenter. Come check them out!

Still on our Earth Day theme:

Poet Joyce Kilmer famously wrote, “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree.”  Odgen Nash rejoines here.

Please keep in mind our program on Farms and Foods of Ohio tonight at 7:30, here at the Library.  Learn how to find the freshest foods close to home and get tips for cooking it in the most delicious way from author and cook Marilou Suszko.

I think of this as an Earth Day poem:

Pied Beauty

GLORY be to God for dappled things—

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;

And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

Be sure to check out our Earth Day display of books on the Avenue in the Library and tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 23) at 7:30, come hear local author and culinary instructor Marilou Suszko tell us about her new book, Farms and Foods of Ohio, and the wonderful fresh food to be found right here in our bountiful state. Marilou shares her many marvelous stories of farms, farmers and good, wholesome food. She’ll tell us where and how to find the best local food, and give us great ideas about preparing it. Eat local, read local! Of course, we’ve got this book in our collection for you to check out.

    Check out those budding HIP HOP stars!  All eyes were on Miss Jackie as she taught eager young teens HIP HOP on Sunday afternoon.  Laughs, giggles, moans and groans accompanied the many intricate moves.  Shouts of “I did it!” were cheered by the HIP HOPPERS during their practice session. 

Explore the life of Pope Benedict XVI after his historic U.S. visit with the following library resources:

From John Paul II to Benedict XVI                       Mary Ann Walsh                  2005

God’s Choice: Pope Benedict XVI                        George Weigel                     2005

Jesus of Nazareth: from the Baptism                   Pope Benedict XVI              2007

in the Jordan to the Transfiguration

Pope Benedict XVI: a personal portrait    Heinz-Joachim Fischer                  2005

Pope Benedict XVI: his life and his mission      Stephen, Mansfield             2005

The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI          David Gibson                        2007

and his battle with the modern world