Happy Birthday Sesame Street!

Today we are celebrating Sesame Street's 40th Anniversary. The series has had a huge impact on preschool education. Think of the difference between the styles of Romper Room, which was the televised preschool education of the late 50s and early 60s, and that of Sesame Street which debuted in 1969. What the children were learning didn't change as much as how they were learning it. Sesame Street did away with the desks and the wall charts and brought in furry monsters and humor. Different versions of the show appear in 140 countries, each similar, but based on the local culture. Sesame Street can certainly be considered a global phenomenon. As for the impact the show has had on our library - a catalog search shows that we have approximately 150 items either featuring the Muppets or created by the Children's Television Workshop, the nonprofit agency that created Sesame Street.

Basket Raffle

The GFWC Weirton Woman's Club Literary Department's popular basket raffle is now underway. This year there are nine large baskets with great themes including: Christmas, Boy's Toys, Pasta, Romance, Kitchen, Chocolate, Tea, WVU and Steelers. Tickets are $1 each with the drawing to be held in December. The proceeds of the basket raffle are used to benefit the library.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is coming up Wednesday. The library will be closed, but we would like to share a little information about the holiday. Veterans Day was created from Armistice Day in 1954 to honor the Veterans of all wars and to thank them for their service.

Armistice Day originally commemorated the end of fighting in World War I on November 11, 1918. Part of its purpose was the celebration of peace. For those who would like to know more about World War I, there is a very interesting World War I Document Archive that has been put together by the members of the World War I Military History List and Hosted by Brigham Young University at http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page. In addition to formal documents, the archive also includes pictures and memoirs.

For further information about Veterans Day, the Army has a history of Veterans Day online at http://www.history.army.mil/faq/vetsday/vetshist.htm and the Department of Veterans Affairs has one at http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp.

Something that would be of interest to all veterans is the book What Every Veteran Should Know. This title is updated yearly. We keep the current copy in reference and the previous year's copy is allowed to circulate. This small volume holds a weath of information about all types of benefits that veterans may be eligible for and information on obtaining military records. There is even a section on service medals and awards and how to replace lost or stolen medals.

Census Jobs Still Available

Representatives from the U.S. Census Bureau visited the library last week to schedule testing sessions in November and December for those applying to work on the Census next spring. The jobs are all temporary and pay $11.50 and up. Anyone interested in applying for these jobs needs to call 1-866-861-2010 to schedule to take the test.

Thanksgiving Mural

The children from the Weirton Christian Center have created a wonderful three dimensional Thanksgiving mural that is on display in front of the library's circulation desk.