WV Reads 150

The Mary H. Weir Public Library would like to congratulate all the participants in the WV Reads 150 challenge and request that all reading logs be turned in to the library by December 30^th. Blank copies of the log are available at the library or from the link at the left  of this blog.  Please make sure to include your contact information on your reading logs. There will be celebrations at both the local and state level for teams and individuals who have met the 150 book challenge.

Healing Oils of the Bible

On Thursday, December 5 at 6:00 p.m. A program on “Healing Oils of the Bible” will be presented by Susie Weiss at the Mary H. Weir Public Library. Essential oils have been used around the world for health and healing for thousands of years and were even brought to the Christ child in Bethlehem. The Bible is filled with references to healing plants and oils.  Today we are rediscovering their healing properties.  Come learn how plants, especially in the form of therapeutic grade essential oils, are being used to treat colds and infections, improve inflammation and reduce pain, provide chemical free options for healing and cleaning and are even being studied for their effectiveness in killing cancer cells.  Anyone interested in alternative health options will find this presentation fascinating.

History Alive! - Stonewall Jackson

 

The Civil War general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson will be portrayed by Doug Riley of Tunnelton at The Mary H. Weir Public Library  on  Tuesday, December 10 at  6:00.  The presentation is possible through the History Alive! program of the West Virginia Humanities Council.

Born in Clarksburg, Jackson was an orphan who became one of the most revered names in military history. He is regarded by experts as a tactical genius and a relentless battlefield commander of unsurpassed ability. The men of the “Stonewall Brigade” were fiercely loyal to their leader. General Jackson was a devoutly religious man whose death by friendly fire was a crushing blow to Confederate hopes for ultimate victory.

Jackson is one of the many available character presentations offered through the West Virginia Humanities Council’s History Alive! program as a means of exploring history by interacting  with noteworthy historical figures.  These programs provide audiences with the opportunity to question those who have shaped our history.

Humanities scholars have carefully researched the writings, speeches and biographies of the characters that they portray and whenever possible, use their original words. Mr. Riley, a retired history teacher and U.S. Army Reserves Officer, was lead to participate in the “History Alive Program” by his love of history and his respect for the character Thomas J. Jackson.

The West Virginia Humanities Council is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing educational programs in the humanities for all West Virginians.  For over thirty years, the Council has been providing educational programs in the humanities across the state.

 

Fine Free Week

Overdue materials returned in good condition between today and the end of November will have all fines removed. If a fine exists on previously returned items, patrons may bring their cards into the circulation desk and request to have the fine removed. This is for late fees only. All charges for damaged and lost items still apply.

Thinking About that Special Christmas Gift?

The library has available a collection of books of local interest available for sale. 

We have recently acquired a few additional copies of "The History of Weirton" by David Javersak, published in 1999. We had been under the impression that all of the copies available had been sold, but one more box turned up. Those few remaining copies have been divided between the library and the museum for sale.

In addition, we have the following books available:

• Images of America: Rock Springs Park - Joseph A. Comm
• Images of America: Hancock County - George B. Hines and Lou Martin
• Favorite Recipes: West Virginia Libraries Present Their Kitchen Favorites
• Hillside Fields: A History of Sports in West Virginia
• A Penowa O - Frank P. Muzopappa

By agreement with the authors or publishers, the library will receive a portion of the sale price of each title.

We also have a collection of publications from the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center available for a donation to the museum. These include:

• Memoirs of North Weirton: 1920 through the 1930s - John George Pandelios
• Weirton: A Pageant of Nations - Dennis Jones
• Rediscovering Holliday's Cove 2014 Picture Calendar
• Fill 'er Up with History 2014 Picture Calendar
• Rediscovering Holliday's Cove DVD

The library also makes available for purchase items such as Tote Bags, USB Drives, and Ear Buds for the convenience of our patrons.

Rediscovering Holliday's Cove

We were thrilled by the large attendance for the premier of Rediscovering Holliday's Cove presented by the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center. However, we are aware that many could not attend that evening. We have scheduled a Saturday afternoon showing of the film on Thanksgiving weekend. The film will begin at 2 p.m. on November 23rd in the library's Activity Room on the lower level. (Enter through Walnut Street doors if you want to avoid the stairs) Popcorn will be provided. The film lasts a little more than one hour, which will allow time to get an early meal, visit the museum, or to view the Christmas trees at the Community Center before the Christmas parade begins at 6 p.m. The Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center has made copies of the film available for a $20 donation to the museum.

Book Discussion Group

Our Saturday book discussion group will meet this month on the 23rd at 1:30. This month's book is "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. The group is open to anyone who is interested. Copies are still available in the Assistant Director's office.

Author Visit

Dr. David Craig will present his contemporary religious poetry at the Mary H. Weir Public Library on Thursday, November 14 at 6:00.  Dr. Craig is the author of several works of fiction and poetry and has been widely published.  His latest books of poems are St. Francis Poems and Whose Saints We Are, both released in 2013. Craig holds a Ph.D. in English from Bowling Green University and is a Professor at Franciscan University where he teaches Creative Writing. Dr. Craig resides in Weirton.

The library will be closed Monday, November 11th in honor of Veterans Day.

Author Visit Saturday

Dr. Frank Muzopappa, Professor Emeritus from Kutztown University, will visit the Mary H. Weir Library on Saturday, November 9^th to discuss life in the southwestern Pennsylvania coal mining town of Penowa during the 1930s and 1940s. Penowa was located along Cross Creek and the Wabash Railroad Line just over the state line from Cliftonville and Virginville. Dr. Muzopappa, who grew up in Penowa, has gathered photographs and memories of the town to create a 288 page book, A Penowa O. The program will begin at 2:00 in the library’s activity room.

Author Visit

Join us on Saturday, November 2^nd at 2 p.m. when the Mary H. Weir Public Library will host Tina Parkhurst, reading from her new book, Too True Adventures: NeeNee and Furrends Explore the Neighborhood, which follows the adventures of two cute cats who don’t let their disabilities slow them down. NeeNee, who is blind, and her friend Taz, who was injured in a fire, are based on real cats. As they travel through their neighborhood, the two cats meet a variety of kind people and animals.

Weirton Woman's Club Sponsors Foreign Film Showing

On Tuesday, October 22, the GFWC Weirton Woman's Club International Affairs Committee will host an Oscar winning French film set on the coast of Denmark. International foods will be served from 5:30-6:00 and the film will begin at 6:00. There is no charge from the event and all are welcome to attend. The event will be held in the library's activity room on the lower level. Guests are encouraged to park behind the library and use the Walnut Street entrance.

Rediscovering Holliday's Cove

On Monday, October 21, the library will host the premier of Rediscovering Holliday's Cove, a video created by the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center. Using photographs, documents, artwork and maps, local experts will paint a vivid picture of how the early settlers of this area lived from the time of the Revolutionary War until 1947, when Holliday's Cove joined with other communities to form the incorporated town of Weirton.

The first showing will occur at 6:00 in the library's activity room on the lower level. We recommend that those attending park behind the library and use the the Walnut Street entrance.  A second showing will take place at 7:30. This a a free event sponsored by the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Mary H. Weir Public Library will host Dan Raynor of the critically acclaimed Stevens Puppets performing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on Saturday, October 5th at 1:00 p.m. in the library’s Activity Room. Celebrating their 80th year of producing unforgettable and one of a kind marionette productions for children of all ages, Stevens Puppets specializes in classic children's literature and fairy tales. The programs are intended for all age levels.  The stories are educational and have a moral or life skill woven cleverly and discretely throughout.

In this silly and non-scary version of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, children of all ages will follow the lanky school master, Ichabod Crane, as he sings, dances, and falls in love with a giggly, Katrina Van Tassel.  Students will watch breathless as Katrina's father, Baltus, and the village goof ball, Brom Bones, try to run Ichabod out of town by telling him the tale of . . . The Headless Horseman.  The Stevens Puppets bring this ever-popular classic tale delightfully to life with beautiful wooden marionettes authentically created in the traditional old world style. The entire production is underscored by classical music, and a fun time is had by all! 

This program will be presented free of charge. For further information, call the library at 304-797-8510.

Author Visit

Tyler County, West Virginia, the birthplace of Weirton author Susan Spencer-Smith, will be her topic at a book signing at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 19^th at the Mary H. Weir Public Library, 3442 Main Street.

“Middlebourne, where both my parents grew up, is the inspiration for Biddlbourne, the hamlet featured in my inspirational mystery Death in the Parsonage,” Spenser-Smith said. “I was born in Sistersville, an Ohio River town where oil and gas were discovered in the 1890s.”

Spencer-Smith will chat about Tyler County’s history, quirks, and landmarks – including her memories of crawdadding on Middle Island Creek as a child – at the library event.

She is a 1964 graduate of Weir High School and the daughter of the late Jack and Fay Kearns of Weirton. She worked 28 years in newspaper journalism, including 11 years at The Weirton Daily Times, before graduating from United Theological Seminary in Dayton and being ordained a United Methodist Church pastor. She served congregations in western Ohio before retiring in 2006.

She has written The Preacher Lady’s Cookbook for a Hungry Heart, a collection of prayers, scriptures and recipes gathered from hundreds of church events, and Death in the Parsonage, an inspirational mystery based on the true story of a woman who faces her childhood demons.

The books are published through Spencer-Smith’s production company, Hoopie Girl Press. Both books will be available at the library event. They may also be purchased at Penn-Way Pharmacy, 3159 Main St., Weirton and at Amazon.com.

Her second novel, The Good Old Babes, a story of twelve women who challenge the “good old boys” of Biddlebourne for town leadership, is scheduled for publication in 2014.

Spencer-Smith resides in Weirton with her husband, Grant Beamer, and their cat Thud. She may be contacted at hoopiegirl@comcast.net.

 

Panel on Affordable Health Care presented by Weirton Woman’s Club

The Weirton Woman’s Club, a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of West Virginia will be having a panel on Obama Health Care on Wednesday, September 11^th at 6:30 pm at the Serbian American Culture Center in Weirton, West Virginia.  Policy/Legislation Chairman, Betty Kraina and her committee is sponsoring this event to help educate the public about issues concerning health care.  A panel of knowledgeable professionals will answer any questions you have on health care.  If you are concerned about healthcare in this country this is the event to attend. Kelli McCoy owner and operator of LEX Multimedia, Inc will be the moderator for the panel.  Panel members are: J.J. Bernabei, Tri State Medical Group Pharmacy, Rachel Gelman MD. Weirton Medical Center, Pam Krushansky, Field Representative for Congressman David McKinley, Albert Macre, C.P.A., Colleen Rackley-Cuda, Senior Program Director, Aetna Care Reform Project Management Office, Sara Hawthorne-Bohn, Esq.,  Atul Shetty M.D. Internal Medicine, Judy Raveaux, Change, Inc., Dave Sloan, Health Law Fellow for Congressman Dave McKinley, and Maryjo Guidi, Regional Coordinator for Senator Joe Manchin.

Job Readiness Workshop

CHANGE, Inc in conjuction with Goodwill and the Mary H. Weir Public Library, will be holding a Job Readiness Workshop on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Activity Room of the Mary H. Weir Public Library. The class is limited to 25 participants ages 18 and up. Those interested may register by calling CHANGE, Inc. at 304-797-7733. Participants should enter through the Walnut Street library entrance.

This Thursday, June 12th, the Mary H. Weir Public Library will be hosting a Book Signing and Discussion with Bob Barnett, the author of Hillside Fields: A History of Sports in West Virginia. Bob is a  native of Hancock County and taught at Marshall for many years.

Regional Broadband Survey for Brooke and Hancock Counties

Residents of Brooke and Hancock Counties, please complete the survey linked below! The Brooke-Hancock Regional Planning and Development Council has created this survey to better understand the needs of local residents and businesses. The statistics collected in these surveys will be used to support the development of projects to improve internet service in rural areas of the state.

To take the residential or business survey, go to the following web page:

www.regionalbroadbandsurvey.com

“Proposal Writing Basics” and “Guide to Online Grantseeker Resources”

The Mary H. Weir Public Library will host a free workshop on grantseeking for nonprofit organizations on Monday, April 15^th from 6:00 to 8:00pm. The session will be led by Kief Schladweiler, Coordinator of Cooperating Collections with the Foundation Center (http://foundationcenter.org). Mr. Schladweiler will highlight the electronic and print resources available for your free use at the Mary H. Weir Public Library, a Cooperating Collection of the Foundation Center. The training will cover the following areas:

Proposal Writing Basics
Learn the key components of a proposal to a foundation. For those new to proposal writing, this class will cover:

• How the proposal fits into the overall grantseeking process
• What to include in a standard proposal to a foundation
• Tips for making each section of your proposal stronger
• What funders expect to see in your proposal and attachments
• Tips for communicating with funders during the grant process
• Additional resources on proposal writing, including sample proposals

Guide to Online Grantseeker Resources
We will introduce you to the resources available on the Foundation Center's newest web site for grantseekers, GrantSpace.org. GrantSpace, a service of the Foundation Center, offers information and resources that are specifically designed to meet the needs of grantseekers.


 Kief Schladweiler has been the Foundation Center’s Cooperating Collections Coordinator since 2005. Prior to that he served as the Center’s online librarian for several years. He joined the Foundation Center in 1999 after working as a reference librarian for The New York Public Library. He received his M.A. in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

New Book Discussion Group

The library has begun a new Monthly Book Discussion Group. This group will meet one Saturday afternoon a month. The group is designed to give the flexibility that busy people need. Those interested can come to any session, but are not required to attend all sessions. Newcomers are always welcome.  

The West Virginia Library Commission is lending us copies of the upcoming titles. At each discussion, copies of the next month's book will be made available. After the meeting, copies of each month's book will be available from the Assistant Director. Copies will always be available from the library's collection or InterLibrary Loan. Some titles will also be available through WV Deli.  

March's discussion will be held on March 23rd at 1:30. This month's book is March by Geraline Brooks. This Pulitzer Prize winning novel is a fictionalized account of the Civil War experiences of Mr. March, a Union chaplain and the father of Jo, Beth, Amy and Meg of Little Women.   The following are the titles and meeting dates for the next few months:

April 27 - The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

May 25 - The Last Runaway by Tracey Chevalier

June 22 - Serena by Ron Rash

July 27 - To be announced

August 24 - Defending Jacob by William Landay

September 28 - House of Abraham: Lincoln and the Todds, A Family Divided by War by Stephen Berry

October 26 - Witness at Hawks Nest by Dwight Harshbarger and John Patrick Grace

We have tried to select interesting stories with plenty of discussion material. These books may not have been on the bestseller lists, but were positively reviewed by the majority of those who read them. Please join us and add your voice to the discussion! (Listeners are welcome too!)



Michael Albert - Collage Artist

We are excited to announce that Michael Albert will be visiting the Mary H. Weir Library on June 17th from 2:00 to 4:00 for a program about his collage art.

Changes in Adobe Digital Editions

There have been some updates to Adobe Digital Editions that may be helpful to those of you who use it to access electronic library books from WV Deli with your Nook or other device. In mid December, Adobe released the 2.0 version of the software. Patrons currently using the older version have been able to continue to use it without changes, but the new software does have some advantages. The new version has been designed to be easier to use for people with disabilities. There are functions that aid in the use of screen readers, and shortcut keys are available to lessen the need to use the mouse. Drop down menus are more common in this version.

One command that most patrons use is in a different location in the new version. That command is the one to return a library book or to delete an expired book  To return a library book in the older version, clicking on the upper corner of the book cover would bring up the menu with this command, but in the 2.0 version, a right click on the cover of the book will bring up the menu to return or delete a book.

For those of you comfortable with the old version, there seems to be no need to do anything at the moment. You can continue to use it. For those who would like to get the new version, the WV Deli page links directly to the Adobe download. In the process, you are given the option to remove the old version and transfer any files. On the Adobe site, there is a pdf file of instructions to download or print to help you get started. This document lists the shortcut keys available.

The world of eBooks is always changing!

Check out the Videos!

The WV Deli has been popular addition to the library's collection. The use of the downloadable eBook collection grows every day. There are other sections of WV Deli that don't seem to be drawing as much attention as the eBooks are. I noticed recently that we now have the option to purchase some PBS videos for the downloadable video collection. This inspired me to look more closely at what has been added to the video collection in recent months. When the collection began, classic cartoons and films were were the focus. Popeye, Betty Boop and Casper the Friendly Ghost can all be found in WV Deli. You can also catch classic films with stars such as Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Charlie Chaplin, John Barrymore, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Bruce Lee, Cary Grant, Shirley Temple, Danny Kaye and Peter Fonda to name a few. But what I found surprising was the number and variety of nonfiction videos now available. WV Deli has exercise videos covering Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and Walking. There are videos starring famous chefs like Jacques Pepin, Jamie Oliver and Anthony Bourdain. There are nature films, travel films, historical films, and films about pregnancy and childbirth. With librarians from ten different libraries selecting material, the collection has become quite diversified. If you haven't looked at the video collection in WV Deli lately, it's time for a second look!

February Book Discussion

The Mary H. Weir Public Library will hold the second in their series of monthly book discussions on Saturday, February 23^rd at 1:30. The subject will be the book An Hour Before Daylight by Jimmy Carter, a memoir of his childhood and youth in rural Depression-era Georgia. In the book, Carter provides a vivid description of life in the sharecropping south before the civil rights movement.

This series of monthly book discussions is designed to be flexible to accommodate busy schedules. Everyone is welcome, and people may attend any session that interests them. There are no requirements other than an interest in the book.

The deadline to sign up to be a book giver for World Book Night is January 23. If you are interested go to www.WorldBookNight.org.

West Virginia Reads 150

Join the Mary H. Weir Public Library, the West Virginia Library Commission (WVLC), and the West Virginia Center for the Book in a fun reading challenge called West Virginia Reads 150, which celebrates West Virginia’s 150th birthday in 2013.

The year-long reading initiative encourages West Virginians to read 150 books in any format (printed book, e-book, downloadable text, etc.) from any source, during the course of 2013, West Virginia’s sesquicentennial year. Books can be on any topic, fiction or non-fiction; they must be read between January 1 and December 31, 2013.

People can read 150 books individually, or create teams to read 150 books collectively. Talk to your friends and create your team at the Mary H. Weir Public Library. Teams can have up to 15 members. Teams must choose a name and select a leader to keep track of the books read by individual team members.

All ages and groups can participate – families, friends, coworkers, clubs, classmates, etc. If children are too young to read on their own, kids can have their parents read to them. Families can use their Summer Reading Program reading toward their West Virginia Reads 150 tally.

To register for the program, visit the WVLC web site, www.librarycommission.wv.gov or visit the Mary H. Weir Public Library.

Grantseeking Basics Workshop

We would like to invite you to our forthcoming workshop, entitled Grantseeking Basics, on Wednesday, January 16^th, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm, in the Activity Room of the Library.

This workshop is a basic orientation for non-profits explaining the process of seeking funding from foundations. We will also introduce you to the resources that are available for your free use at the Mary H. Weir Public Library, and how they can help you in the grantseeking process.

This webinar is FREE and open to the public and no reservation is required. For more information, simply respond to this email or call the library at (304) 797-8510 and ask to speak with Lois.