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!