I'm having fun with Google Reader today and in exploring, I found a patriotic and poetic blog to share. Indeed, poetry is a fine way to communicate emotions in a romantic, passionate or funny bone way. What man or woman wouldn't want someone to write this of them:



Thou wast all that to me, love,
For which my soul did pine —
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.



Alas, written by Edgar Allen Poe, the object of this verse had passed away. Better expressed when one is still with you.



Whitter stoked the fires of patriotic passion in his Barbara Fritchie.



Shoot if you must this old gray head,

But spare my country's flag she said.



OK, I admit it. I learned that in Virginia public schools. But the point is that Poetry can spur passions, whether it is melancholy, romantic or humorist. Try it yourself and feel the release.

Poems of the American Revolution

Poems of the American Revolution

April Musings

It's National Poetry month, and I bet you have some favorites. Sometimes, poetry can be found within novels, such as Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. You can find the book online, simply by googling the "title" with the term "ebook." Often the ebook is provided by the Guttenberg Project. (Books published before 1923 are often available online.) Select the ebook formats link and choose the format. A springtime verse within is one of my favorites, though it could be argued that it means nothing. Yes, I am speaking of "Jabberwocky." What can be more dreamy than the following verse:

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

Or what can be more romantic than the description written by Edgar Allen Poe in "To One in Paradise."

Thou wast that all to me, love,
For which my soul did pine—
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.

Poetry can express emotions better than any other medium. Enjoy a poetry book today. It can make you laugh or cry. Write your own poem, and discover the emotional release and surprise of writing verse. See our College Muse (literary magazine) folder in Blackboard to see recent student efforts.

Books to Movies

I must admit that I have been reading some books lately, just because I wanted to read the book before the movie. I'm sure you know that books are nearly always better than the movie, because the imagination fills in the details so well! There is always so much more information, that you can learn from the author directly. I found Michael Crichton before any his novels became movies, but I nearly always enjoyed the books the most, because of his research. Movies don't have time to fill in the educational gaps, and if they try, it's often so skeletal.

So it was with Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, which led me to read his most recent book, "The Lost Symbol." This second book is a great tour guide of Washington, DC, but in some ways was a bit hard to swallow in plot. Both of these books were not only page turners, but brought in spirituality, the Catholic Church (Angels and Demons) and the Masons (Lost Symbol). For Library Lady, this is fine. However, if this is not your fancy, you may wish to skip them. I'm sure the Masons and the Catholic Church have come out with a statements about how Dan Brown misrepresented them. So remember these books are fiction. You may not be able to tell what is fact and what is fiction with this author.

Currently, I am reading "My Life in France" or the biography of Julia Child. I understand the movie is excellent. Haven't seen any of the movies yet for any of these books, but I know I will enjoy them, as they remind me of my reading experience. Bon Appetit.

The Library - To Be or Not to Be

Have you ever considered building your own personal library? This is a popular hobby with many people. In case the world gets a little too digital, you might consider having such a collection, just like you would have gallons of water about the house for emergencies.

Try labeling with the Dewey's classification system. This is very easy to master, if you know the numbers. Wikipedia's general divisions will help. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dewey_Decimal_classes .

Of course, most people devise their own system by author, by title, or by subject.

Do you want to laminate your paperbacks? See library supply catalogs. Don't think I should advertise, but ask your local librarian.

Just think of what the future would be like if there were no printed books. Ebooks disappear because of licenses or other concerns. Here today, gone tomorrow. What about Censorship? Wouldn't it be erase an ebook? Copyright conflicts? Terrorism? Power outages?

Oh and by the way, some of those personally purchased books might go up in value. Nothing like scarcity to increase value. So buying a print book is an investment in the future in more ways than one.

I think I have just made an argument for libraries to continue to purchase and preserve the printed book.




Admit it. Don't you often keep a paper copy of anything you think is important? Why would it be any different with literature? If the lights go out, you can light a candle and be like Abraham Lincoln. Who knows what the future will bring? Your home library - the last source for print? Only the very wealthy have books? Let's support traditional libraries as well as virtual ones. They are inseparable partners in Education.

Congratulations on completing another semester and perhaps starting a new one this summer!



Those of you who are in Nursing are probably very busy, but I can recommend some medical thrillers to you. Robin Cook has written several complete with very detailed descriptions of medical procedures gone awry. You will find several of her titles in our catalog. We also have Michael Critchton and Daniel Kalla.



There's a wonderful reading guide in Books in Print for those of you who wish to play with a new device. It's called the Fiction Connection and it advises according to your favorite books. It's quite graphic and a lot of fun. Put in your favorite title. Select and see similar suggestions.

In the meantime, I have enjoyed some classics. There are many sources online, but I found David Copperfield in Netlibrary. The advantage of reading within Netlibrary is that you can always make a note on the page where you left off and resume reading later. Cooincidentally PBS was also showing a production at the same time.

Be sure to sign up for Netlibrary, if you haven't done so. You need to create an account while on campus. Just ask at the Circulation Desk and we will get you started. Happy Reading. I have several books in mind right now. Books that go with the current movies, such as Angels and Demons. I found this book much quicker reading than the first book, the Da Vinci Code. I'm hopeful that we can use this summer to promote good reading habits. Enjoy!

April Fool - There was no March posting. March Madness was everywhere it seems, and so little time was reserved for Readalot.

I did finish "Dewey - the small town library cat who touched the world" by Vicky Myron. The book revolves around Dewey (a nearly frozen kitten found in a book drop), and his adopted owner, the Librarian of Spencer Public Library of Spencer, Iowa. Dewey's full name is "Dewey Readmore Books." Now how can you beat that for a clever library promotion? For those of you in the know, Dewey refers to the Dewey Decimal System used by most public libraries to organize their books. "Readmore" is just good advice. Though we learn to enjoy the cat and his fame, the book tells more than the story of a cat. It's about starting over and surviving tough times in a small town with depressed economic conditions. You don't have to like cats to enjoy this book, but it does help!

Another March activity for me was to attend the "Computers in Libraries" conference at Crystal City in Arlington, VA. While there, I purchased a book that critically examines news sources. This guide is straight forward about the persons behind the online sites. The criticism is written by a a journalist and may have some bias. Don't be surprised that Al Jazeera ranks far better than Fox News and U.S. News and World Report. However, consulting many sites is a good idea, and this book will help you to do that. Here is the title and author:

Consider the Source
A Critical Guide to 100 Prominent News and Information Sites on the Web
By James F. Broderick and Darren W. Miller

Both of the above books will be available in the library soon. Sorry, but "Consider the Source" will be on Reference and therefore will need to be consulted on campus. We can send it to any library location through our courier service.