New York Times Bestselling Author Steve Berry to visit in September 2012

Author Steve Berry is the latest New York Times Bestselling author scheduled to visit Barr Library as part of the Authors at Your Library series.

Berry, author of thrillers such as The Amber Room, The Romanov Prophecy, The Third Secret and his Cotton Malone series, which includes The Templar Legacy and this year's The Jefferson Key, will visit in September to discuss his work - including 2012's The Columbus Affair.  For more information about his work, check out his official website: http://www.steveberry.org/

Look for more details on this and our other exciting Authors at Your Library programs in coming weeks and months!

Holiday Hours

Holiday Hours begin today, December 19, 2011. 

19-22 Dec  9AM - 6PM
23 Dec  9AM - 5PM
24-26 Dec  CLOSED
27-29 Dec  9AM - 6PM
30 Dec  9AM - 5PM
31 Dec  CLOSED
1-2 Jan  CLOSED

For more information please call the Library @ 624-1232.

Lunch Bunch Book Discussion - January

Our next book discussion is January 3rd at 11am when we'll be talking about P.D. James's A Taste for Death.

From Publisher's Weekly:
In her latest Commander Adam Dalgliesh detective novel, James subtly deepens the complexities of his personality, making him an ever more credible protagonist. When two bodies are discovered with their throats slashed in a London church, Dalgleish is called upon to solve the case. One victim is Sir Paul Berowne, former Minister of the Crown; the other is a tramp accustomed to sleeping in the church vestibule. It seems that these deaths may be tied to those of two young women who have recently been employed in the Berowne household. Dalgleish feels an unusual empathy in this case; he had known Berowne and sensed several parallels in their lives. This sense of compassion is one of the things that distinguishes James's novels. In delving into what she calls "the fascination of character," she makes each actor in the drama memorable. The characters here read Trollope and Philip Larkin; they are knowledgeable about architecture and art. Yet James's civilized digressions do not detract from the suspense of the plot. She does not employ horrific details for shock effect, but her step-by-step description of procedural details, particularly those of forensic medicine, totally immerse readers in the investigation. Literate readers who have not yet made Adam Dalgliesh's acquaintance should rush to the bookstores for this one.

Sounds like a great read!  Hope to see you in January.

Wacky Wednesday Today

Do you have a 4th, 5th or 6th grader?  Bring them to Wacky Wednesday today at 4pm where they'll be making bookends out of stone for Area 51 and taking home an individual project.

Look What's New!

Check out our two new computers JUST FOR KIDS!  They're located right outside the Reading Rainforest and are loaded with educational and recreational games.

Lunch Bunch Book Discussion - Fahrenheit 451

Join us this Wednesday, Decebmer 7th @ 11AM for our Lunch Bunch Book Discussion featuring Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  Fahrenheit 451 depicts a world where reading is outlawed and a fireman's job is to burn books.  This classic is sure to create a lively discussion so whether or not you've read the book be sure to come by.

Story Hour & Teen Tuesday Return

Be sure to join us tomorrow, December 6th for the return of Story Hour & Teen Tuesday.

Story Hour  - 10AM
Teen Tuesday - 3PM (grades 9th-12th)

Today - Book Buddies

Today's Book Buddies features Stone Crafting!  Come help make a book out of stone for the Reading Rainforest and take home a stone project of your own.  Book Buddies is for grades K-3rd at 4PM.

Check out The Reader's Corner

Check out The Reader's Corner link at www.barrlibrary.org for reading recommendations, readers' advisory databases, bestseller lists, and sites of interest to readers.  

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a reminder...the Library will close at 6PM tomorrow, November 23rd and all day Thursday, November 24th in observance of Thanksgiving.  We WILL be open regular hours Friday & Saturday.  We wish all our wonderful Barr Library patrons a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

No Story Hour & No Teen Tuesday

There will be no Story Hour nor Teen Tuesday on Tuesday, November 22, 2011.  Join us again after the Thanksgiving Holiday on Tuesday, November 29th.

Lunch Bunch Book Discussion

Join us for our next Lunch Bunch Book Discussion, Wednesday, December 7, 2011 @ 11AM.  December's pick is a classic, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

From http://www.barnesandnoble.com/:

Internationally acclaimed with more than 5 million copies in print, Fahrenheit 451 is Ray Bradbury′s classic novel of censorship and defiance, as resonant today as it was when it was first published nearly 50 years ago.

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires...

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning...along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames...never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.

Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think...and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do!

Annotation

First published in 1953, Fahrenheit 451 is a classic novel set in the future when books forbidden by a totalitarian regime are burned. The hero, a book burner, suddenly discovers that books are flesh and blood ideas that cry out silently when put to the torch.

Come by the Library to check out your copy today!

Holiday Hours

The Library will close at 6PM Wednesday, November 23, 2011 and all day Thursday, November 24, 2011 for Thanksgiving.  We will reopen Friday, November 25, 2011 at 9AM.

New Books @ Barr Library

Click here for selected titles and availabilty.

Chick Lit Film Festival

This Saturday kicks off our Chick Lit Film Series!  Join us Saturdays @ 12PM in November for some definite laughs and maybe even a few tears.  Call the Library @ 624-1232 for more information. 

BLUE STAR HOLDERS:

FREE CHILDCARE FOR THIS EVENT!

MUST PREREGISTER IN ADVANCE FOR CHILDCARE

BY CALLING -502-624-1838

Lunch Bunch Book Discussion - The Emperor of Ocean Park

Be sure to join us today @ 11AM for our discussion of The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter.

Authors @ Your Library - Roberta Simpson Brown

Be sure to join us this Saturday at 2:30PM when Roberta Simpson Brown, Queen of the Cold-Blooded Tales, holds court at the Library & entertains us with spooky stories for the Halloween season.  Attendees in costume will receive a "treat."  Appropriate for TEENS & ADULTS.  For more information please contact the Library @ 624-1232.

4NBTween Today!

For grades 7th & 8th - Help make a marker out of stone for the Library and take home an individual stone project.  Today @ 4PM.  For more information please contact the Library @ 624-1232.

Teen Read Week

We're celebrating Teen Read Week!  Join us today @ 3PM for our Teen Tuesday program and create a bookmark for your chance to win a Mockingjay pin - just like the one worn by Katniss in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Or enter to win one of four different Twilight and Vampire Diaries board games. For more information, please contact the Library at 624-1232. 

Fire Safety Show

Join us tomorrow, October 13th @ 4PM for our Fire Safety Show.  This lively music show will cover all the basic fire safety skills while using very memorable fun songs. Lots of audience participation throughout the show with dancing, singing and playful silliness. Weather permitting, the event will be held on the front lawn of the Library, so don’t forget to bring your own seating.  For more information please contact the Library @ 624-1232.

Wacky Wednesdays begin TODAY!

Our monthly Wacky Wednesday program for grades 4th-6th starts today at 4pm.  Join us for some face painting fun!  For more information contact the Library at 624-1232.

Labyrinths

Join Sullivan University's Dr. Renee Rust-Yarmuth, Certified Wellness Director, for this stress relieving program in which participants learn about labyrinths, their history, and other practical uses.  This program is at 11am & 6:30pm tomorrow, October 6, 2011.  For more information please call the Library @ 624-1232.

October Tech Tools

September's inaugural Tech Tools program featuring Zotero was a great success!  Every last Thursday of the month features a new Tech Tool.  Join us Thursday, October 27, 2011 @ 11AM to learn more about LinkedIn, the social networking site for business.  Learn how to create your profile & develop a network of contacts.

November Lunch Bunch Book Discussion - The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter

The next Lunch Bunch Book Discussion is Wednesday, November 2, 2011 @ 11AM.  Join us for what's sure to be a great discussion on The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter. 

From Publisher's Weekly:
Carter, a Yale law professor and distinguished conservative African-American intellectual known for his nonfiction (The Culture of Disbelief), has written a first-rate legal thriller guaranteed to broaden his audience. The narrator, Talcott Garland, is a law professor at Elm Harbor University whose occasional Carteresque editorializing about politics and justice are saved from didacticism by his abiding existential loneliness. The mystery at the heart of the novel stems from Tal's father's disgrace: Judge Oliver Garland (a Robert Bork meets Clarence Thomas type) was nominated by Ronald Reagan for a Supreme Court seat, but brought down in the Senate hearings when it was revealed that he had a friendship with Jack Ziegler, a wild-card former CIA agent now rumored to be an organized crime kingpin. When the judge dies of what looks like a heart attack and Ziegler turns up at his funeral, Tal is initiated into a quest to uncover mysterious "arrangements" his father made in the event of his untimely demise. Various shady entities observe Tal chasing down the judge's clues, which include a cryptic note ("you have little time.... Excelsior! It begins!") and derive from chess strategy. Meanwhile, Talcott is going through a rough patch: his wife, Kimmer, a high-powered attorney, is probably cheating on him, his Elm Harbor law school colleagues are suspicious of him and a fake FBI man is following him around. As Talcott digs deeper, he uncovers a vein of corruption that runs all the way to the top, and his own life becomes threatened.

Million Minute Family Challenge!

Board games are one of the few activities that a cross section of the community can all enjoy together.  Games are intergenerational and offer economical entertainment in all communities and households.  On average, children spend just 38.5 minutes each week engaged in meaningful conversation with their parents compared to 1,197 minutes spent in front of TV, video games, or computers.  Increase your meaningful time together by playing a board game each week.  Then log your minutes at http://www.millionminute.com/.  Just click on the "Log My Minutes!" link in the upper right hand corner. 

User name:  BML
Password:  library

Let's see how many minutes Barr Library patrons can log!

Lunch Bunch Book Discussion

Be sure to join us tomorrow for our Lunch Bunch Book Discussion @ 11AM.  In the spirit of the spookiest month, we'll be discussing The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

Kindles on the Army Digital Media Library

The Army Digital Media Library has added Kindle as a device compatible for eBook downloads.  The update allows Kindle owners to download eBooks directly or by using the Kindle app on iPhone, iPad or Android devices.  Kindle doesn't not offer downloads via the 3G network so if your Kindle does not have WiFi, you will need to transfer books using a USB.  This is long awaited good news for Kindle owners!  To access the Army Digital Media Library you must have an AKO account.  For more information please contact the Library @ 624-1232.

Hispanic Heritage Month

"Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period."

http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about/

Click here for selected resources at the Library.

Authors @ Your Library - Erik Larson

Join us next Thursday, September 29th @ 6:30PM for our Authors @ Your Library series featuring Erik Larson!  Erik Larson is the author of the recent NY Times bestseller In the Garden of Beasts, which follows an American family in Nazi Berlin at the beginning of Adolf Hitler's rise to power.  His other works include the award winning acclaimed bestseller The Devil in the White City, Isaac's Storm, and Thunderstruck.  For more information please call the Library @ 624-1232.

Tech Tools @ Your Library

Tech Tools is a new monthly program at Barr Library.  Each month features a new tool & this month's tool is Zotero.  Zotero is free, open source reference management software.  We'll show you how to download it & use it to help you manage your research and cite your sources.  If you have your own laptop, we encourage you to bring it, but it's not necessary.  For more information please call 624-1232.

New Young Adult Books

Check out selected new YA books @ the Library.  Click on the linked titles for availability!

Doug Stanton - Authors @ Your Library - TONIGHT!

Doug Stanton, bestselling author of Horse Soldiers & In Harm's Way, will be at the Library tonight at 6:30PM!  This event is FREE & open to the public.  A limited number of books will be for sale tonight.  For more information please contact the Library at 624-1232.

Have you "liked" us on Facebook yet?

Post why you love our Authors at your Library series, print out your posting, and bring it when you attend the program with NY Times Bestselling Author Doug Stanton, author of Horse Soldiers and In Harm's Way, tomorrow, September 14th @ 6:30 and you'll receive a special prize!  Encourage your friends to like us on FB and do the same!

Lunch Bunch Book Discussion

Join the Lunch Bunch tomorrow @ 11AM when they discuss Doug Stanton's Horse Soldiers in anticipation of the author's visit to the Library next Wednesday, September 14, 2011 @ 6:30.

eBooks on EBSCOhost

The EBSCO Ebook Collection replaces NetLibrary. The books in this collection span a large variety of topics. Books in the EBSCO Ebook collection can be downloaded to your computer or mobile reading device. 

Click here for a tutorial on Ebook Collection downloading.

Click here for a tutorial on Ebook collection searching.

For more information please contact the Library @ 624-1232.

LEAP for Health

Be sure to join us tomorrow @ 10AM for our final LEAP for Health program this month featuring Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert. 

ChiltonLibrary

As part of ongoing product enhancements, ChiltonLibrary will not be available from 5:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 30, until approximately 9:00 a.m. ET. Users accessing ChiltonLibrary during this time may experience a brief interruption in service.

LEAP for Health

Join us tomorrow @ 10am for our LEAP for Health program.  Tuesday morning's pre-school program is Spriggles:  Activity & Exercise.  This program highlights some of the many fun games, activities, and exercises your child can participate in which enhance both emotional and physical development.  For more information please contact the Library @ 624-1232.

Sit & Stitch Tonight!

Sit & Stitch is knitting again tonight @ 6:30pm.  If anyone is interested in learning to sew, the class will begin on September 12, 2011 @ 6:30pm.  Handouts are available or we can email them to you if you're interested.  If you don't have a sewing machine, please let us know by Wednesday, September 7th so that they can be provided.  For anyone still needing help with your quilting project, the Hardin County Quilters will also be back in September.  For more information, please call the Library @ 624-1232.

Authors At Your Library - Michelle Cuthrell

Join Michelle Cuthrell, author of Behind the Blue-Star Banner:  A Memoir from the Home Front, discussing her experiences making the most of military life and deployment.  She will be signing her book following the program.  Limited copies of her book will be available for sale.  For information please call the Library @ 624-1232.

Teen Tuesday

We'll be celebrating National Airborne Day tomorrow, August 26, 2011 @ 3pm.  Join us for planes, games & more!

Back to School Tools Tomorrow!

Our Back to School Tools program is tomorrow at 6pm.  Come learn about the Library's online resources!  For more information call 624-1232.

Sit & Stitch

Come to Sit & Stitch at Barr Library tonight, August 8, 2011 @ 6:30pm & learn how to knit! Please bring a skein of yarn (regular, not baby or fancy), and knitting needles.  For more information please contact the Library at 624-1232.

Teen Tuesday Returns!

Teen Tuesday returns tomorrow, August 9, 2011 @ 3pm!  Join us for an anime movie & try your hand at some candy sushi.

Lunch Bunch Book Discussion - September

The Lunch Bunch has selected to discuss Doug Stanton's Horse Soldiers for the next meeting, Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 11AM.  Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban.  Not coincidentally, Doug Stanton will be here at Barr Library, Wednesday, September 14th @ 6:30PM for our Authors At Your Library program!  In addition to Horse Soldiers, Stanton is the bestselling author of In Harm's Way:  The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraodinary Story of Its Survivors.  For more information please contact the Library @ 624-1232.

New Playaways @ the Library

Have you listened to a Playaway yet?  According to the company, Playaway is the only format that makes audiobooks accessible for everyone - providing the portability of a digital audiobook with the grab-and-go convenience of a physical format.  Unlike CDs, Audio Cassettes or downloads, Playaway does not need a separate player.  Playaway comes preloaded, however, you will need to provide your own earbuds & AAA battery.  Check out some of our new Playaways below:

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
Wizard at Large by Terry Brooks
Judas Child by Carol O'Connell
Scent of the Missing by Susannah Charleson
Love, Honor, & Betray by Kimberla Lawson Roby
Life by Keith Richards
The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum
The Great American Novel by Phillip Roth
Stiff:  The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
God in the Foxhole by Charles Sasser
The Leader in Me by Stephen Covey
Faking It by Jennifer Crusie

Back to School Tools @ Your Library

Take a tour of the library, learn about our online databases, online homework help, test prep, & more!  Build a successful school year using the Library's tools!

Upcoming Events

Homeschooling Happens returns next Monday, August 1, 2011 @ 11am.  We'll be discussing some back to school library tools you can use such as TumbleBooks, Tutor.com, & Kids InfoBits.

The LEAP for Health program starts Tuesday, August 2, 2011 @ 10am.  Tuesday's story is Clarbella's Teeth by An Vrombaut. 

Our Lunch Bunch Book Discussion will continue on Wednesday, August 3, 2011 @ 11am.  Bring your favorite book for discussion.

Looks like a busy week ahead...be sure to join us for all our programs & activities!

Staff Reviews

The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai is our latest staff review.  Check it out here as well as all our other reviews on our BarrMemorialLibraryReads blog.

New Audiobooks

New audiobooks arrive at the Library every month...see some selected July titles here.

Authors @ Your Library - Michelle Willingham



 Be sure to join us tomorrow evening, July 21, 2011 @ 6:30pm for our Authors At Your Library program featuring Michelle Willingham.  Ms. Willingham is a historical romance novelist for Harlequin Mills & Boon.  She is the author of titles such as The Accidental Princess and The Warrior's Touch.  For more informatio please contact the Library @ 624-1232.

Sit & Stitch

Are you interested in learning how to sew?  We're lucky to have a volunteer willing to teach!  Please let us know by calling 624-1232. 

Sit & Stitch - CANCELLED - August 25th

Next week's Sit & Stitch program on Monday, July 25th, is cancelled.  Be sure to join us on Monday, August 8th @ 6:30pm for the next Sit & Stitch.  If you have any questions please contact the Library @ 624-1232.

Story Hour

Our weekly Tuesday morning Story Hour will resume in September.  We hope you'll join us in the interim for our LEAP for Health program presented by Barr Library & the Hardin County Extension Office.  The LEAP for Health curriculum was developed through a collaborative partnership with the Kentucky Cardiovascular Coalition and a sub-committee of its members.  See below for our scheduled programs:

Tuesdays in August @ 10AM

August 2 Clarbella's Teeth by An Vrombaut

August 9 Rodeo Ron and His Milkshake Cows by Roland Clifford

August 16 The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

August 23 Spriggles:  Activity and Exercise by Jeff and Martha Gottlieb

August 30 Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

DATABASES

Need journal articles for your research paper?  Planning on taking the SAT?  Find the information you need by visiting our redesigned Database Page!  Divided into 12 useful subject areas from Academic Research to Home & Auto we've made it easy to access & navigate. 

Contact the Library @ 624-1232 for the remote login information.

Lunch Bunch Book Discussion Group - AUGUST

Rather than reading & discussing a specific book, we're doing something a little different for next month's book club meeting.  Do you have a favorite book?  One you recommend to everyone you know?  Bring it in and share it with the group!  Tell us why it's your favorite.  We hope that you walk away with a long list of books to add to your "to read" list :)

Summer Reading Logs & Summer Reading Finales

Summer Reading logs are due today by 8pm!  If you participated in Teen Summer Reading the Finale is Friday, July 15th from 5-9.  You must have a signed boarding pass to attend our afterhours party. 

All ages can participate & enjoy our Summer Reading Finale featuring a Petting Zoo on the Library's lawn!  The Grand Prizes will be awarded at this event but you don't have to be present to win.  Hope to see everyone there!

Teen Tuesdays Resume August 9th

We'll be taking a short break from Teen Tuesdays for the remainder of the summer.  Be sure to join us August 9, 2011 at 3pm for what's sure to kick off a great year of Teen Tuesdays!  If you have any questions please call the Library @ 624-1232.