Library Weblog 2013-05-12T12:55:09Z The Takoma Park Maryland Library staff web log. tag:www.takomapark.info,2013:/library/mt//1 Movable Type Copyright (c) 2013, library Picture Day 2013-05-12T12:55:09Z 2013-05-12T08:55:09-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2013:/library/mt//1.3014 2013-05-12T12:55:09Z library 12:30 HarvardX Ancient Greek Hero: we continue with hour 7, in which we learn to "close read" images as well additional bits of Homer, pseudo-Demosthenes and Pindar. It's not too late to join. Just plunge in.

3:00 Workshop: Introduction to Befuncky and Pixlr, free and impressive photoediting tools. Everyone is welcome.

Here are the images for today, assembled by Patti using one of the tools from last week's workshop. The key word for this week is sēma (plural sēmata) which means not only sign or symbol (think sematics and semiotics) but also "tomb of a hero." See the egg-shaped things? Those are the tombs. The little "fairies" flitting about? Psukhes of the heroes. Can you find Achilles? Hector? Andromache? Iris?



]]> Puzzled? 2013-05-07T19:47:00Z 2013-05-07T15:47:00-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2013:/library/mt//1.3012 2013-05-07T19:47:00Z Our neon door to the children's room is now an online jigsaw puzzle. Pictures of the doorway confuse people who don't know our library. Some of the panes are clear glass, others are mirrors. Many thanks to Andris Simsons who... library Our neon door to the children's room is now an online jigsaw puzzle. Pictures of the doorway confuse people who don't know our library. Some of the panes are clear glass, others are mirrors.

Many thanks to Andris Simsons who used a photo from the Library of Congress' Carol Highsmith archive.

View additional Highsmith photos.
And here are more at her web site.

Entrance to our library's children's room. Photo by Carol Highsmith
Update: Andris Simsons has created a puzzle from another Highsmith photo of our library, this one of the mosaic wall. Give it a try.
Highsmith picture of the mosaic

]]> Cloud Fun 2013-05-01T17:35:47Z 2013-05-01T13:35:47-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2013:/library/mt//1.3003 2013-05-01T17:35:47Z We are offering six weeks of short workshops, in computer room A at 4 PM, to introduce you to interesting, free, online tools. Many have corresponding mobile apps. Each workshop will last approximately 30 minutes. These workshops will be repeated... library We are offering six weeks of short workshops, in computer room A at 4 PM, to introduce you to interesting, free, online tools. Many have corresponding mobile apps. Each workshop will last approximately 30 minutes.

These workshops will be repeated on Sundays, starting at 3.
Reminder: The library and computer rooms will be open 12-5 starting May 5th.

Video Week April 29-May 3
Monday POPCORNMAKER
Tuesday GOANIMATE
Wednesday ONETRUEMEDIA
Thursday XTRANORMAL
Friday Let’s see what you created

Photo Week May 6-10
Monday BEFUNKY
Tuesday Let’s see what you created with befunky
Wednesday PIXLR
Thursday Let’s see what you created with pixlr

Share Info Week May 13-17
Monday STIXY
Tuesday LIVEBINDERS
Wednesday Let’s see what you created with any of the tools (video, photo or sharing)
Thursday Let’s see what you created with any of the tools (video, photo or sharing)

Infographics Week May 20-24
Monday EASELLY
Tuesday PIKTOCHART
Wednesday INFOGRAM
Thursday VISUALLY
Friday Let’s see what you created with infographics software

Polling Week May 28-31
Tuesday POLLEVERYWHERE
Wednesday SURVEYMONKEY
Thursday poll each other, collect data
Friday organize your data with in an infographic

Organize Yourself Week June 3-7
Monday TOGGL
Tuesday ASTRID
Wednesday TOODLEDO

Anyone can participate but many of these sites or apps require parental permission if you are under 13, or 13-18. So you may want to bring a parental consent form or, better yet, bring your parent.

If you are underage you are welcome to watch, kibitz, and laugh at staff members trying to create animations.

]]> Spring for Poetry 2013 2013-04-15T14:55:03Z 2013-04-15T10:55:03-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2013:/library/mt//1.3002 2013-04-15T14:55:03Z Take a spring poetry walk. The Friends of the library, with the help of student artists at Montgomery College, Sherman Avenue residents who helped place signs, local poets who acted as selectors and many others have placed a new... library Yevtushenko poem



Take a spring poetry walk. The Friends of the library, with the help of student artists at Montgomery College, Sherman Avenue residents who helped place signs, local poets who acted as selectors and many others have placed a new set of poetry posters all over town. There are 32 posters in all, can you find them?

Here is the new poem list with locations.





Reminder: Favorite Poem Evening April 23rd. Please come and share the experience.

If you can read a poem, please contact the library director, Ellen Robbins, with details. 301.891.7259

]]> Snow/Rain/Ice 2013-03-06T14:59:13Z 2013-03-06T09:59:13-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2013:/library/mt//1.2981 2013-03-06T14:59:13Z library We are closed today but you can read, or listen to, Ulysses.   (At least listen to this.)

The Ulysses introduction with Professor Owens has been rescheduled for March 13th. Azalea Room, 7:30.

The 13th is also the start date for The Ancient Greek Hero so register now, and join our discussion group.

Not in the mood for Ulysses - Homer or Joyce? Explore our online streaming audiobook collection where you will find many superb recordings. Try My Year of Meats. Watch the snow while discovering a book.

Home with kids? Rediscover Tumblebooks and the Tumblebookcloud.

]]> Closing the Distance 2013-03-02T17:56:42Z 2013-03-02T12:56:42-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2013:/library/mt//1.2979 2013-03-02T17:56:42Z Join us in a pilot project to bring a little Harvard into Takoma Park. Our plan combines free edX online college courses with in-person seminars led by our rich community of experts. Complete the coursework in the comfort of your... library Join us in a pilot project to bring a little Harvard into Takoma Park. Our plan combines free edX online college courses with in-person seminars led by our rich community of experts. Complete the coursework in the comfort of your own home, or at the Library's Computer Center with staff available to help you every step of the way. Gather at the Library weekly to discuss the material in person and see where the conversation takes you. Our pilot course will be The Ancient Greek Hero. For information about the course please visit:

The Ancient Greek Hero

The course begins soon, on March 13. If you want to join our pilot, or have ideas or suggestions to share, please contact Patti Mallin at pattim@takomagov.org by Friday, March 8. We will need 6 participants to move forward. More information about, and registration for, edX courses can be found at: edX

Additional note: If you are enrolled in Eric Lander's MITx biology course, which starts March 5, or plan to enroll in Harvard's Human Health and Global Environmental Change beginning May 15th, please contact Patti. We may be able to arrange some get-togethers.

]]> The Ancient Greek Hero course readings include Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, several tragedies of Euripides, Sophocles and Aeschylus, as well as bits of Hesiod, Herodotus, Philostratus, and Plato.

This is all divided into 24 parts with lectures, quizzes and the like. No grades. Just fun.

]]> Poetry Party 2013-01-24T20:36:54Z 2013-01-24T15:36:54-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2013:/library/mt//1.2957 2013-01-24T20:36:54Z Tuesday, January 29th, 2013, 7-9 PM Historic Takoma, 7328 Carroll Avenue at Takoma Junction Historic Takoma will honor the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library with a program entitled A Celebration of Spring for Poetry in Takoma Park.... library Tuesday, January 29th, 2013, 7-9 PM
Historic Takoma, 7328 Carroll Avenue at Takoma Junction

Historic Takoma will honor the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library with a program entitled A Celebration of Spring for Poetry in Takoma Park. There will be a poetry reading, a brief video, and light refreshments. Space is limited, come early.

A window exhibit, To Mark our Course, presenting Takoma's Spring for Poetry posters, has been designed and installed by Susan Robb, and will be up until mid-February.

Shelley: "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" The 2013 posters will be placed around the City in April.

]]> Library Has Power 2012-12-27T15:53:29Z 2012-12-27T10:53:29-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2012:/library/mt//1.2942 2012-12-27T15:53:29Z The Library has power, although some of the surrounding neighborhoods have lost power. So if you need to come and charge up your electronic devices, or just want a cozy place to use WiFi or to read, come on in!... KarenM karen.macpherson@gmail.com The Library has power, although some of the surrounding neighborhoods have lost power. So if you need to come and charge up your electronic devices, or just want a cozy place to use WiFi or to read, come on in! We're open Thursdays from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

]]> Holiday Hours 2012-12-20T15:35:30Z 2012-12-20T10:35:30-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2012:/library/mt//1.2940 2012-12-20T15:35:30Z The library and computer rooms will be closed December 24th, December 25th and January 1st. We will close at 6 PM on December 31st.... library The library and computer rooms will be closed December 24th, December 25th and January 1st. We will close at 6 PM on December 31st.

]]> Ulysses 2012-12-17T20:10:36Z 2012-12-17T15:10:36-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2012:/library/mt//1.2937 2012-12-17T20:10:36Z library Update Jan 22: Additional links

Start here with the first episode of Frank Delaney's re: Joyce, a five minute plea. Convinced?

The Friends of the Library have chosen Ulysses as their "Great Big Book" for spring. Start now. Give yourself some time to let Joyce's words roll around in your head without pressure or guilt. Don't worry that you need to be aware of the allusions. You don't. You can go back and mine after your first go-through.

Do you want an audio recording? This is a read-aloud book.

Listen to these tiny snippets from the WBAI 99.5 FM Radio Bloomsday broadcasts.

Their Complete Ulysses project has three finished episodes: Proteus; Calypso; Penelope And here are the excerpts from other episodes Just a few minutes each.

Ready to listen to the whole book?
Try the unabridged, streaming, Naxos recording available through our audiobookcloud account. All you need is a computer or wireless device, and a connection. Be sure to set the occasional bookmark as this will take a while to complete. The complete, unabridged recordings all last about 30 hours. Is it worth it? Yes. A good recording can make an otherwise inaccessible book magical. (Joyce was a musician. You need to hear his language.)

If you want to listen to the great Blackstone recording of Ulysses, come in to the library and borrow it from the reference librarian.

If you read, rather than listen to, Ulysses you may miss the humor. This is a gloriously funny book. And a sad one.

Do you want a digital text copy?
Project Gutenberg has several versions available for various devices. If you have a Nook, Sony or Kobo be sure to select the epub option.

If you are reading on a computer or any connected device, you may find this edition easier to read. Or you might want to try a concordance version.

Backlit tablets/e-readers are great for people over 40.
Remember to adjust the font size to something comfortable.

Do you want a print copy?
We have a couple of editions available in the library as well as some books about the book. Try both FIC JOYCE and 823.09

Of course some (most?) of the books written about Ulysses will just take all the joy out of it. Better resources:
Frank Delaney's podcasts. By episode 131 we are still on Sandymount strand with Buck and Stephen.
Joseph Campbell on Joyce.

Want to buy your own copy of Ulysses while supporting libraries? You can get discarded library copies or donated used books from Better World Books. Be sure to search on "ulysses joyce", sort by price, and list 100 per page. (If you are picky about editions, look for the Gabler. Search "Gabler Joyce")

Do you want to go back and read The Odyssey
Re-reading, or listening to, The Odyssey may add extra fun to Ulysses because you will have the little aha!s of recognition. Nestor, Circe, the swineherd, the naive princess. Even little details correspond. When Bloom (Odysseus) tries to leave the pub he shouts at the citizen (the cyclops) who throws things at him. Sound familiar?

In The Odyssey, as in Ulysses, the first sections introduce Telemachus, his problems and wanderings. You don't meet Odysseus immediately.

And only the middle part of The Odyssey tells the story of the ocean adventures. (Blink and you'll miss the Lotus Eaters.) The front and back sections take place back home in Greece.

You can find an amazing, full cast, unabridged, streaming audio production of the The Odyssey at audiobookcloud. (And if you are wondering about the wandering rocks, Padraic Colum's version of the Argonautica, The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles, can be found there too.)

We also have print copies at, or near, 883 HOMER

What's next?
After you have read, or listened to, Ulysses and perhaps re-read at least parts of The Odyssey — try a bit of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians, perhaps the second book, Sea of Monsters.

More Joyce? If you haven't read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners, you may wish to back up and do so.

Movies?
Be sure to watch Bloom with Stephen Rea and Angeline Ball. If you do this first, it will help you make sense of the book.

Another version, Ulysses, also filmed in Dublin and released in 1967, starred Milo O'Shea. It was promptly banned in Ireland.

Both movies are currently available on DVD.

For other takes on the Odyssey, try the films Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? and Cold Mountain, as well as the opera Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria.

What about the reviews?
"A few intuitive, sensitive visionaries may understand and comprehend 'Ulysses,' James Joyce's new and mammoth volume, without going through a course of training or instruction, but the average intelligent reader will glean little or nothing from it- even from careful perusal, one might properly say study, of it- save bewilderment and a sense of disgust." NYT May 28, 1922

"A great book? If greatness is measured by universality of appeal, Ulysses cannot be called great. It will never be a bestseller. Old-line critics have mostly found it too hot to handle. But a growing body of modern critical opinion on both sides of the Atlantic has already acclaimed Ulysses as a work of genius and a modern classic. For readers to whom books are an important means of learning about life, it stands preeminent above modern rivals as one of the most monumental works of the human intelligence. " Time January 29, 1934 (Subscription access only. Please see the reference librarian if you want to see the whole article.)

And it is #1 on the Modern Library 100 greatest novels list.

Samples
"The grainy sand had gone from under his feet. His boots trod again a damp crackling mast, razorshells, squeaking pebbles, that on the unnumbered pebbles beats, wood sieved by the shipworm, lost Armada. Unwholesome sandflats waited to suck his treading soles, breathing upward sewage breath. He coasted them, walking warily."

"There are sins or (let us call them as the world calls them) evil memories which are hidden away by man in the darkest places of the heart but they abide there and wait. He may suffer their memory to grow dim, let them be as though they had not been and all but persuade himself that they were not or at least were otherwise. Yet a chance word will call them forth suddenly and they will rise up to confront him in the most various circumstances, a vision or a dream, or while timbrel and harp soothe his senses or amid the cool silver tranquility of the evening or at the feast, at midnight, when he is now filled with wine."

Don't you want to listen to this?


1904 postcard
Note 1: This is our second attempt to convince people that this book is one of the great pleasures. Please check our library blog post from this past Bloomsday.

Note 2: This postcard is from Joyce Images, a lovely, and quite brilliant, site which goes through Ulysses episode by episode with contemporary images. Please visit.

Update January 4

And finally, a bit of poetry

Poems based on the Odyssey:
W. H. Auden's The Wanderer

There head falls forward, fatigued at evening,
And dreams of home,
Waving from window, spread of welcome,
Kissing of wife under single sheet
Tennyson's Ulysses
I am part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades
Constantine Cafafy's Ithaca
When you start on your journey to Ithaca,
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.

A few poems by Joyce

]]> Holiday Book Sale 2012-11-26T23:06:42Z 2012-11-26T18:06:42-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2012:/library/mt//1.2919 2012-11-26T23:06:42Z Come to our special Holiday Book Sale on Sunday, December 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the beautiful offices of Historic Takoma in Takoma Junction (7328 Carroll Ave.—right next to Takoma Vet). We’ll be selling hundreds of NEW... KarenM karen.macpherson@gmail.com Come to our special Holiday Book Sale on Sunday, December 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the beautiful offices of Historic Takoma in Takoma Junction (7328 Carroll Ave.—right next to Takoma Vet).

We’ll be selling hundreds of NEW children’s and teen books, including picture books, children’s novels, non-fiction and young adult fiction – all at bargain prices. (For example, a $16.99 picture book will be priced at $2). We’ll also have some almost new books of interest to adults.

COME EARLY FOR THE BEST SELECTION – THE BOOKS SELL QUICKLY!!!! The sale is sponsored by the Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library, and all proceeds benefit the library’s programs, including our weekly Spanish Circle Time, monthly French Circle Time, our College Bound series, resume workshops and more. (Note: Depending on demand, the Friends will reserve the right to limit purchases; also, book dealers are not invited to this sale). Any questions? Give us a call at 301-891-7259.

]]> Holiday Greeting Card Workshop 2012-11-26T21:03:55Z 2012-11-26T16:03:55-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2012:/library/mt//1.2917 2012-11-26T21:03:55Z Come and make a holiday card using computer graphics free software. When: Saturday December 1 from 10 A.M. to 11:30 A.M Where: The Computer Center in the Takoma Park Community Center Who: Given by “ Art For The People”. Sponsored... library Come and make a holiday card using computer graphics free software.

When: Saturday December 1 from 10 A.M. to 11:30 A.M
Where: The Computer Center in the Takoma Park Community Center
Who: Given by “ Art For The People”. Sponsored by the Takoma Park Maryland Library
Requirements: You must have a Takoma Park Library card to participate.

]]> Library Closed Monday 2012-11-12T01:24:46Z 2012-11-11T20:24:46-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2012:/library/mt//1.2912 2012-11-12T01:24:46Z The Library is closed on Monday, November 12 in observance of Veteran's Day. The Takoma Park Community Center also is closed for the holiday.... KarenM karen.macpherson@gmail.com The Library is closed on Monday, November 12 in observance of Veteran's Day. The Takoma Park Community Center also is closed for the holiday.

]]> Elizabeth Blair Lee 2012-10-31T19:22:56Z 2012-10-31T15:22:56-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2012:/library/mt//1.2897 2012-10-31T19:22:56Z Planning to see the movie Lincoln which opens in mid-November? Several of our colorful local Blairs appear as characters: Elizabeth Blair Lee; her father Francis Preston Blair: her brother Montgomery Blair. Here are two books that should be on... library Elizabeth Blair Lee

Planning to see the movie Lincoln which opens in mid-November? Several of our colorful local Blairs appear as characters: Elizabeth Blair Lee; her father Francis Preston Blair: her brother Montgomery Blair.

Here are two books that should be on your personal "must read" lists. Don't miss them.
973.741 L 477 Wartime Washington: The Civil War Letters of Elizabeth Blair Lee edited by Virginia Jeans Laas.
973.709 GOODWIN and CD-Book 281 Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Elizabeth was married to a Virginia Lee, Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee, U.S. Navy, and wrote to him almost daily during the war. She was an active, intelligent, observant, opinionated woman, a very good writer.

The actual Silver Spring, down the road from us under the acorn, was on the Blair farm where many of the letters were written. Unfortunately the spring hasn't had water since the 1950s.


Samuel Phillps Lee Elizabeth's "Dear Phil"

]]> Library Closed Tuesday 2012-10-30T02:20:48Z 2012-10-29T22:20:48-05:00 tag:www.takomapark.info,2012:/library/mt//1.2894 2012-10-30T02:20:48Z The Library, like all City of Takoma Park offices, will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday Oct. 30 due to the storm. This means there will be no Circle Time tomorrow. Please also note that there will not be Circle Time next... KarenM karen.macpherson@gmail.com The Library, like all City of Takoma Park offices, will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday Oct. 30 due to the storm. This means there will be no Circle Time tomorrow. Please also note that there will not be Circle Time next week either! Next Tuesday, Nov. 6, is Election Day and we want to make sure voters have a place to park.

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