http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ The Takoma Park Maryland Library staff web log. en-us 2008-06-26T15:45:12-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001317.html Please register now for these events: We have three places left in the Interviewing Success workshop, July 3rd, 1:30-3:30.Banned Books Club, 10 openings, July 7th at 7:30.Summer Quest Campfire - no limit, July 14th at 7:30Shadow Puppet Workshop, 20 openings, July 28th at 7. Registration is full for Wonderful Ones (throughout July).Both Photo Art Quest weeks are filled, but we have one place left in the Comic Art Quest, August 4-8, ages 9-13. You are welcome to join the waiting lists for the programs that have been filled.We have seven places available in the the final Interviewing Success workshop, August 7th, 1:30-3:30. And don't forget to come into the library any time to sign-up for Summer Quest. 151 kids have already registered and are busy questing. 1317@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-06-26T15:45:12-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001271.html Update June 6th, Friday. The power is back on so we will open at noon. No electricity. No Spanish Circle Time today. The library will reopen when power is restored. The Interviewing Success workshop will go on as planned because it is scheduled for 1:30 in the Hydrangea Room of the Community Center. That building does have power. The computers in the computer rooms are working just fine. Yesterday the surges knocked some of the software kaflooey but that is now fixed. Wireless access is also available in that area. 1271@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-06-05T08:59:57-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001260.html 1260@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-06-04T13:26:07-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001246.html Photo Art QuestJune 30 - July 3 from 9 AM until noon filled Update: Because this filled so quickly, we have added a repeat: July 14 - July 17 filled Take digital photographs and turn them into art. Share them with your online friends, make avatars, decorate your tee or tank shirt. The fun doesn't stop here, either. Just a few weeks later, on the mornings of August 4-8, you can join in on the Comic Art Quest and produce your own online stories. 1 space left Each week long program is open to nine participants, ages 9-13. We will provide food and most supplies. Sign up online. You can register for just the Photo Art Quest, just the Comic Art Quest, or both. 1246@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-05-30T11:16:11-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001227.html On May 17th the Sligo Adventist School celebrates its 90th birthday. And 90 years ago today, May 15th, the first airmail stamps were issued: 24 cents per ounce. Regular stamps were three cents/oz and remarkably went down, yes down, in price in 1919 - to two cents. The price of food? In pennies: bread 9.8; butter 57.7; eggs 56.9; milk (delivered) 27.8; sugar 45.5. Average wages? enlisted military $870/yr; officers $2,698; people working in trade $941; in services $571 (includes medical-$520 domestic-$432 education-$721); federal civilian government $1,415. (All the above from Historic Statistics of the United States) Events? Wilson's 14 points; Plank's Nobel Prize for the quantum theory; Russian civil war and execution of the Czar's family; air battles with the Red Baron; End of WWI - Armistice signed; influenza that killed millions worldwide (from Chronicles of the 20th Century) What were the soldiers singing? K-K-K-Katy, beautiful Katy. You're the only g-g-g-girl that I adore. When the m-moon shines over the cowshed. I'll be waiting at the k-k-k-kitchen door. (see The Annals of America, vol. 14 where you can also find an interpretation of the 14 points, a 1918 poem by Carl Sandburg, Thurber's University Days and Draft Board Nights, and many other primary documents of the time.) 1227@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-05-15T17:45:17-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001217.html Last Thurday night local poets read their work in the library bathroom as part of the Bathroom Poetry Project. If you would like your poetry installed in Takoma Park bathrooms, please send your submissions to bathroompoet AT hotmail.com 1217@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-05-09T18:26:01-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001209.html Montgomery Works will again offer their superb job skills workshops in Takoma Park - this time Successful Interviewing. This workshop will be repeated three times: June 5, July 3, August 7. Time: 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. You need to register in advance. Register online If you didn't attend one of the résumé sessions here this past winter, you can catch up by signing up at the Long Branch Library. The Montgomery Works résumé workshops will be held there on the first Wednesday afternoon in June, July and August. And do you know about the Maryland Workforce Exchange? Take a look through their resource links. 1209@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-05-07T12:04:06-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001188.html Fix your bad voice mail message. Got a new phone? Leave your discarded one in the bin in the community center lobby. Our police department has a cellular phone program.Don't talk on your cell phone in the library, turn off the ringer. You aren't supposed to disturb others in libraries. Would you leave the ringer on in a movie? We do provide places where you can talk on your phone without annoying people: room A and the little lobby areas between the inner and outer doors. Text messaging? As long as the ringer is off this is usually not rude in a library. If you are using an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), throw both your cell phone and the victim's out of range. 911 has already been called, right?And if you are on a date and your cell phone rings - turn it off without looking. 1188@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-04-26T10:47:38-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001185.html If you check out books, CDs or magazines from the library this week, you will be asked to fill out one of our survey forms. What if you don't visit the library this week? Your voice will not be counted in the official survey but ... we have put together an online survey for you. Please take a monment to complete the pop-up form (just once) and we will report the results back here when we have enough responses. var PDF_surveyID = '2C22E50BD020E088'; var PDF_openText = 'View Survey'; View Survey 1185@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-04-23T20:05:34-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001183.html Have closets full of discarded gizmos and eagerly awaiting the annual Takoma Park pickup? Our next Electronic recycling event will be Saturday, May 10th behind the Library, from 10 am to 2 pm. Old cell phones? Please bring them to the bin near the main desk of the community center. They will be donated to Secure the Call, free 911 cell phones for those who desperately need them. More electronics recycling information? Earth 911 posts lists of local events. The Rethink Initiative is a program sponsored by manufacturers, resellers and by environmental organizations. BAN (the Basel Action Network) has important information and links. Read the National Geographic article on toxic electronic waste. This is a big health problem. 1183@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-04-23T19:15:00-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001182.html Saturday May 17th, 2008 Library Lawn 10 AM - 3 PM Donations accepted until May 14th. Volunteers needed. Community service hours are available for high school students. Email ellenr@takomagov.org to volunteer. 1182@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-04-20T16:31:59-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001177.html Poem In Your Pocket DayApril 17 2008 Select a favorite poem, carry it around with you, and share it with others. Additional ideas: Add a poem to your email signaturePost a poem on your blog or social networking pageText a poem to friends This event is sponsored by the Academy of American Poets in celebration of National Poetry Month. Poetry X can be a good source of poems, by theme, author or random selection. (Nice in Firefox, not so nice in IE) Did you notice that the Friends of the Library have placed new poetry signs about town? map list and here is Roscoe's poem. The library will host the annual Favorite Poem Evening on the 24th at 7 PM. 1177@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-04-15T18:47:02-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001159.html 8 PM, Saturday March 29, wherever you are. Beginning in New Zealand, earth hour will roll around the world with people extinguishing their electric lights and non-essential appliances for one hour as eight PM arrives. This includes your computers folks. Try some candlelight. In North America cities turning out the lights include: Atlanta (including all City owned buildings), Chicago, Montreal, Ottawa, Phoenix, San Francisco (even the Golden Gate bridge will go dark), Toronto (the celebration includes an unplugged Nelly Furtado concert) and Vancouver. Street lights and hospitals will, of course, remain plugged in. Altogether some 371 cities, towns or local governments plan to participate. The big cities include Copenhagen, Rome; Mexico City, Bangkok, Dublin. Smaller places include Columbia Missouri and Harmony Florida. Big businesses such as Molson's and small non-profits such as the Morton Arboretum plan to unplug. And individual households in other places all over the world will switch off. Including many in Takoma Park. At the library and in the computer rooms we will do our best to turn off all our lights, computers, rechargers, and the various gadgets we sometimes leave on even when we are closed. 1159@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-03-28T17:11:38-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001144.html Vernal Equinox coming up! 2008-03-20 05:58 It moves. Norooz, the Zoroastrian / Mesopotamian / Chaldean / Persian New Year was celebrated (and still is) for 13 days beginning at the moment of the Equinox. Want to celebrate the equinox with some sweet Norooz food? There are seven traditional dishes, each beginning with the letter sinn. About two weeks after the equinox comes Tomb Sweeping Day, Qing Ming Jie, which also follows the solar calendar. Celebrate by flying a kite. The original Earth Day was also celebrated at the time of the Vernal Equinox. Now it is more commonly celebrated some time in April. Because of the timing of the full moon, March 22nd, some lunar holidays will also come at about the same time as the spring solar ones. The Western Easter is the 23rd, because the timing of Easter is based on the full moon. (See note below.) And Holi, the festival of colors, a lunar holiday like Easter, this year begins on the 22nd. We just passed a Gregorian Calendar leap day and this also happens to be also a leap year in the Hebrew calendar. But the Hebrew calendar has occasional leap months, not leap days, so this year we have two Adars and Passover starts at the next full moon - April 20th. Instead Purim will begin the evening of the March 20th. So you can nosh some Hamentaschen along with your Samanu, Karanji and Hot Cross Buns. Note: Dates for the Western Easter: the first Sunday following the first Ecclesiastical Full Moon (not the same as the astronomical full moon) following March 20. (March 20 was the equinox date in 325) Explanation. (picture of a Holi celebrant by Roel Wijnants) yeast dough hamentaschen -->holi children picture by Tim Brighton) --> 1144@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-03-10T11:52:41-05:00 http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/archives/001117.html Both the library and the computer rooms will probably remain open today because half our library staff can walk to work. But if the sidewalks become treacherous, we may reconsider. Our normal Friday hours are: Library 12-6 Computer Rooms 12-8 City departments, including Recreation, plan to post notices of their cancellations on the notice board. Please check it. We will put a note there if we decide to close. 1117@http://www.takomapark.info/library/mt/ 2008-02-22T10:13:46-05:00