Open House

Hibbing Public Library staff will be hosting an open house for Terry Moore from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 1st.

Terry will be retiring after 20 years as the Hibbing Public Library Director.

The public is invited to enjoy some cake and coffee and wish him well.

Check Out the Plays By Hibbing Playwright

Hibbing playwright Roy C. Booth announces that his children's play, "Beanie and the Bamboozling Book Machine," was recently performed in Bangkok, Thailand at the Shrewsbury International School, sister school to the famed Shrewsbury School, founded in the UK in 1552, which is also well known for its rigorous acamedic excellance. The play's performance was attended by local and foreign dignitaries alike, and was accompanied by an "all-star band" made up of some of Thailand's most well known musicians. The play has also been recently performed in Belle River, Ontario, and in Edinburgh, Indiana.

Another of Booth's plays, "Two Wives and a Dead Guy," written with wife Cynthia, was recently performed in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, Orono, Mainie, and in Tacoma, Washington.

Check the library catalog for these and other titles by Roy Booth.

Dylan Days Exhibits at the Library

Art Exhibit in the Auditorium - Lake Superior artists will feature paintings on or related to Dylan. The artwork may be purchased with proceeds to support the Bob Dylan Exhibit.

Dylan & the Blue Jackets in the Front Window - Dylan's life & times at the Hibbing High School.

Many Faces of Bob along the front wall of library - Character drawings of Bob Dylan.

Walk with Me - A walking tour around Dylan's hometown.

May 24 - Dylan's 66th birthday will be celebrated with Beatty Zimmerman's Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf Bread.

Community Events - May 23-27, 2007

Medieval Mayhem - Week of the Young Child

Monday, April 23 - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

By Royal Proclamation, Princes and Princesses of the King of of Hibbing are invited to the Hibbing Public Library for a Medieval Mayhem of fun and activities. Enjoy crafts, castle maze, puppets, stories, fishing pond, and treats.

Each child will take home a free book compliments of the Hibbing Literacy Action Center, funded by United Way. Coordinated by Hibbing Early Childhood.

Mystery Book Review

The Spellman Files
By Lisa Lutz
Isabel Spellman, private investigator, works for Spellman Investigations, the family business based in an old Victorian in San Francisco.
Isabel and her perfect older brother David, began work for Spellman Investigations when they were 12 and 14. The first job assigned was picking up trash from the subject’s residence, putting on a pair of gloves and separating the bank statements, bills, and letters from food or other noxious trash. Surveillance came soon after court record searches.
Rae Spellman, the youngest of the Spellman children by 14 years, began her surveillance work when she was six because no one could stand her relentless begging to be allowed on the job.
Life in the Spellman household is never dull and surveillance is not used on just the clients; they spy on each other with often hilarious results.
First novel in a series, see more information on Lisa Lutz at www.spellmanfilesthebook.com

Tax Night at the Library

Tax Night will be held once again at the library!

With the cooperation of the U.S. Post Office, the Hibbing Public Library will collect, stamp and mail Federal and State Tax forms from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17th. Tax forms, postage, and coffee will be available.

Mystery Book Review

Scavenger
By David Morrell

"Scavenger" starts when Frank Balenger gets out of the hospital after his ordeal in "Creepers" where he followed a group of urban explorers into an old abandoned hotel and found the serial killer who killed his wife. Frank barely survived to rescue the killer’s next victim, Amanda, the image of his dead wife.
Amanda and Frank are taking time to put their lives back together when they receive an invitation to the Manhattan History Club. While attending a lecture on time capsules, they are drugged and separated. Amanda is transported to a lodge out west with other “survivors” of catastrophic events where they are given instructions, GPS instruments, and 40 hours to reach a destination. Frank, left in New York, must move quickly to learn about the Manhattan History Club to get clues on where to find Amanda.

The author’s notes include interesting facts about time capsules:
www.americanheritage.com to find an essay on “Capsule History,” by Lester A. Reingold (November, 1999).
www.davidszondy.com for “Tales of Future Past,” by David S. Zondy.
To find other books and information by David Morrell, go to www.davidmorrell.net

Nonfiction Book Review

River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey
By Candice Millard
Harsh conditions, treacherous rapids and months of travelling upriver through the wilderness of the Amazon Jungle of Brazil in 1914, Theodore Roosevelt, and Candido Rondon, a Brazilian explorer, formed the Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition to trace the River of Doubt, an area previously unexplored.
One more adventure by the man who was larger than life, the journey almost killed Teddy Roosevelt and certainly shortened his life. Infected with a deadly bacteria and fighting Malaria, there was some doubt the Theodore Roosevelt would survive the journey. Sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History, many new animal and plant specimens were discovered. Insects, Malaria, inadequate provisions, and canoes unsuitable for rapids were a few of the mistakes made by men who had no knowledge of the Amazon Rainforest and almost cost the expedition members their lives.
Plenty of action and adventure, and adds to the Roosevelt legends.
For Further information about Theodore Roosevelt:
www.theodoreroosevelt.org and www.theodore-roosevelt.com

Air Conditioning Project Update - March 22nd

Shannon's, Inc. was awarded the bid for the Library Air Conditioning Project. The company is located in International Falls and was awarded the Trane/PHCC National HVAC contractor of the Year in 2006- 2007. We are expecting workers to be in the building in April.

The work will begin in the crawl spaces and on the roof. After that, things begin to get more complicated. The children's area will be closed for a time as they work installing duct work on the ledge. The reference area will be closed for a time when the duct work is installed. We are having a new electrical line brought into the building, which will mean that the library will be closed for a day when the electricity is turned off and the switch over is being made.

Yes, there will be a dust and noise, but when it is all done the Library will be a "Cool Place" to be.

Preparing for the Project -

In 1919, the Hibbing Public Library Board of Trustees and the Library Director, Dorothy Hurlbert, invited a Chicago art dealer to exhibit a collection of American paintings at the Library. During the exhibit, four thousand people came and viewed and voted on their favorite paintings. After all the votes were tallied, the Library Board decided to purchase several of the paintings. To protect these paintings, of which some are quite valuable, the Friends of the Library decided to create a storage area. We are following the advice of the Midwest Art Conservation Center in creating this storage area. Our thanks go to Don Hanson, ASAP Ship and Print, who found large pieces of cardboard and bubble wrap, which are being used to soft wrap the art work and to Glenn's Fix It for creating the storage cabinet.

Russian Stories with Robin

Robin Kuznick, who recently traveled to Russia, shares stories to young children at the Hibbing Public Library on March 14th. As Bears are often characters found in Russian Folklore she brought along her bear puppet. Robin also told with the help of the children the story of the Great Big Enormous Turnip.

Kill A Watt - Energy measuring devices now avialable at the Library

The Hibbing Public Library now has 3 "Kill A Watt" testers that can be checked out for 28 days to test the efficiency of your electrical appliances.

Lake country Power has supplied area libraries with this energy measuring device. Each kit includes the Kill A Watt, a carrying case and a laminated instruction card.

The Kill A Watt meter shows consumers how much energy various appliances use. By comparing these measurements to that of average use and more efficient Energy Star products, they can then make educated decisions on where their appliance dollars are best spent. They can also learn to improve on the efficient use of an appliance by either unplugging while not in use, adjusting temperatures or modifying their activity.

Common energy wasting practices found by the Kill A Watt include extra refrigerators and televisions left running when not needed, home office equipment that can use energy while sitting idle such as computers and printers and the energy lost from a heated water bed not properly covered.

Landscaping Project Receives Gift from Lowe's

Hibbing Public Library and the Friends of the Hibbing Public Library - with the help from a $1,000 gift from Lowe’s and advice from the members of the Hibbing-Chisholm Gardening Club will be beautifying the library lawns. The first planning meeting was held March 5th despite the snow and below zero weather. Words like Lady Mantles, Pig Squeak, Russian Sage, Miss Kim, and Lamb Ears were used at the meeting. “I don’t know what they mean,” said children’s librarian Enid Costley. “I am just grateful for people from the Gardening Club and Lowe’s Nursery Specialists, who do know plants.” “We want to make the library look nice - have some curb appeal. We also want children to see something beautiful when they look out the windows on the children’s area.” said Donna who is both a member of Friends of the Library and Hibbing-Chisholm Gardening Club.
For others who are planning a garden project – recommended reading includes “52 Weekend Gardening Projects” by Nancy Bubel and “A Garden for Children” by Felicity Bryan.

Cookie Dough & Brownies

In cooperation with Sunrise Bakery the Hibbing Public Library will be having a cookie dough and brownies fundraiser!
Cookie Dough - Choose from Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Walnut Chranberry, Happy Camper, or Molasses for $10.00 per container. Each container will make about 65 2-inch cookies or 32 3-inch cookies.

Brownies - Will be ready to cook in an 8 by 8 pan for $10.00 per pan.

Call 218-262-1038, email hibbingpl@arrowhead.lib.mn.us, or stop in the library to place your orders by March 10th. Cookie dough and Brownies will be available for pick up at the library on March 21 -23.

Fundraising for the Friends of the Hibbing PUblic Library will go to Children's Programs and Services.

Motion Mayhem at the Library

The Science Museume of Minnesota presented a program at the Hibbing Public Library on March 7th. Children and adults learned how to; suspend a ball in mid-air, drop a nail in a bottle without touching the nail, and pull a tablecloth out from under a set of dishes. After the presentation there were table top activites which further explored the science of motion.

This is a cooperative program with the area schools funded in part by the U.S. Bank Foundation.

In this picture shows T.G. getting ready to pull a table cloth out from under an object. Thus proving that object not in motion remain inert.

Air Conditioning Project

Monday, February 26, marked the first of many meeting on implementing The Design Group’s plans for air conditioning the Hibbing Public Library. The meeting was marked by lots of questions. The major question being when does the work begin? Answer - Soon – maybe as early as March 12th.
The first work to be done will be in the crawl spaces. Library patrons may not see, but may hear some of the work being done. While work is being done in the lowest levels of the building, other tasks will be done to make the project run smoothly. Library staff, with help from Friends, will be protecting the Library art work, moving shelving and equipment.

Cookie Dough & Brownie Fundraiser

In cooperation with Sunrise Bakery the Hibbing Public Library will be having a cookie dough and fudge fundraiser!

Cookie Dough - Choose from Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Walnut Chranberry, Happy Camper, or Molasses for $10.00 per container. Each container will make about 65 2-inch cookies or 32 3-inch cookies.

Brownies - Will be ready to cook in an 8 by 8 pan for $10.00 per pan.

Call 218-262-1038, email hibbingpl@arrowhead.lib.mn.us, or stop in the library to place your orders by March 10th. Cookie dough and Brownies will be available for pick up at the library on March 21 -23.

Fundraising for the Friends of the Hibbing PUblic Library will go to Children's Programs and Services.

Bob Dylan’s American Journey 1956-1966

Bob Dylan’s American Journey 1956-1966 opened at the Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis campus on Friday, February 2, 2007. This exhibit, created by the Experience Music Project in Seattle, charts Bob Dylan’s transformation from folk troubadour to rock innovator during the turbulence of the 1960s.

Jasen Emmons, producer for the Experience Music Project, spent time at the Hibbing Public Library in 2004 gathering information, ideas, and artifacts from the Bob Dylan Collection and Exhibit. In addition, he acquired enough red ore rock to create a large "wall of iron" that is used as a backdrop for showcasing items pertaining to Bob Dylan’s teenage years on the Iron Range. This exhibit contains more than 150 artifacts and features five different films exploring different facets of Dylan’s career.

Colleen Sheehy, curator at the Weisman Art Museum, was successful in bringing Bob Dylan’s American Journey 1956-1966 to Minnesota. Colleen had traveled to Hibbing in 2005 and 2006 looking for artifacts to expand upon the Hibbing and Dinkytown sections of the exhibit. Among the items she secured were the original Lybba Theater marquee from Zimmy’s and a 16" x 20" color photo by Chuck Perry of the Hibbing High School Auditorium courtesy of the Bob Dylan Collection at the Hibbing Public Library. All of the additional Hibbing items are displayed at the entrance to the main exhibit.

This multimedia exhibition which brings Bob Dylan back home to Minnesota will be on display at the Weisman Art Museum thru April 29, 2007. It will be the only presentation of this national traveling exhibit in the Upper Midwest.

Book Review

The Terror
By Dan Simmons

In this historical novel about the disappearance of the Franklin Expedition, Dan Simmons gives a new twist on the fate of the 2 ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror along with 129 men lost on their search for the Northwest Passage.

If being stuck in the ice for 2 years, contaminated food, extreme temperatures and the effects of scurvy wasn’t bad enough, the men of the expedition are slowly being killed off by a large bear-like creature. The men face a grim end as the ships break apart in the ice and they have few choices but to walk over 800 miles to the outpost on Great Slave Lake.

For further information about the ill fated Franklin Expedition, see acknowledgements at the end of the book. See also www.wikipedia.com and http://www.ric.edu/rpotter/SJFranklin.html
Rumors of murder, starvation and cannibalism were confirmed from remains found on King William and Beechey Islands and analyzed by a group from the University of Alberta in the 1980’s. NOVA produced BURIED IN ICE and later ARCTIC PASSAGE showing where and how the men of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror died.

For more about Dan Simmons, see: http://dansimmons.com/

Library Director Position Opening

The Hibbing Public Library is soliciting applications for the position of Library Director to perform administrative work in planning, directing, and coordinating the operation of the Library, in addition to overseeing staff training, development, and performance evaluation.

Send cover letter and resume by April 13, 2007, to Search Committee, Hibbing Public Library, 2020 East 5th Avenue, Hibbing, Minnesota 55746. Position will be available June 4, 2007, upon retirement of current Library Director.

Visit the complete library website at www.hibbing.lib.mn.us.

Hamburger Helper Grant for Toys

Hibbing Public Library has applied for funds to purchase toys in the children's area and large muscle play in the auditorium during preschool storytime. Additionally the toys may be used for a “play day” in the auditorium. The auditorium may be reserved ahead of time.

As we are competing with other organizations, the only way we are going to be noticed is through letters of support. The letters of support may only be submitted through the Hamburger Helper Website. Your letter of support does not have to be lengthy.

Please note-there is a committee working on a indoor play area. Once this happens the committee will have the option of moving the toys to the community play area.

Submit a Letter of Support