Booklets from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education

If you think you can't afford to go to college, think again. Financial aid has helped millions of students pay for their education beyond high school. Two booklets published by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (Focus on Financial Aid and Your Guide to Paying for College) offer pointers on finding financial aid and paying for your college education. A third booklet, "Your Guide to Choosing a College" is a directory of degree-granting postsecondary institutions in Minnesota.

All three publications are available at the library. Just stop in and pick them up.

"Monkeying Around" at the library

And were you there when Curious George stopped by during "Cool Evening at the Library?" You weren't? Well, keep an eye out, because rumor has it that Santa will be for the Yuletide Festival on Tuesday, December 1st.

You were here? Really? Did you know that George was that tall?

New on PBS

National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Ken Burns
The first part of a six part series started last night on PBS and will continue for 5 more nights. Watch related video clips at the PBS Website: http://video.pbs.org/video/1132712651

Breathtaking images of 58 National Parks provided six years of filming, the narrative, written by Dayton Duncan, follows the birth of the national parks to the present, 150 years later. The companion book is available through interlibrary loan.

Read a Banned Book

Banned Books Week (September 26th – October 3rd) is a national celebration of the freedom to read. Every year the American Library Association, along with other groups, celebrates the first amendment and your freedom to express your opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular. The campaign also stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those viewpoints to all who wish to read them.

For more information check out the display at the library or go to the ALA web site.

Discover 9 Little-Known Fall Drives

From Midwest Living Magazine
Northern Wisconsin:
Travel Highway13 for Lake Superior views and brilliant fall foliage. Start in Washburn, where the route runs past Coco Artisan Breads and Fine Pastries (try the Washburn bread -- pumpernickel with cranberries and walnuts). Continue to Bayfield (left), where apple orchards along the ridge above town offer dozens of you-pick varieties, and on to the public beach in Cornucopia. The road winds over the Bois Brule River and swings into Superior; return to Washburn on US-2 for a 170-mile round-trip.

Another short trip close at hand: Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway which starts near Belle Plaine then heads south and west to Mankato. Look for Apple orchards and Morgan Creek Vineyards.

http://www.midwestliving.com/travel/interest/scenic-drives/fall-drives/?catref=cat2790016&slideid=/templatedata/mwl/slideshow/data/1249924104670.xml&page=1

For more scenic drives, check out the September/October issue at the library.

Sign Up For Email Notices

Get all your notices from the library in your email! Just ask at the front desk to have your email in your borrower record.

You will get:
A notice a day or two ahead of the due date - reminding you of what needs to be returned or renewed.

A notice to let you know when your request is ready to be picked up at the front desk.

Overdue notices.

Sign up now!

New at the Library: Radio Detectives

In Night Beat, Frank Lovejoy stars as hardboiled newsman, Randy Stone, roaming the dark streets of Chicago while working for the Chicago Star in 8 classic radio episodes.
Jeff Regan, Investigator: Jack Webb stars as Jeff Regan doing the legwork for his disagreeable boss, Anthony J. Lyon who runs a detective agency. Regan takes on hard assignments as he investigates counterfeiters, embezzlers and murder in 18 detective radio episodes.
Casey, Crime Photographer for the Morning Express newspaper, captures crime scene photos and criminals themselves with his reporter friend, Ann Williams in this crime fighting collection of radio episodes.
Find these compact discs in the new talking book section under 791.447.

New stuff in the kid's collection

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

From Kirkus Reviews

Ten-year-old Peter Augustus Duchene goes to the market for fish and bread but spends it at the fortuneteller's tent instead. Seeking his long-lost sister, Peter is told, "You must follow the elephant. She will lead you there." And that very night at the Bliffenendorf Opera House, a magician's spell goes awry, conjuring an elephant that crashes through the ceiling and lands on Madam Bettine LaVaughn. Reading like a fable told long ago, with rich language that begs to be read aloud, this is a magical story about hope and love, loss and home, and of questioning the world versus accepting it as it is. Brilliant imagery juxtaposes "glowering and resentful" gargoyles and snow, stars and the glowing earth, and Tanaka's illustrations (not all seen) bring to life the city and characters from "the end of the century before last." A quieter volume than The Tale of Despereaux (2003) and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2006), this has an equal power to haunt readers long past the final page. (Fantasy. Ages 8-13)

Cool Evening@the Library

Don't miss this program!

Cool Evening @ the Library
Thursday, September 24th
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Curious George will be visiting.
(bring your camera to take pictures)

The Hibbing City Band will be playing.
(the music will be great)

The Literacy Action Center will be giving.
(free books for all children that show up to pick one out)

The Friends of of the Library will be serving.
(refreshments for all)

Hell’s Gate by Stephen Frey

Hunter Lee, New York attorney, wins a big case against Bridger Railroad for a group of families hurt by a chemical spill in Montana. Strat Lee, Hunter’s brother, convinces Hunter to leave New York behind and stay in Montana. Strat is quietly investigating forest fires in the Fort Mason area and needs the help of his brother to uncover who is making millions on the deliberate burning of Montana’s forests.
Hibbing Public Library has a copy of Hell’s Gate in Large Print.

Hey! Want a free book?

That's right, a free book! Just show up here at the library next Thursday, September 24 for the event "Cool Evening at the Library" and go to the auditorium. The Literacy Action Group will be giving away one free book to every kid that shows up (while supplies last).

And, who knows? You may even run into your favorite monkey...

Book Sale at Virginia Public Library

The Friends of the Virginia Public Library are sponsoring a book sale:

Wednesday, September 16th
Thursday, September 17th

9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Virginia Public Library Auditorium
215 5th Avenue S.
Virginia

Check it out!

Google Labs

Google Labs is a website demonstrating new Google projects and serves as a testing ground for new services being developed. This is a way for Google to gain feedback on the products before releasing the final versions. www.googlelabs.com

Check out the latest Google projects being tested:
See what today's trends are with Google Trends Lab.
Sky maps and places directory for the Android phone.
News timeline that organizes information chronologically.
Flu trends in the United States and Mexico.
Google squared gives you information in table format.

Evil for Evil: a Bill Boyle World War II Mystery by James R Benn

Fourth in the series, November 1943 finds Billy Boyle, investigator for General Eisenhower, in Jerusalem on leave. Billy's time on leave is cut short with a new assignment to Northern Ireland to find weapons stolen from a United States Army base. Feelings are mixed for Billy while working for the British and his family supporting Northern Ireland. With no constant friends from previous books, a family member surprises Billy with help when fellow officers are killed around him.
First Line: "This was the Holy Land and I had never felt so far from home."
For more information about the author James R Benn and his books, see the website:
http://www.jamesrbenn.com/

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd

First in a new series, Bess Crawford is a World War I British nurse. In 1916 Bess survives the sinking of the hospital ship, Britannic, with only a broken arm but with a slow recovery, she can no longer put off visiting the family of a dead soldier and conveying his last wishes to his brother. Lt. Arthur Graham's family seems reluctant to go any further with the information she brings them and so when Bess is asked to help with a few local cases, she stays on to investigate the mystery surrounding the family.
First Line: "I lifted my pen from the paper and stared out across the blue water."
Charles Todd is best known for the Scotland Yard's Inspector Rutledge series. Inspector Rutledge investigates crime at the end of World War I.
See his website: http://www.charlestodd.com/

Tired of happy vampires? Try this!

From Booklist:

It’s hard to get too involved in a cast of barely likable whiners and pathetic hand-wringers, but somehow that isn’t much of a problem in Jinks’ droll vampire send-up. These bloodsuckers are anything but sexy and mysterious, as here vampirism is a cross between a defining addiction and communicable disease; those infected spend most of their time being seriously ill and attending AA-style meetings with fellow sufferers. Nina, permanently arrested at 15 years old, can’t stand her fellow group members, but when one of them is found staked they all must work together to uncover the slayer before he can kill again. While readers might feel pushed rather than led through the plot, Jinks offers some wry vampire-centric twists on mystery conventions (having to repeatedly piece together what happened while literally dead to the world from sunup to sundown); and when the humor hits its mark, this can be laugh-out-loud funny. Most of the comedy, though, lies in the wide-angle skewering of support groups and fringe characters more suited to hemming and hawing than biting and sucking.

Grades 8-12.

Also available on CD.

Bucks Buy Books

The Hibbing Public Library Board and Staff say, "Thank You!"

More books and periodicals have been kept in readers’ hands since 2004 due to the generous support of the Bucks Buy Books annual fund-raiser. Thousands of adult and children’s books have been purchased since this campaign began in 2004 due to budget cuts. Over $33,000 has been contributed to keep fiction and non-fiction books on the Hibbing Public Library shelves. Brown, Johansen, Sanford, Robb, Orman, Benent, are just a few of the favorite authors enjoyed by library patrons.

We truly hope you will continue to provide reading opportunities for all ages and reading interests. Watch the October PUC mailing for a letter about this program along with an envelope to use for mailing your donation. You can also just drop your donation off at the front desk on your next visit to the library. All checks can be made payable to Hibbing Public Library Book Fund.

My Life According to Books I've Read This Year

From Euro Crime Blog: http://eurocrime.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-life-according-to-books-ive-read.html

From Book Bird Dog Blog: http://bookbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-life-according-to-literature-meme.html

Using only books you have read this year (2009), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title.
Describe Yourself:
How do you feel:
Describe where you currently live:
If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Your favorite form of transport:
Your best friend is:
You and your friends are:
What’s the weather like:
Favorite time of day:
If your life was a:
What is life to you:
Your fear:
What is the best advice you have to give:
Thought for the Day:
How I would like to die:
My soul's present condition:

Yes Virginia, There Is a Dylan Christmas Album

Yes, Dylan's 47th album will be Christmas songs. "Christmas In The Heart" will be released in October. All of his U.S. royalties from sales will be donated to "Feeding America".

Some of the songs included are "Here Comes Santa Claus", "Winter Wonderland", "Little Drummer Boy", and "Must be Santa".

Read quotes from "Feeding America" and Dylan on why they took on this venture on the Bob Dylan web site.

The Nearly Departed: Minnesota Ghost Stories and Legends by Michael Norman

Michael Norman first started collecting true ghost stories as a skeptic. “Tales of ghosties and ghoulies were delightfully chilling to me, but they were ultimately fictions created to frighten small children and the faint of heart.” After interviewing hundreds of people about their personal experiences, Norman is willing to consider the possibility that people have encountered spirits or phenomena that can’t be explained.

Both historical and contemporary stories around Minnesota are included. The older accounts were written up in newspapers, memoirs, etc. The contemporary ghost stories are based on first hand personal accounts. The author has also visited many of the sites where the ghostly presence was observed.
For more information, see Michael Norman’s Website: http://www.michaelnorman.us/

Friends of the Hibbing Public Library

The Friends will be sponsoring the following annual events:

Cool Evening @ the Library
Hibbing Public Library
Thursday, September 24th
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Curious George will be at this family event. There will also be music by the Hibbing City Band, a book give away sponsored by the Literacy Action Center, and refreshments served by the Friends of the Library. Everyone is welcome.

Friends of the Hibbing Public Library Annual Meeting and Membership Drive
Library Auditorium
Tuesday, October 6th
New member sign-up 5:00 – 6:00
Annual meeting and book sale preview 6:00 – 7:30
Everyone should be a friend!

Annual Book Sale
Friends of the Hibbing Public Library
Library Auditorium
Wednesday, October 7th
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Great bargains!

Yuletide Festival
Tuesday, December 1st
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Music by the Hibbing City Band, visit with Santa, kid's Christmas Crafts, book give away, Yuletide refreshments, and more! Fun for the whole family!

In Pictures: 30 Social Networking Terms you should know.

Social Networks connects people with common interests.

Check out the article linked below to familiarize yourself with a few techy terms:
http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/22/tech-starter-kit-ent-tech-cx_om_1022socialnetworkingglossary_slide.html?thisspeed=25000

Fall Programs to begin next week

Story Time and Toddle Time will resume the week after Labor Day.

Pre-school Story Time will be every Tuesday at 10am. This program is for children aged 3-6, but younger children are welcome.

Toddle Time, a story program for children aged 2-3, will be held every Thursday at 10am.

Program flyers for Fall 2009 are now available.

Crazy for the Storm: a memoir of survival by Norman Ollestad

Imagine you are 11 years old, in a plane crash in the San Bernadino Mountains and you are the only survivor. What do you do?
Norman Ollestad, was in a plane crash in 1979 where his father, the pilot and then his father’s girlfriend, Sandra are killed. Norman is only eleven, but the skills his father taught him got him off the mountain on his own.
The story starts with anecdotes about Norman and his father surfing, skiing and living on Topanga Beach in California. Hair raising adventures includes a trip to Mexico to deliver a washer to his grandparents, while outrunning the Federales after refusing to pay bribes at a checkpoint.
Norman talks about his father: “My father craved the weightless glide. He chased hurricanes and blizzards to touch the bliss of riding mighty waves and deep powder snow. An insatiable spirit, he was crazy for the storm. And it saved my life.”
YouTube has an interview with Norman Ollestad with clips after he climbed down Ontario Peak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqLnh1biSa0