Volume 4 Issue 6
November-December 2011
Library Matters
The official newsletter of the Dearborn Public Library
THIS ISSUE’S QUOTE
N E W A N D R E N O V A T E D S T U D Y R O O M S O P E N A T H F C L
They are the books, the arts, the academes, That show, contain and nourish all the world. — William Shakespeare Love’s Labour’s Lost
IN THIS ISSUE
Classics Revisited
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Computer workshops
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Children’s Programs
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Music We Love
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Movies We Love
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Holiday Hours
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New and renovated study rooms have opened at the Henry Ford Centennial Library. Individual study rooms on the library’s second floor (right) underwent a summer-long renovation, resulting in space for individuals to plug in their laptop and enjoy a quiet study environment. New study rooms on the library mezzanine (below) are available for larger groups. Three rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with a larger conference room and kitchenette available for advance booking at a fee. This space can be booked by contacting Library Administration at (313)943-2330.
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The free book discussion group “Classics Revisited” continues at the Henry Ford Centennial Library, 16301 Michigan Ave. All meetings are open to the public and no registration is required. Meetings take place on the third Wednesday of each month from November through May, from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. in the Ford Collection Room. Multiple copies of each work are available for checkout at all library branches. If interested, reserve your copy today! Further information on each book and its author is also available through the Literature Resource Center database via the Online Resources page on the library’s website, dearbornlibrary.org. And remember: even if you haven’t had a chance to read the entire book, stop by anyway and there’s a good chance you’ll still get something out of the conversation.
C O N T I N U E S
F A L L C O M P U T E R W O R K S H O P S C O N C L U D E A T H F C L Basic computer workshops at the Henry Ford Centennial Library will wrap up in November. See the full schedule of workshops below. All meetings take place in the computer training room on HFCL’s first floor. The workshops are free of charge unless otherwise indicated. Registration for each session begins one week prior to the scheduled meeting date. Interested patrons should contact the Adult Reference Desk at (313) 943-2330 to register for the workshops. COMPUTER BASICS Tuesday, November 1 5-7:30 PM Registration begins October 25 INTERNET BASICS
The schedule of readings is as follows:
Thursday, November 3 5-7:30 PM Registration begins October 27
Nov 16: The Jungle (1906), by Upton Sinclair
INTRODUCTION TO E-MAIL
Dec 21: Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927), by Willa Cather Jan 18: A Tale of Two Cities (1859), by Charles Dickens Feb 15: Beloved (1987), by Toni Morrison Mar 21: The Dollmaker (1954), by Harriette Arnow Apr 18: Gilgamesh (c. 1600 B.C.1000 B.C.) May 16: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), by Mark Twain Sponsored by the Friends of the Library—Dearborn
Tuesday, November 8 5-7:30 PM Registration begins November 1 INTRO TO MICROSOFT WORD $15 fee Tuesday and Thursday, November 15 and 17 5-7:30 PM Registration begins November 8 USING INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES Thursday, November 10 5-7:30 PM Registration begins November 3
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All programming listed below will take place at the Henry Ford Centennial Library
Fridays: Nov. 4, 18, Dec. 9 & 16 10:30 am OR 1:00 pm. Tot Time / Ages 2-3 Years
Participants arriving more than 5 minutes after the scheduled program time will not be admitted. Due to space limitations, strollers may not be allowed inside the program room or the auditorium. Children must be the required age on or before the first date of the program. Residents and cardholders are given preference. Individuals with disabilities who require special accommodations, auxiliary aids, or services to attend or participate in these programs should contact their local library or TDD 313-9432193. Reasonable advance notice is required.
Children with a caregiver are invited for stories, songs and fun. Please choose only one session. Space is limited. Registration begins Oct. 27th. Session 1 @ 10:30 am OR Session 2 @ 11:30 am Thursdays, Nov. 10 & 17 and Dec. 8, 15 & 22
STORYTIMES Mother Goose Storytime / Ages 6-24 Months Babies & toddlers are invited to their first literature experiences along with songs, fingerplays, & movement. One caregiver per child is recommended. Space is limited. Please advise which session you wish to attend. Registration begins Friday, Oct. 21st.
Preschool Storytime / Ages 3-5 Years Join us for fun stories, fingerplays, and a craft. Caregivers must remain in the library. Space is limited. Registration begins Oct. 27th. Thursdays @ 2:00 pm November 10 & 17 and December 8, 15, 22 Pajama Storytime / Ages 3 -5 Join us for an evening of bedtime stories, songs, and rhymes. Pajamas are encouraged! Caregivers must remain in the library. Space is limited. Registration begins Nov. 17th Thursday, Dec. 1 @ 6:00 pm.
CRAFTS Santa’s Workshop / Grades 6-12 (Ages 11-18 years) Make some crafts for your friends or to keep for yourself. We may even have some edible crafts! Space is limited. Registration begins Nov. 26th. Saturday, December 10th @ 2:30 pm Tween+ Craft 1st Saturday of the month @ 2 pm / 4th Grade & Up (Ages 9 years+) November 5th — Polymer Clay Food. Come and make food that will never spoil. Participants will be able to make 2-3 mini food charms. Toaster oven is involved. Registration begins Oct. 22nd. December 3rd — Tea Cup Holiday Candles. Up-cycle an old tea cup and turn it into a cinnamon scented candle. Give it as a gift or keep for yourself. Hot wax involved. Registration begins Nov. 19th. Continued on next page—
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Third Thursday Crafts / All Ages / Drop-in Craft Younger children may need adult assistance. Crafts are available while supplies last. 11:00 am — 7:00 pm Thursday, November 17th Harvest your creativity with a fall-themed craft. Thursday, December 15th Christmas is coming! Join us & make a festive Christmas tree ornament
EVENTS Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever Release Party / Grades 3-6 (Ages 7-12) Winter is coming, so avoid cabin fever and celebrate the release of the newest Wimpy Kid book with us. There’ll be activities, games, and a chance to win your very own copy of Cabin Fever. Space is limited. Wednesday, November 16th @ 4:00 pm Reg istration begins November 2nd. Lets Go to the Movies! / 3rd Sat. of the month @ 2 pm / All Ages Join us for a family-friendly movie & a small craft. No Registration, but space is limited.
November 19 — Wizard of Oz (1938, PG) December 17th — Cars 2 (2011, G) Election 2011! / Grades K8 / (Ages 5-13) November 1-10 Vote for your favorite book character! Visit the Children’s Department to see our campaign posters November 1-6. Vote for your favorite book character November 7-10. The w inner w ill be announced on the Dearborn Public Library Facebook page. Like it! FaceBOOK Meetup / Grades K-12 December 12-16 Join us online at the Dearborn Public Library Facebook page to get some recommended titles for gifts or holiday vacation reading. Here’s how it works: Become our Facebook Fan and post two titles you like and one title you hate on our wall. We’ll be sure to respond back with some new titles for you to check out. Even if you don’t post, be sure to go online to see what your friends are reading.
WinterFest! / December 27-29, January 3-6 / 2-4 pm / All Ages / No Registration Beat the Holiday Break Blues. Join us each afternoon for a different activity. Space may be limited. Tues, Dec. 27: Wii are Board. Board games & puzzles & Wii. Wii players must be in at least 1st grade (6yrs old). Wed., Dec. 28: Snowflake Cutting. Create unique snowflakes that won’t make you shiver! Thurs., Dec. 29: Tied up with String. Come & make something soft & fuzzy with yarn. Tues., Jan. 3: Snowman Collage. Build a snowman without bundling into your snowsuit. Wed., Jan. 4: Pre-K & Up Yoga. Join Beth Vessels of Sweet Pea Yoga for some stretchy holiday fun! Space is limited. Thurs., Jan. 5: Penguin Craft. Join us for this penguin-themed craft! Fri., Jan. 6: Face Painting & Temporary Tattoos. All ages can use our face paints & temporary tattoos.
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Badfinger: A Band To Remember By Sarah Kalmoni On a cold day, while listening to the Oldies station during my lunch hour, they played the song “Day After Day” by Badfinger. I thought to myself, I know this song! What a great song. I became inspired to learn more about Badfinger, and to see if they had any other songs worth listening to. To my surprise, I discovered that Henry Ford Centennial Library carried two CDs and Bryant Branch carried one CD for them. I decided to place all three items on hold. When I listened to them, I felt amazed at how beautiful the songs were and how nice they sounded. “I’ll Be The One” was a bonus track on one of the compilations that I checked out. It’s one of my favorite tracks and always makes me happy when I listen to it. Imagine if they never released this track, I would have been missing out on such a great song! “Baby Blue”, “Come And Get It”, “Maybe Tomorrow”,
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“Better Days”, and “No Matter What” are just some other outstanding songs by Badfinger. While Badfinger enjoyed some success, they also dealt with tragedy. The band was first formed in the late 1960s and
they were signed to Apple Records (associated with The Beatles). Paul McCartney actually wrote their landmark hit, “Come And Get It”. In 1972, when Apple Records started deteriorating, Badfinger was signed to Warner Bros. Records. From 1973-1975, Badfinger experienced internal, financial and management problems. Pete Ham, one of the lead singers, died on April 23, 1975, just three days before his 28th
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birthday. Pete Ham wasn’t making any income and the band’s manager, Stan Polley, wasn’t communicating with the band. Polley was poorly handling funds and decided not to take responsibility for the band’s future. As a result, Ham committed suicide, because he felt that there was no other way to face his problems. Polley was accused by other artists of fraud over the years. The band tried to make music without Pete, but it was never fully the same. Tom Evans, the second lead singer, killed himself in 1983, just 8 years after Pete Ham’s death. Before his death, Evans got
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royalties from a song, “Without You”, that Evans and Ham cowrote under the Badfinger name. Molland felt that all Badfinger band mates should be receiving royalties. “Without You” was a huge hit covered by Harry Nilsson, and was later covered by Mariah Carey. Evans felt extreme pressure from his other band mates and a pending U.S. law suit over the royalties. He was just 36 years old when he died. From his friends’ and family’s observations over the years, Evans never really got over his friend, Pete Ham’s death. What happened to Badfinger is really sad and unfortunate. It feels horrible to think that Pete Ham and Tom Evans, two glorious singers/song-writers in their own right, had to suffer such hard obstacles with the record company and their manager. If they had better management and had been signed to a different record label, perhaps Pete Ham and Tom Evans would have been still alive today, making more incredible music together. In retrospect, what we can learn
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from Badfinger’s experience is, for example, if you have a desire to make music, you need to surround yourself with the right people who have your interests at heart. If a manager isn’t treating you fairly, then you need to hire a new manager, etc. In addition, if the music route doesn’t work out, it helps to have a back-up plan in place to make it financially, until your music career takes off. Being patient, having perseverance and hope during the tough times helps to make you stronger. The next time you want to listen to some great music, check out Badfinger’s three CDs at our Dearborn Public Library’s web site: www.dearbornpubliclibrary.org and search the Library catalog. I hope you enjoy their music as much as I did. Badfinger has a special place in my heart.
F O L D B O O K S A L E S S C H E D U L E
The regular monthly book sales sponsored by the Friends of the Library Dearborn (FOLD) will be held on the following upcoming dates: Wednesday, November 2 Wednesday, December 7
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Badfinger
January—NO SALE The sales will continue to take place in the lobby of the Henry Ford Centennial Library from 9:30 AM to 6 PM.
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there for a few minutes, but the curious action taken (or not taken) by one of the creatures is significant in the film’s “nature” versus “grace” dichotomy.
The Tree of Life (2011) Directed by: Terrence Malick Sitting down to write about Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life is a daunting task. I’m not even sure I can put into words the type of experience this film was for me, but I can say this: it is one of the most challenging, stimulating, moving and utterly beautiful films I’ve ever seen. So, you might ask, what’s it about? On the surface, the film tells the story of the three O’Brien brothers growing up with their parents (played by Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain) in Texas during the 1950s. Jack, the oldest of the brothers and played by Sean Penn as an adult, becomes a successful architect but is still haunted by the death of one of his brothers at a young age. The heart of the film is the coming-of-age section with young Jack and his struggle between what the film calls “nature” and “grace,” with nature represented by the tough and demanding father (Pitt is really sensational in the part) and the kind, playful, almost ethereal mother. Now that sounds like pretty heavy stuff, and it is, but The Tree of Life goes even further by playing this intimate family drama against, quite literally, the creation of the universe itself. Roughly fifteen minutes into the film, as the mother, upon hearing of the death of one of her sons, questions God and how he could let such a thing happen, we literally cut to what could only be described as the first light at the creation of everything. The sequence continues for a good fifteen minutes as nebulae form, earth forms out of lava and water, cells merge, primitive life emerges, and then we see….dinosaurs. I kid you not, there are dinosaurs in this movie. They are only
We then emerge from this epic canvas of creation to Jack’s birth and a gorgeous sequence of the O’Brien children being born and discovering the world. One of the great things about The Tree of Life is how much it allows each viewer of the film to project his or her own life memories onto the events depicted in the film; this is one of those movies where each viewer’s experience will be different. Indeed, when I saw this movie in theatres there were those who walked out during the creation sequence and there were also those who were profoundly moved to tears at its conclusion. We haven’t even touched on the film’s final act, interpretations of which have ranged from a literal representation of the afterlife or the older Jack’s hopeful fantasy for a final reunion and reconciliation. Thousands of words have been written about this film since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this past May, but in the space I have left here there are two elements that need to be mentioned: the cinematography and the music. There are images throughout this film that are breathtakingly beautiful, haunting and mysterious. These images are accompanied by gorgeous classical music that perfectly complements the emotions presented onscreen, whether it’s operatic choral music during the creation sequence or a simple piano piece that expresses the simple beauty of kids at play. The Tree of Life is a challenging film, but it is one that can truly alter your perspective on our shared life experience. How many movies can you say that about? — Jeff Lelek The Tree of Life will screen in the HFCL auditorium on Monday, December 5 at 7:00 PM as part of the winter Blockbusters film series.
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L I B R A R Y A D M I N I S T R A T I O N A N D I N F O R M A T I O N
L I B R A R Y
H O U R S
DIRECTOR
The libraries are now open regular hours according to the schedule below. Please note holiday hours below.
Maryanne Bartles
Henry Ford Centennial Library
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
16301 Michigan Ave. (313) 943-2330 Mon-Thurs
Julie Schaefer
CHAIR Marcel Pultorak VICE-CHAIR Nancy Zakar
Friday
9:30-5:30
Saturday
9:30-5:30
Sunday
LIBRARY COMMISSION
9:30-8:30
1-5
Branch Libraries Monday Wednesday
12:30-8:30 10:30-5:30
Tuesday
12:30-8:30
Thursday 12:30-5:30
Friday CLOSED Saturday 12:30-5:30 Sunday
CLOSED
SECRETARY-TREASURER Jihan Ajami Jawad Candyce Abbatt Ryan Lazar David L. Schlaff Sally Smith Antonia Straley Robert Taub
VISION STATEMENT “The Dearborn Public Library fosters the spirit of exploration, the joy of reading, and the pursuit of knowledge for all ages and cultures starting with the very young.”
HOLIDAY HOURS: The library will be closed on the following holidays: Friday, November 11—Veteran’s Day Thursday and Friday, November 24 and 25 for the Thanksgiving holiday Friday-Monday, December 23-26 for the Christmas holiday Friday-Monday, December 30-January 2 for the New Year’s holiday www.dearbornlibrary.org
MISSION STATEMENT “The Dearborn Public Library provides a broad range of effective, courteous, quality services and a balanced collection of materials for the educational, informational and recreational needs of the community.”
Library Matters November-December 2011 Layout, writing and editing by Jeff Lelek with staff contributions as credited