The Librarians' Bedside Table (May 27th Edition)

OSCAR GRADY PUBLIC LIBRARY

THE LIBRARIANS’ BEDSIDE TABLE

What your friendly librarians have been reading and MUCH MORE!

What else you’ll find in these pages:

THE LIBRARY WILL BE REOPENING EFFECTIVE IN JUNE 1ST. LEARN MORE ABOUT IT

NOW AROUND TOWN LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES FOR EVERYONE

ANNABEL LEE, BY EDGAR ALLAN POE & READ BY LIBRARY DIRECTOR, JEN GERBER.

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Oscar Grady Public Library Mission Statement: The mission of the Oscar Grady Public Library is to provide high interest, high demand materials and make them readily available from the Library’s collection or through interlibrary loan. The Library supports lifelong learning, information and recreational needs for people of all ages and abilities. Special emphasis is placed on stimulating children’s interests and appreciation for reading and learning. The integration of new technology with traditional library resources is used to expand service beyond the Library’s physical walls.

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On this new issue of our “Librarians Bedside Table”, we compiled a list of really good titles recommended by your library friends. Each title can be accessed in electronic format for your convenience. Click or tap in the hyperlinks attached to each title that will take you right to them in the Monarch Catalog.

We hope you enjoy this selection of books from your librarians at the Oscar Grady Public Library!

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Jen Gerber, our Library Director, would like to recommend the following titles:

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez From the publisher: The International Bestseller and modern literary classic by Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career he whiles away the years in 622 affairs--yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again.

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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

From the publisher: Ng has one-upped herself with her tremendous follow-up novel… a finely wrought meditation on the nature of motherhood, the dangers of privilege and a cautionary tale about how even the tiniest of secrets can rip families apart… Ng is a master at pushing us to look at our personal and societal flaws in the face and see them with new eyes… If “Little Fires Everywhere” doesn’t give you pause and help you think differently about humanity and this country’s current state of affairs, start over from the beginning and read the book again.

Hope, our Collection Developer would like to invite you to check out this title: The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Excerpt from https://lithub.com/the-wind-in-the-willowsisnt-really-a-childrens-book/ , published August 8, 2018

By Peter Hunt.

"The Wind in the Willows Isn’t Really a Children’s Book" The Wind in the Willows is one of the most famous English children’s books, one of the most famous books about animals, and a classic book about “messing about in boats.”

What makes all this mysterious (apart from the fact that this quintessentially English book was written by a Scot) is that The Wind in the Willows is not a children’s book at all— !4

neither the author nor the original publishers ever suggested that it was. Nor is it an animal story: the characters are, as one of the original reviewers, the novelist Arnold Bennett, observed, “meant to be nothing but human beings,” or as Margaret Blount in her book on animals in fiction, Animal Land, put it, “for animals, read chaps.” And boats appear substantially in only two of the 12 chapters. Even the title is mysterious—the word “willows” never appears in the book: Grahame’s original suggestion for a title was Mr. Mole and his Mates.

But, surely, it is a book about small and not so small animals—a Toad, a Rat, a Mole and a Badger (and therefore this must be a children’s book). If so, then these are animals who drink and smoke, own houses, drive (and steal) cars, row boats, escape from jail, yearn for gastronomic nights in Italy, eat ham and eggs for breakfast and write poetry—while Toad combs his hair, and the Mole has a black velvet smoking-jacket.

Of course, very occasionally they behave like animals... But for the most part, the book is about a group of well-off, leisured English gentlemen. Even more importantly, the book hardly ever addresses itself to an audience of children: as Humphrey Carpenter put it, “The Wind in the Willows has nothing to do with childhood or children, except that it can be enjoyed by the young.”

Martin, our Collection Developing and Adult Services Coordinator would like to recommend these titles: Meeting Gorbachev, a film by Werner Herzog.

I recently had the pleasure of watching this documentary directed by German director Werner Herzog, whose long cinematic career has included in recent years some really high notes on documentary filmmaking, including the astonishing “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” (2011), the bizarre “Grizzly Man” (2005), and the inspiring “Happy People, A Year in the Taiga” (2013) among others.

For me watching this documentary was a very good way to access and learn more about a figure I had found myself intrigued from early age growing up on on the 80s, time when I !5

remember feeling like a witness to a major time of change in which the name Gorbachev is a stamp deeply imprinted on those memories (even with the music of the German band Scorpion singing “Winds of Change” playing in my mind as I write this), in which the world was really changing in a way that have become distant in time but still present in the current affairs of the world and how the dynamics of power have created bigger and darker divisions than those once existing by the so called Iron Curtain.

In this film, Herzog sits down with Gorbachev while going over key aspects of his life, his upbringing and his way of seeing the world, painting a really enlightening picture by resenting this man who many dubbed one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century in a very candid way.

With a really felt humanity in their conversation, both director and subject navigate this film in a way that makes you feel you are sitting right there listening to these old friends sharing the memories of pivotal moments such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the USSR, etc, loaded with the honest reflections on those milestones for what they really were, what could they have been, what they were not and what it’s their legacy in today’s world, in a way only people who have had a rich role in the history of 20th century could speak about.

Really worth watching for anyone interested in the history of the past century.

In a completely lighthearted note, another documentary I have enjoyed big time watching, was a candid portrait of such an enigmatic character as it is Bill Murray and a little known side of his personality as it is him showing up at random events for which his presence was not “expected”.

The Bill Murray Stories, a film by Tommy Avallone, presents in a sympathetic way through a wide array of unknown characters, the stories of actor Murray enjoying life by simply bing himself, in the moment and maybe teaching an unrequested lessons to everybody wise enough to accept it on how to be part of the world in which we live and not simply a passerby.

A very human depiction of a larger than life character.

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Rita, Library & Patron Services Assistant , would like to recommend these titles:

The Lowland (2013), by Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa

Lahiri, is a story of two brothers, Subhash, the risk-averse older brother, and Udayan, the thrill-seeking younger brother, who are growing up in Calcutta in the 1950s and 60s. Their different temperaments take them on diverging paths in their young adult lives, with indelible consequences. Subhash earns a scholarship to study in Rhode Island, while Udayan remains in India and becomes an activist in the Maoist “Naxalite” political movement, trying to improve the conditions of India’s poor through violent uprising. Subhash and Udayan are like two sides of the same coin, separated, but inseparable. The Lowland is a beautifully written story, although the middle of the novel can take on a quality of inertia, paralleling the lives of the characters. As the story ends, the tempo picks up, giving readers a deeper understanding of the characters and their choices. Themes of brotherly love, secrets and the consequences of life’s choices infuse this novel.

Lahiri’s debut collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies (1999) won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

The 2012 nonfiction book, Hedy’s Folly, by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Richard Rhodes, is not, as the title implies, a biography of Hedy Lamarr. It is, however, an interesting view into portions of the art, political and technical history of the 20th century. The book focuses on the unlikely team of Hedy Lamarr, the Hollywood icon, and George Antheil, the avant-guard musician and writer. They worked together to invent a way to radio-guide torpedoes with a synchronized system using random frequencies that eliminated signal jamming, a technique called frequency hopping. Frequency hopping spread spectrum !7

technology eventually became the foundation for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and cellphones.

This book has as much about the life of George Antheil, a provocative composer whose music covered many styles, from Ballet Mếchanique which included airplane propellers, to his Hollywood film music, as it does about Lamarr. LaMarr, the Hollywood star and beauty, who had once been married to a weapons supplier in Austria, spent her free time creating inventions in her drawing room.

It was Antheil’s practical experiences (including synchronizing 16 multiple player pianos for Ballet Mếchanique), and LaMarr’s determination to provide the Allies with powerful weaponry to defeat the Nazis (eventually fruitless), that coalesced into patents for their frequency hopping system. Antheil died before earning any recognition for this achievement, but Lamarr and Antheil (posthumously) were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

Hedy’s Folly is a good book for anyone interested into the origins of modern wireless technology. It also provides a peek into the fascinating team of Lamarr and Antheil.

Rhodes won the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction in 1986 for his book, Making of the Atomic Bomb.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (2017), is a meticulously researched nonfiction book by the American journalist David Grann, It discusses the murderous conspiracy that lead to the killing of Osage people in Oklahoma for their head rights (mineral/oil rights) in the 1920s and also covers the early years of the FBI.

The Osage Nation was forced from its reservation in Kansas to what was assumed to be worthless land in Oklahoma in the late 19th century. However, once vast oil deposits were discovered there, and because the Osage Nation had retained their mineral rights, members of the Osage became the richest people per capita in the United States in the 1920s. This wealth was irresistible to unsavory elements of society, and the Osage mysteriously began to die at alarming rates. Local law enforcement was ineffective at bringing the killer/killers to justice, so the newly appointed director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover sent a team of agents, led

by Tom White, to solve the mystery.

This detailed, yet fast-paced book is a heart-wrenching telling of one of the many chapters of the mistreatment of Native Americans in American history.

All the titles described in the previous pages can be found using the !8 Libby and/or RB Digital apps and the Monarch Library System

Compatible devices include Amazon Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, Apple IPhones and tablets, Blackberry devices and more.

A valid Monarch Library System library card is necessary for checkout and placing holds.

Click/tap here to connect to Libby’s site or to learn more or click on Libby’s image below to open our PDF pamphlet with all the instructions you need.

Click/tap here for Libby first time users instructions pamphlet Click/tap Here for Libby & Kindle Instructions Pamphlet Need help? Click/tap HERE to access Libby’s Help Page or let us know on your next visit how to help you.

RBdigital Audiobooks & Magazines Built by Recorded Books, RBdigital is a stateof-the-art platform and app providing access to audiobooks & magazines simply using your library card.

Need help setting up the app? Click/tap here to access the slide presentation we have on how to download, set up and use this great app.

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Or simply read the following communication from our Library Director, Jen Gerber. !1 0

5/21/2020

Dear Library Patrons, The safety of our patrons and employees is a priority to the Oscar Grady Public Library. We are working to stay on top of the evolving COVID-19 situation by following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), WI Department of Health Services, and the Ozaukee/ Washington County Health Department.

The Oscar Grady Public Library plans to re-open following the American Enterprise Institution (AEI) Report which outlines a phase-opening process released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner to help minimize and prevent a possible risk of resurgence of the virus COVID-19, and the Blueprint for Reopening Washington and Ozaukee Counties, a guiding document created by the County Chief Health Officer specifically for Washington and Ozaukee County businesses and residents.

For most recent and accurate information, please visit the following websites: • Centers for Disease Control & Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/ • Wisconsin Department of Health Services: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/disease/ covid-19.htm • Washington Ozaukee County Public Health Department: http:// www.washozwi.gov/

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What is The Oscar Grady Public Library doing?

Our current procedure is to: 1) prioritize the safety and health of our staff and patrons; 2) continue serving our community informational needs as best we can; 3) plan for any changing circumstances should they become apparent.

Library Services Phase One: Following the guidelines of Phase One from the Blueprint for Reopening Washington and Ozaukee Counties, the Oscar Grady Public Library will open to the public for essential services, beginning Monday June 1, 2020 at 25% of the Library’s LIBRARY REOPENING PLAN: PHASE ONE 5/21/2020 LIBRARY REOPENING PLAN: PHASE ONE total occupancy. The occupancy level is based on the total square feet of the Library per person /per square foot for the areas the Library is open to the public.

Hours of Operation: To allow time for staff to clean surfaces, the Library will temporarily reduce hours in which we are open to the public. The hours of operation are as follows: Mondays-Thursdays: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm Essential Services: Essential Services are limited to the following: checkout and return of library materials, public internet and wireless access, and printing, photocopying, and faxing.

Curbside Pickup Services: Curbside services will still be available upon request for seniors and patrons with vulnerable health risks.

The Youth Services Department and Youth Circulation Desk will remain closed to the public, although materials located in the Youth Services Department are available for checkout.

The Library’s Community Room, Digital Media Conversion Lab, drinking fountains will not be available for public use during this phase.

The public hours of the Library shall be reduced to allow time for staff to clean surfaces. The Library shall be surfaced cleaned throughout the day.

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The Library staff shall continue to follow the CDC Guidelines and are therefore required to wear cloth masks, wash hands frequently, and use hand sanitizer provided by the Village.

All staff shall maintain a minimum 6-foot physical distance from other staff members and members of the public. Plexi-glass shall be installed at the Circulation Desk to assist staff with service to the public.

Next Steps: We are monitoring this developing situation closely; the safety of, and my commitment to, our patrons and library staff is my priority. The intent of the Library is to continue to re-open incrementally through a conservative and careful approach. Additional services will be available through phases once approved by the Library Director in consultation LIBRARY REOPENING PLAN: PHASE ONE with the Oscar Grady Public Library Board of Trustees and the Village Administrator.

Similarly, phases may revert, or the Library may close, if at any time an elevated health risk is determined to exist to the public or the staff.

What can you do?

As a public space, the Library cannot guarantee a germ-free environment or germ-free physical materials. Patrons agree to assume all risk and are personally responsible for their own safety when using the Library. Please consider the risks of a public space when using the Library.

The Library staff requests that all patrons entering the building take precaution in the possible spread of infection by wearing cloth masks, washing hands frequently, and using hand sanitizer provided by the Village of Saukville.

Thank you for working with us to keep the Library a healthy and safe environment.

Jen Gerber Oscar Grady Public Library, Library Director jgerber@village.saukville.wi.us If you would like to download and print the document provided below, please click HERE for downloadable PDF file of this communication

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Our WI-FI is FREE and still working. If you do need wi-fi connection to apply for unemployment, look for jobs or simply take a break and download a book, watch a tv series or anything else, this is what you can do: 1-Park your car at the library parking lot or have a sit on our outside bench near the main entrance.
 2-Go to settings on your device and allow your device to pick up our signal.
 3-click on LibraryPublic and you should be connected.

Please note that the farther from the building you are the weaker (if any) the signal will be.

Park as closely possible but also be mindful of others and allow others to use it as well by self measuring how much time you spend on the free network.

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You can access Gale Course by doing click HERE Welcome to Gale Courses!

The Monarch Library System is thrilled to be able to provide all patrons in every member library the opportunity to engage in meaningful learning through Gale Courses. This robust online resource provides access to exceptional classes on multiple topics of interest, including career training programs. If you seek deeper knowledge of areas from A (Accounting) to W (Writing), Gale Courses has something for you. We hope you consider exploring the offerings for personal and professional development. Please let us know about your experience so we can continue to streamline our services to benefit your needs! Enjoy your journey.

How to Enroll: 1. Find courses by browsing through the categories on the left of your screen or by using the search bar above.

Click “Enroll Now” next to the course of your choice.

2. Select your course start date and click “Continue.”

3. Create a free Gale Courses account, or sign in to an existing ed2go account.

New Students – Enter your email address in the New Student area and click “Create Account.” Complete the “Account and Student Information” page and then click “Continue.”

Returning Students – Enter your account email and password and then click “Sign In.” You will use your Gale Courses account email and password to log in to the My Classroom area to view your lessons once your session begins.

4. Enter your library barcode in the box labeled Submit. Then click “Use Library Card” to complete your enrollment.

IMPORTANT! Students who have enrolled in a course must log in and view lessons one and two within 13 days after the start date of the course, or they will be automatically dropped.

Students who are dropped from a course will be able to enroll in the course during a later session.

Download instructions on how to access this great resource with the following PDF file: C_Gale-Courses_trifold-brochure_Saukville-1Download

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Now around town! Books for everyone.

The Oscar Grady Library with the support of The Friends of the Oscar Grady Library has purchased three Little Free Libraries, which have been installed at three convenient locations. Check them out! Love them, enjoy them, treasure them. !1 6

VILLAGE OF SAUKVILLE MUNICIPAL CENTER

QUADE PARK

OSCAR GRADY PUBLIC LIBRARY

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Things We Are Doing at Home

by Jen Gerber

I’m trying to explore my creativity through Digital Storytelling; taking one of my favorite poems and creating sound and narration with art and photographs. This is something that I’ve never done before but the process was comforting to me. Beautiful words with pacing and intent. Here’s my first attempt at Adult Digital Storytelling: (click below for hyperlink to media presentation)

Annabel Lee, a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, read by Oscar Grady Library Director, Jen Gerber.

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Storytime at Home with Miss Julie

We miss you! Just because you’re staying in doesn’t mean an end to storytime! Miss Julie is taking our storytime to YouTube! Enjoy stories, dance along and sing songs at your home.

Click/tap HERE to access all seven archived episodes!

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www.oscargradylibrary.org

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