Book Party!

Emily Williston Memorial Library in Easthampton

invites you to a

BOOK PARTY

Thursday, November 15, 2007 from 6 - 8 pm

Join 6 Local Authors and Illustrators to Help Celebrate Their New (and Old) Books!

• Readings, Signings & Demonstrations
• Books, Prints & Greeting Cards for Sale
• A great chance for holiday gift buying

Barbara Diamond Goldin - The Best Hanukkah Eve ** Jeff Mack - Hurry, Hurry! ** Amy Gordon - Magic by Heart ** Ruth Sanderson - More Saints: Lives & Illuminations ** Anna Kirwan - Lady of Palenque: Flower of Bacal ** Carol Weis - When the Cows Got Loose

This free event, for adults and children, will be held at the Emily Williston Memorial Library, 9 Park Street, Easthampton, MA 01027. Refreshments catered by Apollo Grill and Sunrise Bakery

~ Barbara Diamond Goldin, Acting Director/Youth Librarian, Emily Williston Memorial Library, Easthampton

D'Amour Library's Athenaeum Arts Series - November 2

On Friday, November 2 at 7 pm, the D'Amour Library will screen the movie "A Simple Curve". This screening is part of D'Amour Library's Athenaeum Arts Series. Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.

Description: "Kris Lemche gives a stellar performance (Canadian Press) as Caleb, a charming small-town entrepreneur determined to keep his woodworking shop afloat in spite of the relentless idealism of his business partner and father, aging hippie draft-dodger Jim (Michael Hogan, Battlestar Galactica). When wealthy American Matthew (Matt Craven, Crimson Tide) arrives, Caleb sees a chance to turn his fortunes around provided he can keep Jim distracted long enough. Juggling mounting debts, freeloading hippie houseguests, and a budding love life,
Caleb strikes a secret deal with Matthew that could set him up for good if it doesn't destroy his entire way of life." - filmmovement.com

~ Daniel Eckert, D'Amour Library, Western New England College

Is the Monson Free Library Haunted?

Is the Monson Free Library haunted? I didn’t think so but I guess I am not “in tune” to spirits, or so I’m told. It has recently, just within the last year or so (c’mon, I’ve worked here eight years!)come to my attention that people have felt a “presence” in our community room, which was the original library built of Monson granite way back in 1882. It is a lovely room, fully restored 18 years ago when the wing was constructed. It houses portraits of the Mr. and Mrs. Horatio Lyon. The building was endowed by Mrs.Lyon in memory of her husband and is actually called the Horatio Lyon building. All this history brings me to the point of the “haunting”. Every person that has felt a presence has said it was definitely male and definitely not scary. Horatio perhaps?


All the stories are similar. Most people have felt someone standing beside or behind them. One person was in the storage area and actually called out, “Hey, who’s out there?” only to come into the room and find it empty. He claims he has felt this more than once. One of our staff members is part Native American and I look to her as the source of all spiritual knowledge. She has also felt a presence. When I asked her about spirits and hauntings, she said one reason might be because of the portraits. The portrait is signaling a spirit back. So again, is it the good spirit of Horatio? Possibly…

I started to investigate further. I asked Liz, a longtime employee that we joke started here in 1882. “So Liz, have you ever heard that the library was haunted?’ “Oh sure”, she replies! Who knew? How come this hasn’t been mentioned more frequently? Where is the folklore? I asked what she had heard. Liz, always the skeptic, verified the “presence’ story then added, “ but I think people just want to think the building is haunted because it is so old and could be considered spooky in appearance.” She said it is mostly kids that make this claim and well, that is to be expected. But no! says Deb, my spiritual guide. She said children often feel a presence because they are not as cluttered and more open to such experiences. So now what to think?

Ah who cares, what I really want to know is why haven’t I experienced this? I live for this library. I love the library! I’m here alone many times at night! Hmmm…am I a skeptic because Horatio hasn’t chosen me? Could be. Or maybe everyone else is just a bit sensitive? I guess it would be kind of cool to have a good library ghost named Horatio. So start spreading the news that yes! The Monson Free Library is haunted for all those believers. And yes! There is a great pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

~ Hope Bodwell, Director, Monson Free Library

North Adams Public Library launches eZine

A couple of months ago the North Adams Public Library began sending out a monthly electronic newsletter, Library411. We find it a good communication vehicle, and subscriptions are gradually growing. However, we are novices at this and are eager for tips from more experienced ezine-ers. So far we're doing vanilla text, since not all our patrons have email accounts that accept html. I would love to find some kind of template so it could be a little more interesting visually -- any suggestions? TIA for any suggestions you can offer. [Please post your suggestions in the "Comments" Area under this posting.]

We just sent out or latest edition. The next one probably will be distributed toward the end of November. Anyone wishing to subscribe to our monthly (or more frequent) ezine may send an email message to: Library411-subscribe@naplibrary.com

We tried a two library blogs: One for our P.E.A.R.L.s and one general one. Neither took off, so now we're trying this.

~ Katharine C. Westwood, Special Collections Librarian / WebWeaver, North Adams Public Library, http://www.naplibrary.com/

Virtual Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin Simulator Happy Halloween Fun! Visit the Virtual Pumpkin Carving Webpage (no seeds, no guts, no mess to clean up)!

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/timages/page/pumpkin_sim.html

~ Donna Colson, Westfield Athenaeum

Shake dem Halloween Bones!

Each year, I read this really fun Halloween book to the 3rd graders called Shake dem Halloween Bones! by W. Nikola-Lisa and illustrated by Mike Reed. (Boston : Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997.)

It is about a Halloween ball, a hip-hop Halloween ball, told in rhyme by a DJ who has a jack-o'-lantern head! The storybook characters (or maybe just kids dressed up as fairy tale favorites??!!) have a hootin' good time "shaking dem bones" as they dance the night away. There are Red Riding Hood, Tom Thumb, Snow White, Goldilocks, and Rapunzel, and others and the kids love figuring out who they are from the clues in the hip-hop rhymes and fun colorful illustrations. There are also monsters, shiny eyes, glowing pumpkins, black cats lurking everywhere and each time I read it, I/we discover ones we've missed before. I pass out the "shake, shake dem bones" song on orange pumpkin-colored paper and the students dance and sing along whenever the song comes up in the text. They really get into shakin' dem bones! A really fun book! Since I will be at the Blogging workshop on Halloween this year, we did it last Wednesday instead! Maybe we can "shake dem bones" during the break?!?!?!?!

~ Rosemarie Borsody, Lenox Middle/High School Library

Fast facts about Halloween from History.com

Fast Facts about Halloween!

"The observance of Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals
thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of
witches, ghosts, devils and hobgoblins. In the United States, the
first official citywide Halloween celebration occurred in Anoka,
Minn., in 1921. Over the years, Halloween customs and rituals have
changed dramatically. Today, many of the young and young at heart take
a more light-spirited approach. They don scary disguises or ones that
may bring on smiles when they go door to door for treats, or attend or
host a Halloween party. "Trick or Treat!""

From: http://www.history.com/minisites/halloween/

~ Richard Fairfield, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield

My Frightening Story

A woman in a long dark coat came into my library. She was clutching something rectangular in a canvas bag. She looked around the room furtively. She looked at me. After several moments of watching and looking around the library anxiously, she began to move toward me. If anyone approached me, she would stop and wait, pretending to look at magazines or displays. As she got closer I could feel my heart beginning to pound louder and louder.

She slipped her hand into the bag and whipped something out of it and pointed it at me. I gasped

She said, "I just finished this book and I loved it. I want another just like it. Can you help me?"

WHAT do I do?????

~ Jan Resnick, WMRLS

Favorite Ghost Stories

My favorite ghost stories are those by Henry James and Edith Wharton. I haven’t read any in quite awhile, but I remember James’ Turn of the Screw.

In it a new governess is hired for the two innocent, little orphans who live in an isolated, spooky country estate in England. There is definitely evil about, but is it the ghosts of the dead previous governess and the handyman? Or perhaps the children are only pretending to see ghosts to unsettle the new governess. Or maybe it is the governess herself who is insane?

It is all very creepy and by the end of the story, the reader still doesn’t know what happened except that the little boy, Miles, is dead. Who was responsible? The ghosts, if they exist; the governess, if she is deranged; or Miles himself, if he was really evil? The reader gets to decide.

~ Janet Moulding, Director, Forbes Library, Northampton

Spooky Jokes

1. What's worse than being a 1000 pound witch?
Being her broom!

2. What does a vampire do when he has a cold?
He takes coffin medicine!

3. What did the black cat call the mouse on roller skates?
Meals on wheels.

4. Why did Count Dracula take out a subscription to the Wall Street Journal?
He heard it had good circulation.

Happy haunting...

~ Donna Colson, Westfield Athenaeum

The Becket Athenaeum Ghost

When I first began working at the Becket Athenaeum I was warned about the "ghost of the attic" . The Athenaeum is housed in an old church and the Director has talked about many scary happenings in the building. Sometimes when it is very quiet at the Athenaeum you can hear a creaking sound in the attic, which some have said is the ghost of a little girl, but in actuality it is an old chandelier that is hanging up in the attic and when the wind blows just right you can hear a creaking sound. I have scared myself a couple of times, working there when we are closed to the public and have had most of the lights off and have heard that noise, and then it would seem a moment or two later I would hear a book or 2 falling over in the stacks toward the back of the library. The first time this happened to me, I think I had only been working at the library for a month, I quickly gathered my things, and locked up for the evening and went home.

~ Nancy Wilson, Becket Athenaeum

Two Spooky Jokes

1. Why do ghosts make bad liars
Because you can see right through them

2. What do skeletons say before eating
Bone appetit

~ Carol Lynne Bagley, Senior Reference Librarian, Chicopee Public Library

Not-Too-Scarey (But Very Popular) Picture Books

The following is a list of not-too-scarey picture books that are popular at our library:

1. Trick or treat, smell my feet by Diane de Groat
2. How to trick or treat in outer space by Kathleen Krull
3. Poultrygeist by Mary Jane and Herm Auch
4. The Flying Witch by Jane Yolen
5. The Vanishing Pumpkin by Tony Johnston
6. Which Witch is which by Judi Barrett
7. The Bones of Fred McFee by Eve Bunting
8. One Witch by Laura Leuck
   
   ~Sheila McCormick, Director, Hatfield Public Library