From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

Did you ever wonder what that symbol on great granddad’s tombstone meant? Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography is just what you need.

This is an outstanding resource for deciphering cemetery symbolism. It includes hundreds of beautiful color photographs from cemeteries around the world.

The chapter on fraternal organizations and secret societies is especially fascinating.  If you can identify one of these symbols on an ancestor’s grave, it may lead you down a new path of research!

From the desk of Mary Paynton Schaff

Ever wonder what an anaplerotic is?

How about a faldstool or a knockknobbier?

If you’ve ever run across strange words in historical records, Ancestry’s Concise Genealogical Dictionary can help. It defines a wide range of obscure legal and colloquial words and phrases that you may find when researching your family history.

In case you’re wondering:

Anaplerotic: “Medicine which promoted the healing process and helps renew flesh or wasted parts—often found in medical records.”

Faldstool: “A portable folding seat used by a bishop when visiting other churches; a portable stool or desk used in praying.”

Knockknobbier: “The person whose duty it was to chase dogs out of church if they became a nuisance.”

Volume 6, December 9, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FREE BOOKS FOR DISCUSSION KITS OR COMMUNITY READS

2) WALNET RFQ RELEASED

3) WCOG EVENT HONORS BALLARD AND THOMPSON

4) IMLS NATIONAL LEADERSHIP GRANTS

5) NANCY PEARL PRESENTS – BOOKS THAT MAKE GREAT GIFTS

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Volume 6, October 7, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) NEW DIGITAL COLLECTION – SKAMANIA COUNTY HERITAGE

2) WORKPLACE BULLYING SURVEY

3) EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY LITERACY PROGRAMS RECOGNIZED

4) FREE BOOKS FOR DISCUSSION KITS OR COMMUNITY READS

5) PLA AWARD AND GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

6) ALCTS LIBRARY METADATA POLICY E-FORUM

7) EVALUATING MEDICAL INFORMATION ON THE WEB

8) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Eastern Washington University was recently awarded $17,025 to support “The Big Read,” a national program that brings communities together to read and discuss books. EWU was the only Washington organization to receive a Big Read grant in this, the fifth year of the program.

Eastern selected The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, for its Big Read program. Events will take place throughout March and April of 2011, as part of the upcoming year’s Get Lit! festival.

In a July 10 announcement, IMLS (the Institute of Museum and Library Services) joined the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) in announcing a total of $1 million in grants to 75 not-for-profit organizations for hosting a Big Read project between September 2010 and June 2011.

What is The Big Read? A 2004 report by the NEA found that not only is literary reading in America declining rapidly among all groups, but that the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young. Big Read grants provide citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. This program is designed to restore reading to the center of American culture, for both pleasure, and enlightenment.

The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Support for The Big Read has been provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Boeing Company, the Poetry Foundation, and the Ford Motor Company.

Congratulations to Eastern Washington University on applying for and receiving this award!

Congratulations to Sheryl Kindle Fullner, teacher librarian at Nooksack Valley Middle School in Everson, WA, on the publication of her book, The ShoeString Library, by ABC-CLIO! The publisher describes the book thusly:

An organized collection of budget saving methods, materials, and strategies, these tips are all tried-and-true examples of ways to stretch the media specialist’s budget and time, and change even the drabbest library into an inviting oasis of learning.

Makeovers are mesmerizing. Whether it is the 400-pound man who turns into a hunk or a hovel that morphs into a chic apartment, we all love "before" and "afters." Now every library can become an "after"-without busting the budget.

The Shoestring Library offers hope, incentive, and direction to librarians who lack everything but passion. The book is organized around 300 hints-more than 114 of which are green alternatives-for administering a library in tough times.

According to anecdotal information, Sheryl has been known to use her own money at garage sales to find bargain books for her library. She is known for her incredible dedication to the kids she serves through her library. Sheryl Fullner, we salute you!

And a tip of the hat to Whatcom County librarian, Regan Robinson, who posted an announcement of the book on the Publib e-mail list, thus calling it to this blogger’s attention.

Volume 6, May 27, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) NO LIBRARY IS AN ISLAND – THE 2010 PNLA/WLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

2) WASHINGTON LIBRARIES RECEIVE FREE LYRASIS TRIAL MEMBERSHIP

3) BRUSH UP YOUR PR SKILLS – JUNE FIRST TUESDAYS

4) FREE BOOK – GARLIC AND SAPPHIRES

5) TECHNOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF LIBRARIES

6) POWER TO THE USER – INTERACTIVE ONLINE REFERENCE SOURCES

7) RE-TOOLING FRONTLINE STAFF WITH E-GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

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There’s been a lot of buzz the past week about a new book that was just published. Marilyn Johnson’s book, This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All, has been getting a lot of press (and that’s a good thing for all of us). In the book, Johnson argues that librarians remain essential, even in the Google age (especially in the Google age?), but also remain underappreciated.

That’s not news for many of us, I’m sure, but her book abounds with examples of how librarians are helpful, hip, and breaking new ground every day in how they serve their communities. A recent Salon.com article cites that Johnson:

“… delights in refuting our assumptions about librarians, while making a rock-solid case for their indispensability at a time when library systems are losing an average of 50 librarians per year. Who else is going to help us formulate the questions Google doesn’t understand, or show non-English speakers how to apply for jobs online, or sympathize with your need to research the ancient origins of cockfighting? Librarians, Johnson argues, are one of our most underappreciated natural resources.”

Johnson was interviewed for the radio show On the Media, which was released on February 19th. You can listen to the full interview below (6m:09s):

There have also been excellent stories and interviews via the NJ Star-Ledger and Library Journal (which has video clips!).

Marilyn Johnson has her own website at http://marilynjohnson.net, and the book has its own site: http://www.thisbookisoverdue.com/. You may also find the book at your local library via WorldCat.

Those of us in libraries know that librarians are amazing; hopefully this book will help get the word out to the rest of the world.

eBooks (and eReaders) have been getting a ton of press over the past couple months, and I have a feeling that they will continue to do so throughout the year. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is happening in Vegas right now, and a lot of the buzz coming out is about ebooks and readers. In case you haven’t been paying attention, though, I’d like to highlight some of my favorite articles and thoughts on ebooks to date and for the coming year.

First, and you’ve probably read parts of this, Sherman Alexie was interviewed for Mother Jones, and he has some particular remarks about a particular ebook reader that are quite risqué. I won’t reprint them here, but the entire interview is worthwhile and available at motherjones.com.

Robert Darnton gives his case for books at Publisher’s Weekly, and says the following about ebooks:

“I want to write an electronic book. Here is how my fantasy takes shape. An “e-book,” unlike a printed codex, can contain many layers arranged in the shape of a pyramid. Readers can download the text and skim the topmost layer, which will be written like an ordinary monograph. If it satisfies them, they can print it out, bind it (binding machines can now be attached to computers and printers), and study it at their convenience in the form of a custom-made paperback. If they come upon something that especially interests them, they can click down a layer to a supplementary essay or appendix. They can continue deeper through the book, through bodies of documents, bibliography, historiography, iconography, background music, everything I can provide to give the fullest possible understanding of my subject. In the end, they will make the subject theirs, because they will find their own paths through it, reading horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, wherever the electronic links may lead.”

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I’ll avoid any cliches about gifts that keep on giving. Instead, I’ll jump straight in and admit that I, like many librarians, am an NPR nerd. I adore NPR for a number of reasons (though I will say that it was Ira Glass who first got me hooked). I also particularly enjoy their segments with librarian Nancy Pearl on book recommendations.

Nancy Pearl was once-upon-a-time the Director of Library Programming at the Seattle Public Library. These days she reads and recommends books to people, on the radio and through her book series, Book Lust. She’s also the only librarian I know of who has their own action figure (side-note: where are the Ranganathan pull-string toys where he recites the 5 laws of library science?).

Nancy Pearl was on Morning Edition this morning with more great recommendations, and all of them look great. There’s something there for everyone, and I recommend taking a look. Don’t stop there, though. While you’re on the site, check out the Best Books of 2009 section. This section has numerous stories and book recommendations, including the best young adult fiction of 2009, top picks from indie booksellers, best five books to share with your friends, best gift books, and more.

And sure, it’s Christmas, and maybe you’ll buy some of these as gifts. Me, I like to use these lists to fill up my reserves at the local public library – something I recommend everyone try. And hey, maybe instead of giving your reader friends books for the holidays, this year you should give them a library card application instead. Because cliche or no, libraries really are gifts that keep on (and on and on and on) giving.