December............................................

We have an "idea parking lot" in our staff room at the Library. Do you have one in your home? Your business? A place where the most rudimentary concept can be viewed, contributed too, crossed off, or improved by others? Were it not for the Friends of the Gleason Public Library this enewsletter would still be an idea in our "Idea Parking Lot." Ideas for us have been subjects for displays, authors to invite, volunteer projects, shelving or labeling improvements, programs, media or technology, a revolving wish list of efficiencies, improvements, and stuff. Consider the Library a place to find and grow your ideas. And, while at it, what is on your "idea" parking lot for the library? - Angela

Coming Programs

Calendar Of Events

Early Release Movie: Elf (Grades 5 to 8) December 16, 2:45 to 4:20 p.m.
Pajama Story Time December 3, 7 p.m.
Opera: The First Broadway December 3, 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Pajama Story Time December 3, 7 p.m.
Drop In Story Time December 6, 10:30 a.m.
Opera: The First Broadway December 10, 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Felt or Foam Gingerbread Person Craft, December 11, 3-5 p.m.

Propaganda of WWI: Elliot Lilien December 13, 2:30 to 4 p.m.
January 2009: Community Read Events (a special enews edition is coming!)

For Gleason's Patrons of any age:

Propaganda of WWI

Elliot Lilien shares from his collection of WWI posters

Elliot Lilien returns to Carlisle on December 13 to share his vast historical knowledge of WWI, illustrated by selections from his unique collection of WWI posters. Mr. Lilien, a long-time popular and respected history teacher at the Concord Carlisle High School, is the speaker for this 2008 Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Gleason Public Library. This is a program must for those looking for a great encapsulated history talk with props. Mr. Lilien's collection includes Russian, American, British, Canadian, French, German, Austrian, and Italian posters. Mr. Lilien is known for both style and substance, appropriate for teen through adult audiences. The poster talk will follow the business meeting. The event begins at 2 PM. Please note that the Library closes at 3PM. This program is free and open to the public but pre-registration is required. Registration begins November 29 at the Reference Desk, 1-978-369-4898, Gleason Public Library. This program is presented by the Friends of the Gleason Public Library.

Art At the Gleason November - December

PRINTS FROM THE EARTH ECHO GALLERIES

by Fred Casselman

November 8 through January 3, 2009

www.earthecho.com

For Gleason's Youngest Patrons:

Drop In Craft:

Felt or Foam Gingerbread Person

Thursday, December 11 3-5 p.m. Hollis Room

Take some time from the hectic holidays and drop in to make a felt or foam gingerbread man (or girl if you prefer). We will supply the materials and instructions. This project is suitable for you and your child to create together as well as for older children.

Early Release Day Movie - ELF!

Boost your holiday mood with a good "Buddy" in this hysterically enchanting new classic. You'll never look at the magic of the holidays in quite the same way. When: Tuesday, December 16 (early release day). Time: 2:45pm to 4:20 p.m. Place: Gleason Public Library, third floor, Hollis Room. Movie Rating is PG. We will provide snacks. Grades 5 to 8 only. For further information on the movie, check out the following website: www.imdb.com (the internet movie database site).

Teens of Gleason Advisors
The next TOGA meeting will be Friday, December 12, from 3 to 4 p.m.

New Magazines in Teen Space

Look for these new magazines in the teen area on the second floor: Anime, Teen Vogue and Game Informer. These magazines were purchased through grant funds.

Marty's Children's Recommendations

Are you tired of listening to the same old songs with your child? Check out some of these children's CD's that are a bit out of the mainstream.

Beethoven's Wig (and sequels)- CD Children BE Sing-along symphonies to introduce children to classical music.

Can You Hear a Lullaby? CD Children CA Melodic easy listening music with great vocals by Dee Carstensen. You don't have to have a baby to enjoy these!

Not For Kids Only CD Children GA Jerry Garcia sings and plays the guitar on this compilation of old-fashioned songs. "Teddy Bear's Picnic" has a great arrangement with a jaunty backup.

Marvelous Day (and others) CD Children RO Steve Roslonek is Mr. Steve on the television show Mornings on PBS Kids. These songs include rock, folk and jazz styles presented in an engaging style.

Cover to Cover

The community read for 2009 will be The Post-American World, by Fareed Zakaria. We are planning to hold some cultural events, cooking demonstrations, book discussion groups, the Friends' annual community potluck, and a special panel all around the themes raised in this book. The Library will have many copies available in December. A special issue of the enewsletter will announce the events in the next couple of weeks.

Adult Talk Time

The Gleason Public Library and Council on Aging are joining forces to promote a weekly drop-in adult talk time at the Gleason Public Library. With budget cuts looming, resources stretched, and yet an increasing request for programs and outlets for gathering in Carlisle, what better way than a simple plan to celebrate and stimulate the sharing of ideas and words at a local venue. We provide the "when" and "where", those attending provide the discussion. This weekly adult social time will take place starting in January each Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. What will happen? Friends, neighbors, guests, and strangers can sit comfortably in the warm, well-lit, library media area on the first floor and converse informally about topics of choice, catch-up on local news, or get acquainted with new townsfolk. This volunteer-led program is our inter-departmental effort to respond to your requests; please tell us if it works. In January, Janet Lovejoy will be the guest moderator. This program is open to anyone.

Grants Announcement

The Library is pleased to announce that we have received a Manton Foundation grant for $10,000 to provide additional staff hours for program development (across age groups) adding an additional catalog computer in the media area, and funds for staff development. We are grateful for this opportunity and excited about the changes to improve your library experience.

Appreciating Picture Books

At first glance, a picture book seems to be a very simple thing: typically 32 pages in length, designed for small children, colorful with cartoon-like renderings of characters, telling a simple story. But good picture books are actually carefully designed to use deliberate narrative devices, meaningful illustrations, and design elements that complement the tone and mood of the book. Four recent additions to the children's picture book collection at the Gleason Public Library are fine examples of this definition.

Scoot by Carloyn Falwell is the simple story of six turtles sunning themselves down at the pond. The charm of this book is in the details. Each illustration is a beautifully crafted collage rendered in cut and torn paper elements, stamped paint, and natural elements such as tree bark and wasp's nest. Varying font sizes convey action and movement and the tone of the book: lazy, sunny, and warm.

Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton is delightful both visually and as a story. Splat is a worried young cat headed out for his first day of school to learn what cats do. Splat brings his pet mouse Seymour along for moral support and everything seems to be going great until he learns that chasing mice is one of the many wonderful things that cats do. When Seymour escapes, hi-jinks ensue. Be sure to spend some time examining the detailed drawings that show Splat perpetually startled with his gorgeous stand up hair, wide-eyed expressions, and humorous details.

Kevin Henkes Old Bear is a reprint of the gentle story about the dreams of an aging bear has while hibernating. Using vivid watercolor illustrations, the book creates a dream-like sense of each season: spring is pinks and purples; summer blue and green; fall is red, orange, and brown; and winter is shades of blue and white. When Old Bear finally awakens, it's to a fully technicolor spring.

Not only will readers of all ages enjoy the delightful illustrations in Turtles Penguin Day by Valerie Gorbachev, they will also appreciate the humor. Father Turtle reads Little Turtle a bedtime story about penguins leading Little Turtle to decide that he wants to be a penguin. This is a delightful tale of imagination and creativity as Little Turtle's enthusiasm draws in his teacher and classmates to create a penguin themed day at school. The story ends with another bedtime story, this time monkeys.

... written by Nancy Boutet, children's and reference librarian.

Staff Notes

Top Library Use: Consistently the Gleason Public Library tops the list of the 20 busiest libraries per capita in the state. With just around 5,000 people in town, we circulate over 130,000 items a year. A big factor in this use is that the Library is open 6 days a week - making it more convenient for community residents. When considering the role the Library plays in the community and in light of budget constraints, please let us know if and how you value the library - one of the best deals in town.

The Gleason Librarians and Library staff has many hidden talents. We are 17 strong: 2 Librarians are full time, 2 custodians (35 hours total), 1 coverage, and 12 that work from 2 to 28 hours a week. Open 53 hours a week, depending upon the day of the week and hour of the day, you can find each and every one of the librarians at the desk. Six of us hold master's degrees in Library and Information Science, three of us hold other master's degrees, and all of us can share something (a book title, a movie, a music cd, a magazine). We are here to help Library visitors, please feel free to ask.

What we are reading

Read along with the Librarians. The first stops in our readers advisory genre study are the classic Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier and Pelican Brief by John Grisham. Some key characteristics of these genres (borrowing from Joyce G. Saricks) that might draw you to these books or like-books in the genres include:

Characteristics of Softer-Edged Suspense - any bodies usually offstage and not described in detail; atmosphere, emotion, and tension stronger than action; often a female protagonist; police presence is limited; pacing is "roller-coaster" building then easing.

Characteristics of Legal Thrillers -Heroes and heroines are portrayed sympathetically; story line typically finds the hero/ine caught in an intricate web with difficult decisions affecting many; moral and social issues often figure prominently; justice is served in the end; stories are often called "fast-paced" or "page-turners"; fans are attracted to the Legal details and technical language.

If you would like to read along, we have extra copies of these titles at the circulation desk. Just ask a librarian and tell us what you think when you are done. Remember every review helps us, when you like or dislike a book.

Track Your Library Books

We are often asked to somehow alert people BEFORE an item is due. While our system does not provide that function at this time, there is a resource that might help. www.libraryelf.com does a number of things including, email alerts of coming due dates, management of multiple library cards for families, tracking books, dvds, and what you have read in the past. This is a free service. One should note that records are not under the same privacy and confidentiality policies that the Library enforces and the Gleason Public Library does not necessarily endorse this Internet company, but offers this information for those who seek an immediate method for tracking their library loans.

Library Building Update

The Library Building Restoration Implementation Committee (a.k.a. BRIC) has ranked its top candidates and will soon be entering into contract negotiations to Diagnose Deterioration and Water Damage and to Develop Plans for the Restoration and Repair of the Gleason Public Library Historic Building Envelope. Our hope is to have the diagnostics complete and preferred practical path to restoration selected in time to go before the May Town Meeting.

Holiday Hours

The Gleason Public Library opens at 1 PM on Wednesdays and traditionally closes early the day before a holiday. Due to the coming holidays on Thursdays, the Library will not be open to the public on the Wednesdays before. Our hours will be closed Dec. 24-26 and open on Saturday the 27 at 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Library will also be closed Wed, December 31 and Thursday January 1, 2009. All items can be left in the drop box when the Library is closed.

Coming in 2009! Guest authors, Lecture series on World Religions and 19th-century Presidents, Community potluck and much much more.........

Thank you for using the library!