Map your favorite book!

Image from Lucius Beebe Memorial Library on flickr

Have you read a book and wondered what the location really looked like?  In my case, I did not read Tony Hillerman's Jim Chee mysteries until after I had lived south of Gallup and Grants for several months and moved away from the state for a couple of years.  Yet I found having the personal knowledge of the towns, distances, and local quirks contributed depth to my appreciation of the novels.
In my mother's case, when she read Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch books, she wondered how many places were based on a real place.  As luck would have it, another fan of the books shared that thought and made a Google map to answer.

If connecting a story to real places catches your fancy, you might also be interested in the Placing Literature project here: http://placingliterature.wordpress.com/page/2/ .  This project focuses on books set in Duluth, New Haven, and San Francisco (see their site for the reading list).

If you are interested in following walks through well-known towns and titles, Ruidoso Public Library has three: one for Santa Fe, another for Dickensian London, and one on Hemingway's Paris.

Armchair travel connects exotic locales and literature without leaving the comfort of home (or the public computers at the library!).  I found a Google map of St. Petersburg, Russia, including photos of locations from Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment (available online to read or listen to).  Comment below, email the library, or call us if you would like to find a map connecting a specific author, book, or city through literature.

How to preserve your digital footprint

This is a 2-minute audio file from the Marriage of Figaro, Mozart's opera.

The file is from Wikimedia Commons.  It came from a wax cylinder recording at The University of California, Santa Barbara. It is one example of digital preservation.

What is a digital footprint?  It is the zeros and ones of your social media accounts, emails, Wikipedia edits, ebooks, etc.  Maybe you have posted "I miss you" on the Facebook account of a deceased friend.  The links below might help you understand what your digital footprint encompasses, as well as plan ahead to help friends and family know what to find, look for, or close down upon death.

The US Library of Congress lists 50 (fifty!) activities to select for exploring your digital footprint.
http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2013/05/fifty-digital-preservation-activities-you-can-do/

If time and training are not part of your current plans, this link is a single page of minimal precautions anyone can be aware of when first considering vintage or extant items.
https://www.heritagepreservation.org/PDFS/SaveYourTreasures.pdf

A Book Conservator at the US National Archives

The US Library of Congress is reliable resource for information on preservation.  Whether you are techno-savvy and ready to watch a video or want to print the PDF to share with a techno-avoider, try these resources.

This is a page of videos, how-to sheets, and webliographies (more websites):
http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/personalarchiving/padKit/handouts.html
I was impressed with the breadth of coverage, including how to preserve emails, digital videos, digital photographs, and other sorts of personal digital records.

This page is the launching point for three different aspects of preservation:
http://www.loc.gov/preservation/family/index.html
If you are visiting family, these provide useful talking points for heirlooms or activities to help younger generations connect with elders.  The three areas are

• Collections Care, 
• Emergency Preparedness, and 
• Make a Family Time Capsule/Scrapbook/Album.  

AIC logo

If you are ready to jump into the deep end of the conservation pool, the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works has guides for you. http://www.conservation-us.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=497&parentID=472
This list offers printable (or web-enhanced) instruction based on the type of material, format, media, or content, from architecture to fiber, furniture to glass.  This site also refers conservators to do the work for you.

Let us know if you have any questions about preserving your family history.

Preservation Week @ Your Library

The fourth annual Preservation Week (April 21-27, 2013) happens across the country at academic, public and special libraries. Activities include lectures, presentations, demonstrations and workshops, as well as three free Preservation Week-sponsored webinars.

New for Preservation Week 2013: a preservation advice column – Dear Donia.  What “Dear Abby” was to personal relationships, Dear Donia will be for all your preservation conundrums!  

How do I store my grandfather’s letters home from the front?  

What should I do to preserve my family color snapshots that are fading? 

How can I preserve my child’s baby quilt made by her great-grandmother?  

To launch the column on Friday, April 26  at 11 am EST, Donia Conn will host a one hour live chat  to help answer your preservation questions.  In the meantime, feel free to send Donia questions via the Preservation Week’s Facebook page.

If you are interested in quick tips to get started with your own heirlooms, start here. If videos are are in order, several are available here, from cockroach invasions to water damage.

Recognizing the critical role libraries play in preservation, the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) in partnership with the Library of Congress and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is proud to bring Preservation Week to libraries across the country. This national awareness campaign was developed to promote the understanding and importance of care for personal and community cultural heritage collections, such as books, documents, photographs, textiles, paintings, sculptures, furniture and decorative arts.  ALCTS is a division of the American Library Association.

Ruidoso Public Library remembers Dec 7, 1941

Thursday, at 10 am, join Ruidoso Public Library to watch a video of Chester Nez, the last surviving Code Talker, who spoke last December at Aztec Public Library.

Then, on Friday, watch the movie, Windtalkers, starting at 10am.  Both events are downstairs.

Making Sense of the Stacks (a new 10 part series)

Ruidoso Public Library's shelves follow the Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC).  I thought I might share some of the history and library science on Dewey and classification, in the hope it helps you find something useful in the stacks.  The series will present ten parts because Dewey has ten divisions.

Photo of Melvil Dewey at Wikimedia Commons

Trivia: Melvil Dewey believed in simplified spelling, which is why he didn't sign his name Melville.

Classification for books is similar to how animals and plants are divided in Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus: Species.  In Dewey, subjects are lumped by 100s (Religion in 200s, Arts in 700s).  Some ideas show up on several places, which is why we, librarians, may walk you to several shelves to answer a question.  For example, with Halloween approaching, costumes are under 792, 646, and 391.  Why?  391 is part of social sciences--the history of costumes across cultures; 646 is Beauty, including current trends in accessories or hair; 792 covers recreation, including costumes for parties.

Roman Coin Timeline

A Globe Stand

Book cover at Wikimedia Commons

I'll start with the end: the 900s are geography, biography, and history. In rough terms, books for how to travel, where to travel, and in case you believe in time travel, are located between 900 and 919.  Dewey lived before multiculturalism, so the numbers radiate out from New England, rather than alphabetically or round the world by longitude.  920s cover individuals, famous families, genealogy, and idea books for names.  930s cover really ancient history (before 500 CE).  940s cover Europe's history; 950s are Asia; 960s Africa; and 970s North America. The 980s cover South America and 990s everything else.  Dewey does that a lot--if there's a "9" in the number it is often everything he didn't know about yet.  Let me present another  example: if you are looking for a travel guide, look in the 910s.  Europe, then Asia, followed by Africa, the Caribbean, North America, South America, and the Pacific.

#8: What happened to Reference?

One library stand-by is The Reference Collection:
the maps,
encyclopedias,
NADA guides for car prices, and
almanacs.
Ruidoso Public Library still carries these.  Luckily many are available online 24/7.  Personally, I still like a printed atlas to identify a trip destination or plan the route and what side trips to include.  Then I can check Yahoo, Mapquest, or Google for the shortest route and turn by turn directions.  (Can you tell I don't have a GPS?)
Ruidoso's greatest need for maps was highlighted this summer during the Little Bear Fire.  For future, INCIweb has the latest news as a direct feed from the Incident Command Post.  The Southwest New Mexico Weather site also provided timely map resources.  If your computer can handle it, GoogleEarth (works on iPads, too) can open the maps and images as they are released by federal or state agencies.

Photo by Surya Prakash SA at Wikimedia Commons

We have several encyclopedias, most are subject specific (such as Native American Tribes, Music History, Popular Music, or Children/Students).  If (like most people) this is a last minute school assignment, these resources are online: GALE (many academic journals; use your library card number to access), Opposing Viewpoints (articles, books, and pictures about several angles of each topic; also requires card number), and   GVRL (a whole e-book-shelf of encyclopedias, from animals to environment to history).  These online resources are published by the same companies that make the print books, but for money-reasons put the materials online instead of printing them out anymore.  If your teacher said, "No online resources," please have him or her call me, Jennifer Stubbs, at the library (though if this is a last-minute assignment you may not have time to call?).

Are you looking to buy or sell a car?  We have the current issues of the NADA appraisal guides.  If you can't get here, Kelley's Blue Book Values and Edmund's have gone digital, too.

Finally, we have almanacs:
The Old Farmer's Almanac,
The World Almanac,
Time's Almanac, even
Llewellyn's.
Or if you need the 2am Sunday morning access, GALE (above) has The World Almanac and Book of Facts, though it may not be as easy to thumb-through. (That link may not work as GALE requires your card number to log in.)  The Old Farmer's Almanac is also available online, as is The Farmer's Almanac.

image at Wikimedia Commons

#4: Electronic or Digital Materials & Access

By Pete unseth [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

Millennia ago, libraries held scrolls.  A few centuries ago, the scrolls became quartos, folios, and palimpsests. 

via Wikimedia Commons

Today and tomorrow, library buildings provide the people, tools, and access to information that has left the physical world due to costs or access limitations.


Ruidoso Public Library joined New Mexico Library To Go (a group of libraries on Overdrive) just last week.  Now you may download a book (ebook or e-audiobook) for a few days onto most devices or play them on your computer.  Nook, Sony, Kindle, Kobo, mp3 players and iPods, among others, are welcome.  Most devices are supported, though older models and some newer ones may not work.  


These books are available in different file formats, from epub to pdf, .azw to .wma or mp3.  That alphabet soup explains which files will work on which devices.  It also indicates the current confusion and changing nature of ebooks and e-audiobooks.  This is an ever-changing landscape of ereaders and sound systems, which continues to learn and offer new opportunities to test out.  


At Ruidoso Public Library, we can help you find articles, encyclopediae, books, or recordings on many formats and on many topics, for many age-groups.  We have non-fiction (or reference books) and fiction. We can show you projects releasing free books to the world, such as Gutenberg Project or Librivox.org where volunteers put the files of public domain titles online, to read or listen.


Currently the books you can access through Overdrive may not be the latest or most popular because the publishers do not release everything electronically.  Other titles are available in files locked with "DRM" (digital rights management) in an attempt to stop piracy.  This means you may not have a book at the same time as another user, and may only access the file for a few days. Some files require plugging your device into a computer to download while others may transfer over WiFi.  In future this may mean you cannot download the title at home, in the evening, but only at the library, during open hours.  


If you are ready to sample something digital please ask at the library.  We may not be able to demonstrate everything at the library (our public computers run Linux, which is not supported by Overdrive), but if your laptop works on wireless, we can guide you through the basic download and installation process.  We do not touch your computers (due to liability issues); please think of it as your learning opportunity instead. 


What is your perspective on ereaders?  Have you tried one (a friend's, at the store, an app on your phone)?  How about audiobooks? (This link will have 2 free audiobooks each week starting June 14; one classic and one new young adult.)  Have you seen our weed identification, gardening, or Chilton's Automotive Manuals online?

#2: What to read....what to read next....what to try while waiting

Possibly earliest photograph of a tornado

Libraries are a great resource for something called "Readers Advisory."  That's not a warning about looming dangers in a book, as in Tornado Advisory.  It is a spectrum of answers for the dreaded question, "What to read now?"  On one hand, this can be a rhetorical question, not expecting a real answer; on the other hand, it can become a great conversation over days or years of careful give-and-take between a patron's reactions to books read and a librarian's careful research into similar (or different) books to attempt.

To help librarians help you there are a few things to add after asking, "What shall I read next?"  These include:
1. several books you have read and liked (and maybe want more of),
2. a few books you did not like (and why),
3. what sort of book, story, character, or feeling you are in the mood for next.

Please don't think of it as homework, though the more thought placed in the answers, the more reliable a librarian's research into what titles to suggest may become.  If you want to delve into the analysis of books, this is where plot, character, setting, and pacing come into play.  As every person reads a book through a different life-lens, these analyses are not set in stone.  Each book may have several different "appeal factors" (genre, setting, pacing) and you see the one that interests (or disgusts) you at that time.

Sometimes I prefer a book that emphasizes pacing.  This may be Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Other times I can appreciate a book that explores, without any hurry, the internal monologue (see: Atonement by Ian McEwan).

Whether the sense of place, frenetic pacing, complex and dynamic characterization, or just what everyone else is reading is your cup of tea, ask a librarian--but be prepared for a conversation rather than a Google-fast result.

If you prefer the DIY (do-it-yourself) approach, there are many websites that can help as well.  For mystery fans, Stop, You're Killing Me! can help you recall your favorite character's author, or authors who write similarly to your favorite author.  If you prefer to know beforehand whether a book has mature language (or just how much), various aspects of romance (or how much from hand-holding to well beyond kissing), violence (implied or explicit and how much), and many more aspects look to All Readers.  With either site, look up books you have already read to see what volunteers have posted about them.  That way you will know what terms to look for (or avoid!) in searching for new possibilities.

Ruidoso Public Library hosts the World Premier of Camp Capitan, a local playwright's introduction to a CCC camp in the county and life during the Great Depression.  Two shows, Thursday, May 31, 10:30 am and 7 pm.

First in a nine-part series on what we, librarians, want to do for you

When people think of libraries, the first word that pops into most heads is "books."  One group even spent time proving that with a study.

Bookshelf 2- Interiors by Jon Sullivan

Books are a rather large category.  Libraries have many types of books, for several audiences.  And what is a "type" of book?  Is it the shape?  Whether it is digital or physical?  Whether the subject matter is factual, fictitious, current, historic? The rest of this series intends to re-introduce you to some parts of the library you may not have thought of before.  I hope as you read along, you will have questions about these services at the library (and post them in the comments).

Today I start with fiction.  This may sound cut-and-dry, but there is some debate about where books belong.  Most fiction books are complete fabrications, make believe. In reality, fiction is a far wider variety of tales.  Books, such as Heart of the Samurai (in Teen), A Land of Sheltered Promise, and Jean Auel's series, begin with extensive research on historic events, but prefer to expand well beyond the limits of a research paper.  Directions in a library may be confusing when I am looking for Orwell's 1984, obviously fictitious, and find it in the literature section of non-fiction.  Melvil Dewey wasn't calling literature factual; he simple wanted to categorize all the knowledge of a New England college 150 years ago, so English majors became 800s.

Do you know of other examples of based-on-life stories in fiction?  I know I need help learning about all the books on the shelf I have not yet had time to read.

Some random library business:  The director would like your input on ebooks, ereaders (what you use, what you have)--and especially input from non-library users.  The forms are at the library.  If you know an event to canvas for us, ask at the front desk.

Summer Reading is around the corner!  Have you already dropped in to Sponsor-a-Child (donations are tax-deductible)?  Events this week and all summer are on our calendar.

Preserving family heirlooms

Bookmark by ALA

Public libraries are occasionally confused with archives.  The first serves today's public, their needs and some wants.  An archive preserves artifacts of history with a specific topical, regional, or chronological focus.  You can be your family's archives.  April saw the American Library Association's Preservation Week, which collected a variety of programs (recorded for you to catch up on now or later) and resources to answer your questions on how best to ensure today's objects are available for future generations of your family.  These are some basic tips (check out the Preservation Week webpage for details).

Preserving Your Treasures

Quick Preservation Tips

Here are a variety of simple, practical actions to preserve your personal and family collections:

•          Handle with a clean, gentle touch

Protect your treasures from dust, dirt, oil, food, and other hazards by handling items carefully, with clean hands.

•          Store safely in stable conditions

Protect your treasures from light, harsh temperatures, and humidity.   Learn what storage options are right for your collections.

•          Foresee and avoid risks

Assess storage and display surroundings for potential problems like water, pests, mold, and breakage.  Relocate your treasures or take other measures (for example, put items in protective containers) to reduce risks.

•          Make a copy

Copy treasures like photographs, newspapers, and letters when possible and appropriate. Store the original safely and use the copy.  Digital copies allow treasures to be easily shared, but remember digital items need preservation, too.

•          Ask a professional

Seek professional advice before trying at-home repairs or cleaning treasures yourself.

•          Visit a museum or archives

Consult an archivist for great resources and additional tips on how to preserve your treasures.

•          Pass it on!

Share your treasures with your family and community. Your heritage is their heritage

Support local authors @your Library

Click above for larger image

Saturday, Dec 10, 10 am til 2pm, Ruidoso Public Library will host 10 local authors with their latest books.  These are on sale, available for autographs, and a Friend of the Library will provide gift-wrapping, too!  Each author has agreed to make a donation to the Friends for each book sold.  Try out the shop-local philosophy this year.

This is a big week, both in history and at the library.  Wednesday, Dec 7, is the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.  People may choose to observe a moment of silence in memoriam.

Later on Wednesday, Dec 7, at 4pm, I, Jennifer, will sit down with up to 6 people to explore personal laptops.  Please call (575 258-3704) to register for the class.  There are a few spaces left!

Thursday, join us for "De-stress for the Holidays" also at 4pm.  Learn how to cope with family, situations, and learn how to enjoy yourself.

Finally, Saturday is also Melvil Dewey's 160th birthday.  This Dewey created one of the earliest systems for organizing information.  Several systems have been adopted around the world over the past century, but many public libraries, such as Ruidoso's, still use the Dewey Decimal System for our non-fiction books.