Holiday Closures won't affect ebooks

Thank you, High Point Public Library (North Carolina)

The holiday closures are interesting this year.

Ruidoso Public Library is open today, Monday, December 23.  We are closed Tuesday and Wednesday, December 24 and 25.  Then were are open again Thursday-Saturday and next Monday and Tuesday.

While the building is shuttered, online access is 24/7.  In theory there's no need to wait to play on the library's e-branch Christmas morning.  Visit before the holidays to add a PIN to your card (or a family member's; s/he can change it later).  The past few years, ebook servers around the country have crashed as everyone opens and logs onto their new devices on the same day.  Hopefully, this year, that won't happen.

New Mexico Library 2 Go has videos, orientation tutorials, and device-specific answers, to help you begin enjoying mobility and e-reading.  NML2G is our branch of Overdrive, an ebook provider for libraries.

History of Ranching today, holiday closures this weekend, and turkey safety

Join Dr Cynthia Orozco this afternoon at 4pm for a history lesson on Ranching in Lincoln County.  This is part of an 8-piece series of programs throughout the county this Fall.

Ruidoso Public Library will be closed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for Thanksgiving, November 28-30.  We will re-open Monday, December 2, at 9 am.

Remember Butterball has answers for any food emergencies Thursday. Visit http://www.butterball.com/media/turkey-talk-line.   Or call 1-800-Butterball (800-288-8372). You may also need to visit Reader's Digest's collection of turkey bloopers to gain a sense of perspective, too.

Better yet, pre-plan your feast with these tips (what to buy, how to thaw, how to brine, etc).

My dad was a volunteer firefighter for 25 years; please help firefighters  spend their holidays at home with family by watching this William Shatner narrated video by State Farm or reading these tips on how to deep fry your turkey.  If the video does not load, the link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETBD0EqQGoU.  The Tips are:

Safe Turkey Frying Tips

1: Avoid oil spillover--don't overfill the pot.

2: Turn off flame when lowering the turkey into oil.

3: Fry outside, away from the house.

4: Properly thaw the turkey before frying.

5: Keep a grease-fire-approved extinguisher nearby.  (Here's an explanation of a class K extinguisher.)
You will also need to know how to use the extinguisher: read pages 3 and 6 here: http://emilms.fema.gov/IS909/assets/09_PuttingOutFires.pdf

All Aboard the Trans-Siberian Railroad

The Ruidoso Public Library is closed today, November 11, to observe Veterans' Day, and will re-open Tuesday, November 12, at 9 am.

Join me, Jennifer Stubbs, this Friday, November 15, at 11 am for a photographic tour of Russia.  I have scanned in my photos from a trip in 2003 half-way round the world.

I winnowed the album down to about 50 photos, only half of which are about the train-travel experience on the Trans-Siberian Railroad.  I only rode from Moscow to Lake Baikal over Spring Break.  Many photos focus on the Lake itself.

Armchair Travel

Sharon Stewart has arranged another tour of presentations to take you around the world without needing to check your passport or vaccinations.  This November you are invited to explore Bolivia and Russia.
First, Bolivia.  This Friday, November 8, at 11 am, join Dr Clayton Alred of ENMU-Ruidoso.  He will share photos from a Rotary trip through this South American country.

Find a gorgeous book on not-to-miss hikes from around the world, including one in Bolivia: The Takesi Trail.

To round out your introduction to Bolivia you may like to visit the World Factbook for facts, such as the flag and statistics, or Wikipedia for additional insights.  

As a reminder, the Ruidoso Public Library will close to observe Veterans' Day next Monday, November 11.  We will re-open Tuesday, November 12 at 9 am.

300th blog post! Garden Club plant sale this Saturday!

Back in March (on the first day of Spring this year, in fact) Ruidoso Public Library's blog celebrated it's fourth blogoversary (or anniversary of the first blog post).  Thank you for reading with us or joining us, sending us to friends, or subscribing by email.

I hope this blog connects with you.  I am so happy when a blog reader, during a visit, mentions reading about a library service or event here.

If you have any suggestions to help the library reach more (non-)readers in Lincoln County, please comment below, email, or call us.

This Saturday, June 1, join the Lincoln County Garden Club from 9 am to noon in front of Ruidoso Public Library.  They are selling small herbs and flowers to get your garden growing.  This is a fundraiser to support the xeriscaped gardens maintained by the Lincoln County Garden Club at the library and the hospital.

Visit early for the best selection.  Stay to chat with local gardening experts about your Lincoln County gardening questions.

P.S. Ruidoso Public Library is closed today to observe Memorial Day.  We will open Tuesday at 9 am.  The website and our online services, Gale, Overdrive, Mango, Universal Class, and Heritage Quest for Genealogy, are still available.  Why not visit them on our e-branch tab?

Do you ask the BIG questions? Plus some timely announcements at the bottom

[Edit note: class links below are now correct and lead to Ruidoso Public Library's subscription so you may take the classes on us.]

© Nevit Dilmen [CC-BY-SA-3.0  or GFDL ], via Wikimedia Commons

If you are interested in exploring questions of a religious or philosophical nature, the library is a great place to start.  Beyond the books or DVDs we can loan you, we have several self-paced online courses, free for you to fit into your schedule, 24/7. Whether your preference is New Age or Biblical, experiential or logical, there's at least one course that might interest you.

By Charles Dana Gibson [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

As with the business courses, there is an entry class on how to take online courses for novices which teaches you about email, adding an attachment, commenting on another's post, etc.  You may have several friends to share with and might want to request the conference room at the library to watch, learn, and discuss the materials together.  If so, please email, call, or stop in at your convenience; we'd love to hear from you.  Sharon and Jennifer have tried some of these online classes, if you want to talk about specific features of the process or material.

Here's the long list of possible topics:

World Religions 101

Islam 101: An Introduction

Judaism 101: An Introduction

Buddhism 101

Christianity 101: An Introduction

Bible Stories

Angel Healing

Angels 101: History, Religion, Spiritualism and You

Wicca 101

Tarot Cards 101

Magick Basics

Numerology 101

Working with Your Animal Allies, Teachers and Totems

Chakras 101

Cosmology 101

Crystal Therapy

Reiki 2nd Degree

Reiki Essentials

Reiki Attunements

Reiki Hand Placements

Spiritual Counseling 101

Haunted Places 101

Metaphysics 101

Philosophy 101           

Astrology 101

Auras: Viewing, Identifying, and Understanding

Become a Reiki Master

Chakra Clearing

Chakra Meditation 101

P.S. If you heard about the JAVA update that led to a security problem January 12, some updates are available.  For directions on how to uninstall older versions of JAVA and where to install the current patch (JAVA 7 update 11)

P.P.S. If you missed the movie, Forks Over Knives, last Tuesday, you can still catch the flick (online at hulu for free or by checking out the DVD at the library) and read some analysis of the science here.

P.P.S. The library is closed today, Monday, January 21.  We will open tomorrow at 9 am.

Book Review: The Princess of Mars/John Carter Series

Last Spring, I was motivated to look for the book which inspired Disney's movie, John Carter. Before Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote Tarzan of the Apes, he wrote a series about Mars.  Beginning with A Princess of Mars, and ending eleven books later with John Carter of Mars, Burroughs' tales have captured imaginations for a century.  Some of the pulp fiction art can be seen here.

QR code to read A Princess of Mars, care of Gutenberg.org

If this square image is new to you, it is called a QR code, for Quick Response.  It is a barcode your smartphone reads with a QR reading app (either already installed or free at an app store, such as these for Android or this for Apple).  The barcode tells your phone where to go online for more information, a clue, a discount or offer, etc.  You may have seen them on bananas, posters, or in magazines.

But I digress.  After reading A Princess of Mars, I saw the movie.  Then I read the second and third books in the series, which explained a lot of the technology and political machinations that added action to the movie, but also added confusion because it was not explained.  I am working on the fourth book now.  They are light entertainment, providing insight into machismo and cultural norms from the turn of the prior century.  Mostly, it reminds me how far my culture has progressed and which characteristics remain valuable and timeless.

P. S. Ruidoso Public Library is open today, New Year's Eve, regular hours, but closed Tuesday, January 1.  We will re-open Wednesday at 9am.

Ruidoso Convention Center, January 16, 8am to 4pm

P.P.S. The Village of Ruidoso is hosting a health fair for all comers.  You may schedule an appointment time for biometric screening, mammograms, Body Age Analysis, or just drop in to learn about the local health resources already available in the community.

Book review: Let's Pretend This Never Happened

Cover from her website

Several friends encouraged me to read this book (from Ruidoso's Book Store, Books Etc.--have you seen their new website?).  I am so glad I finally took their advice.

Written by Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, Let's Pretend This Never Happened is a laugh-til-you-cry-it's-so-funny-because-it's-true series of essays (blogs) on life.  At several chapters I had to put the book down to catch my breath and let my vision clear (of tears) so I could continue.

When I read biographies or memoirs, I find I learn about myself and people in general.  What we are thinking, why those thought chains run as they do, and these help me feel like I can make a little more sense of the world.  Not only do the author and I share a first name (who doesn't these days?), but her family stories help me feel happy about who I am and appreciate how I came to be so.

The creature on the cover is a taxidermy mouse, dressed a la Shakespeare.  It is the most tame story in the book, which explores her childhood with a father who worked in taxidermy, at home, through her years working in Human Resources and moving to the Texas Hill Country.  Whenever I mention this book to others, who have read it, they bring up the 5' metal chicken.

Correction: Tuesday's music begins at 3:30pm, not 4:30pm (Dec 18th).


P.S. Ruidoso Public Library closes Saturday at 2pm and remains closed Monday and Tuesday.  We will open Wednesday morning at 9am.

What's hiding on the homepage?

Ruidoso Public Library will observe the long weekend of the Thanksgiving Holiday, closing at 6pm Wednesday, November 21 and remaining closed through Sunday.  We will open 9am Monday, November 26.

Children's Library and Teen Scene

The bar of tabs on the homepage

Ruidoso Public Library offers many services, events, and resources for youth and children.  Clicking on the "Children's Library" tab offers something new every month.

Whether you are curious about the subject of this week's pre-school story time, which craft is scheduled, or finding yourself in pictures of story times past, this is the tab for you.  This is also the location to find the theme of this month's school field trips.  The slideshows of photos are available for you to save to your own computer or only those images that have meaning for you.  During the summer, this page hosts listings of all the events and instructions on how to register for the end of summer raffle.

[edited 1/10/13 to remove slideshows. Please look us up on photobucket.]

The Teen Scene is looking for ways to connect with you, whether you are a teen, tween, or parent.  If you have ideas for links to share with Ruidoso, drop us a line (our emails are under the Contact Us tab).  Some months the Teen Scene may display a YouTube video about texting, bullying, or an upcoming book's trailer. In the summer, this page hosts a list of summer reading events for teens.  My favorite part is the summer list of free, timeless audiobooks through SYNC, each June through August.

More from the library's homepage

Special seasonal note: The library director, Corey Bard, welcomes you to donate canned items for Lincoln County's Food Bank.

Ruidoso Public Library's homepage is the place to start if you are wondering:

What is happening at the library?

The bar of tabs on the homepage

Near the top of the page, you will find a bar of tabs, similar to the tabbed, manila folders of filing cabinets and yesteryear.

The second tab, from the left, reads, "Calendar."  This tab will show you a calendar of events scheduled at the library.  Here you can find whose art is on display, when the program begins, and a short summary of what the event might include.

You can subscribe to updates about events and receive emails whenever an event is added or changed.

You can also scroll back in time to recall a past event or artist, too.

Another option for looking up current events at the library is the next tab, "Library News."  Clicking on the tab itself will open the library's blog, which you are reading here.  Moving the mouse over the tab without clicking will display a menu of options: Newsletter, blog, new titles, and What's Happening.

This is Sharon's forte.  Sharon Stewart builds the Newsletter each month, pulling together the times, places, and descriptions of events to give you fair warning for planning.  This is the same newsletter available to pick up, printed out, at the front desk, or you may already receive it from Sharon in an email.  If you would like to sign up with Sharon, her email is under the Contact Us tab.  Sharon used to build a spreadsheet of new titles each month, but our new online catalog does that with book covers, too!

Finally, Sharon creates the flyers announcing each individual event and saves them under the What's Happening menu option.  These are PDF files you are welcome to print yourself in case you know someone or someplace that might need a reminder or be interested in attending.

A Poem for Libraries

Ruidoso Public Library will observe Veterans' Day next Monday.  We look forward to seeing you Tuesday instead.

In support of National Libraries Day in the United Kingdom this spring, Julia Donaldson wrote the following poem.  Ms Donaldson was appointed this year’s Waterstones Children’s Laureate by Booktrust, a literary charity.

Everyone is welcome to walk through the door.
It really doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor.
There are books in boxes and books on shelves.
They’re free for  you  to borrow, so help yourselves.

Come and meet your heroes, old and new,
From William the Conqueror to Winnie the Pooh.
You can look into the Mirror or read The Times,
Or bring along a toddler to chant some rhymes.

The librarian’s a friend who loves to lend,
So see if there’s a book that she can recommend.
Read that book, and if you’re bitten
You can borrow all the other ones the author’s written.

Are you into battles or biography?
Are you keen on gerbils or geography?
Gardening or ghosts? Sharks or science fiction?
There’s something here for everyone, whatever your addiction.

There are students revising, deep in concentration,
And school kids doing projects, finding inspiration.
Over in the corner there’s a table with seating,
So come along and join in the Book Club meeting.

Yes, come to the library! Browse and borrow,
And help make sure it’ll still be here tomorrow.

#7 Be loud at the library; meet a new book

One of a library's better known activities might be book discussion groups.  Ruidoso Public Library hosts one on the first Wednesday of each month (except in July, when the federal holiday pushes it to the second), at noon.  You are welcome to bring a brown bag lunch (one of the few exceptions to the no eating or drinking in the library rule).  Our library director, Corey Bard, and librarian, Sharon Stewart, join Sherry York and anyone interested in sharing a book or learning about novel novels (pun intended).

Book club meeting aboard GTMO Queen, by By Army Staff Sgt. Blair Heusdens [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I have heard of book clubs that meet at pubs, private homes, and through church groups.  If you are interested in creating a group, or need any help finding discussion guides or title suggestions, please ask us.  Book clubs have gone online, too.  Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ hangouts can bring together people who cannot leave their homes or have crazy schedules that only let you socialize asynchronously (i.e. 2 o'clock in the morning).  If you have not read a book in a while, maybe because you felt the stories were all the same, a book club can help you jump out of that rut.

The books discussed at the June meeting follow (click on the links to check local availability):
Seasons of grief and grace: A sister story of AIDS, triumph, and family by Susan Ford Wiltshire
Same sweet girls by Cassandra King
The tooth of time by Sue Henry
Images of America: Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs by Lyn Kidder
Delay, deny, hope they die by Bill Dement
My life as a Cambodian refugee: Escape to America by Tony M SaVaun
Erotic resolution: a Flint Rock novel by Glenn Smith
Texas Tango, same author
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
El Sicario by Molly Molloy, Charles Bowden, and El Sicario
The Rope by Nevada Barr
Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly
Dead end in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Hole in my life, same author
One second after by William R Fortschen

Ruidoso Public Library is closed Wednesday, July 4, for the federal holiday.  We are open Tuesday and Thursday, regular hours.

Year's end

Image by Guerilla Futures Jason Tester

As 2011 wraps up, Ruidoso Public Library is open through Saturday, December 31, 2 pm.  We are only closed next Monday, January 2.

Wednesday at 4pm, you have the opportunity to join me, Jennifer, for a seminar on how to manage your library account.  That is, see when your books are due back, renew them from any computer (online) anywhere, or forestall an answering machine full of missed messages over your vacation by suspending your requested titles.

Ruidoso Public Library has many books for this time of year, whether planning new resolutions, seeking ideas for resolutions, or gathering new resources for sticking this resolution through to a new habit.

Available here

or, if you are like me and need to get out a few thank-you notes:

In the Library at 179.9 Kra

The Children's Department will have a movie Wednesday morning for Pre-School Story Time at 10:30 am.

And the big teaser for next week's post: Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlman--you may remember her very popular shows on Bess Truman, Dale Evans, or Eleanor Roosevelt.  She will present a Chautauqua Friday, January 6 at 10 am and Saturday, January 7 at 1pm.  Join us for Marion Sloan Russell's diary of her trip along the Santa Fe Trail.  

*Edited 12/27, 5:45pm replaced Mabel Dodge Luhan with Dale Evans.  My apologies.  

The carpet is in!

Ruidoso Public Library is open again until 6pm, today, Wednesday, Nov. 23rd. We are closed Thursday through Saturday, but open again Monday, regular hours.

The carpet took a little longer than planned to install.  The Meet the PAC class will come around again next year.  The repeat of the class on how to use our online self services, such as requesting a hold, renewing your checked out items, or suspending your holds during a trip, will be as scheduled, next Tuesday, Nov. 29th at 3pm*.  Hope to see you there!

Here are some photos from the carpeting days:

*Edited for corrected time: 3pm.

Care 2 share your wreaths? Road safety info & Closed this weekend

Twig Whispy Wreath

Sharon would like to offer our walls to display your wreaths.

Wine Cork Wreath with directions

The theme is "A Mountain Country Christmas" (no offense intended) and open to any homemade wreath.

Gerber Daisy Wreath

Feel free to call Sharon for details.

Tie Wreath by GoodHousekeeping

With weather starting to oscillate between sunny and otherwise, here are several websites and phone numbers to check before you travel:

http://splash.nmroads.com/  5 different ways to learn about New Mexico road conditions

Road Advisory Hotline - 1-800-432-4269  (if you are already on the road, please pull over or have a passenger call)

Statewide Map at http://advanced.nmroads.com/  (if you have really fast internet access)

http://net.nmroads.com/ for a simpler map

Text only messages at http://net.nmroads.com/?Display=nomap  (if you have a dial-up connection)

The NM Dept of Transportation also offers an RSS feed.  When I tested it last week, my email filled with repeated messages, though they covered the whole state.  It felt redundant to me, given access to the maps and text messages above.

Finally, Ruidoso Public Library will be closed Friday and Saturday, November 18th & 19th while we begin the process of replacing the carpet throughout the building.  Please keep your fingers crossed that we don't have any injuries!

Labor Day Weekend hours

Ruidoso Public Library will be open regular hours 

Friday (9-4) and Saturday (10-2) September 2 & 3.  

We will close Monday, September 5 to observe Labor Day, 

but will re-open Tuesday at 9am.  

Have a safe weekend!

Happy New Year's!

image by Rones http://rones.su/

The Ruidoso Public Library is open through Thursday, December 30th.  We are closed Friday and Saturday, December 31st and January 1st.  We re-open Monday, January 3rd.

We would love to see you if you are looking for information on resolutions, how to start or keep them--just ask us!