New Year, New Beginnings

Ruidoso Public Library has big plans for 2014.

We are open today and tomorrow, closed for Wednesday, January 1, and open the rest of the week.

Sharon hosts student artwork this month with an opening reception Tuesday, January 14, at  4pm.

Corey Bard, our director, hopes you are reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X.  We have 10 copies for you and the book discussion will launch his Created Equal program this February.  Visit the library calendar for specific dates and times of events.  For example, Corey's book discussion will be Saturday, February 1 at 11 am.

Then, every Thursday night in February, join Corey for about 90 mins, 6 pm to 7:30 pm, for films and discussion about turning points in America's Civil Rights history.  The movies are PBS's The American Experience's The Abolitionists, Slavery by Another Name, Freedom Riders, and The Loving Story.

February's remaining Saturdays will host a Chautauqua of Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott-King, Dr Cynthia Orozco's history of civil rights in New Mexico, and Dr Charles Martin, UTEP, on integration of college sports.

The Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle is made possible through a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.

Credits: The Loving Story: Grey Villet/HBO
The Abolitionists: ©WGBH Educational Foundation/Antony Platt

Slavery by Another Name: Jon Van Amber and Omni Studio

Thanks Ruidoso Valley Noons Lions Club for KidsSight

On Wednesday, November 6, the Ruidoso Valley Noon Lions Club brought KidsSight to the public library.
Curt Dimberg, Mike Schattner, Esther Franco, and Joan Kalkwarf dropped in to operate the Amblyopia detector.

The National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine has information on Amblyopia at Medline Plus.  Mayo Clinic also offers information as does the Lions International website.  Amblyopia is also called Lazy Eye.  Untreated, it may lead to loss of depth perception and other complications.

Check out Fixing My Gaze, a book by a once-stereoblind scientist who recovered as an adult.  On our shelf at 617.7 Bar.

Raptor Rescue Presentation, Wednesday, Oct 30, 3:30pm

Ruidoso Public Library hosts Hawks Aloft, Wednesday, October 30 at 3:30pm, for all ages.  Kids are out of school Wednesday afternoons; why not fill that time with this one-of-a-kind experience?  To help introduce your students (grades 3-8) to raptors before the talk, visit http://hawksaloft.org/education/for-educators/ for lessons and handouts on science, math, or geography topics related to the presentation.  Try a lesson before to build interest and another after Halloween to continue the connection.

Hawks Aloft is an Albuquerque non-profit focused on conservation, avian research, education, and mitigations.  What are mitigations?  When birds and businesses use the same space, the Endangered Species Act, among other laws, outlines how to protect the livelihoods of all parties.  Learn more about this, how to seek their assistance, and how to help Hawks Aloft during this presentation.  You may have seen Hawks Aloft at the Festival of the Cranes in Socorro in past years.  

Hawks Aloft recruits citizen scientists to help observe local raptor populations through HOOT (Hawks & Owls Observation Tracking Report) and raptor surveys.  Check with the experts after the presentation at Ruidoso Public Library.

The Lincoln County Bird Club generously sponsored this visit by Hawks Aloft.  HawksAloft.org lists their ambassadors online if you wish to preview them, though who will visit that day remains a surprise.  The avian ambassadors are rescued, non-releasable raptors, often rehabilitated here in New Mexico. 

Ask a librarian for assistance finding more information about raptors in the online Grzimek’s Animal Encyclopedia or bird identification books on the shelves.

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.

Chautauqua visit: The Foot Runners of the Sierra Madre

Photo Credit: Diana Molina

Foot Runners of the Sierra Madre at Ruidoso Public Library

Thursday, October 10, at 4 pm, Ruidoso Public Library hosts Diana Molina presenting a Chautauqua of Raramuri culture.  Raramuri is their own name for themselves; you have have heard them called Tarahumara.  If long-distance running, barefoot, or minimalist running appeal to you, check out this program.  Ms Molina will explore several topics: ethnography, anthropology, scientific research, running, modernity impacting culture, and the specific Sierra Madre Occidental canyon environment of northern Mexico.  Molina will share her stunning photographs taken while living among the tribe for extended periods of time.

Diana Molina

These photographs were the focus of an exhibit in 2012 at the University of Texas-El Paso’s Centennial Museum, called Rarámuri, The Foot Runners of the Sierra Madre. The images range from Matachines and Semana Santa to agriculture and the racing tradition.  Molina hopes to raise awareness of balancing lifestyle and habitat as much as appreciate the “unique and exceptional Raramuri tribe.”

Diana Molina is a photographer and writer, and director of Juntos Art Association, which focuses on youth outreach and art collaboration.  Her photographs have graced the halls of The World Museum of Art in Rotterdam, The Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, DC, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. 

If you are a marathoner, swap training plans with our library director, Corey Bard.  Ruidoso Public Library has several books on distance running, training, and Native American cultures.  Please ask a librarian for assistance finding these and other, newer, online materials.  

Community Service Opportunity Sept 27 and 28

Cora, of the Lincoln County Health Offices, needs your help.  Friday and Saturday, September 27 & 28, she is spearheading a mobile packing event at the Ruidoso Convention Center.

You may recall from an earlier post, Cora has been (and continues to!) collecting donations of hard-to-recycle products for the non-profit, Feed My Starving Children.  Both Charity Navigator and Guidestar have reports on the organization, if you are interested.

This is the Mobile Packing Event alluded to back on June 17th.  The short video below introduces you to what to expect.  It is also part of a longer playlist about Feed My Starving Children.  Please contact Cora to let her know how many volunteers (or how many hour(s) and which day(s)) you plan to attend.

Mobile Packing events need at least 500 volunteers to sign up for 2-hour shifts to pack at least 100,000 food packs (which is a lot of fun and not as much as it sounds).  So log in and sign up soon, to let Cora know it is possible.  If you wish to register as a family or group, great, and ballpark estimates are acceptable, not written in stone.  There are minimum child-to-adult ratios, but all ages are welcome.





Please visit the website for information about jewelry (probably don't wear optional items), allergies (such as soy, rice, or potatoes) or any other questions.  For a flyer to explain the program, check here. Seated jobs and stations are available, as are volunteer opportunities for blind.

Thank you for helping with the Summer Reading Program!

Cheryl and Kari Dawn 

had a great time with all of you during the 

2013 Summer Reading Program: Blazing New Trails!

We are grateful to the families, businesses, and individuals who sponsored a child through the Friends of the Ruidoso Public Library.  These donations supported prizes and weekly incentives to keep kids reading all summer long.  Donations of items for craft projects, thematic display items, and time from volunteers have been, and remain, greatly appreciated by library staff and visitors.  We look forward to planning next year's Summer Reading Program; keep in touch for developments.


N.B.: Storytime and Children's programming are suspended for the month of August while Cheryl and Kari Dawn plan for Fall.  Storytime will resume September 11.

If these pictures below do not load, visit our photobucket site here: http://s692.photobucket.com/user/Library_21/slideshow/
Look for the 2013 Summer Reading Program folder for 170+ photos.

What holds these boys' attention?

Decorating with beads

    

Read for prizes 

Kari Dawn leads a Quilting Bee

Practicing stitches

Who's behind that mustache?

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Stacking egg carton pieces

            

Left Side

Right Side

   

Totem poles from egg cartons

Some days we were packed!

   

Kari Dawn explains outhouses

How to turn cartons into crafts

Where do flowers grow?

Instruction or assistance from volunteers

      

  

    

Pictures of 2013 Summer Reading Program (and don't forget the free lunch)

Cheryl and Kari Dawn are blazing new trails this summer.

One new element is the free lunches, provided by The Boys & Girls Club of Sierra Blanca for anyone under 18 years old.  If you have any questions, such as when or other locations, call 808-8338.  These are available every weekday, all summer long, until school starts again in August.

Sharon, Kari Dawn, and Cheryl set up for Summer Reading

Brice Chapman

Brice Chapman 

Ms Golightly

Cheryl loves fascinators

Kari Dawn has a fascinator, too

Civil War Cavalry officer

Brice Chapman's audience

Brice Chapman

Summer Reading Storyteller

The summer has only just begun.  Check the Children's Page or library calendar for what's happening today or tomorrow, through July 31.

More pictures available at the library's photobucket:

If the slideshow does not load above, the link is: http://s692.photobucket.com/user/Library_21/library/   Please let us know if there is a problem with a picture.

Partnering with Lincoln County Health

Cora at the Lincoln County Health Offices, next door to the library, would love your help.

She collects specific recyclables for a group called TerraCycle Personal Care and Beauty Brigade for the benefit of Feed My Starving Children.  Cora is also planning a Mobile Packing event for Ruidoso this Fall.  A later blogpost will share the details for that event as they become available.

The idea is: collecting these items earns money.  TerraCycle then contributes that money to Feed My Starving Children.  FMSC meals cost less than a quarter (22 cents).  Each item submitted from the list below earns two (2) pennies for FMSC.

This is a win-win situation.  You can recycle your disposables while helping a charity.  TerraCycle finds buyers to reuse the plastics in paving stones for your garden among other items.

Cora is collecting the following recyclables at the Lincoln County Health Center (105 Kansas City Rd, Ruidoso, NM  88345).  If you have other ideas for displaying a collection container, please post a comment below.

lipstick cases
mascara tubes
eye shadow cases
shampoo bottles  (including caps, triggers
conditioner bottles
bronzer cases
foundation packaging
body wash containers
soap tubes
soap dispensers
lotion dispensers
shaving foam tubes (not cans)
powder cases
chapstick tubes
lotion tubes
face soap dispensers
face lotion jars
eyeliner cases
eyeliner pencils
eyeshadow tubes
concealer tubes or sticks
hair gel tubes
hair paste jars
lip liner pencils

NB: Hair spray cans, nail polish bottles, and nail polish remover bottles are not acceptable.

Money Smart Week (R) 2013

This year, Ruidoso Public Library hosts Money Smart Week (R) April 2nd through 5th.  The slate of presenters has some of last year's most popular events and a few new faces, too.

Tuesday, April 2, from 10-11 am, Vera from First National Bank will speak on How to Apply for a Mortgage.  If that time does not work for you, or you have more questions, try a different perspective on Wednesday, April 3 at 4pm.

Later on Tuesday, April 2, from 11 am to noon, Debra Hendricks, of New Mexico’s Aging and Long Term Services Department, will present "Extra Help," a program to reduce your Medicare expenses. 

Wednesday, April 3, 10 am, begins with Credit Scores: what they are, what affects them, and how to improve them with Billy Jones of Ruidoso Credit Union. I saw this presentation last year and thought it could be useful for most anyone.  Then at 4pm Wednesday is the second mortgage application explanation by Lorri McKnight of City Bank New Mexico who will present a different perspective.

On Thursday, April 4, at noon, Rachel Weber of New Mexico’s Workforce Solutions offers Frugal Living Tips to Save Money.  Then at 4:30 pm, also on Thursday, April 4, Rutalee Todd-Jernigan of the Farm Bureau Financial Services will help you increase your financial smarts.  Come with any questions you have.

We wrap up Friday at noon with Ismael Camacho one of the state’s Assistant Attorneys General.  Mr Camacho presents “Don’t Get Burned” to help you explore the risks of identity theft and scams, including how to protect yourself.  

If you'd like to see the calendar, it's here.  For more information about Money Smart Week and the Federal Reserve, try this link.

Money Smart Week is an registered service mark of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

We hope to see you!  If your schedule does not allow a visit, comment below or email us ahead of time.  We can check into saving you a set of the handouts to pick up later.  If you think of a friend or acquaintance who might like a class, feel free to share this post's URL with them on Facebook, Twitter, or by email, too.

Great Resources: Book Spot, Academics Review;School Board Elections; & New Artist on display at the library

When you need a book suggestion at the middle of the night (and the library is closed) BookSpot.com is a place to try.  It has discussion questions, reading lists, and even recommendations on which e-reader to buy.  If you want help finding a new genre, author, or read-a-likes (because you already read everything by your favorite author), this is one place to start.  Other options are GoodReads and Shelfari, which have more social networking and splashier, newer graphics.  While these latter two request a login, you do not need an account to glean ideas for what to read next.

The next place I want to share is Academics Review.  Its mission statement:

"Academics Review is an association of academic professors, researchers, teachers and credentialed authors from around the world who are committed to the unsurpassed value of the peer review in establishing sound science. We stand against falsehoods, half-baked assertions and theories or claims not subjected to this kind of rigorous review. "  

In my opinion, Academics Review is Snopes.com with PhDs and credentials.  Both sites are a great first stop after receiving an email from a friend or a suggestion to watch a movie or read a book that sounds like fear-mongering.  Key phrases in the quote above are "credentialed authors" and "peer review."  When an idea, argument, or proposal--and its author(s)--can withstand the dynamic dialogue of other, widely-recognizable specialists in the same field, the idea gains merit and becomes more worth your while.  If you have checked out the DVD, Genetic Roulette, from the library, you might want to peruse a few responses at Academics Review:
http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/

Inform yourself from multiple perspectives, especially on these hot button topics.

As a public library, we present many different opinions to minimize the risk of presenting one biased view.  Part of life is learning how to recognize what information to question, when, and how.  If you can, read, or listen to the audio of, Daniel Kahneman's book Thinking Fast and Slow to help attune your brain to bias and spin.  In today's world, the flood of information, through the internet, on television, or radio, requires these new skills.  Librarians specialize in learning them. But more importantly, we specialize in teaching you or guiding you through.  Think of us as Sherpas to the mountain of information.

P.S. School Board Elections are Tuesday, February 5, at the Convention Center.

P.P.S.  Carla Lee Morrow's art is now on display at Ruidoso Public Library.  If you are not able to see her originals at the library, her website is DragonLadyArt.com.  You can view her touring schedule, too.