Making the Most Out of Pinterest

Are you hooked on Pinterest yet?  I am!  Have you seen all those funny little e-cards and jokes on Facebook and Pinterest about spending hours pinning but never actually doing any of the things you pin?  Or walking away from the computer (or smart phone or tablet) wanting to makeover your entire family, home and pantry?  Yeah, that’s me they’re talking about.  If you’re a Pinterest junkie like me, or a newbie to the totally addictive fantasy world of domestic goodness, you’re in luck!  The library can help you make the most of Pinterest!

For anyone who is not familiar with Pinterest let’s just quickly go over this fabulous online community.  I used to keep a notebook that I filled with magazine cutouts, paint samples and articles on decorating or party planning that I though someday I might actually try.  Pinterest works kind of the same way.  It’s a sort of online corkboard.  You find things you want to do (or try, or make, or buy, or wear, or fix, or build, or visit, or remember, or say) and you “pin” it.  You can create as many boards as you want to organize what you pin, they can be private or public.  Then you can always go back to the things you pin and follow them to their original link to find out how to make it happen.  It’s free to sign up and open to anyone.  There’s more to it than what’s mentioned here but it’s super easy to use and I think you’ll love it!

Screen Shot of My Board, "Library"

So how can the library help you make the most of Pinterest?  Lots of ways!  Here are a few examples.

 

• Haven’t yet tried Pinterest?  Use a public computer or wifi at any of our six locations to set up your account and start pinning today.
• You found this fabulous picture of a cake you absolutely have to make for your grandson’s birthday but when you get to the directions they’re all in German.  Use the library’s online resource, Mango Languages, to translate the recipe into something you can actually make sense of.
• You find yourself pinning all crochet pattern after crochet pattern but you never seem to take the time to sit down and start a new project.  Join one of our textile groups.  The Morgantown Needlers meet the first at third Thursday of the month at 6:00p.m. and the Brooklyn Yarn Club (participants bring more than yarn to work with) meets every Thursday at 6:00p.m.
• You’ve got a special collection of something, inspired by Pinterst or not, that you want to share with other folks.  Contact the library to see about sharing it here.  Every month we change out the two display cases to showcase something new.
•  You keep seeing all these posts about exercising and you really want to start getting fit.  Consider signing up for the Dewey Dash 5K Walk/Run at the library on June 1^st.  It’s a great way to kick-off a summer of fitness!
• You love cooking but you want someone to try all the recipes you’ve been pinning.  Join one of our newest adult programs, Feed Your Face @ the Library:  Food Lovers Unite!
• You found all these adorable steampunk crafts you want to try but the directions aren’t very clear and you’re just not getting the hang of it.  Checkout one of our steampunk craft books, Steampunk Gear, Gadgets, and Gizmos: A Maker’s Guide to Creating Modern Artifacts by Thomas Willeford for example.  And now that you’re totally fascinated by steampunk try a little fiction too!  Maybe Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan or The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross.

  

  Screen Shot of Search Results for "Steampunk Crafts"

  
  

  

  Steampunk Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos by Thomas Willeford

  
  

  

  Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Still struggling with Pinterest or just want a good laugh?  Check out Pinstrosity.  Trust me, you are not the only who can’t quite seem to get these “super easy” projects to turn out as fabulous as they look online.  I nearly cut my finger off trying to saw wine corks in half to make magnets.  Pinstrosity shows you failed attempts ate Pinterest projects (and sometimes how to fix them) so you’ll be feeling better in no time.

Happy pinning,

Cassie Jones

Teen Librarian

cassiej@mail.morg.lib.in.us

Marvelous May!

Happy May Day everyone!  Did you know that our Summer Reading Program begins one month from today?  We're busy getting everything ready for summer, but we still have some awesome things for you do in May.

This month, the Page Turners book club (ages 5-8) will be reading Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  We'll meet up on Monday, May 6th at 5:30 to talk about the book and create our own Wild Thing! 






The inbeTWEEN the Lines book club (ages 9-12) will be meeting on Monday, May 13th at 5:30 to talk about Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos.  There are still several copies of this book available.  Sign up today to get yours!





As a special treat this month, we'll be having a Puppet Show for all ages on Thursday, May 16th at 10:30am.  Come out to see  "Digga the Dinosaur Digs Reading" and "Digger, the Palentolo-Pup."

Tweens ages 9-12 can get a sneak peek of what we have planned this summer during Tween Wednesdays on May 8th at 4pm.  There will be another summer reading sneak peek during our Evening Storytime for ages 3-8 on Thursday, May 16th at 7pm.

Don't forget to see what's going on our other branches by check out our Events calendar.  I hope you can make it to some of our awesome programs!

Happy Reading!
Alyssa 

24/7 Access

I think one of the most exciting things about our Library today is that we are open twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week.  Well, maybe not the buildings, but so many of our services are available to you whenever you want them, and wherever you go. You can visit our Electronic Resource and Database page to see everything we have, but here's the highlights from just a few of them:

Want to learn a foreign language?  Try Mango Languages, our internet-based language learning software. There's even a app for your phone!    Each lesson combines real life situations and audio from native speakers with simple, clear instructions.  There are lessons for all the most common languages - Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Chinese - as well as those that are less common - Dutch, Urdu, Farsi, Swahili and Swedish, to name but a few.  All in all, there are almost fifty different languages, or if you already speak a foreign language and need to practice your English, there are also fifteen English as a Second Language courses.

Need something to read in the middle of the night?  Download an eBook or audiobook from Overdrive.  There's over 11,000 eBooks to choose from, and you can download them to your computer, or load them on to your e-reader.  Prefer to listen to your books?  There's over 2,000 audiobooks to choose from, too.  Or, if you're in the mood for a classic, there are more than 30,000 free public domain titles.  And, it's not just books for grown-ups, there are titles for kids and teens as well.

Do you like good music?  Our Freegal service lets you download free, legal songs every week!  You'll have access to Sony Music's entire catalog, including all of their subsidiary label, as well as tens of thousands of independent artists. More than one million songs for you to choose from. Many of your favorite pop, rock and country artists are available - Mumford and Sons, Adele, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Usher, Pitbull and P!nk to name just a few.  There's also Christian music, classical music, kid's music and music from around the world.  The music never expires and you can load it on your computer, MP3 player or burn it to a CD. 

Need help with auto repair?  Try our Chilton's database!  Need quality legal forms like wills, leases or agreements?  Try our Legal Forms database!  Need information for sales leads, or help finding a job?  Try AtoZdatabases!  Need help writing a resume?  Try Cypress Resume! Want to research your family tree?  Try HeritageQuest or the Obituary Finder!

I would say we'll see you soon at the Library, but with so many resources available to you outside of our regular hours, it may be some time before we cross paths.  Instead, I'll close with "See you at the Virtual Library".    Electronic Resource and Database page

Rabbit or Cat: What am I?

Many of my younger visitors seem to confuse me with another animal.  A lot of them are coming up to my gate and calling me, "Kitty" or "Cat."  One even started meowing at me, in hopes of striking up a conversation.

To clarify, this is me:

This is a cat (Thanks to Olivia, Ms. Alyssa's cat, for modeling):

I see very few similarities.  Yes, we are both furry.  We both have ears that stand up, four paws, and a tail.  And we are stunningly gorgeous.  Other than that, I see no resemblance. 

Friends, what do you think?  Do I look like a cat? 

Love and carrots,
Morgan 

From Janice at the Reference Desk:

If you don't already have your taxes done, you can find any and all the forms you need online. Simply click on IRS Income Tax Froms or Indiana State Income Tax Forms.

You can either do this at home or at the library. We have several computers that allow users to go online and print out the forms they need. Remember to bring your library card or a government issued photo ID (driver's license, state ID, etc.) Cost to do this is .10 for each black and white page or .25 for each color page. It helps if you know the exact name or number of the form such as Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return or 4868.

Yes, the library does have some forms, but we cannot guarantee we have the exact form you will need. This year the library's supply of tax forms disappeared fast. We hope this means that many people had their taxes done early.

At the library we are often asked specific questions about income tax preparation. While we do want to be as helpful as possible, we simply are not qualified to answer those kinds of questions. If you do have a question you can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 (average wait time is about 18 minutes)or the Indiana Department of Revenue at (317) 232-2240. Additionally, there is an IRS office in Bloomington, Indiana on 2017 S Liberty Dr. Their hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM. They are closed for lunch from 11:30 - 12:30 and the phone number is 812) 337-7600. Expect a wait time if you stop in or call.

Once you have your taxes done, you'll have plenty of time to stop by the library and check out the spring display of books at the end of the new non-fiction books. There you will find everything you might want to know about landscaping, lawn care, perennials, roses, gardening and much more.

One last tax tidbit: If you are expecting a refund and have a smart phone, you can download IRS2Go mobile app. You can go to the iTunes store or Google Play to do this. Find more details online at:

IRS2Go mobile app

So many new books, It's hard to keep up

There are so many new books coming in that I am having a difficult time keeping up with all my favorite authors. There are 2 authors I have been reading for years that have recently written new books.
G. A. McKevett writes a cozy mystery series that I have been reading for 20 years. Her newest is called Killer Honeymoon and is a quick and fun read. The other author is Linda Barnes which I found over 15 years ago. Her newest is The Perfect Ghost which I just checked out today. It is a stand alone novel and not part of her series. I am sure it will be great.
Other mystery/thriller authors that I can recommend are Lisa Jackson, Laura Lippman, Lisa Gardner,  and Sandra Brown just to name a few. If you can't find their newest book on the shelf, then please place a hold. All locations of our library have either a list or notebook of New and Upcoming books. Just fill out a hold slip and hand it to someone at the desk if you are unable to place the hold yourself.
Keep Reading
Laura B.

Preschool Programs at Monrovia Branch

Exposing preschoolers to books is a great way to get your little ones ready for school and to love reading.  Children who are read to regularly and have access to interesting and colorful books are more likely to want to learn to read and will do better in school when they are older.  Going to the library to check out books and attending our story time program each week can be a fun way to expose your preschoolers to great picture books and to foster a love of reading and learning.

Ms. Kathy

Ms. Kathy comes up with the most interesting stories and craft projects to inspire your preschooler.  Every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m., we have a preschool program at the Monrovia Branch that your child will be sure to enjoy.  Check out all the new books available after the program is over.  Just look for the "New Books" shelves in the children's section.  We invite you to visit the library for preschool programs and then check out books to read together with your child.  It is never too soon (or too late) to start fostering a love of reading in your child!  Use the library catalog to find the book you want to read with your preschooler today!

You may also want to check out these books, available at the Monrovia branch, for further guidance on what to read to and with your children:

Silly Books to Read Aloud: A Guide by Rob Reid

 

Children's Book-a-Day Almanac by Anita Silvey

1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up edited by Julia Eccleshare