News round-up: Hitchens and 8-yr old girl charmed by each other, alterna-Booker, zombies and Brutalist buildings

News too interesting NOT to read:

• "Mason Crumpacker and the Hitchens reading list" via Why Evolution is True
  "Though [Hitchens] was asked a variety of questions from the audience, none appeared to elicit more interest than the one asked by eight-year-old Mason Crumpacker, who wanted to know what books she should read. In response, Hitchens [...] asked to see them once the presentation was over so that he could give her a list."
  Just read this for Mason's thank you letter to Hitchens alone - priceless.
• Ooooh, snap: "War of words: major authors launch rival to 'low-brow' Booker" via the Independent
  "A group of prizewinning authors and literary aficionados have launched a new book prize which they claim will capture the original spirit of the Booker and become its most formidable rival. Among supporters of The Literature Prize are former Booker winners Pat Barker and John Banville [....] The award's advisory board said it would reward the best in quality fiction – a role fulfiled by the Booker prize until it shifted its criteria, it claimed. The prize[...] will include American writers – unlike the Booker which extends its reach across Commonwealth countries but shuns US authors."
• A well-rounded article about weeding: "Hard Choices: Do Libraries Really Destroy Books?" via NPR
  Includes this great quote from another related article: "Nobody likes it, but for a librarian it's like your best friend just got bitten by a zombie and you're the only one with a gun."
  See also my article about this topic.... More recent info (including Q and A from real librarians!) here.
  
• There's hope for Main Library yet: "Architectural fashions change, but even brutalist buildings should be saved" via the Guardian
  

Seen reading on OC Transpo

• Afternoon Delight: Why Soaps Still Matter by Carolyn Hinsey
  
• The Stolen (Henry Parker Novels) by Jason Pinter
  
• The Origins of Political Order: From Pre-human Times to the French Revolution by Francis Fukuyama
  
• A Heartbeat Away by Michael Palmer
  
• To Wish or Not to Wish by Mindy Klasky
  
• A 3-year old reading an article about Rihanna in the Metro paper (newsflash: I don't think she was really reading it)
  

A proper post, for reals

Seriously, kids. I've been run off my feet even more than usual these past few weeks. This week's adventures have involved training new staff on various things (including readers' advisory at OPL: the blog, the catalogue, and print tools like read-alike bookmarks, shelftalkers, and reading maps), finding a craft suitable for Sukkot (that's a long story!), a journalism student on the Bookmobile (yay!), various personnel issues and scheduling issues (resulting in me doing a Bookmobile run today to kill 3 birds with one stone: filling staff shortage and maintaining 75% service for the day, taking care of the journo, and going out with the only driver I haven't been out with yet), and (on Friday) The Royal Society of Canada's (RSC) Annual Symposium: Literacy and Citizenship in the 21st Century. In between that, I only have about a million emails to reply to, a presentation to finalise for next week, a speech to write (this and presi for RA in a day next week), and volunteers who have (or can get asap) police records checks to corral for our branch library homework clubs (Srsly. Want to volunteer? Branches that have an immediate need include Greenboro, Ruth E. Dickinson, and St Laurent; futures include Blackburn Hamlet and North Gloucester. Email me at libraryvolunteers [at] BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca).

Last week involved the Mayor's Seniors Summit, working a day at Rideau Branch (it was super cool to see some of my "old" regulars happy to see me! Plus I got to sit in on a wicked author event that is part of our Fall Author Series), more training of new employees, and the always-amazing Dewey Divas.

Meanwhile, I've been reading (some for CLA BOYCA, some for fun):

• The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje (maybe it's 'cause I have a crush on him, but I read EVERY Ondaatje with his voice in my head. It's delicious)
  
• That Boy Red by Rachna Gilmore (Gilmore's best yet, by far. Red is equal parts Anne Shirley - comparison can't be helped, Ramona, Owen Skye, and Clementine)
  
• Dragon Seer's Gift by Janet McNaughton (I am really intrigued by where this series for older children is going.... Well-done!)
  
• Broken Trail by Jean Rae Baxter
• Where Children Sleep by James Mollison (heartbreaking and touching photo essay book about children's bedrooms, and sleeping quarters, around the world. Compare and contrast a pile of garbage with a room full of toys, etc. Read with Kleenex. Great for Grade 3+ in a classroom setting)
  
• Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan (made me want to re-read some James Baldwin)
  
• The Beggar's Garden by Michael Christie (I know, 2011 is apparently the Year of the Short Story for me. I demand to be patted on the back)
  
• Reinventing the Rose by Kenneth J. Harvey (just plain ... weird)
  

Must now get off computer. Spend enough time on computer.

Bookmobile news round-up

The theme of this particular bookmobile news round-up could well be Bookmobiles+ (or Bookmobiles 2.0, if you prefer): A mobile library offering programs, one at a souk, one promoting peace, one with hugs, one seeking a world record, a Supermobile, and a little red bookmobile that could, so to speak.

• "North Yorkshire unveils “Supermobile” library timetable" via the Harrogate News
  "From October 24, North Yorkshire County Council’s supermobile will call at twenty two locations on a rolling fortnightly timetable. Unlike the conventional mobile libraries, which were withdrawn last month, the supermobile offers a superior service, carrying around 3,000 items of stock – including books, DVDs, videos, and audio books – and offering internet access via satellite."
  Editorial note: Psh! We visit 22 locations on a weekly basis! We should be a "Supermobile!"
  
• "Mobile library for peace, Dharavi, Mumbai India." part of the Davis Projects for Peace
  David Projects for Peace is "an initiative for all students at the Davis United World College Scholars Program partner schools to design grassroots projects for the summer of 2012 - anywhere in the world - which promote peace and address the root causes of conflict among parties." This project was developed by Aravind Unni, from the University of California, Berkeley, and aimed "to wipe out the marginalization that the slum communities in Mumbai experience, by providing them access to information on informal education and healthier living through the simple act of storytelling."
• "Portland Public Library may add 'portable library' service," via the Forecaster (MA)
  "The library [will] probably purchase a van and equip it with wireless technology and computers, enabling the mobile unit to provide digital library services and a wide variety of educational services to people who are unable to travel to the main branch. "It's not just showing up as a bookmobile. It's also delivering programs.""
  
• "Library on wheels" by Amal Al-Sibai, via the Saudi Gazette
  "We don’t see travelers in the Kingdom’s airports reading while waiting for their flights, nor do we find children here picking reading as a fun pastime to ease their burden of boredom. This aloof attitude towards books is sure to change in the near future. With such initiatives by government officials such as the mobile library, more and more people will start gaining interest in reading. King Abdul Aziz Public Library packed 3,000 books in a large bus and sent it to Al-Taif during the Souk Okaz activities."
• "Foster: We must cultivate a love of reading in our island's children" via the Guam Pacific Daily News
  "Yesterday, Guam took part in the Jumpstart Read for the Record worldwide literacy event, in which readers from around the world read the same book on the same day to students. First lady Christine M.S. Calvo was one of the participants, reading "Llama Llama Red Pajama" to students at Chief Brodie Elementary School."
• "Smiles and hugs welcome bookmobile's monthly visit" via the Seattle Sketcher
  "Seattle has a brand-new bookmobile -- a red, white and blue van that went into service this week. The vehicle replaces one of four that deliver books to child-care centers, nursing homes and homebound residents who can't get to the library [....] "We know everybody by name," said Little, who was welcomed with a warm hug by Tess McBride, 88. That was the moment when it became clear to me that this is a different service of what anyone could get going to their branch library -- do you get hugged at yours? I don't."
• "Little Red Bookmobile expanding list of services" via ENC Today (Eastern North Carolina)
  "The Little Red Bookmobile that has gone into neighborhoods for five years delighting children and their parents with its treasure of books is expanding its services to offer after-school tutoring and to highlight science and nature."
  

News round-up

• I wish I could go to this
  "Bishop Barry Clarke, St. James the Apostle Anglican Church and the Writer’s Chapel Trust invite you to a service of Evensong honouring the life of Frank R. Scott and dedicating the chapel at St. James the Apostle as The Writers’ Chapel, Montreal: a place to honour and remember the talents of Canadian writers. The Writers' Chapel Trust was created 2 years ago to commemorate Montreal writers. This year Bishop Barry will dedicate The Writers' Chapel and a plaque for F.R. Scott will be installed."
• "Breathing the rarefied air at Centennial College's new library"
  "The architectural re-branding of Centennial [....] The dour series of pre-cast concrete buildings put up in the 1970s are still standing, but now they’re offset by light-filled buildings with lounges equipped with computer bars and hipster seating in shades of cool, cucumber green. At the heart of the new $34-million library by Diamond + Schmitt Architects is a living wall of mesmerizing greenery that’s four storeys high."
• Oxfordshire County Council resorts to blackmail: "I hope you're happy, Philip Pullman. We saved your libraries, but the elderly and disabled will suffer instead."
  

Seen reading on OC Transpo

William McElcheran's "Untitled" (read more)
Happy commuters?

• Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffeneger
  
• The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsen
  
• Acts (as in, the book from the New Testament, read on iPhone)
  
• An Apple A Day by beloved Montreal icon, Dr. Joe Schwarcz
• Me: Broken Trail by Jean Rae Baxter (it's a work thing)

Sorry, kids, for the boring week on this blog; I have been utterly swamped. It's 5:08 and I am not even close to leaving work either, so I am beginning to feel a bit panicky (Main does close at 6, so they security guard might come looking for me....!)

More from me next week, promise xxx

The psychology of reading

Our 6th annual RA in a day workshop is coming up soon, and we are building on an extremely popular session from last year's workshop with one of this year's sessions.

One of our speakers last year was York University's Dr. Raymond Mar (read my summary of his talk here), whose topic was “Empirical research on reading, and its implications for advising readers.” This year, we will hear from Dr. Keith Oatley, novelist and professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto, about the psychology of reading fiction: how and why novels and short stories engage readers, and what the effects of reading are.

If the psychology of reading interests you, here are some other resources:

“Reading Fiction Impacts Aggressive Behaviour”
Researchers report that reading literature depicting aggression can impact how those readers respond to provocation.

“Reading fiction 'improves empathy', study finds”
US researchers measure impact of reading JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer

"Why fiction is good for you"
Keith Oatley proposes that stories create "a mental model in which readers can try out ideas about themselves and others."

"The function of fiction is the abstraction and simulation of social experience."

News round-up

• "A reader's guide to Manhattan," by Christopher Reynolds, from the Montreal Gazette
  "So, old-fashioned book people, hit literary Manhattan soon and hard. Even if you have only three days, as I did earlier this year, you can squeeze in an eight-stop tour, complete with thinking, drinking, Bibles, tote bags and a certain pair of municipal mascots. Here’s how my circuit went..."
• Rohinton Mistry has won the of the $50,000 Neustadt International Prize for Literature
• Dinosaur vs. the Library, anyone? This is a very cute series.
  
• Otherwise, continue to sit on your hands or whatever until the Nobel is announced on Thursday! (place your bets here)
  

Seen reading on OC Transpo

Outreach tip: Save on fuel by having the Bookmobile ride the bus.

• Tough Guys Don't Dance by Norman Mailer
• Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
• PM Network magazine, September 2011 issue
  
• A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
  
• Heartwishes by Jude Devereaux
  
• The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
  
• Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland
• In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
  
• One Sony ereader
  
• Me: The Beggar's Garden by Michael Christie, 10 myths about Afghanistan (Guardian), and Guerres by Charlotte Gingras (the latter recommended by the lovely and talented Marina via our internal Collection development newsletter)
  
• Bonus STM read (thanks, Mum!): Detecting Lies and Deceit: Pitfalls and Opportunities by Aldert Vrij
  

New-ish roles @ OPL: the past three months

So, again, not a monthly report, but more of a quarterly one. Previous here.

1. I went on two ride-alongs with Homebound Services (third one was foiled by my recent stomach flu... and I am very annoyed)
   
2. Bookmobile implemented our new communications procedure. Many thanks to staff in our Communications and Community Relations and Digital Services departments, who cooperated with us to implement this new procedure and helped with supporting resources, which included a cheat sheet for staff to follow, with templates for messages and tweets, a bilingual press release which was picked up by the Citizen and Ottawa East EMC, and a social media poster with OPL’s first-ever QR codes.
3. Bookmobile did some healthy collection maintenance, including selecting some new magazines (look for Cooking Light, Family Handyman, Money Sense, Natural Health, National Geographic Kids and Mes premieres j’aime lire), re-organising teen material on the bus, and weeding.
   
4. 395 children registered for the TD Summer Reading Club on the Bookmobile, thanks to excellent promotion by all, and festive SRC-themed decorations by one of our team! Bookmobile patrons read 2256 books this summer! We also visited 5 local schools to promote SRC, with 1150 children reached this way.
5. Bookmobile started using a Smart Bin!
6. We bought traction tape and sweeping compound to minimise slippery conditions and dust on the bus.
7. We participated in the Capital Pride Parade!
8. Three special guests went on ride-alongs: a University of Western Ontario FIMS student, an OPL Board member, and our boss.
9. We're working on new publicity, including Bookmobile’s first-ever bookmarks (you may have seen branch bookmarks).
10. We're working on moving some extensive Homebound files that are still kept on paper online, into some kind of database ....
    
11. I did some massively boring file management on our Shared directories, giving more power to the peeps by allowing staff to see more files, documents, procedures, stats, training guides etc. for Bookmobile.
12. I helped out in other areas of our large department: with Fall events for our Library Settlement Workers, preparing for the Mayor's Seniors Summit next week, answering questions about accessibility issues in branch libraries, and dealing with questions about newcomer homework help sessions at branch libraries.
    

News round-up

It's been awhile since I've written you a nice long post, but some are coming, promise! I've been swamped here at work. Last week involved teaching, a job interview*, two crises, leading part of a tour of Main (Diversity and Accessibility Services, obvs) for new employees, some time at Bookmobile, a 2 hour meeting on Wednesday, followed by outreach at a local school (promoting Bookmobile and children's services), followed by more outreach (class-by-class 20 min presentations!) on Thursday at another local school. All day Thursday I kept taking my jacket off ad putting it back on, like some perverse Mr. Rogers on fast-forward... And my copy of Taming Horrible Harry seemed impossibly heavy. Turns out I was not having premature hot flashes, or losing my outreach stamina, but about to get the stomach flu! Hooray!

While I hobble towards recovery on a bread-and-water diet, here are some juicy stories to sink your teeth into:

• Ottawa poet-barkeep tapped to judge Griffin literary prize
• Libraries in Cumbria have launched a new audio book service allowing members to download books free of charge (shortest story ever. More info here. And no, this is not revolutionary on this side of the pond, but interesting to see it over there....).
• Dayton Literary Prize prize winners announced
• The E-book revolution: four years in
  
• Homesick Montrealer non-book link of the day: Calèche drivers flout cell phone law (and I quote: "“My horse sees where he’s going.”)
  

* yeah, you caught that, didn't you?.... I am staying in my current post (no longer acting) for a term of 6 months. That's me, Coordinator of Diversity and Accessibility Services!

Seen reading on OC Transpo

Yes to buses!

• Hotel California by Barney Hoskins
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
• The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles
• Suite francaise by Irene Nemirovsky (lu en français)
  
• Making Decentralization Work: Democracy, Development, and Security by Ed Connerley, Kent Eaton, and Paul Smoke (eds.)
  
• Still Alice by Lisa Genova
  
• The Demon King (A Seven Realms Novel) by Cinda Williams Chima
  
  

Seen reading on OC Transpo

• Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice
• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
• Kobo reader, title not visible
  
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (which I adored)
  
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
  
• The Last Innocent Man by Phillip Margolin
  
• A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin
  
• This Is Your Brain On Music by McGill University neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin... (my husband spotted this one, and was especially amused to see someone sitting across the aisle reading another brain-related title)
  
• Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
• Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science by Peter Godfrey-Smith
  
• Me: The Meagre Tarmac by Clark Blaise (scrumptious)
  

My essay is up

Wheeee!

"Pantsuits, pink and the power of the librarian by Alexandra Yarrow" on the Women Doing Literary Things blog.
"In an attempt to dispel one stereotype, we’re often simply constructing another, a cartoonish riotgrrrl librarian who can’t be taken any more seriously than Marian the Librarian."

Talking about The Cat's Table with Michael Ondaatje: It "blossomed like a flower outward"

Yesterday, I was all over the map. You know those days that the expression "well, she really got out of bed on the wrong side" were just made for? I had one of those. At work, I made it through a Herculean pile of tasks with (alternating) panic, mood swings, exhaustion, dark humour and cookies. After work, it was like a cranky, argumentative jerk took over my body, as all the unexpressed frustration at my day came seeping out onto the poor unfortunates who crossed my path.

So, listening to Michael Ondaatje read from The Cat's Table at the Writers Festival last night was like a balm for the soul.

I am not really one to moon over authors (or anyone, for that matter). That being said, Ondaatje has always had a special place in my heart: those eyes! That voice! The sense that he is listening carefully to everything the audience says and actually cares about it! (Did I mention his eyes? Because those of you there last night didn't really get a chance to see them up close, but they are seriously intense).

A good friend of mine has a bit of a thing for Joseph Boyden, so the fact that he was interviewing Ondaatje was kind of oddly simpatico, in terms of dreamy authors, but alas my friend was unable to join me for the evening. I had actually never been to an event featuring Boyden. Apparently, Ondaatje had asked for him to be his interviewer, and I can see why: Boyden's questions were thoughtful and interesting, and were peppered with some humour and gentle ribbing ("So, another thing that pisses me off about you is....")

Some gems from the evening:

• Boyden admitting he would be hesitant to set a novel on a boat (The characters would do "one lap around and then what?"). He then admitted that the enclosed setting of the novel didn't hinder Ondaatje's work: rather than becoming confined, it "blossomed like a flower outward."
• Many reviews I have read have mentioned that this is Ondaatje's most accessible work, a choice of words that made me snort with derision a little, I must admit. Boyden touched on this, asking Ondaatje if he felt this was his most approachable work. Ondaatje hedged a bit, suggesting this word might be coming up simply by virtue of the fact that the novel has an 11 year-old protagonist. Boyden added that he has never seen Ondaatje's writing as unapproachable; he said that, as a poet, Ondaatje "grounds his language so specifically" that his words have a certain clarity.
• Ondaatje on being a poet writing a (longer) novel: "Part of the book is, you know, how do I get out of it?"
• Ondaatje on the structure of a novel: he described a novel as a sort of collage: this blue goes over here with this green, for instance, in the editing process. In his opinion, character "is the central machine in a book," followed by setting (location and time). I would say that's a good assessment of the two main appeal factors of his work.

As always, a pleasure just to hear Ondaatje's voice. He can read to me any evening.

Bookmobile news round-up

No, seriously, that's your boss? She looks so young! *

• "Mobile Library Festival, Turku 2011" (video)
  The International Mobile Library festival was held in Turku, Findland, last month. Buses from several (Nordic) countries were parked on the banks of Aurajoki River, near a Finnish library boat (gotta watch until the end to see that!)
• "Graying of the gay community - building new kind of library" via GazetteNET.com
  "The Out Books On Wheels, a Northampton-based mobile library created to help LGBT elders “continue enjoying life outside of the closet,” according to its mission statement."
• "Putting literacy on the road" via The Media Online
  Six new bookmobiles are on the road in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, serving as "multi-purpose mobile libraries that also offer computer and internet access, photocopying facilities, DVDs, CDs and toys. They will also provide a space for storytellers or speakers." In SA, UNESCO estimates that "7.4 and 8.5 million adults are functionally illiterate; between 2.9 and 4.2 million people have never attended school. One million children in South Africa live in a household where no adult can read, [and] just over 50% of South African families own no books for recreational or leisure time reading."
  
• "Bookmobile return overdue?" via the Worcester Telegram
  "Today, in an age when people are a mouse click away from gathering information from the Internet or are reading the latest bestseller on a portable electronic reader, bookmobiles are going the way of the trucks once used to make daily milk deliveries. That might not be the case in Worcester, however, where local book lovers and some city councilors are looking to buck the trend [....] Bookmobile service would be valuable because it is very difficult for many people to get to the library's three branches."
  
• ..... Is it creepy that there is another Ottawa with another Bookmobile? Discuss. "West Ottawa Bookmobile ends 2011 summer season" via The Holland Sentinel
  "“This is as good as it gets. It’s the bomb,” bus driver Robin Veenhoven said. “I get to drive a big bus around with Clifford and ‘Charlotte’s Web’ on it.”"
• Whaddya mean, improving on the bookmobile? "Almost a bookmobile, not quite a library" via Out of the Jungle
  "The Uni Project is a "portable reading room" designed for urban spaces [....] Davol's idea is to improve on the venerable bookmobile by adding features like furniture that encourages community members to hangout and enjoy the books and each other."
• "Volunteer on a Mobile Library in Malawi" via Idealist.org
  The Book Bus mobile library in Malawi visits schools in which "children learn to read by simply repeating what the teachers say, the memorise it, and repeat it again. As you can imagine, not a very insipring way to learn.The book Bus aims to provide children with the resources (fun, colourful storybooks) and the inclination to continue to read. We do this by working with small groups of children in Malawian schools, and practising reading. We also plan fun activities and games around the books to encourage them continue to use the books and persuade them that reading is fun and enjoyable."
• "Book bike will take library for a ride" via Tuscon Velo
  "The Pima County Library is putting a new spin on the book mobile. The newest vehicle in its fleet has one less wheel and a giant sunroof. The library’s new book bike will make its debut this winter."
• "San Francisco Public Library’s Green Bookmobile Visits the Exploratorium’s Front Parking Lot" via the Exploratorium
  Discover "the San Francisco Public Library’s new Green Bookmobile," which "runs on 20 percent biodiesel with a hybrid generator, [is] equipped with 4 solar panels, has skylights for natural light and it is made from sustainably forested wood with recycled content carpet."
  

* (But she did turn 31 last week)

Seen reading on OC Transpo

• An unknown Michael Crichton novel
  
• Adeleïde par Marie Laberge
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean
• The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier by Tony Jones
  
• Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality by Manjit Kumar
• The Wreckage by Michael Crummey
• A title in Lisa Jackson's To Die series
• The Economist magazine
• A book in Chinese
• Me: The Secret River by Kate Grenville (so good!)
  

OPL @ the Power of Words breakfast

This morning, I attended the Power of Words breakfast organised by the amazing People, Words & Change. We met and spoke with many of the 90+ people attending the event, including literacy tutors, adult students, PWC staff and Board members, Mayor Watson (at left*), Councillor Fleury, and Councillor Hobbs.

The line for food snaked by our Ottawa Public Library display table (at right), which was a great strategic advantage; I was able to call out “While you’re waiting, have a free bookmark ... And can we interest you in some information about the library?” We had a nice chat with Mayor Watson when he was waiting in line, and he mentioned OPL in his speech. He said that he is proud of the work the library does, of its “dynamic staff,” and our “passionate” Board Chair (the always-spectacular Jan Harder). He also alluded to Toronto (“unlike that city down the road, we know the importance of the library...”).

I answered one or two reference questions, promoted our collections (some lists: Golden Oak Award Finalists, Quick Reads series, Good Reads series, and the Open Door series) and services. We brought material from our collections to display, membership forms, information about programs, some OPL swag (bookmarks, pencils, magnets), branch and location information, and we also raffled off two free books!

The speeches given by the students themselves were hands-down the best part of the morning: one student mentioned every tutor he had at PWC - and many of the administrative staff - by name and thanked them; another mentioned how, now that she was more comfortable using her English, she went out more and was more sociable because she wasn’t embarrassed to speak to people... and she could negotiate a better rate on her travel insurance! Another stressed the importance of reading, specifically, and said that she never realised how important it was to read a lot until she began working with her tutor to improve her grammar. A few made some pretty cute jokes about idiosyncrasies of the English language: one remarked how important it was for him to learn the difference between "affect" and "effect." Another described her trouble with the complex uses of the word "up:" you can say "it's clouding up," or "it's clearing up," but really, she should be "finishing up" her speech and she should really "shut up." There were some really moving stories of people overcoming great adversity; two students who spoke are now Carleton students; one student said that he and his wife agree that calling PWC was the best thing he ever did.

It was a really rewarding experience to be there. FYI, though, networking at 7 am is pretty exhausting.

*Photo at top left: David Barbour, http://www.davidbarbour.com

Seen reading on OC Transpo

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
  
• An original Penguin Classic with a green border
  
• Jacques Cartier by Yves Jacob
  
• An unknown Patricia Cornwell mystery - seen in Montreal (so, an STM read not OC!)
  

Felt Friday Special edition: Owls

This is a special Felt Friday because it is dedicated to Baby Girl G. Our second rezling baby is due next month, and her parents are decorating with owls in mind. Above is the gift bag that contained my present for the lovely Baby G; I made the felt owls (one on each side) myself, and they are sewn loosely on so they can be snipped off and incorporated into Baby's room.*

Owls! Owls and I go way back: back to Westmount Public Library days, in fact. Being the connoisseur of random WPL tour-guide-themed facts (seriously. Ask me about the flowers in the frieze in the Findlay Rooms. I dare you!), I can even tell you how the owl ended up in the centennial bookmark at right. You might think it is there because of the association of owls with wisdom (via the goddess Athena), and that's a good guess. There is, however, a real-life story about owls at WPL: during the 1995 renovations, the wonderful team behind the work discovered an owl living in a tree in what is now the reading garden; although his habitat was certainly displaced, shall we say, he coped, and he became an unwitting mascot. In the mid-2000s, a children's department logo was designed, using an owl as the central image.

The owl became a beloved symbol for staff, as well. I have wonderful memories of Ann's owl collection in her office, a tradition which the current director, Julie-Anne, has happily continued; I like that her owls are keeping an eye on things in the library (at left). Whenever I see owls, I think of my Westmount friends; I always want to buy owls for them!

The fabulous Lora (my fellow Digestive Librarians' Digest blogger) also has an impressive owl collection in her office at Westmount, to which I have contributed via the fabulous Workshop Boutique here in town). Look at them all chillaxin' there on top of her cabinet! I just want to hang out with them every time I visit, although that little dude at the bottom of the group there looks like he's too cool for me.

My bestie Caroline also has some impressive owls, including the felt one at left inherited from her grandpa (it used to live on his fridge).

Yeah, so, if this is a Felt Friday, I should offer some reading and singing recommendations... Here we go!

Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton (the author and illustrator is was named one of Time Magazine’s DESIGN 100 for his work for Fair Trade in 2007): Houghton blogs about the making of this book here (a fascinating look at owls in art!)

Over in the Hollow by Rebecca Dickinson: I love the somewhat complex melody of the song "Over in the meadow;" when you've mastered it, you can graduate to this Halloween-themed picture book featuring an owl family on a double-page spread, as well as a host of other Halloween characters...

WOW! said the Owl by Tim Hopgood: all about colours, as seen by yonder wide-eyed owl. Deliciously vibrant.

There is also the old favourite (and slightly scary for little folk) Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, and the classic Good Night, Owl! by Pat Hutchins.

To sing and rhyme:

There’s A Wide-Eyed Owl
There’s a wide-eyed owl
With a pointed nose,
He has pointed ears
And claws for toes.
He sits in a tree
And looks at you,
Then flaps his wings and says,
"Who... who... whooo!"

Little Owl (tune: This Old Man)
Little Owl, in the tree,
He is winking down at me.
With a wink, wink, wink, wink,
All through the night,
Little Owl is quite a sight!

Little Owl, in the tree,
He is hooting down at me.
With a hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot,
All through the night,
Little Owl is quite a sight!

Owls Are Sleeping (tune: Frère Jacques)
Owls are sleeping
Owls are sleeping
In their trees
In their trees
Soon it will be nighttime
Soon it will be nighttime
Wake up, owls (clap)
Wake up, owls (clap)

If you’re an owl and you know it
If you’re an owl and you know it, BLINK your eyes,
If you’re an owl and you know it, BLINK your eyes,
If you’re an owl and your know it ,
Than you really ought to show it
If you’re an owl and you know it, BLINK your eyes.

If you’re an owl and you know it, FLAP your wings....
If you’re an owl and you know it, Shout WHOO– HOO....

A final fun fact via The book of general ignorance (accurately skewered by the always-pithy John Crace, but nevertheless interesting... as Crace says, to geeks, anyway....):

"William Shakespeare first used the phrase 'tu-whit, tu-whoo' in his song, 'Winter,' from Love's Labour's Lost [...]. No single owl has ever gone 'tu-whit, tu-whoo.'Barn owls screech. Short-eared owls are largely silent. A long-eared owl makes an extended low pitched 'oo-oo-oo' noise. The owl noise that most resembles 'tu-whit, tu-whoo' is made by Tawny owls. Two of them. The male Tawny - also known as a Brown Owl - calls with a hooting 'hooo-hoo-hooo,' and the female replies with a hoarser 'kew-wick.'

Try that at storytime.


* Can I just say... really hard to take a pic of a hot pink bag with an orange felt. Yeah. That's all.