LISNews: Librarian News

Dale C. writes "The Friends of Windsor Library (Windsor, VT) are hosting a unique statewide fund- and consciousness-raising event benefiting all 190 public libraries in the state (more libraries per capita than any other state). They've enlisted the talents of 45 famous Vermont artists (Thacher Hurd, Gail Gibbons, etc.) in decorating wooden cutouts of Vermont maple leaves which they'll auction online until Oct 14 (the height of the leaf season), when they'll have a live Final Day Auction. It's an experiment in statewide cooperation by two groups that love libraries and the freedom to read the most: artists and Friends."
The Vermont Maple Leaf Auction.

TALENT (OR) Vowing that they won't let citizens or town officials forget the closed library, a group of local residents are staging a "read-in" every Thursday in front of the city complex, bringing attention to the problem and talking with residents about how it can be fixed.

At the same time, Talent's idled librarian, Laurel Prchal, holds her summer reading program for children on a blanket at the skate park across the street.

The supporters, most of them members of the Talent Friends of the Library, sit in front of the Community Center from 10 to 11 on Thursdays bringing neighbors up to date on the progress of library reopening, entertaining suggestions on strategies and sharing stories on life without libraries, said Betty Smith, who worked at the library for 35 years. Mail Tribune reports.

Cool idea for raising money...the Rosseau Library, Parry Sound Ontario, will accept your empty liquor, beer and soda bottles to make your life a bit easier, and of course, they get to keep the bottle refunds. Although taking a liquor bottle to the neighbourhood library seems contradictory, library board and Friends of the Library member Fred Neal said it's another service the library can perform for the community.

Here's the story from the Parry Sound Press.

The Washington Post reports on sales of a new edition of an old book that's now helping local libraries in the DC area. The book, "300 Years of Black Cooking in St. Mary's County Maryland," was first published in 1975. But it has been enjoying a revival of sales since the St. Mary's County Library system reissued it in September 2005.

Recipes include traditional African American recipes, such as dandelion wine, hog brains and eggs and possum.

"They're recipes that parents had, and grandparents had, that often the children didn't write down," said Janice Walthour, who lives in Lexington Park and wrote a poem for the book.

The book can be purchased for $15 at any St. Mary's County library, or online at St. Mary's County (MD)Library.