National Turn Off Your TV Week

April 24-30, is

National Turn Off Your TV Week!

Click here for the online calendar to see

the programs offered at your local library.

There are family games and

story times planned,

as well as teen programs, jazz, theater,

and therapy dogs!

So much is happening at your library!

Visit

http://www.tvturnoff.org

for information.

National Minority Health Month!

April is National Minority Health Month!
Click the links below for health information on the Internet*.

MedlinePlus is the National Library of Medicine's web site for free consumer health information. It is a selective list of authoritative health information resources from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other organizations.
MedlinePlus African American Health
Alzheimer's Association: Black/African American Communites - Information about the impact of Alzheimer's in the Black/African American community.
NOAH - New York Online Access to Health - Provides access to high quality full-text consumer health information in English and Spanish.
National Women's Health Information Center - A gateway to a vast array of Federal and other women's health information resources.
African American Women - Includes links to health topics of special concern to African American women.
National Medical Association - The NMA promotes the collective interests of physicians and patients of African descent. They serve as the collective voice of physicians of African descent and they are a leading force for parity in medicine, elimination of health disparities and promotion of optimal health.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases - Information on a broad spectrum of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and endocrine disorders.
Health Information Publications
Easy to Read Publications
Healthfinder - Healthfinder is a free gateway to reliable consumer health and human services information.
"Just for You" - Focuses on special health concerns based on gender, age, race, ethnic origin.
BlackHealthcare.com - A culturally oriented and ethnically focused comprehensive internet-based health and medical information provider diedicated to addressing the special health problems of African-Americans.
Closing the Gap - A national campaign to bring the best health information to African Americans and other communities of color, and to help consumers take charge of their health.
National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute - Seven booklets with information on diet, cholesterol, physical fitness and more.
Heart Healthy Cooking African American Style - Booklet which brings together many recipes prepared in heart healthy ways.
African Amercan Resources - Gateway toward achieving Healthy People 2010 goals; includes resources, conferences and more.
Prostate Cancer Screening: A Decision Guide for African Americans - Discusses the pros and cons of prostrate screening.

*Health Information on the Internet. 2006. National Library of Medicine & National Institutes of Health.

Polkville Library Opens for NLW!

The Polkville Library reopened its doors Monday, April 3, just in time to celebrate National Library Week! Branch manager Joyce Bradshaw, Polkville Mayor Robert Miles, and many wonderful citizens of Polkville, as well as CMRLS headquarters staff, worked hard to reopen the library as promised! The library was enlarged and additional shelving installed to give the Polkville Library a new face and needed room. Check out the Polkville Library webpage, the pictures will be posted soon.

Happy National Library Week!

Carolyn Haines visits during NLW!

Nationally known author, Carolyn Haines spoke at Flowood Library on Monday, April 3, during National Library Week. Ms. Haines kept the audience entertained with stories about her writing and teaching. Afterwards she signed her newest book, Penumbra, which will be in bookstores this week and in the libraries this month.

About Penumbra: Marlena Bramlett, a young mother married to the wealthiest man in the area, is raped and beaten beyond recognition. Marlena had been entertaining her lover at a picnic in the woods, and her six-year-old daughter is missing after the attack. Jade Dupree, Marlena's unacknowledged half-sister (her mother is society dame Lucille Longier and her father an unknown black man) is determined to find her niece with the help of white deputy sheriff Frank Kimble (from her website http://www.carolynhaines.com).

"While suspenseful and violent, Haines' literary thriller never loses sight of the poignant story at its heart. Transcending the usual mystery conventions, this is highly recommended." -The Library Journal

Carolyn Haines is also a recepient of the 2004 CMRLS Patron's Award for Crossed Bones, a Sarah Booth Delaney mystery.

For other books by Ms. Haines that are found in CMRLS libraries , click here.

Summer Registration

Acorn wants you to know that the summer library program this year will be so much fun. It's "Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales," all about animals and the people who care for them.

Registration for summer reading
is May 29-June 2.
Stop by your local library to register
for a summer full of FUN.
The Snakeman and Inky the Clown
will be appearing at a library near
you this summer;
along with many other fun
programs, contests, and drawings!

Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales
Summer Reading Program 2006

Polkville Public Library Getting a Facelift!

The Polkville Library is closed while it is being remodeled and enlarged. Check the website periodically for pictures of the transformation and the announcement of the Grand Opening!

A Few Staff Picks

Click on the title to request a copy for yourself!

• Comfort & Joy, by Kristin Hannah - Joy goes through a really difficult episode in her life and is not dealing with it very well. When she finally tries to "get away" she's in a plane crash that leaves her in a strange situation with a handsome man and his son. This story has a very interesting twist that left me with my mouth open. (J., RL)
• The Tarnished Eye, by Judith Guest - A page-turner about the murder of an entire family at their summer home and the unveiling of their killer. (A., FW)
• Missing Mom, by Joyce Carol Oates - A coming-to-terms novel, again about a murder, and the daughter who must unravel her complicated feelings about and relationship to her mother. (A., FW)
• New Mercies, by Sandra Dallas - This is the story of a young woman who learns that she has inherited the "mansion" of an aunt she didn't know she had and must go to Natchez to claim it and discover an intriguing side of her family...set in 1933. (A., FW) & (A., FW)
• Even Now, by Karen Kingsbury - This is a beautiful story about two people, who as teens decided to keep their baby despite the fact that the grandparents wanted them to give the child up for adoption. This story follows a journey of 20 years and is filled with love, hope and the promise that love does survive. (G., FL)
• Mary, Mary: A Novel, by James Patterson - I would recommend to anyone who loves thrillers. Alex Cross is on vacation in Las Angeles, California. With his reputation for solving murders, he is asked to help solve the murder and mutilation of well known actresses. A signed note, Mary Smith, is left at each scene stating more deaths to follow. (W., SE)

FREE TAX HELP!

Visit the Pearl, Brandon, or Richland library for FREE tax help from VITA or AARP.

Richland Library - AARP - Each Tuesday, 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Pearl Library - AARP - Each Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Brandon Library- AARP - Each Friday, 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Richland Library - VITA - Each Saturday, 1:00 until 4:00 p.m.

Be sure you bring pertinent information, as well as last year's tax returns!

Library Lover's Month Drawing

Be sure you stop by one of the 21 CMRLS libraries during the month of February. Each time you use your library card this month you may enter to win one of three prizes that are on display!

February is...

American Heart Month, Library Lover's Month, National Black History Month, National Children's Dental Month, and National Pet Dental Month, and so much more! Click for websites with further information.

Library Lover's Month is especially important to CMRLS this year. We asked local businesses to display a Valentine for the library, so look around while you are out this month and see who "loves their library!"

If you are looking for resources for Black History Month homework assignments, check these out:

African American Lives, from PBS
African American Odyssey, from the Library of Congress
Black History Month Resources at Librarians Internet Index
Black Voices, AOL African American and Black Culture Community
Thomson Gale's Black History Month Free Resources

And, if you looking for some interesting information about Valentine's Day, click here!

Happy Library Lover's Month!
from CMRLS.

The Chronicles of Narnia @ your library

Check out the books, audios, previous video adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia and information on C. S. Lewis @ your library.

This information, taken from http://www.aslan.demon.co.uk/narnia.htm, may be of use to you as you read The Chronicles of Narnia. There are at least two ways to read the books; either chronologically as they were published or in the chronological sequence of the events of the stories.

Listed as they were published:

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (published 1950)
2. Prince Caspian (1951)
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
4. The Silver Chair (1953)
5. The Horse and His Boy (1954)
6. The Magician's Nephew (1955)
7. The Last Battle (1956)

Listed as the chronological sequence of events:

1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

Whether you decide to read the stories in the order they were published or in the chronological order of events, you can find the books @ your library!

You may also want to check out these websites:
The Chronicles of Narnia: Movie Website
Into the Wardrobe: A C. S. Lewis Website
NarniaWeb: The World's #1 Source for Narnia Movie News
The Lions Call: An online Narnia community which includes discussions, games, teacher resources, fun facts, and more!
Narnia Fans: By and for fans of C. S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia
KidsReads.com: Narnia Trivia Game
The Narnia Story: Listen free, online, to the Narnia story; or download the MP3.
The Narnia Fan Site
The Narnia Blog by Infuze

Authors @ your library in January 2006!

Pearl Library, January 4, 10:30 a.m.
Jimmy Bonner, author of Propping on a Gooseneck: Boyhood Wanderings of the Last of the White Mississippi Delta Sharecroppers, Coahoma City, MS, will be at the Pearl Library for the Coffee Break Books for Men. The talk will be followed by a book signing and refreshments.

Florence Library, January 9, 12:00 noon
Bernice Rayford, author of Collard Greens and Ham, will be at the Florence Library for a book talk.

Brandon Library, January 26, 12:00 noon
Paige Cothren, author of 23 books, will be at the Brandon Library. Come meet this author from Natchez. He played football both at Ole Miss and professionally. He speaks publicly 200-300 times yearly and is both humorous and informative.

Pearl Library, January 27, 12:00 noon
Eleanor Hughes, author of It's Hard to Believe with No Salt, No Sugar, will be at the Pearl Library for a Brown Bag Affair; demonstrating through taste testing how people with diabetes can enjoy delicious dishes.

And, for those of you wanting to be an author @ your library...
Southern Writers Group will meet at the Flowood Library on January 13, 12:00 noon. Bring lunch and discuss the craft of writing with others interested in writing. The group will also meet on January 26, 6:30 p.m., for a discussion.

Best of 2005 @ your library!

Voted to be the best books in 2005 by the Los Angeles Times, World Fantasy Award, New York Times, Publishers Weekly, National Book Awards, and Amazon.com; and they are found in your library! Click the links below to request a copy of one of these titles.

Adult:
102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers, by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, by Charles C. Mann
1776, by David McCullough
At First Sight, by Nicholas Sparks
Black Juice, by Margo Lanagan
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, by Jared Diamond
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Empire Rising, by Thomas Kelly
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Final Solution, by Michael Chabon
Follies and New Stories, by Ann Beattie
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, by Alexander McCall Smith
God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, by Jim Wallis
The Ha-Ha, by Dave King
The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss
The Hummingbird's Daughter, by Luis Alberto Urrea
In the Shadow of the Law, by Kermit Roosevelt
John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth, by Elizabeth Partridge
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by susanna Clarke
The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly
The March, by E. L. Doctorow
The Lost Painting, by Jonathan Harr
March, by Geraldine Brooks
Mother of Sorrows, by Richard McCann
My Jim, by Nancy Rawles
The Painted Drum, by Louise Erdrich
My Friend Leonard, by James Frey
Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro
No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, by Tony Judt
Prep, by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Runes of the Earth, by Stephen R. Donaldson
Saturday, by Ian McEwan
Saving Fish from Drowning, by Amy Tan
Shalimar the Clown, by Salman Rushdie
A Slight Trick of the Mind, by Mitch Cullin
Specimen Days: A Novel, by Michael Cunningham
Teacher Man: A Memoir, by Frank McCourt
The Tender Bar: A Memoir, by J. R. Moehringer
Tilting at Windmills, by Julian Branston
The Time of the Uprooted, by Elie Wiesel
The Widow of the South, by Robert Hicks
The World is Flat: A Brief Hisotry of the the Twenty-first Century, by Thomas L. Friedman
The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion

Juvenille and Young Adult:
Autobiography of My Dead Brother, by Walter Dean Myers
Each Little Bird That Sings, by Deborah Wiles
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood, by Ann Brashares
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J. K. Rowling
Leonardo da Vinci, by Kathleen Krull
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sister, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, by Jeanne Birdsall
Reaching for the Moon, by Wendell Minor
The Scarecrow and His Servant, by Philip Pullman
Stained, by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Tiger, Tiger, by Lynne Reid Banks
Where I Want to Be, by Adele Grifin

Picture Books:
Bears, by Ruth Krauss
Cinderella, by Barbara McClintock
The Hello, Goodbye Window, by Norton Juster
The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper
Terrific, Jon Agee

Holiday Resources @ your library!

Are you looking for:

Christmas videos or DVDs? Click here, to see a list of Christmas videos!
Last minute holiday decorating projects?
Children's books for Christmas? Hanukkah? Kwanzaa?
New holiday recipes?
Christmas music?

Check out the CMRLS online calendar for programs throughout the holiday season!

Happy Holidays! from CMRLS.

Happy Halloween!

Click the links below for Halloween resources @ your library.

Enjoy cute children's Halloween books, or children's Halloween crafts and cookery at your library! Maybe you are looking for a quick costume idea.

Could you be looking for true horror books for adults or young adults, or maybe scarry movies?

Are you planning Halloween decorations? Click HERE to see books full of decoration ideas for this creepy holiday! Or, click HERE if your kids are wanting to make their own decorations!

Enjoy these Halloween sites...
Ghost Stories

http://www.halloweenghoststories.com/

http://www.macscouter.com/Stories/GhostStories.html

http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/ghost-stories.html

http://www.americanfolklore.net/spooky-stories.html

http://www.castleofspirits.com/spookiest.html

http://www.secstate.state.nc.us/kidspg/legends.htm

http://www.visitorinfo.com/ghoststories/index.htm

Halloween Jokes

http://www.theholidayspot.com/halloween/jokes.htm

http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/halloween/games/jokes.html

http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/jkscary.html

http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/pumpkinave/jokes/

http://www.haunteddoghouse.com/Halloween_Joke.html

Halloween Games

http://www.blackdog.net/holiday/halloween/

http://www.gamekids.com/hallow1.html

http://www.night.net/halloween/party-games.html-ssi

http://www.partygameideas.com/halloweengames.htm

History of Halloween

http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/

http://www.theholidayspot.com/halloween/history.htm

If you still didn't find what you are looking for, ask a librarian.
Happy Halloween!
BOO!

The New York Times Best Sellers @ your library

Follow the link to the title in the catalog to make a request.
FICTION
Goodnight Nobody, by Jennifer Weiner
The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
The March, by E. L. Doctorow
The Widow of the South, by Robert Hicks
The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
Polar Shift, by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos
Lipstick Jungle, by Candace Bushnell
Point Blank, by Caterine Coulter
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, by Alexander McCall Smith
Chill Factor, by Sandra Brown
Shalimar the Clown, by Salman Rushdie
High Druid of Shannara: Straken, by Terry Brooks
Thud!, by Terry Pratchett
Slow Burn, by Julie Garwood
Cinnamon Kiss, by Walter Mosley
The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk
Lifeguard, by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom
Sweetwater Creek, by Anne Rivers Siddons
Vanish, by Tess Gerritson
Without Mercy, by Jack Higgins
Tyrannosaur Canyon, by Douglas Preston
The Last Days of Dogtown, by Anita Diamant
Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown
Spell of the Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning
The Undomestic Goddess, by Sophie Kinsella
True Believer, by Nicholas Sparks
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See
The Painted Drum, by Louise Erdrich
The Interruption of Everything, by Terry McMillan
Miracle, by Danielle Steel
Pirate, by Ted Bell

NON FICTION
The World is Flat, by Thomas L. Friedman
1776, by David McCullough
Freakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, by Alan Alda
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America, by Bernard Goldberg
Where God Was Born, by Bruce Feiler
Bait and Switch, by Barbara Ehrenreich
Talking Back, by Andrea Mitchell
1491, by Charles C. Mann
The Universe in a Single Atom, by Dalai Lama
America (The Book), by Jon Stewart
Collapse, by Jared Diamond
Good to Great, by Jim Collins
The Shame of the Nation, by Jonathan Kozol

September is...

Follow the links to websites and book lists.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Month - check out your libraries books on ADHD.
Baby Safety Month - take a look at books and videos on child safety.
Childhood Cancer Month - Books on coping with cancer.
Children's Good Manners Month - check out these etiquette books for children and teens.
College Savings Month - books, audios, and videos to help you save!
Fall Hat Month - books about hats.
Healthy Aging Month - your library has these books on the subject of aging.
Library Card Sign-up Month
Menopause Awareness Month - and take a look at these books, also.
National Biscuit Month - try these recipes for great biscuits.
National Chicken Month - check out these cookbooks!
National Honey Month - learn all about honey.
National Piano Month -
National Potato Month - take a look at these potato recipes
National Rice Month - check out these recipe books at your library.
National School Success Month - a book and video to help begin a successful experience.
National Sewing Month - take a look at these great books.
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month - your library has these new books on ovarian cancer.
Pain Awareness Month - check out these books on chronic pain.
Self-Improvement Month
Southern Gospel Music Month
Update Your Resume Month and check out these books on fixing up your remume!

How to Save Your Water-damaged Treasures

Try these links for information:

Save Your Treasures the Right Way
http://www.heritagepreservation.org/news/SaveTreasRight.htm

Tips for the Care of Water-Damaged Family Heirlooms and Other Valuables
http://aic.stanford.edu/library/online/disaster/tentip.html

Emergency Management Suppliers and Services
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf36.htm

Emergency Salvage of Wet Books and Records
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf37.htm

Emergency Salvage of Wet Photographs
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf38.htm

Emergency Salvage of Moldy Books and Paper
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf39.htm

Salvage Operations for Water Damaged Archival Materials: A Second Glance
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn19/wn19-2/wn19-206.html

Emergency Salvage of Flood Damaged Family Papers
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/primer/narafam.html

Salvaging Water-Damaged Textiles
http://www.fema.gov/hazards/floods/textils.shtm

Preventing Damage from Mold: Tips for Homeowners
http://www.fema.gov/hazards/floods/mold.shtm

Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel
http://www.heritagepreservation.org/catalog/Wheel1.htm

Resources for Recovery: Post-Disaster Aid for Cultural Institutions
http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PDFS/Aid%20Brochure.pdf

AUGUST is...

It's back to school time! Let the library help you help your preschooler succeed or your senior get ready for those ACTs.

August is Black Business Month, National Immunization Awareness Month, National Inventors Month, and National Toddlers Month.

For those of you with an interest in music, August is the month for you.
8/1/1942 - Jerry Garcia: Rock musician of Grateful Dead fame; Birth
8/1/1981 - MTV, TV Premiere
8/4/1900 - Louis Armstrong: Jazz musician; Birth
8/5/1957 - American Bandstand, TV Premiere
8/12 - Vinyl Record Day
8/15/1969 - Woodstock
8/16/1977 - Elvis Presley: Musician, singer; Death
8/19/1946 - William (Bill) Jefferson Clinton: President, saxophonist; Birth
8/20/1924 - Jim Reeves: Country musician; Birth
8/20/1942 - Isaac Hayes: Singer, songwriter; Birth
8/22/1847 - Mormon Choir: Later known as The Mormon Tabernacle Choir; First performance
8/22/1862 - Claude Debussy: French musician, composer; Birth
8/23/1912 - Gene Kelly: Dancer, choreographer of "Singin' in the Rain" fame; Birth
8/25/1918 - Leonard Bernstein: Conductor, composer; Birth
8/25/1933 - Wayne Shorter: Jazz musician; Birth
8/25/1939 - Movie, "The Wizard of Oz", released
8/25/1954 - Elvis Costello: Songwriter, musician; Birth
8/26/1960 - Brandford Marsalis: Musician; Birth
8/27/1942 - Daryl Dragon: Musician, songwriter, as Captain of Captain & Tennille fame; Birth
8/27 - International Sing-Out Day: Break out with song and dance just like they do in the musicals!
8/28/1982 - LeAnn Rimes: Country singer; Birth
8/29/1920 - Charlie Parker: Jazz saxophonist; Birth

Check out these links or ask a librarian!

JUNE...

Follow these links to books at your library and information on gardening. June is Perennial Gardening Month and National Rose Month.

It is also Dairy Month and Turkey Lovers' Month! Follow the links to hundreds of recipes and nutrition tips.

Famous anniversaries in June include:
Births: Allen Ginsberg (June 3, 1926), Richard Scarry (June 5, 1919), Dean Martin (June 7, 1917), Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867), Cole Porter (June 9, 1891), Vince Lombardi (June 11, 1913), George H. W. Bush (June 12, 1924), Anne Frank (June 12, 1929), William Butler Yeats (June 13, 1865), Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (June 17, 1882), Lou Gehrig (June 19, 1903), Anne Morrow Lindbergh (June 22, 1906), George Orwell (June 25, 1903), Abner Doubleday (June 26, 1819), Pearl S. Buck (June 26, 1892), Helen Keller (June 27, 1880), Bob Keeshan (June 27, 1927)

Weddings: Duke of Windsor (June 3, 1937)

Deaths: Robert F. Kennedy (June 5, 1968), Cochise (June 8, 1874)

Events of Historic Significance: Susan B. Anthony fined for voting (June 6, 1872), First Drive-in Movie opens (June 6, 1933), D-Day (June 6, 1944), VCR introduced (June 7, 1975), Flag Day (June 14, 1777), Warren G. Harding becomes first President to broadcast on radio (June 14, 1922), PSYCHO film premiere (June 16, 1960), Lizzie Borden verdict (June 20, 1893), Battle of Okinawa ends (June 21, 1945), United Nations Charter signed (June 26, 1945), Treaty of Versailles (June 28, 1919), Interstate highway system born (June 29, 1956)