When You Can't Tie a Tie...

One afternoon this week, a young man came into the library looking like he was in a hurry to get to an important appointment. He was wearing a white dress shirt with an untied tie and slacks. He carried a suit jacket on a hanger that appeared to have a dry cleaner tag still on it. He rushed up to the customer service desk and quickly asked, "Do you know how to tie a tie?" Monroe Library staff quickly polled each other on whether or not anyone knew how to tie a tie. Teen Librarian, Chuck Pratt, came to the rescue with his tie tying skills, and the young man soon had a perfectly tied tie. With the tie tying emergency taken care of, the young man found that he even had time to spare and took a moment to sign up for a Sno-Isle library card.

So, if you should happen to need help tying your tie or you need to sign up for a library card, come on over!

Leaders are Readers

Monroe community leaders Mayor Robert Zimmerman and City Councilmember Tony Balk took time to honor Children's Book Festival Bookmark Contest winners in November.

Tony and Robert posed for READ posters with some favorite books.

Tony Balk talked about his earliest library memories--of the marble staircase in the big city library where he spent many childhood hours. Tony remembers grooves worn into the steps from constant use.

Robert Zimmerman recalled not reading much as a child and how as a parent he reads every day to his children, an important family time for him.

Chilling at the Library

If there was one thing you could change about the library to make it more comfortable, what would it be?

Maybe you would like all the chairs to be covered in bright orange fake fur.

Maybe librarians should look at how the furniture is arranged at the end of the day and not move it back to the way it was in the morning.

What's your "serenity spot" in the library?

Celebrating 29 Years of "Banned Books Week" - Sept. 25 - Oct. 2

This year marks the 29th anniversary of Banned Books Week!

According to the American Library Associations (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), the ALA OIF "receives hundreds of reports on book challenges, which are formal written requests to remove a book from a library or classroom because of an objection to the book's content. There were 460 recorded attempts to remove materials from libraries in 2009 and more than 11,000 attempts recorded since the OIF began compiling information on book challenges in 1990. ".



In celebration of Banned Books Week, here is the American Library Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom list of the "Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009"



1. ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle

Reasons: Drugs, Nudity, Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

2. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

Reasons: Homosexuality

3.The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chabrosky Reasons: Anti-Family, Drugs, Homosexuality, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Sexually Explicit, Suicide, Unsuited to Age Group.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Reasons: Offensive Language, Racism, Unsuited to Age Group

5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer Reasons: Religious Viewpoint, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

6. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerReasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

7. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi PicoultReasons: Drugs, Homosexuality, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Sexism, Sexually Explicit, Suicide, Unsuited to Age Group, Violence

8. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn MacklerReasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

9. The Color Purple by Alice WalkerReasons: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group


10. The Chocolate War by Robert CormierReasons: Nudity, Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group

All of these titles are available at your local Sno-Isle library!

Happy reading!

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"Online Tools for Success" Videos on YouTube

Did you know Sno-Isle offers many online resource tools through our website? Watch these videos to see how Sno-Isle Libraries' FREE online tools can help!


CAREER ACCELERATOR


BUSINESS DECISION


REFERENCE USA

These databases and more can be found through our website under Databases & Research.

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Hot enough for ya?

Need a place to beat the heat this week? Then come on down to the Monroe library! Soak up some a/c, and take a look at our new display of books about arctic exploration!

For adventurers, climbing the Seven Summits--including Everest--and reaching all four Poles is the Holy Grail of world exploration. David Hempleman-Adams became the first man on the planet to do it. In Walking on Thin Ice, the world's most accomplished explorer recounts the final leg of his extraordinary15-year odyssey.

In the nineteenth century, theories about the North Pole ran rampant. Was it an open sea? Was it a portal to new worlds within the globe? Or was it just a wilderness of ice? When Sir John Franklin disappeared in the Arctic in 1845, explorers decided it was time to find out. In scintillating detail, Ninety Degrees North tells of the vying governments (including the United States, Britain, Germany, and Austria-Hungary) and fantastic eccentrics (from Swedish balloonists to Italian aristocrats) who, despite their heroic failures, often achieved massive celebrity as they battled shipwreck, starvation, and sickness to reach the top of the world. Drawing on unpublished archives and long-forgotten journals, Fleming tells this story with consummate craftsmanship and wit. Ninety Degrees North is a riveting saga of humankind's search for the ultimate goal.

During the Golden Era of Exploration, Captain Robert Scott and his competitor Roald Amundsen conquered the unconquerable: Antarctica. This perilous race to the South Pole claimed the life of Scott and became the stuff of legend, as well as endless scrutiny. In this compelling, meticulously researched history of Captain Scott and his fatal journey, renowned modern-day explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, holder of ten world expeditionary records, has written the definitive book on the hotly debated subject.

Summer Reading Isn't Just for Kids!

From June through August, adults can participate in our Adult Summer Reading program by submitting book reviews. For every three reviews submitted to the Monroe Library, adults will receive a gift card to a Monroe business (Sweet Indulgence, Chocolate Moose, Pet Pros or Main Street Books), or they can choose 2 free passes to the Seattle Museum of History and Industry.
In addition, Sno-Isle will choose a Reader of the Week for 7 weeks this summer. The winner will be featured on a READ poster and will get to share their personal booklist on our website. Check out next week's winner--it's one of our patrons from Monroe!
You can either fill out an online book review or stop by the library to pick up a review form. We look forward to seeing what you're reading this summer!