Special Storytime at NBL

Join us at North Berkeley Library on Tuesday July 2, 2013 at 11 AM for a special storytime and craft in honor of West Virginia's 150th birthday and the United States of America's birthday on the 4th of July!

See you there!

Staff Picks: Those Wonderful Women in Their Flying Machines

Those Wonderful Women in Their Flying Machines: Unknown Heroines of World War II
by Sally VanWagenen Keil
1979
  
As you read Those Wonderful Women in Their Flying Machines: Unknown Heroines of World War II by Sally VanWagenen Keil, you are transported to a time when the necessity of getting soldiers trained to face airplanes, of getting planes to the front lines, and having enough supplies and talent to keep the war effort moving forced this country to use a previously untapped resource: women. Not only did they go to work in factories to perform jobs traditionally held by men, women also began serving as part of the military.

The Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) performed duties here at home which allowed men to serve in combat missions; this also enabled recruits to practice shooting down planes and also made ferrying desperately needed planes and materials to Great Britain much easier. 

Over 70 women were killed or injured on these missions. They contended with poor, inadequate equipment, planes in disrepair, and longstanding prejudices against women.

In the preface, the author states, "The WASP story today is one of success, of courage, of humor and also of scandal. While the WASPs viewed the difficulties imposed on them by the war-era climate as inconveniences to be expected, we identify countless instances of prejudice and discrimination. For them, the hazards and incomprehension were peripheral to their vision of doing something special, something beyond—to fly."

Instead of focusing on the instances of prejudice and discrimination, perhaps we should emulate the WASPs and keep our vision of doing something special at the forefront of our minds. If we do, perhaps we all could fly.

Pam Coyle
Director
Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries

CALL NUMBER: 940.5449 K

Summer Day Trip Information!

Summer is here! Are you ready to get outside? Looking for some fun day trips?

Martinsburg Public Library has a great list of resources all about some of the fascinating and beautiful places right here in our own backyard. Come check them out!

Hiking Shenandoah National Park
by Bert and Jane Gildart
917.55 Gild.B

Day and Overnight Hikes in Shenandoah National Park
by Johnny Molloy
917.559 M727

Antietam, South Mountain, and Harpers Ferry: A Battlefield Guide
by Ethan Sepp Rafuse
973.73 R139


Towpath Guide to the Chesapeake Ohio Canal
by Thomas F. Hahn
386.4 H

West Virginia: An Explorer's Guide
by Leonard M. Adkins
WV 917.540442 Adki.L

Test Post

This is just a test! We are currently linking the MBCPL blog to our Facebook page and Twitter account. And it's working!

Also, check out this very cool way to use those extra books lying around your house...

Library Advocacy: What I Learned

Recently, I joined hundreds of librarians from across the country in Washington D.C. for the American Library Association’s 39^th annual National Library Legislative Day. The day allows librarians to meet with members of Congress in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of libraries and discuss key library issues.

As a young librarian, I experienced a mix of excitement and nervousness as my coworkers and I filed off the MARC train from Martinsburg that Wednesday morning to navigate the nation's capitol and prepare for meetings with West Virginia's senators and representatives.

Shortly after arriving, we met with a group of librarians from across the state to discuss the library issues we felt should take center stage during our meetings later in the afternoon. These issues included the protection and continuation of federal library funding, support for basic Internet access in all libraries and schools, and the need for certified school librarians in every public school.

As we traveled from appointment to appointment, from Senate offices to Representative offices, we shared handshakes and introductions with our national and state leaders. Throughout the many discussions that afternoon, a few things stood out to me...

First, although we as librarians believe that a large amount of money should be allocated for library use does not mean that our senators and representatives share in our convictions. This emphasizes the importance of making appointments with them, writing letters and emails, and advocating passionately for what we believe to be important and essential. Secondly, I learned about how libraries across the country receive funding on the federal and state levels—and how quickly and easily that funding can be taken away. I also discovered that some senators and representatives stand firmly on the side of libraries and consistently back efforts to fund and support them, while others need more convincing. As budgets grow tighter and tighter, our national and state leaders struggle to fairly fund a variety of programs, which means that if we want libraries funded, it is imperative that we as librarians and library patrons make our voices heard.

After a long day of discussions, I climbed aboard the train toward home having experienced a day unlike any other. I felt honored to be a part of such an informed, passionate group of professional librarians, and I learned as much from their years of experience as advocates for libraries as I did from the day of events itself. 

If you would like to learn more about National Library Legislative Day, click here. And if you use and love your local library, if you rely on your local library for Internet access, job resources, or reading materials in a variety of formats, please speak up and let your senators and representatives know just how important your library is to you!

Sarah Showe

Librarian

Martinsburg Public Library

West Virginia Day

West Virginia celebrates its 150th birthday on Thursday, June 20, 2013. After breaking away from the state of Virginia during the unsettled days of the American Civil War, West Virginia was admitted to the Union as the 35th state.

The Martinsburg Public Library honors this occasion with some great guest speakers...

11:00 a.m.

Tricia Strader (of Berkeley Springs) will be portraying Belle Boyd on the mezzanine of the library. There she will discuss, as Belle Boyd, her life and role as a Confederate spy. 

Strader writes for The Journal and Valley Homes & Style Magazine. She enjoys writing about a variety of topics including community news, history, homes, people, arts/entertainment, and gardening. Tricia has been a Civil War living historian for thirteen years.

If you would like to read more about Belle Boyd, just go to our catalog and search for Belle Boyd.

1:00 p.m.

Local author Roger Engle will appear on the mezzanine to reminisce about his childhood growing up in Hedgesville. 

In his book Stories from a Small Town, Engle takes a mental journey of his childhood life and surroundings in a small rural town in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, between the years of 1948 and 1964. It is his first memoir.

A critic wrote of the book, "With tenderness and grit, he reveals both the challenges and opportunities of growing up in a working-class family during self-sufficient times."

If you would like to check this book out, you can! Find it in our stacks with the call number WV 921 Engl.R.

Zombies on staff at MBCPL!!!

To celebrate the end of Zombie Awareness Month, staff members at MPL were invited to "dress up" for the occasion. As you can see, fun, undead times were had by all!

Read-A-Likes: Gone Girl

So you've finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn...



Not sure what to read next? Come check out these exciting titles!


Never Look Away
by Linwood Barclay
MYS Barc.L

Small-town reporter David Harwood takes his wife and young son to an amusement park for a much-needed break. A sudden disappearance has David frantically trying to restore his family, and his investigation into the disappearance leads to a web of lies and deceit.


The Vanishers
by Heidi Julavits
FIC Jula.H

A power struggle between a leading student at an elite institute for psychics and her jealous legendary mentor culminates in the student being forced to relive her mother's suicide during a brutal psychic attack that relegates her to a faceless job, from which she is recruited to track down a missing controversial artist.


The Dinner
by Herman Koch
FIC Koch.H

Meeting at an Amsterdam restaurant for dinner, two couples move from small talk to the wrenching shared challenge of their teenage sons' act of violence that has triggered a police investigation and revealed the extent to which each family will go to protect those they love.


Defending Jacob
by William Landay
MYS Land.W

Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next. His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.


Afterwards
by Rosamund Lupton
MYS Lupt.R

The school was on fire, and Grace's last memory is of trying to reach her daughter, Jenny, trapped inside the inferno. While their burned bodies are frantically cared for by doctors, Grace and Jenny awaken in the hospital in a strange in-between state. When they learn that someone purposefully set the fire, and Jenny may still be in grave danger from someone who wants her dead, Grace realizes she may be the only one who can discover who might be responsible. The police are looking at Adam, Jenny's younger brother, who is struck mute by the horror he witnessed and can't defend himself when he is accused of the arson.


Cover of Snow
by Jenny Milchman
MYS Milc.J 

In the wake of her stalwart police officer husband's shattering suicide in their otherwise peaceful Adirondack village, house restorer Nora Hamilton notices strange inconsistencies in her husband's past and in the behaviors of his police force co-workers before stumbling on deadly local secrets.


Heartbroken
by Lisa Unger
MYS Unge.L

While Kate pens an evocative historical novel based on family journals, her neighbor, Emily, flees a volatile relationship to an island in the Adirondacks where she, Kate, and Kate's mother, Birdie, face the consequences of their pasts.

(Summaries borrowed from NoveList Plus.)

Hedgesville and the Civil War

onthisdayhist.blogspot.com

 

Coming up in one week on Thursday, June 12, 2013 at 1:00 p.m., Naylor Memorial Library will be hosting a special Civil War program featuring local historian Jim Droegemeyer. 

He will be discussing the history of Hedgesville during the Civil War, as well as showing a movie that he made on the same topic. Look for a display of his artifacts as well!

If you haven't registered for the 2013 Summer Reading Program yet, there's still time! Just stop by any of our four branches to do so.

June 2013: From the Director's Chair

myupna.blogspot.com

Budget News
During May and early June, the Board and staff of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries review and adjust the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (July-June). We are currently preparing the new fiscal year 2014 budget. 

The Governor and the state legislators increased the per capita grants-in-aid given to public libraries from $5.00 to $5.09. In Berkeley County, this small change will generate over $10,000 in additional revenue this year. Please thank the Governor and your state senators and delegates for their support of libraries.

With an increase in funding, we are looking forward to providing you with more library materials, both print and electronic, as well as more programming.

2014 Programming
In fact, our theme for programs in 2014 will be Change Your History. We will concentrate on programs to help change people's lives in a positive manner. Programs will include helping the unemployed maneuver the Workforce computers and assisting individuals planning to attend college by promoting Learning Express Library and Universal Class, two online resources you can access from our webpage. These resources enable patrons to learn new skills and/or develop a talent. Practice tests within these resources help patrons determine in what areas they need to improve, and help them prepare for the real test.

Another program under consideration is a walking club to help patrons develop fitness of body as well as mind.

www.mycutegraphics.com

Suggestions
Many of these suggestions/ideas are YOURS, coming from the suggestion boxes located at each of our libraries. Thank you! All of the suggestions and ideas you contribute are considered. Feasible ideas will be implemented if possible. For those suggestions which require more space, staff, or money than is available, creative solutions will be explored. 

Our hope is to respond positively to as many suggestions as possible. Please continue to make suggestions. And remember, the more specific the suggestion the better!