Pocket Philosophy

 "... Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pockets

Poem in Your Pocket Day is a favorite event during National Poetry Month. On this day, millions of people throughout the United States will carry poems in their pockets and share them with others.


Help spread the word about Poem in Your Pocket Day and share how you’re celebrating on social media by using the hashtag #pocketpoem. 

It's a 10!

Boy Scout Troop 10 has spent the day working on Ocee Library's long neglected (budget cuts) landscaping They mowed, weed-whacked, pruned, trimmed, raked, and freed the trees from Gator bags and support lines. One of the Scout families even donated 150 bales of pine straw. Big thanks to Troop 10 for helping to keep our library looking like a "10"!

A Toast

Public Speaking Workshop

Saturday 25 April  from 11 am - noon

Whether it's a wedding toast, school report, or sales pitch, public speaking is an important skill to develop. Come along and the Alpharetta Toast Masters (McKToast) will teach teens and adults how to reduce anxiety and improve your ability to speak before a group.


(Thanks 'McKToasters'! If you missed this morning's presentation, you can find out more at mcktoast or ToastMasters )

Home

Join in with a billion other people to celebrate Earth Day today!
The library is a great resource to learn more about our home, her inhabitants, and how to take care of her. Check the AFPLS catalogue for books on green living, recycling projects, energy-saving ideas, eating vegetarian, climate change, planting trees, etc.
Make every day Earth Day - she's all we've got!

Get your hands dirty

April is National Gardening Month. Alpharetta's gardening series continues with classes on growing perennials, container gardening and growing shrubs and roses. Visit Alpharetta’s Wild Side and learn how you can help Alpharetta become a certified Wildlife Habitat Community. 

Johns Creek has a gardening club and offers plots in their community garden at Newtown Park.

Check out the library for materials to help you make your backyard or patio a garden of delight. 

If you're not inclined to garden, you can find farm fresh local produce, flowers, and natural products at the Alpharetta Farmer's Market Saturdays 8:30 am -1pm on the corner of Milton Ave & Old Canton Street and Newtown Park Farmer's Market from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm.

Loch Ness Monster

The first written accounts of the Scottish lake monster date to the 7th century. Eighty-one years after the most famous (or infamous) photograph  of "Nessie" was published in the Daily Mail, Google and partners have launched Street View of the loch. Have a wee look about the loch and visit the AFPLS catalogue for materials about "Nessie" and other cryptids.

Springtime, Sunshine, and Poetry Month

Spring Carol

Robert Louis Stevenson (from New Poems and Variant Readings, 1918)

When loud by landside streamlets gush, And clear in the greenwood quires the thrush, With sun on the meadows And songs in the shadows Comes again to me The gift of the tongues of the lea, The gift of the tongues of meadows. Straightway my olden heart returns And dances with the dancing burns; It sings with the sparrows; To the rain and the (grimy) barrows Sings my heart aloud— To the silver-bellied cloud, To the silver rainy arrows. It bears the song of the skylark down, And it hears the singing of the town; And youth on the highways And lovers in byways Follows and sees: And hearkens the song of the leas And sings the songs of the highways. So when the earth is alive with gods, And the lusty ploughman breaks the sod, And the grass sings in the meadows, And the flowers smile in the shadows, Sits my heart at ease, Hearing the song of the leas, Singing the songs of the meadows.

Generation ADD

Millennials (born in the 1980-90s) are more attached/addicted than other generations to electronic/social media. These distractions are shortening their attention spans – and productivity. The next generations will be even more effected by technology. In 2013, over 70% of US kids 8 years old and under used a mobile device.

Employers and insurance companies have implemented yoga/meditation classes to help improve concentration (and overall health). A US university challenges students to turn off and read a book.

Turn off your smartphone and make the library your 'one stop shop' for a quiet space, books, and yoga/meditation classes (see previous post)!

Destress

Reducing Stress through Meditation

Wednesday 29 April at 6 pm
Adults and teens (children must be accompanied)


Additionally, Ocee offers Sunday Dahn Yoga (new time 4:30), Tai Chi for Relaxation (Mondays at 10), Yoga & Meditation (Mondays at 11), and a new class Yoga Meets Real Life (Fridays at 10:30)

ALA State of America's Libraries

"Libraries demonstrate their value as community anchors by responding to issues and identifying trends that impact the community. Free library programs provide learning opportunities and entertainment for children as well as adults. Books and digital resources support educational goals from early literacy through lifelong learning. Library collections include books and resources that represent the diversity of people, cultures, and the faraway places that make up the world we live in. Librarians help protect people’s rights by proactively supporting equitable access and intellectual freedom. "


Click here to read the full report from the American Library Association.

2014 Challenged Books List

The 2014 Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books include: 
1) "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by S Alexie
Reasons: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence.
2) "Persepolis," by Marjane Satrapi
Reasons: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint.
3) "And Tango Makes Three," Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Reasons: Anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group.
4) "The Bluest Eye," by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Sexually explicit, unsuited for age group.
5) "It’s Perfectly Normal," by Robie Harris
Reasons: Nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group.
6) "Saga," by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Reasons: Anti-Family, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
7) "The Kite Runner," by Khaled Hosseini
Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited to age group, violence
8) "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group.
9) "A Stolen Life," Jaycee Dugard
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group
10) "Drama," by Raina Telgemeier
Reasons: sexually explicit

14 April 1865

Today marks the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln's assassination. You'll find materials for all ages in the AFPLS catalogue.

             

       

         

Adult Bestsellers

Among the bestsellers at Amazon US and UK are adult coloring books! In France, they’re even outselling cookbooks.

Scottish illustrator, Johanna Basford (with Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest on the list) says, “I think everyone has a creative spark; they just need the opportunity to let it flourish. A blank sheet of paper can be daunting, but a coloring book has the outlines already there, making it easier to pick up a pencil and begin making your mark.” 

Besides being a creative outlet, some find it’s a great way to de-stress; a sort of meditation. Others use coloring-in books as a way to cope with insomnia, chronic pain, and depression.

Dover  has a wide selection of books as well as some free samples. They also sponsor contests. Sharpen your colored pencils!

All kinds

    

 

    

      

Happy Library Week!

Oh, Atlanta!

This is the 12th annual survey ranking America's Most Literate Cities.

1. Minneapolis

2. Washington, D.C.

3. Seattle

4. St. Paul, Minn.

5. Atlanta

6. Pittsburgh

7. Denver

8. San Francisco

9. Boston

10. St. Louis, MO

Click here to see how other cities rate.

Unlimited Possibilities

Public Speaking Workshop

Public Speaking Workshop

Saturday 25 April  from 11 am - noon

Are you like the majority of people who fear public speaking more than death!? The Alpharetta Toast Masters (McKToast) invites teens and adults to learn why public speaking is an important skill to develop. Find out how to calm your fears and improve your ability to speak before a group.