"... 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
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
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.
Help spread the word about Poem in Your Pocket Day and share how you’re celebrating on social media by using the hashtag #pocketpoem.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
It's a 10!
Friday, April 24, 2015
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 )
(Thanks 'McKToasters'! If you missed this morning's presentation, you can find out more at mcktoast or ToastMasters )
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
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!
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

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.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Loch Ness Monster

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. |
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Generation ADD
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
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)
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)
Thursday, April 16, 2015
ALA State of America's Libraries

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
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
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
14 April 1865
Today marks the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln's assassination. You'll find materials for all ages in the AFPLS catalogue.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
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!
Oh, Atlanta!
This is the 12th annual survey ranking America's Most Literate Cities.
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.Thursday, April 9, 2015
Sunday, April 5, 2015
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.
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