DPL Blog

Mortimer the Summer Reading Moose!

This entry was posted in DPL Blog Kids on June 6, 2016 by admin

We couldn’t find any pictures of ME in at the pool… so here’s my friend Penny. She’s not a moose, but she’s a pretty good swimmer.

Hello! It’s me, Mortimer Moose! I want to talk about summer today! Are you all on summer vacation now? I am! Well, I don’t go to school, because I’m a moose, so I’m not sure what I’m on vacation from, exactly…but I’m definitely on summer something or other! Yay me!

What are your fun summer plans? I am going swimming a LOT. Moose LOVE to swim. I try not to get the pool all hairy for the other moose, but you know, I shed. Do you shed? You don’t have as much hair as me, so maybe you don’t notice.

I want to finish the summer reading program at the library so I can come to the FREE swimming party at the Dover Pool! SOOOO FUN! Even though the Librarians said I couldn’t do any of my reading while swimming. Well. We’ll just see about that!

PS: Date of the swimming party is tentatively August 12. That means… well… we’re not completely, positively, one-hundred-percent sure that it will be on August 12. So, please contact my friends Miss Dani, Miss Jen, Miss Syrena, or Miss Bonnie to double check closer to the event date.

Volunteer of the Month: Aimee

This entry was posted in Adult Services DPL Blog on May 6, 2016 by admin

Aimee Congrats to our Volunteer of the Month for May: Aimee! Aimee helps our Outreach Librarian Linda with her Books on Wheels Program. Thanks for being such a terrific Book Buddy, Aimee!

How long have you been volunteering at the library?

Since April 2015

Why did you want to become a volunteer at the library?

Because I love to read!
My grandfather spent some time in a nursing home, and during that time, I saw how great the volunteers were for various things there, and I wanted to give back. When I heard about Books on Wheels, I knew I had to be part of it!

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Judy Blume, James Patterson, Tammy Hoag, Mary Higgins Clark, Gillian Flynn, Lois Lowry, David Baldacci…. Too many to list!

What do you enjoy most about being a volunteer?

Seeing the patrons’ eyes light up when you walk in the room carrying new books
Seeing their faces smile when they realize you’re there to see them. Some of these people don’t have anyone visit them, and we are it.
Talking and having conversations about books!
That I get to get books to people that can’t get to the library
Being able to give back

Thank you for all your hard work, Aimee! Books on Wheels wouldn’t be the same without volunteers like you!

Would you like to volunteer? Contact Wendy Contini for more information on how to help your library.

$200 Contest deadline fast approaching…

This entry was posted in Adult Services DPL Blog Local History & Genealogy on April 22, 2016 by admin

To all of my fellow Tuscarawas County residents :

This is the final week Dover Public Library will be accepting entries for our soon-to-be-published living history book! If you would like to see your story in print and want a chance at the $200 prize, stop in to the library and pick up your entry form at the front desk. Or you can download and print it here: Tapestries of Tuscarawas County

Either way, make sure your entry is returned to Dover Public Library by May 1 for consideration! (Since May 1 happens to be a Sunday, we will accept any sealed envelopes placed in our outside drop box before the library opens at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 2. We will also accept any mail postdated before May 1.)

If you find it difficult to begin, you can review the prompts on the submission form for story ideas. If you find you are still having trouble, read on for clarification of some issues I have addressed throughout the contest:

This is NOT a history paper. Please don’t send a report detailing the Gnadenhutten Massacre or the building of the Ohio Erie Canal – we’ve heard those stories already! We want to hear a story that is personal to you. Maybe tell us about the first time you went to see Trumpet in the Land performed, or how you remember catching and eating fish from the Tuscarawas River when you were a kid.
You can incorporate a favorite family story, joke, or legend even if the teller is no longer living. If you think your grandmother had a great story about life in Tuscarawas County but she is no longer around to tell it, you can submit that as your story, as long as you give credit where credit is due.
Please don’t submit genealogies. While we are always happy to accept any complied histories of local families for our genealogy collection, this is not what we are asking for in this particular case.

That’s it! Simple, right? And if you contribute, not only will you have a chance to win a $200 or $50 cash prize, but you will be contributing to the historical record, something your great-great-grandchildren will be able to appreciate!

For any further questions, please contact Claire Kandle at (330)343-6123 or email localhistory@doverlibrary.org

– Claire Kandle, Local History & Genealogy Librarian

Move with Mortimer this Summer

This entry was posted in DPL Blog Kids on April 21, 2016 by admin

Coach Mortimer Well, Mortimer here again. I wanted to come here on this computer to tell you about my summer reading program. It is called “Park it AND Read” because we are teaming up with Dover Park.

But we all know summer reading is all about the Moose. That’s me. Mortimer.

I’m all over this summer reading thing, and I’ve got the scoop. We’re going to have all my favorite programs like LEGO Club (Moose are the best at building, you know), Treats & Treasures (Miss Jen always lets me have a leftover treat ^^), and Art Club (I am the Van Gogh of Moose kind). We’re also going to start checking out sports equipment like bocce ball sets and flag football sets. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s all working properly before we let it circulate. And we’re going to have lots of visitors this summer to talk to us about bike safety, Ohio animals and butterflies, tell stories, and much more!

I’m super excited for will be the exercise programs called “Movin’ with Mortimer.” Yes. That’s me. Did you know that the YMCA is coming HERE to the LIBRARY?! Well, not the YMCA the building, but YMCA the staff…you know what I mean! They will teach Zumba and Yoga. Moose are VERY good at exercise! But I don’t know much Zumba or Yoga. You’ll come and help me, right?

Details on all our fun summer programs are coming in the next edition of Footnotes. But you can stop by and ask a non-moose library human for more information any time. They are pretty nice, even if they don’t have much in the way of fur or antlers!

– Mortimer the Moose

Volunteer of the Month: Paula

This entry was posted in DPL Blog on April 8, 2016 by admin

Paula H Congrats to our Volunteer of the Month for April: Paula! Paula helps us shelve and keep caught up on those busy Mondays here at the library. Thank you, Paula, for everything you do to help our library!

How long have you been volunteering at the library?

Since last Fall

Why did you want to become a volunteer at the library?

I have always loved books! I always thought that if I won the lottery I would buy a library and live in it!

Who are some of your favorite authors?

I like several genres. I’m always trying to expand my horizons, but my favorites are:

Classic Fiction: Thomas Hardy
Historical Fiction: Michael & Jeff Shaara and Philippa Gregory
Faith & Inspiration: Max Lucado and Wayne Dryer
And for some good stories: John Grisham, Daniel Silva, and Kurt Vonnegut

What do you enjoy most about being a volunteer?

Working with the staff. Everyone is friendly and greets me with a smile. They are always so appreciative of my time and efforts. It’s a very happy work environment for me. I very much look forward to coming in each week.

And we look forward to seeing your smiling face every week, Paula! Thank you for all your hard work!

Would you like to volunteer? Contact Wendy Contini for more information on how to help your library.

Keeping your computer safe

This entry was posted in DPL Blog on April 1, 2016 by admin

Last night, we had Jeremy Bailey from Kent State Tuscarawas in to discuss ways of keeping your computer and your information safe in the digital environment. In case you missed it, here are some resources with best practices for computer security.

This article has simple, easy-to-follow instructions on a variety of aspects of computer security: http://www.howtogeek.com/173478/10-important-computer-security-practices-you-should-follow/

Phishing attacks are used to try to trick individuals into giving out valuable personal or financial information. The tricky thing is, they often appear to be legitimate requests from people or organizations you recognize. Here’s a link describing how to spot and protect yourself from these common scams: https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/phishing.htm

GCF Learn Free has some great tutorials on Internet Safety for both adults and kids!

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/onlinesafety/internetsafety

http://www.gcflearnfree.org/onlinesafety/internetsafetyforkids

Keeping your computer and your personal information safe can seem like a daunting task. Taking a little time to make yourself more knowledgeable can go a long way in protecting you from common digital threats.

Kathryn Green, Technology Manager

What is that thing?

This entry was posted in DPL Blog on March 28, 2016 by admin

Psaltery and Bow on a Music Stand

This is a psaltery.

Technically, this is a bowed psaltery. Because, you know, you play it with a bow. I think of it as a sort of a cross between a violin and a harp. The psaltery (no bow) has been around since before the 12th century, when it hit Europe. The old psalteries were plucked, they were wider, and were more harp than anything else. The bowed psaltery was popularized in the 1940’s. It was developed by a music teacher to teach proper bowing. He elongated the instrument, turning it into more of this triangle shape, and added the bow. So, all at once, the bowed psaltery is a very old instrument and a relatively new instrument.

Why am I posting about a weird instrument you’ve never heard of? Because this psaltery happens to be mine.

One of the first things people ask me when they see me with this weird thing is “Where in the world did you find that?”

So, this is the story of how I met the psaltery.

It was about three years ago. I had just purchased a hundred year old house that needed electrical work and plumbing work and… well. You know. Work. A friend and I took a day off home improvement to go to the Zoar Harvest Festival. Walking around, looking at the crafts, we heard this music.

We were like “What’s that? A violin? Where’s it coming from?”

So we followed the music to a booth run by Terry and Sharon Kirby, who showed us their Psalteries.

But, remember when I said I’d just bought a house? Yeah. I wasn’t going to let myself spend $300 on a musical instrument I’d never seen before. So, I didn’t even pick one up. Because I knew, if I picked it up, I’d have to have it.

Two years go by, and I still can’t get this instrument and its haunting music out of my head. So, I look up Terry Kirby online, meet him at his workshop in Massillon, and pick out my psaltery.

And the rest is musical history. Or, well, to me, anyway.

To hear more about the bowed psaltery, come to my program on Saturday, April 16 at 2:00 PM. I’ll talk more about how to play it (it’s incredibly easy) and play a few of my favorite songs. Then, if anyone would like to hold the instrument and try it out, you’ll be more than welcome to do so. Don’t worry; I won’t let you take it from me, even if you do fall in love with it.