Blogs

I am always trying to keep tabs on great books for boys to read. In the past, I have had several parents come to the desk and ask for recommendations for their sons who do not like to read. I have not one, not two, but THREE new juvenile fiction recommendations for parents of boys who do not like to read.
My first recommendation is (drum roll please)...
Travis and Freddy's Adventures in Vegas by Henry Johnson

Yes, folks, you heard it here first. After being removed from the preschool area for a thorough cleaning, the Train Table has come back. The tracks have been scrubbed, the trains have been shined and it is ready to go!

Thanks once again for your patience!

JAN. 11 UPDATE: See a photo of Comet McNaught shot from Northeast Ohio last night (Jan. 10) by a friend of mine. Visit the Web home of the Cuyahoga Astronomical Association.


UPDATE: Well, I saw it! Briefly. I went to the roof of the library during my dinner hour taking along my camera and tripod. It was a beautiful sunset with orange and red colors illuminating jet contrails in the western sky. As the twilight dimmed and Venus sparkled to the southwest, I spotted Comet McNaught glowing a ghostly white between the orange jet trails. It was bright, even at about 5:30 when I first sighted it. Still, as the night fell so did the comet. Already low in the sky, McNaught sank behind the trees far to the west of the building before it really became photogenic, only visible to me for 10 minutes or so. Still, I saw it with and without the telephoto lens: my first comet of the year! So, with freezing metal tripod in hand, I headed back into the building and back to work. I hope you got to see this comet or will see it yet! Read original post, below....

The Clague House Museum located at 1371 Clague Road, Westlake, Ohio, is now closed for renovation.
Westlake Porter Public Library will continue to display a scale model of the museum created by The Cleveland Miniature Society and on loan from The Westlake Historical Society. The replica may be viewed in the lobby of the library.

THE HOUSE OF DIES DREAR by Virginia Hamilton. This book has been around since 1968 but I just never took the time to read it. Wow! Am I glad I finally did.

This story combines mystery, ghosts, new kid in town, and the fascinating history of the Underground Railroad. Did you know the state of Ohio had as many as 60,000 slaves pass through its underground railroads between 1812 and 1850?

Joseph Cahoon built the first Grist Mill in Dover in 1813. The mill stones were quarried from the bed of Cahoon Creek and were said to mill fine flour. Soonafter, saw mills were established in the area to consume raw timber. Asheries produced potash, about the only commodity farmers could sell for cash to pay taxes during that era. And so it was that Dover became a town.
Trade was common, since money was scarce in the area. A sheet iron manufacturer in Cleveland accepted the following items for trade: rags, pewter, brass, copper, feathers, bristles, beeswax, furs, ginseng, and dried peaches and apples. In 1827, Mrs. Coolidge’s Cleveland millinery establishment advertised that the company would accept butter, cheese, dried peaches and apples in exchange for a stylish hat. Surely, a fine bargain!

Did you know there are two search boxes on our Web pages? The two forms look for information in two separate places!

Titled "Search Catalog," the first search form is the place where users can enter a title, subject, author's name, or key words. By clicking the "Search Now" button they can conveniently search the library's catalog of materials for items of interest.

The second search box, titled "Search this site," does just that ... it can be used to search our main Web site for information about the library, its services, policies, things that aren't in our catalog.

So said Max to the Wild Things. And this morning we say the same to the children!

Yes, the carpet is dry, the Train Table is back and the Preschool area is full of noise and laughter once again.

Our thanks to Building Services for taking such good care of us. And thanks to our patrons, tall to small, for being such good sports!

UPDATE: Sorry to say we're dealing with Northeastern Ohio weather again. The sky is 100% overcast making stargazing impossible so we're calling it off! The event will not be rescheduled.


-------------------------------
Original post....

We plan to bring telescopes back to the library's sidewalk the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 28, in hopes of seeing the beautiful ringed world Saturn. We'll start at about 7:30 PM. This program was postponed from Feb. 21 due to poor seeing conditions. Note: The rescheduled program also depends upon the sky being clear! Cloudy skies cancel and the forecast is for poor to bad seeing. Watch this space for updates!

Just a quick note: the Preschool area will be undergoing a deep carpet cleaning on Thursday, January 4. Tables and toys have been cleared away from the area, and depending on how long drying time takes, it may not be available until Friday. Thanks for your patience!