Fourth Annual Blossoms and Brunch

Coming in May: Fourth Annual Blossoms and Brunch

Saturday, May 24: 10:30 - Noon

An elegant Saturday morning "girls day out" event for young ladies (ages 6-14) and their favorite adult lady.

The Youth Services Department will provide a brunch of light pastries and beverages
followed by a guest speaker who may inspire you to a new hobby. Each participant will
make a keepsake craft to remind her of this memorable morning.

Space is limited. Sign up early to join us for this popular spring-time event.

Sign-up will begin May 1.

Preview Shelf -- How the Library's Popularity Has Grown

Recently issued statistics about the Crawfordsville District Public Library (available on the web page at cdpl.lib.in.us) show an amazing increase in program attendance from 12,313 in 2005 (last full year in the Carnegie) to 27,264 in 2007. Circulation of items rose from 157,695 to 175,063 (both locations have had good activity). Adult media circulation (cassettes, CDs, DVDs etc) in 2007 shows a collection of 7,925 items with a circulation of 37,295. Busy place. The new history "My Dearest Friend" contains letters by Abigail and John Adams beginning with his flirtatious 1762 note to "Miss Adorable," the 17-year-old Abigail Smith and ending in 1810 when she wrote to wish him a safe journey heading home to Quincy, Massachusetts as retiring President. Their "My Dearest Friend" correspondence referred to family affairs as well as to the unfolding founding of our nation. The significance of this book is its inclusion of some letters never seen before. Editors are Massachusetts Historical Society managers of the Adams papers Margaret Hogan and James Taylor. "Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation" comes from Mike Robbins and Geza Vermes. "The Nativity" history and legend untangles centuries of varied storytelling and places the birth and events surrounding it within their historical context. "The Misunderstood Jew" is Amy-Jill Levine's treatise of humorous insight into Jewish-Christian relations by seeking to understand and affirm Jesus' Jewishness. "The Sisterhood" is Dorothy Solomon's portrait of the lives of Mormon women from 1830 to the present era. Two craft books are "Knitting for Baby" with 30 heirloom projects by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas and "Big Girl Knits" 25 bold projects shaped for "women with curves" by Jillian Moreno and Amy Singer. Memoirs begin with Dang Thuy Tram's "Last Night I Dreamed of Peace" (a translation) saved for 35 years before being published in Vietnam, made by a volunteer doctor in a Viet Cong battlefield hospital sharing her thoughts during the two years she served before being killed in that war. A wartime memoir from Anne Frank's best friend, Jacqueline van Maarsen who still lives in Amsterdam is "My Name is Anne, She Said, Anne Frank". "William & Rosalie" is also a Holocaust testimony by two Polish survivors now in their 80s in Texas, who have waged an effective campaign against prejudice and discrimination. "Iraq and Back" by Colonel Kim Olson USAF (Ret.) is subtitled Inside the War to Win the Peace; the author now travels our country speaking about leadership, political-military insights, and educational issues. Good reads are "Animals of Asia & Australia" by Tom Jackson, and "Whalewatcher" a global guide to studying dolphins and porpoises as well as whales in the wild by Trevor Day. "Teach Your Own" by Holt and Farenga is The John Holt Book of Home Schooling. "America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money" comes from the experiences of Steve and Annette Economides. "Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer" by Susie Martinez makes your mouth water any time of day. Paul Harvey says, "Of all the how-to books ever written, the best …are the Bible, Voltaire's 'Candide' and this one". It's a top-sergeant's lesson in practical economics.

Preview Shelf -- Those Liberal Arts

The Crawfordsville District Public Library, with all kinds of reading, listening, and "doings", offers the public a generous and full education. This week's book listings, as always, are an example. Requested books arrive each week. The first book weighs six pounds. It's called "The Rembrandt Book" and Gary Schwartz, who lives in the Netherlands and writes a biweekly Internet article (The Schwartzlist), includes information about the artist's life, homes, portraits, and paintings. It could be called "Rembrandt 101". Next for contrast come other arts. The piano/vocal scores called "Billy Joel's Greatest Hits" offer Piano Man and Just the Way You Are. There is Eric Clapton's "Clapton" the autobiography telling us about surviving his difficult boyhood when his "solace was the guitar". Laurie Swim's "Quilting" is from the World of Crafts and includes exercises like fabric sketching and fabric bouquet; she shares some novel ideas. "Quilt Masterpieces" by Susanna Pfeffer presents stories and plates of 48 specific fine quilts from the distant and recent past. "The Art of Landscape Quilting" by Zieman and Sewell shows patterns with depth and designs that mimic fine painting. "The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques" by Nancie Wiseman is spiral-bound and directs button holes, woven seams, borders, bands, and finishes helpful in many situations. On to history. "Leviathan" by Eric Dolin holds the details of whaling in America, from identifying a stranded whale on the Dutch shore in 1598 to showing the British factory ship, the Balaena, hunting in the Antarctic in 1946. "15 Stars" by Stanley Weintraub profiles Eisenhower, MacArthur, and Marshall, three generals who saved the American century, showing how much of a difference three men can make. "Marine Air" by Robert Dorr gives the history of the Flying Leathernecks in words and photos. Bill Yenne's "Rising Sons" identifies the Japanese-American GIs who fought World War II for the United States, a special segment of the Greatest Generation. "The Indiana Legion: A Civil War Militia" by John Etter, of Westfield, Indiana includes the good bibliography and footnotes made by this re-enactor, graduate student in history at Butler, and researcher of the Indiana Militia; he honors the 50,000 men believed to have served in the active home guard and the many thousands more in the Minute-man militia. :Images of Civil War Medicine" is a photographic history of facilities and the scientists active during the war. "The Frank Family That Survived" by Gordon Sander is told by the grandson of the head of the family showing how Anne Frank was betrayed and how her family eventually survived the Nazi war in Holland."Blood Struggle" is Charles Wilkinson's story about the rise of the modern Indian nations in America. The "Encyclopedia of the Great Plains Indians" edited by David Wishart has many new entries focusing on contemporary tribes and lots of new photos."Women of Courage" holds intimate stories from Afghanistan with colorful pictures of that culture and one-page articles about 40 women in all walks of that life. Two books about the "dark continent" are "Africa on Six Wheels" a semester on safari by Betty Levitov, and "A Continent for the Taking" in which, after 24 years of study, Howard French talks of the tragedy and hope on that continent

Scrapbook Workshops

April 5, 2008
Presented by Susan B. Griffith at the Crawfordsville District Public Library

Crop Workshop, 9:30-4:30
$10.00 ($5.00 for half day)

Tools and some supplies available for purchase

Beginners Class, 10:00-12:00
$8.00, materials charge

Register at Circulation Desk 362-2242, by April 3.Questions can be directed to Sue at 307-7738 or cmsuegriffith@comcast.net

Genealogy Club meeting

The Genealogy Club of Montgomery County will meet at 7:00 pm, April 8th, 2008. Our lecture is "Getting Organized" by Linda White (Local History/Systems Librarian for Thorntown, Indiana). The program will be in the Donnelly Room. The Public is invited. Call: (765) 362-2242, Ext 4 for more information.

Library's Gallery Hosts Sugar Creek Quilters

Quilter's winter hibernation-retreat has ended! At the first sign of spring, freshened by their "pieceful" winter quilting adventures, our Sugar Creek Quilt Artists are consumed with a desire to share their fantastic fabric forays with the outside world. In a not-so-quietly blooming profusion of color and beauty, these magical quilts are dancing for joy on the walls of the Public Library's Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery. They patiently await the expressions of delight bursting forth as you these works of art from Monday, March 17 until Thursday, May 1, 2008.

With a core of 60 active members, Sugar Creek Quilters try to learn about and enjoy everything relating to the art of quilting. Member's interests range from those who enjoy simply being around or under quilts, to those who create bed quilts, art-quilts, patterns, clothing and everything in between. Members' fun-loving camaraderie, whether visiting a quilt shop, taking a class or quilting together, is an amazing thing to see and is always stimulating.

The group meets in the Public Library's Lower Level on the third Monday of each month at 6:45. Everyone is welcome! Cost for membership is $15.00 per year. This includes a monthly newsletter, the opportunity to take workshops and to hear state-of-the-art speakers at every monthly meeting. Each meeting includes member's show-and-tell.

Quilters come in all shapes and sizes! Their unique and unusual ideas also come in all shapes and sizes, from king-size bed quilts to teeny wall hangings. However the quilter's inspiration comes, the quilt is always fascinating to see and learn from. Color choices reflect personal preference; difficulty of design depends on the individual quilter's skill and proficiency. Some members are quick to finish quilts, others take their time. Some enjoy beading and sparkling things up and others like plain and not so fancy. The beauty of this exhibit is in its uniqueness, with something for everyone to enjoy and perhaps want to emulate.

Come as often as you would like and stay long as you can during the six weeks of this quilter's expose. I promise you'll enjoy yourself each and every time!

Preview Shelf -- Waynetown Native's Book Available

It is a special pleasure to add books of local interest to the Crawfordsville District Public Library collection. Recently, patron Robin Pebworth donated "Perfect Justice" by his friend D. Thomas Johnson, a Texas lawyer and Indiana University ATO fraternity brother. Johnson is a Waynetown native and 1957 graduate of Waynetown High School. His father was a doctor there for many years and his sister, resident Etta Ruth Fruits is retired from the Waynetown Clerks office. The novel is a clever, fast-moving medical malpractice law case with a reasonable number of interesting characters, and a satisfying but surprise conclusion. The library receives many purchase requests. Here are some new books ready to borrow. Rebecca Shaw offers three Barleybridge novels, "A Country Affair", "Country Wives", and "Country Lovers" which mix ingredients of picture-postcard village life in the Yorkshire hills of England. Sherryl Woods' two stories called The Sweet Magnolias (a group of women) are "A Slice of Heaven" and "Feels Like Family" about her town called Serenity in South Carolina. L. A. Banks' two episodes in A Vampire Huntress Legend are "The Bitten" and "The Damned"; enough said. "74 Seaside Avenue" by Debbie Macomber is a beautiful house with a view of Puget Sound where a beautician is the main character in a good-spirited gossip "ring". "Inferno" by Karen Harper describes an isolated town in Montana where a serial arsonist is sought by the FBI. JoAnn Ross' "Impluse" takes place in Hazard, Wyoming, a mountain town invaded by a deadly hunter. "Don't Scream" by Wendy Staub takes us to the Berkshires in Massachusetts where four friends pledge never to reveal what happened in those woods. Carla Neggers' "Abandon" explains a vicious attack at a lakefront cottage in New Hampshire. There's "A Merry Heart", "Looking for a Miracle", "Plain & Fancy", and "The Hope Chest" in Wanda Brunstetter's series Brides of Lancaster County about Amish life. Joan Medlicott's "At Home in Covington" embraces life in a small North Carolina mountain town. Gilbert Morris' "The Miracle" tells how a young woman struggles to uphold her faith, family, and dreams during the Great Depression. Here's some lively nonfiction. In "A Commonwealth of Thieves" Thomas Keneally explains the improbable birth of Australia. John Tayman offers "The Colony" the harrowing history of the exiles of Molokai, the Hawaiian island American leprosy settlement, beginning in 1866 when twelve men and women and a small child arrived aboard a leaky schooner with little food, and little hope. "The French & Indian War" is presented by Walter Borneman. "Empire of Blue Water" is Stephan Talty's story of Captain Morgan's great pirate army, the epic battle for the Americas, and the catastrophe that ended the outlaws' bloody reign. "Challenging China" is a group of essays by independent Chinese voices describing their struggle and hope in this era of change; its publisher is Human Rights in China and its editors are Sharon Hom and Stacy Mosher. Other new studies are "Road from Ar Ramadi" by Staff Sargeant Camilo Mejia, who rebelled as a conscientious objector to the Iraq war. A Central America native, he served the U.S. military at the age of 19 for three years, then transferred to the Florida National Guard and fought in Iraq for five months. "Imperial Life in the Emerald City", a National Book Award finalist, by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, tells about Iraq's green zone and how the American liberation of Iraq involved chaos, calamity, and civil war. Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" encompasses a year when she and her family moved from the industrial-food pipeline to a rural life in which they vowed to buy only food raised in their own neighborhood.

Preview Shelf -- Booksale Soon!

Here comes another Second Saturday; beginning at 9 a.m. Friends of the Crawfordsville District Public Library will receive the public in their lower level bookstore suite where lots of good reading is available for donations. Right now they'd be especially glad to receive any children's books you'd like to contribute to their shop. Here are some recent nonfiction arrivals. "Home Sense" offers simple plans to enhance where and how you live, from Eduardo Xol who is a designer on ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. "Blind Spots" by Madeleine Van Hecke addresses why smart people do dumb things; Wendy Northcutt writes, "This book allows us to see ourselves more clearly and assess others more tolerantly". Malka Zipora's "Rather Laugh Than Cry" tells stories about Hassidic women living in large urban settings. "Is Religion Dangerous?" by Keith Ward handles questions like, Are religious beliefs irrational? Does religion do more harm than good? The Times Literary Supplement says he "takes the common sense view that while religion, like everything else (say politics, sex, science, knowledge, and life itself), can be dangerous, on the whole it contributes to human flourishing." "30 Days to a Simpler Life" by Connie Cox & Cris Evatt concerns improvements like Create a Serene Bedroom, Dress with Less, and Set up an Efficient Office. "Organize Your Life" by Ronni Eisenberg advocates freeing oneself from clutter. "Building Powerful Community Organizations" is Michael Brown's personal guide to creating groups that can solve problems and change the world. "Tabloid Love" by Bridget Harrison is about the quest to "have it all, a great job and true love", as she runs her own Sunday New York Post column and shares its adventures. Also new are "The Analects of Confucius" which is a literal translation with an introduction and notes by Chichung Huang. "Safari Living" from Mini Lifestyle Library is a group of Tim Beddow's photographs of interiors and exteriors of lodges and camps on the eastern reaches of Africa. "The Chocolate Tree, A natural History of Cacao" the 1,000-year-old Latin American bean, comes from Allen Young. Judith Hellman's "Mexican Lives" rich and poor, urban and rural, north and south, tells a different story than most Americans have heard. "Traditional Wooden Toys, Their History and How to Make Them" is told and shown by Cyril Hobbins. "Victorian Dolls' House Projects - A Day in the Life" by Christiane Berridge takes the reader through the day, from morning to night-time, as a highly original and effective way to bring that house to life, encompassing something for all levels of ability with 70 projects to challenge crafters. A step-by-step guide from concept to finished script makes up "Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting" by Syd Field. "Antique Trader Pottery & Porcelain Ceramics Price Guide" has full-color photos and is edited by Kyle Husfloen. Dodge Woodson's "Builder's Guide to Wells and Septics" can be very important sometimes. The National Underwriter Company's TaxFacts 2007 "Social Security Source Book" covers Medicare, Railroad Retirement, Military, Railroad and Federal employee benefits."The Golden Age of Advertising - the {19}60s" by Taschen books reproduces print ads for foods, cars, appliances, and plane trips that bring back that colorful easy domestic world, "a hefty nostalgia trip, & whether you're old enough to remember these gems, or just into retro, this is lovely stuff."

Ingenious High School Artists Embellish CDPL Gallery

While not-so-patiently awaiting the first breath of spring "outside"; the Library's Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery offers you an "inside" profusion of beauty to tide you over until real spring decides to descend. It is a fresh, energetic explosion of over 300 colorful images from the imaginings of young Montgomery County artists. This spring awakening will be exhibited in the gallery from Sunday, February 24th until Sunday, March 16th during regular library hours.

High School Art Students, with the help of Art Teachers and Tri Kappa Sorority members, will again wow you with their rich talent and focused tenacious skills. Every art student who wishes to enter this event may do so, in one or several of the following categories; Ceramics, Computer Graphics-Graphic Design & Communication Arts, Drawing 1 and 2, Jewelry & Metalsmithing, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography 1 and 2, Printmaking, Sculpture and Textile & Fiber Design. The six High School Art Teachers, Sheila McCormick and Marianne Ballenger of Crawfordsville High School, JD Minch and Mike Strickler at North Montgomery, Eleanor Brewer and Janet McVay at Southmont, suggest categories which may challenge individual students, teach skills needed by those students, encourage artists to put forth their best effort and lastly, get pieces gallery-ready by matting and shrink-wrapping each one. Ribbons and Financial Rewards, in each of the fourteen categories, are given for first, second, third place and honorable mention. An Award is also given for Best of Show and People's choice. Each year Tri Kappa members hire an experienced, independent artist to judge student work. This year's judge is our very own local artist and member of the Hoosier Salon, Jerry Smith. Without the Tri Kappa volunteers this philanthropic event would not take place. Each year Tri Kappa women, most of who are employed full time outside the home, volunteer to work with high school art teachers creating categories, time-lines, student data bases for printing labels, labeling each piece upon receipt, hiring judges and last but certainly not least, placing each piece of art in a categorically artistic manner on the walls and in the display cases of the gallery. When you visit this amazing exhibit of artistic diversity, be prepared to be awed by the scope and depth of talent emanating from these high-spirited young artists. You will have the opportunity to vote for your favorite piece for the people's choice award! Enjoy!

Preview Shelf for CDPL

The Crawfordsville District Public Library now has an electric typewriter available for use within the building. The novel "The Gathering" by Anne Enright gives a brave look at Ireland and a sympathetic look at the characters of a large Irish family haunted by the past. "The Uncommon Reader" by Alan Bennett is a funny novella about the Queen of England whose new passion for reading leads to funny consequences for the country at large. Jim Butcher's "Captain's Fury" is book four of his Codex Alera in which forces of nature take physical form. Michael Chabon's "Gentlemen of the Road" brings back the rollicking spirit of legendary adventures as an itinerant physician and an ex-soldier make their way through the Caucasus Mountains circa 950 A.D. Linda Miller's "McKettrick's Luck" is the first in a new McKettrick Men series about a westerner whose ancestors tamed the wilds of Arizona. A tale of the American West rodeo, involving poison and rumors is Catherine Anderson's "Sun Kissed". Bret Lott has edited "The Best Christian Short Stories" of Homer Hickam, Larry Woiwode, Erin McGraw and others. Two mysteries are Maggie Sefton's "A Killer Stitch" finding holiday knitters in Fort Connor, Colorado mixed up in the death of an alpaca rancher, and Peter Tremayne's "A Prayer for the Damned" a mystery of Ireland in 668 A.D. when a King is accused of a crime on the eve of a wedding he is to attend. Nonfiction covers many vistas. "America's Best Value Colleges" 2008 edition describes 165 schools that The Princeton Review staff thinks give "the most bang for your buck without saddling you with loans". "What Color Is Your Parachute?" updated by Richard Bolles is the practical manual for job hunters that's been almost permanently on best seller lists. "Here If You Need Me" by Kate Braestrup is the inspiring story of pursuing her lost husband's dream and becoming a minister herself, seving as chaplain for search-and-rescue missions in the Maine woods. "Rachel in the World" is Jane Bernstein's memoir learning to accept her daughter's disabilities and finding unexpected pleasures locating a place for her in the world. "Rickles' Book" is an easy-to-read pleasureable memoir by the comedian and good man Don Rickles.
Laurie Steelsmith's "Natural Choices for Women's Health" gives secrets of natural and Chinese medicine for a lifetime of wellness. "12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know" is Michele Borba's treatise on getting back to basics raising happy kids. Paul Coughlin's "No More Jellyfish, Chickens, or Wimps" proposes ways to raise secure, assertive Christian kids in a tough world. On that note, "Thanks!" is Robert Emmons' book about how the science of gratitude can make one happier. An important look at religious passions that are driving world politics is Mark Lilla's "The Stillborn God" revealing the sources of the quest to bring political life under God's authority, and its role in shaping Western thought. In "The Art of Power" Thich Nhat Hanh says power is only good for increasing our happiness and the happiness of others. Al Janssen and Brother Andrew who began taking Bibles to Christians behind closed borders in 1955 have joined to write "Secret Believers" telling what happens when Muslims believe in Christ. "Predators" by Gregory Cooper and Michael King tells how to recognize predatory behavior before it strikes, and how to deal with it if we find ourselves in its grasp. "Common Ground" by Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel shows how to get beyond partisanship, restore civility, and move our country forward.

Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, Indiana

Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, Indiana 7:00 pm, March 11, 2008.

Early Surveying Procedures & Indiana's 10 O'clock Line
By Jim Swift and Henry Swift, Boone County surveyor & H. S. student
Crawfordsville District Public Library , Lower Level in Donnelly Room.
Public Invited! Call (765) 362-2242, ext. 4 for more information.
Officers will met at 6:30 pm.

Preview Shelf -- A New Library Service!

The Crawfordsville District Public Library has begun to send out automatic e-mail reminders to patrons two days before their items are due. The system is using the e-mail address you provided when you registered for your library card. If you believe that we have an old or incorrect e-mail address, contact us so we can correct it. If you did not provide an e-mail address but wish to do so now so you can receive automatic reminders, contact us so we can add it. You can also request to add or change your e-mail address online by logging on to your account at the library's web site. Please note that the library does not share your personal data such as e-mail addresses with anyone.

"Household Secrets" by Frances Halahan comes as advice from National Trust experts aimed at keeping possessions looking good and devoid of deterioration; ceramics, metals, textiles, furniture, and paper goods are targeted. "It's About Time" is David Mermin's treatise about how Einstein's theory of relativity is accessible to readers without training in the sciences, revealing that some of our most intuitive notions about time are wrong. "Death in the Pot" is Morton Satin's documentation of several culinary mishaps and misdeeds from the ancient world to today, like Athen's contaminated cereals which lead to their defeat in the Peloponnesian War. "Salem Witch Judge" by Eve LaPlante tells the life and repentance of Puritan Samuel Sewall who sent 20 people to death on trumped-up witchcraft charges; this history includes his later very good deeds like authoring the first American antislavery tract, and supporting the education of Native Americans. It's important to note the author is the judge's 6th-great granddaughter. Yasmin Khan's "The Great Partition" is about the supposed blessed division of India in 1947, freeing India from British rule and creating the Muslim state of Pakistan; this brought displacement and death, benefitting a few at the expense of the very many, and the repercussions resound even 60 years later. "The Lost Men" is Kelly Tyler-Lewis' presentation of Sir Ernest Shackleton's harrowing 1914 expedition crossing Antarctica; he "had not anticipated that the work would present any great difficulties". Mildred Kalish's "Little Heathens" is about hard times and high spirits on an Iowa farm during the Great Depression. "The Game Within The Game"" by Walt Frazier shares his keys to success in basketball, his vivid memories, anecdotes, and his controversial opinions. "Getting Open" by Tom Graham and Rachel Graham Cody tells about Bill Garrett and the integration of college basketball. My Life In and Out of a Helmet is the subtitle of "The Bus" by Jerome Bettis who describes his troubled childhood in Detroit on the long road to ten glorious seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. "The Great Expectations School" by Dan Brown reports his first year experiences as a novice teacher of fourth-grade problem cases; he offered help by starting a Visual Arts Club to teach photography and film making. "Falling Forward" by Grammy Award winner Sandi Patty explains her fall from grace, how she got help, and how her life now is happy. It begins, "Moving ahead while being aware of the scrutiny of others is not easy." Davis, Jenkins, and Hunt's "The Bond" is the statement of three Doctors how they learned to forgive and reconnect with their absent fathers.

Scrapbook Workshops

Scrapbook Workshop presented by Sue Griffith

March 8, at the Crawfordsville District Public Library

Crop Workshop 9:30-4:30 -- $10.00 for whole day, $5.00 for half day

Beginner Class 10:00-12:00 -- $8.00 materials charge

"Celebrate!" theme class 1:30-3:00 -- $5.00 materials charge

Pre-register at Circulation Desk (362-2242) through March 6.

General questions regarding the workshop can be directed to the Reference Department at Extension 117 and specific questions can be directed to Sue at 307-7738 or cmsuegriffith@comcast.net

Automatic e-mail reminders

Do you want to be reminded by e-mail when your items are almost due? If so, be sure we have your correct e-mail address!

The Crawfordsville District Public Library has begun to send out automatic e-mail reminders to patrons two days before their items are due. The system is using the e-mail address you provided when you registered for your library card. If you believe that we have an old or incorrect e-mail address, contact us so we can correct it. And contact us if you did not provide an e-mail address but wish to do so now so that you can get automatic reminders.

You can also request to add or change your e-mail address online by logging on to your account in the Polaris catalog.

Note: The Crawfordsville District Public Library will not share your personal data such as e-mail addresses with anyone.

Fascinating February Fantasy Fills Library's Art Gallery

In 2006, the North Montgomery Community School Corporation introduced fifteen new curriculum reform initiatives meant to improve each student's educational experience. It is hoped that through these enhancing adventure experiences students will be even better prepared to reach their highest potential academically and in later life. These enterprising "Bratton Initiatives" were named for the outstanding Montgomery County resident, William E. Bratton, member extraordinaire of the famed Lewis and Clark Louisiana Purchase Discovery Expedition and later Montgomery County's first official Superintendent of Public Schools.

An important one of these initiatives is the sponsoring of a district-wide public art display showcasing these unique and unusual artistic adventures of Kindergarten through Twelfth grade students under the tutelage of NMSC art teachers Lisa Cosby, Debby Feldman, Kim Goebel, JD Minch, Mike Strickler and Angela Vinson. Over two-hundred imaginative images have been gleaned from this exciting and stimulating collaborative effort.

Joining the NMSC student artwork this year will be the work of home schooled Montgomery County student artists exhibiting photography resulting from a home-school Photography Class taught by artist/photographer Dawn Meadows. This exhibit includes the work of Dawn's students Arlan R. Lucas, Chelsey Olson Brooke Raley and a piece of Dawn's photography.

Those yearning to experience this Fantastic February Fantasy will find it in the Library's Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery from Thursday, January 31 until Friday, February 22. Do come often and stay long. Find the scent of spring in a plethora of outstanding and varied images direct from the hands of these young artists, who hold our future in their talented hands. You won't want to miss a single piece! Enjoy!

Written for the Journal Review by
Diane Hammill, Coordinator
Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery
Crawfordsville Public Library

Scapbook Workshops in February

Scrapbook Workshops
February 9, 2008
Presented by Susan B. Griffith
at the Crawfordsville District Public Library

Crop Workshop, 9:30-4:30
$10.00 ($5.00 for half day)

Beginner's Class, 10:00-12:30
$8.00

Romance/love page class, 1:30-3:00

Bring photographs or other items to be entered.
Register at Circulation Desk 362-2242, by February 7.

General questions regarding the workshop can be directed to the Reference Department at Extension 117 and specific questions can be directed to Sue at 307-7738 or cmsuegriffith@comcast.net

Books in Memory of Daphene Daggy Morrison

The large print bookshelves on the main floor at the Crawfordsville District Public Library display 30 new volumes, mostly fiction, with bookplates "In Memory of Daphene Morrison", and then "Presented By" with the name of the individual or organization donor. Mrs. Morrison was a native of Thorntown, where she graduated from high school; she also graduated from DePauw University. Some of her generous Crawfordsville volunteer activities benefited First United Methodist Church, P.E.O., Delta Kappa Gamma, Montgomery County Retired Teachers, Wesley Thrift Shop and the FISH Food Pantry. Large print books all carry plain round yellow stickers. They are a constantly increasing portion of the CDPL collection, due in part to the generosity of those making memorial gifts to the library. The not-as-new large print books are available right ahead of the elevator on the upper level. A new list of large print books also appears on the library's website, www.cdpl.lib.in.us - the third item under "What is RSS?" Here are a few of the titles in the Morrison memorial collection. Steve Martin's "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life" tells with his unique humor his experiences growing up and developing his comedy routines. In Brad Thor's thriller "The First Commandment" a covert counterterrorism agent chases a sadistic assassin, against the advice of superiors, because the criminal has a Guantanamo Bay background. "A Summer Smile" by Iris Johansen also spawns risky business, this time terrorist hostages. A journalist's assignment is to find a troubleshooter for the military in "Spook Country" by William Gibson. W.E.B.Griffin's "The Shooters" concerns a present day intelligence agent handling big dangers in South America. "The Elves of Cintra" which is Book Two in Terry Brooks' series Genesis of Shannara tells of fifty years from now, when the world is polluted, as a few heroes with magical power lead refugees from embattled Seattle to the Oregon wilderness. "Life's A Beach" by Claire Cook promises funny moments with diverse characters and humorous situations. Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple mystery "The Bloody Tower" finds a mother of twins in 1925 writing an article about the Tower of London where as a visitor she spies a dead Yeoman Warder. Here's more of the memorial collection. "Lottery" by Patricia Wood deals with a simple boy, taught whom to trust, who, at 31 years old, wins the big prize and has new problems to consider. Colleen McCullough's "Antony and Cleopatra" is her follow-up to "The October Horse"; now Caesar is dead and Rome is divided. The historic novel has six Parts and seven maps. "The Chocolate Jewel Case" is JoAnna Carl's "Chocoholic Mystery with Tasty Chocolate Trivia!" featuring a murder plot and intersperced mini-reviews of what she calls Chocolate Books. "One-Way Ticket" is a Brady Coyne novel by William Tapply involving the Boston mob demanding debts never owed by their victim. Here are other new books at 205 S. Washington Street. The "2007 Indiana Football Digest" includes several paragraphs about North Montgomery, Crawfordsville, and Southmont on pages with their local advertising. The paperback, "ESPN Sports Almanac 2008" looks all-inclusive. Five Hal Leonard music books include one with beginning pianist versions of greatest hits labeled "ABBA Gold", "The Easy Classical Fake Book", and the piano scores of vocal selections "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "The Sound of Music" and "West Side Story". "First Lessons in Beginning Guitar" comes from Mel Bay. They're on the shelves 782 and 787.

Preview Shelf -- How the Library is Governed

The Crawfordville District Public Library is directed by Larry Hathaway, who is also Executive Officer of the Library Board of Trustees. The Trustees meet monthly and as necessary, and right now besides all the business they conduct, they also plan tours of the various departments and visit the gallery exhibits. Serving the Board are Robert Burgess, President, appointed by the County Council, Isobel Arvin, Vice President, appointed by the City Council, Secretary & Assistant Treasurer Susie Hildebrand appointed by the Union Township Board, Treasurer John Culley appointed by the North Montgomery and South Montgomery School Boards, Pat Stull and Linda Petrie appointed by Crawfordsville Schools, Dwayne Rater appointed by the County Commissioners, and James Ayers, library Attorney. Inspiration, information, and entertainment, all are available through the CDPL. First, inspiration. "Chicken Soup for Every Mom's Soul" and "Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul" come from writers Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen and their staffs. There's Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's "Shalom in the Home" with "smart advice for a peaceful life". There's "Hearts and Minds Uplifted: The Power of Falun Dafa" originating in China but with benefits for all races, ethnic groups, professions and age groups everywhere. "Daily Life Strategies for Teens" by Jay McGraw is designed to boost self-confidence, build friendships, resist peer pressure, and achieve goals. Richard Rybolt's "75 Ways to Beat Depression" contains "words of hope & solutions that work". "Fires in the Bathroom" is advice for teachers from high school students by Kathleen Cushman. The experience of ultra-Orthodox Jews opening a kosher slaughterhouse in 1987 Iowa, led to conflict and conflict resolution on the cutting edge of cooperation, in "Postville" by Stephen Bloom. Next comes information in the form of biography. "John Donne The Reformed Soul" by John Stubbs shows how he embarked on a personal reformation searching for a God who could unite everyone instead of trying to save the Roman Church from being exterminated by Queen Elizabeth's Protestant regime. "Boone" by Robert Morgan is billed as the story of America and its destiny, because the author reveals the complex character of frontiersman Daniel Boone whose heroic life was stranger and more fascinating than the myths that surround him. Scott Donaldson's "Edwin Arlington Robinson: A Poet's Life" revives appreciation of the leading American poet at the time of his death in 1935, one who regarded writing poems as nothing less than his calling. "Nixon and Kissinger" Partners in Power by Robert Dallek is a joint biography, a provocative, groundbreaking portrait of a pair of outsize leaders whose unlikely partnerships dominated the world stage and changed the course of history. A personal story by Mary Gordon called "Circling My Mother" gives a rich, bittersweet memoir of their relationship, and her role as daughter. Her "single" mother died in 2002 at 94, and lived a life colored by immigration, world war, the Great Depression, and physical affliction.Entertainment (this is so individual) might come in the form of special ideas. "The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature" by Joseph Lau and Howard Goldblatt is the first to include representative works from the three principal areas (China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) for the entire modern period. "Wildly Romantic" is Catherine Andronik's story of the English Romantic poets like Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and John Keats. These rebels believed poetry should express strong feelings in ordinary language; in their years, the early 1800s, poetry could land a person in jail.

Beginning Genealogy Workshop

Beginning Genealogy Workshop
February 25, 2008
6:30-8:30

Crawfordsville District Public Library, Room A

Pre-register by February 22
765-362-2242 ext. 4 or ext.118
gen@cdpl.lib.in.us

Sponsored by:
Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, IN
Crawfordsville District Public Library

Genealogy Club of Montgomery County "After Hours Genealogy Research"

Genealogy Club of Montgomery County "After Hours Genealogy Research"
5:00-9:00 pm
Friday, January 25, 2008
Crawfordsville District Public Library
Pizza Supper and Research -- no charge -- donations accepted towards pizza.

5:00 pm Pizza, Donnelly room, lower level
5:45 pm Research in local history and reference area, 2nd floor (no time limit on computers)
9:00 pm final closing

Advanced arrival [Before 5:00 pm] is required. Library is locked after 5:00 pm. Visitors are welcome.

Please confirm your expected attendance by Wednesday, January 23rd 765-362-2242 Ext 118 or gen@cdpl.lib.in.us.

Scrapbook Workshop

Scrapbook Workshop to be held on January 19, 2008
Presented by Susan B. Griffith
At the Crawfordsville District Public Library, Classroom D

Crop Workshop, 1:00-5:00
Cost $5.00

Beginning Scrapbooking Workshop, 1:30-3:30
Cost $8.00

Bring photographs or other items to be entered.
Register at Circulation Desk 362-2242, by January 17, 2008.

General questions regarding the workshop can be directed to the Reference Department at Extension 117 and specific questions can be directed to Sue at 307-7738 or cmsuegriffith@comcast.net

CDPL Gallery: Teachers Become Artists in Retirement

It may be snowing, cold or dreary outside but the month of January, in its brightest wisdom, presents each of us with a fresh opportunity to begin again, unfettered and free of the past. Unfettered and free of classroom routine, retired lifetime teachers June Gourley and Jan Sieferman, in their brightest wisdom, let their latent talents free to pursue exciting experimental experiences in pencil, pastel, oil paint, watercolor and quilting. The fruition of these joy-filled journeys awaits you in the Library's Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery during the entire month of January, 2008. Come see what they did.

When June Gourley was approached to display her work in what she described as "this beautiful facility where such wonderful works of established artists have been shown", she was reluctant to respond positively. After active pursuit, she agreed that sharing her hobby would be an honor, most especially if doing so might encourage others to pursue experimentations of their own heart's desire.

Always an admirer of local Crawfordsville artists, June's desire to take up pencil and brush remained under cover until her retirement in 2001 when a four-year move to Fairfield Glade, TN presented an opportunity to frequent art galleries and watch artists working in watercolor, pastels, colored pencils, oil, and acrylics. She began taking an occasional workshop in 2002, audited drawing and watercolor classes at Roane State, joined their Art Guild and even displayed a few paintings in their art gallery.

In the beginning, June didn't know about alizarin crimson, sap green or any of the magic colors that could be combined together to form even more beautiful colors. She had yet to learn about paper weights, types of brushes, techniques and the processes for using the new equipment her husband began gifting her with. Dear husband Tom even gave up his favorite fishing tackle box, just so June could have a convenient way to store and carry her art supplies. WOW! WHAT A GUY!

June believes those who begin expressing themselves creatively in high school or before have a decided advantage over those who begin later. But it's never too late to begin, her husband reminds her, as he speaks to and of her with endearment, as his very own "Grandma Moses"!

In 2002, June finally mustered the courage to take a workshop from local artist Jerry Smith and gained some self-confidence. Later workshops with Rob O'Dell gave her further opportunities to learn, grow and take risks without "hyperventilating". She began seeing her work more acceptably; realizing that artists whom she most admires have been working at it for a long time and as a neophyte she was just beginning.

June still refers to her work as a "hobby" but three paintings of her daughter and granddaughter may be found in Thailand, another in a gallery in Michigan. A portrait painted from a photo of her grandson may be found in their home in Kyrgyzstan (by China). She hopes to paint portraits of her twelve grandchildren. A lofty goal indeed! June also enjoys painting and giving away greeting cards which recipients enjoy and love to frame.

As a child June was often found sketching, no TV in those days! As a fifth grader, she was chosen to attend Saturday classes in art at Ball State. She remembered how important those early art experiences were to her as a child, thus she always tried to include as many art projects as possible in her own kindergarten and first grade classrooms.

"My life has been blessed", she says, "having a career that I loved, a wonderful family and now having the time and zest to pursue multiple art adventures in retirement".

Retired Art teacher, Jan Sieferman, was born and educated in Evansville, Indiana. She remembers winning a drawing contest in the fourth grade without benefit of artistic training. She and her best friend were the artists for the Memorial School Newspaper and designed and built sets for plays and productions at the school. One of her favorite Christmas gifts was an oil painting set.

After high school, Jan attended Marian College in Indianapolis, but graduated from the University of Evansville with a degree in Elementary Education. When a very special young man entered her life, Jan became engaged, married and finished college in the evening while teaching in Parochial schools during the day. Must have been love!!

She and her husband, Ed, moved to Crawfordsville in 1967 so he could attend Purdue/Butler Universities. She began teaching at Hose School, had two small children at home and completed a Master's Degree in Education at Indiana State. After child number three came along, Jan took a semester off. After that way-to-short maternity leave ended, Jan returned to the classroom, but this time as a K-12 art teacher.

Jan's interest in and desire to create her own art suddenly burst forth at this time, so she began taking art classes from Jill Stockwell, and a whole other career was born for Jan. There wasn't a craft or technique available that Jan didn't tackle, but with three small children and all of their activities, there was little time to pursue individual projects.

Shortly before retirement, Jan was inspired by her daughter's quilting ability and began taking basic quilting classes at The Sewing Connection, where she discovered a whole new, glorious color palette in FABRIC! For the last seven years she has collected, studied and developed a whole new area of creativity using fabric. She joined the Sugar Creek Quilt Guild and met new friends with like pursuits to enjoy.

One quilt, even a small wall hanging, takes months to complete, so Jan forces herself to continue taking watercolor classes from Rob O'Dell where she can continue growing in that medium also and can see quicker results.

Jan substitute teaches when called, is caregiver to her husband and 93-year old father who lives with them, has six grandchildren, four of whom are talented teenage athletes whom she enjoys following. She loves to read anything and everything of interest and quickly quotes the phrase, "SOOO many books to read, SOOO many quilts to quilt, SOOO many paintings to paint, oh where oh where have all those free retirement hours I looked forward to gone"? Blowing in the wind, I suspect!

Written for the Journal Review
By Diane Hammill, Coordinator
Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery
Crawfordsville Public Library
Dhammill1306@accelplus.net

Preview Shelf -- Here Is The Upcoming Library Holiday Schedule

This year's schedule of closings at the Crawfordsville District Public Library encompasses Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, namely December 23, 24, and 25, and December 30, 31, and January 1st. The staff wishes everyone happy holidays. There is a new translation of "War and Peace" by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky to be more faithful to Tolstoy's style and accessible prose. Sean Covey's "The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make" looks like an important guide for teens about academic stress, parent commmunication, media bombardment, dating drama, abuse, bullying, addictions, depression and peer pressure. Current event treatises begin with Mike Evans' "The Final Move Beyond Iraq" which he says is the battle for the soul of America. "Afghanistan: A Companion and Guide" by Bijan Omrani and Matthew Leeming, which in a world full of books about abuses and terror, gives greater confidence that the country might be firmly put on the road to recovery; it is published to appeal to the armchair traveller by including history and culture, 19 maps and many color photos. "The Devil Came on Horseback" is Brian Steidle's document as a witness to the genocide in Darfur. Anne McKinney offers three volumes of "Real Resumes", one about manufacturing jobs, one about administrative support, office & secretarial jobs, and one about customer service jobs. Four new books discuss houses. "Frank Lloyd Wright Design" by Maria Constantino shows many of his buildings illustrating his constant goal to move forward with new concepts. "House Thinking" is Winifred Gallagher's room-by-room look at how we can make arrangements more logical. "Smaller, Smarter Home Plans" from the Garlinghouse Company features 300 space-saving designs. "Let's Get Comfortable" is Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams' illustrated manual of welcoming interiors. A beautiful colored craft book is "Basketry: A World Guide to Traditional Techniques" by Bryan Sentence. An equally appealing volume is Frank and Stephen Philbrick's "The Backyard Lumberjack" showing felling, bucking, splitting, and stacking. "Start Your Own Business on eBay" is explained by Jacquelyn Lynn . MP Dunleavey's "Money Can Buy Happiness" shows how to get out of debt, and how to spend to get the life you want. Moira and Nicholas Hankinson's "Recycle!" contains 60 projects for home and garden using materials at hand, like an ax-handle stool, hoop chandelier, slate-tiled wall, and a cast-iron boiler planter. An instructional manual about "Photography" by Barbara London et al teaches skills, emphasizing both technique and visual awareness. "Math for the Trades" offers skills needed for work from Learning Express. Two animal books are Jon Katz' "Dog Days" telling about the animals of Bedlam Farm in the unpredictable adventure of farm life. "Penquin Life" by Andy Rouse photographs scenes of the Antarctic species including Macaroni, Rockhopper, Gentoo, and Chinstrap penguins."The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman is about our effects on the planet, how if humans disappeared our massive infrastructure would collapse and vanish, while some of our highest art and culture might endure for a while.Jack Devitt's "Indiana Toolmakers and Their Tools" explains American "whatsits", tools whose value and use are not readily apparent, dedicated to Milan Ramsey who studied them. His lifelong mission of giving hope to the world describes the series of photographs that show "Billy Graham: God's Ambassador" by Russ Busby. "Faith & Doubt" is an anthology of poems edited by Patrice Vecchione

Preview Shelf -- Holiday Library Books are Easy to Find

On the Crawfordsville District Public Library main floor the east wall has a colorful label to indicate the youth department's holiday materials, books, videos, and DVDs placed together for your convenience, and marked with a green candy cane label. Upstairs is a section collecting Christmas reading on both sides of the third set of shelves from the elevator. Here's some new fiction. Nicolas Sparks' "The Choice" is a tale about love found and lost, and the decisions we hope we'll never have to make. Doris Lessing's "The Cleft" finds an aging Roman senator telling the story of an ancient community of women living in an coastal wilderness Eden. "The White Cascade" is Gary Krist's recounting of the Great Northern Railway disaster and America's deadliest avalanche in 1910. Leslie Meier's "Bake Sale Murder" is about cul-de-sac politics and backstabbing .Susan Mallery's "Irresistible" is about romance. Debbie Macomber's "Back on Blossom Street" weaves a tale of a variety of women in a Seattle knitting class who help each other solve their personal problems. "Beautiful Dreamer" by Christopher Bigsby finds a white man trying to prevent a lynching in a small southern town, then finding himself branded by the mob."Letter from Point Clear" by Dennis McFarland is about the Alabama south, dealing with character differences and attempts to soothe them. "Code Black" by Philip Donlay is an airplane thriller. "Regatta" is Benjamin Ivry's celebration of oarsmanship for all of us who passed that way and enjoyed being part of a racing crew. Another helpful book is "Stealing Your Life" in which Frank Abagnale offers the ultimate identity theft prevention plan. "Rural Renaissance" by John Ivanko and Lisa Kivirist is a personal guide to the joys of country living and the statistics and resources that help. Voyage of the Turtle" by Carl Safina pursues the earth's last dinosaur. Thorsten Milse's "Little Polar Bears" is a book of photographs from the Wapusk National Park west of Hudson Bay which protects them while still allowing controlled visits to the area. Erin Williams and Margo DeMello's "Why Animals Matter: The Case for Animal Protection" puts forward the idea that making humane choices helps our whole planet. New possibilities fill "Retired with Husband: Superwoman's New Challenge" by Mary Louise Floyd. "House of Testosterone" holds Sharon O'Donnell's hilarious essays of survival as a mom in a household of males. "Hard Call" is John McCain's review of historic great decisions; some were Winston Churchill's foresight in preparing England's Navy for war, Gertrude Ederle's confidence in swimming the English Channel, Reinhold Niebuhr's humility in changing his pacifist views, and Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Betty Rollin's "Here's the Bright Side" is about the silver linings in clouds, in other words it's a funny book about surprising upsides to challenging low blows. Preacher Tony Campolo's "Letters to a Young Evangelical" argues against politically polarized and predominantly secular living. Kerry Patterson and four other authors' "Influencer: The Power to Change Anything" begins with three ideas - motivating others to change, replacing bad behaviors with powerful new skills, and making things happen. Leonard Susskind's "The Cosmic Landscape" explains his thoughts about string theory and the illusion of intelligent design. "Ancestral Trails" The Complete Guide to British Genealogy and Family History" is Mark Herber's second helpful edition.

Five Artists Celebrate the Season in CDPL's Art Gallery!

Watching softly falling snowflakes wafting down from the heavens to cover brown leaves and dirty sidewalks left over from fall, is one of the more delicious delights of every delicious December. The twinkling beauty of nature's winter coat, couched in frigid air and crispy underfoot crunch, can easily entice you to build a silent, silly snowman complete with carrot nose for deer to feast on. When your tootsies freeze and the twirling wind nips at your nose, may we take this opportunity to warmly welcome you to the exquisite beauty of nature's indoor wonders pirouetting on the Walls and in the Display Cases of the Library's Mary Bishop Art Gallery for the month of December.

NATURE'S BOUNTY: SCULPTURES & LIFE CASTINGS by Jo Funk-Lauctes
The Display Cases are filled to the brim with original sculptures and castings created by Crawfordsville's own nature artist, Jo Funk-Lautes. Exercising her artistic versatility as a child, Jo found herself drawing pictures and carving wood any time she was free of other responsibilities. As an adult she engulfed herself in a career that created beauty in the dental lab, which she owned, and at home where she was a practicing artist.

Feeling stifled by previous jobs with no creativity, Jo flourished as a dental technician. She honed her artistic talent by working meticulously on her creativity both at home and at work. After 25 years of owning and working in her dental lab, Jo began selling her sculptures and castings and was delighted with the positive public response.

Eight years after carving her first piece, which ignited a desire to further this art medium, Jo constructed creative works for pleasure and commercial markets.

In 1999, she was commissioned to help create the Hunter Dan Large Game Series; a toy line that found it's way onto the shelves of Cabella's and other outdoor retailers. She carved and created multiple game accessories including replicas of the largest record holding buck and deer in the nation. With this, Jo's talents began to spread far beyond the wildlife realm and into a diversity of creative efforts.

Skilled in a range of mediums, Jo creates carvings, paintings, life castings, intricate jewelry, sculptures and wood burnings. Her collection shows a range of diversity that is limited only by her imagination. From incredibly small, detailed pieces, like jewelry, to a life-size statue, her abilities prove no piece is too small or large for her talents and passion. All of her pieces illustrate the things that Jo values most in her life.

Currently working on a new line of sculptures, Jo will work on every aspect of the pieces from creation in clay, to mold making, pouring the final piece into the mold and masterfully painting it. These pieces will be debuted and available online in 2008.

STRIKINGLY BEAUTIFUL HAND-MADE VIOLINS by Alan Frodge
What a delight to learn that cozy, comfy Crawfordsville can claim one of its citizens as a real-life Hand Made Violin Maker. WOW! Alan Frodge started making violins in 2004 and so far has made eight. He gave the first three to his nieces in Florida whose children play bluegrass. Alan himself began to play after making his first violin and is still learning.

His interest in creating violins was peaked by his Crawfordsville friend Archie Krout and a Stone Bluff friend Jerry Kelly.

It takes Alan about a month to make a violin. Though he has never kept track of the hours, he suspects it takes him over 100 hours to make one. His violins are all hand carved, including the scroll. The only parts purchased are the pegs, tailpiece, bridge, fingerboard and chin rest. The fingerboard and bridge are purchased rough and are hand-shaped to their final dimension. The purfling (the thin line of trim on the top and back) on all his violins is cut in, not painted on.

You will find two of Alan's Violins encased in the Display Case closest to the elevator on the Library's first floor. His #5 violin is unusual in that the neck, sides and back are made from sycamore rather than the usual maple. In his continuing search for knowledge on violin construction, he read that the wood of the sycamore has sometimes been used to make violins. So, he tried it! And liked the results! The sycamore, which gives a more mellow tone than maple, is highly figured and was purchased from Pennsylvania. The top is made from standard European spruce. This violin is priced at $800.00.

Alan's second violin, #6, includes all the things he wanted to try in one violin. First, the neck, sides and back are made from walnut grown on his farm. Alan says walnut is not normally used for violins, but he found the sound to be good and it looks nice. The next thing you will want to notice is the carved Lion's
Head on the top where there is usually a scroll. This carving took a lot longer to carve than a scroll because it is more intricate and Alan had never carved one before. The next thing you will notice is that there are no points at the c-bouts (center of the violin). Jerry Kelly told Alan that Antonio Stradivari once made a violin with no points, so Alan decided to try it. And the last thing you will notice is the light color of the edge on the top. That was achieved by wiping off the colored varnish in this area. This violin is priced at $900.00.

Alan has a website with additional information and illustrations if you would like to tap into it. The address is www.alanfrodge.com.

TIPPECANOE COUNTY ARTISTS TRI-BECCA: Rebecca Chapman
Rebecca (Becky) Chapman is a Lafayette artist specializing in oils, watercolors and colored pencil. Her compositions emphasize places she has traveled, floral themes and illustrations from literature.

Chapman enjoys creating art inspired by literature, poetry, songs, nature, travel and personal themes. Many of her images in this exhibit are pencil illustrations. Drawing has always been a natural way for her to express feelings or to create a certain mood. Even in her watercolors, she reaches for a pencil to create extra detail.

Her drawings usually tell a story from a song, literature or private thoughts and reflections. She has a set of drawings illustrating the song, "The Greatest Man I Never Knew", by Reba McIntire. The drawing of the figure emerging from a seed depicts a theme of personal growth from Henry David Thoreau's "Walden Pond". Other stories that have inspired her art are: "The Rabbits of Watership Down", "A Girl of the Limberlost" by Gene Stratton Porter, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", and "The Tell Tale Heart".

On travels with her husband throughout the year, Rebecca carries a sketchbook which allows her to create a special and personal souvenir of the trip and sketches that may someday become a painting.

Images of flowers and birds, most especially the intricate detail on the petal of a flower or the feather of a bird become both inspirational and a challenge to recreate for Becky. She enjoys capturing the beauty of birds remembered from growing up on a farm, the red-winged blackbird, the meadowlark, junco and a bluebird family. She is fascinated by their diversity, color and behavior.

Becky works within strict guidelines and tight deadlines as a graphic designer. Her personal drawing and painting allow her more freedom in the use of oils, watercolors, and colored pencils in Fine Art themes. The Fine Arts are her first love, though she does enjoy creating brochures or ads that communicate the essence of a business or organization. On occasion Becky has fun combining both graphic design and fine art in a single project.

TIPPECANOE COUNTY ARTISTS TRI-BECCA: Rebecca Longster
This Tippecanoe artist, Rebecca Longster is a writer, teacher and lover of words. That last comes in handy, as she teaches a variety of writing and literature classes in the Department of English at Purdue and for Purdue Statewide Technology. She is a recent graduate of the Stonecoast Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program through the University of Southern Maine, where she majored in Popular Fiction, and in late 2006, she started a local writers group for writers of genre or popular fiction in Indiana. This Rebecca finds it relaxing to express her creativity through visual art as well as through writing. She enjoys working in pencil, pastels, acrylics, and water colors, and is particularly interested in portraiture, unique places, and natural landscapes.

TIPPECANOE COUNTY ARTISTS TRI-BECCA: Rebecca Peters
This third Tippecanoe County Tri-Becca is a children's counselor and has been involved in art since she was old enough to hold a crayon. Her Dad still has a picture she drew when she was 5 years old. For the last few years she's been taking art classes from Betty Goodrich at the Morton Center in Lafayette. Rebecca has been a member of the Wabash Artist Alliance for the last three years. She enjoys all types of subject matter, working with pastels and more recently, acrylics. Rebecca finds her art a relaxing endeavor after her professional work as a child therapist for a local community mental health agency.

We hope you have warmed your body and soul with the beauty of nature's indoor wonders as interpreted by each of our FIVE ARTISTS CELEBRATING THE SEASON. Your tracks will be warmer now in the crispy, crunchy winter wonderland. Do come often and stay long!

Written by Diane Hammill

Genealogy Club: Social and Reorganization Meeting

Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, Ind Corp SOCIAL AND REORGANIZATION MEETING FINISH UP, Tuesday, 11 DECEMBER 2007, 6:30 p.m. for the executive committee, 7:00 p.m. for the regular meeting, in the Community Room-A of the Crawfordsville District Public Library. For More Information, contact: Ph: 765-362-2242 Weekdays: 9 am-5 pm Dian Moore, Local History Librarian (Ex 4) or Dellie Craig (Ex 118). E-mail: gen@cdpl.lib.in.us
BRING FINGER SNACKS TO SHARE. Visitors Welcome!

Preview Shelf -- Holiday Reading Offers New Ideas

The Christmas story "Finding Noel" by Richard Evans about how people come into our lives for a reason is a love story about two young people from different worlds. It and other seasonal stories are new at the Crawfordsville District Public Library. Anne Perry's "A Christmas Secret" is her 4th novel of the season revealing deadly danger to a visiting vicar and his wife who'd hoped to have a lovely getaway among new parishioners. Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer's "A Christmas to Remember" is the eighth Cape Light Novel; a curmudgeon confined to bed lets her thoughts drift back to the holiday season of 1955, when she met her dashing husband, and when she made some mistakes. M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin mystery "Kissing Christmas Goodbye" finds our detective looking forward to the upcoming festivities and hoping to rekindle the object of her affections, but she gets sidetracked to help a wealthy widow who fears for her life. In Joanne Fluke's "Candy Cane Murder" a bakery owner must solve the murder of Kris Kringle as the holiday gala is eminent. This season brings ideas for different foods. "The Latin American Kitchen" by Elisabeth Luard tells about essential ingredients with over 200 authentic recipes (with beautiful photos). "The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen" displays Donna Klein's meat-free, dairy-free dishes from "the healthiest region under the sun". "The Pressure Cooker Cookbook" is designed to make cooking a pleasure offering 250 recipes for all types of slow cookers. James Halliday & Hugh Johnson's "The Art and Science of Wine" explains places, equipment, climate, and all the ingredients required for different products, along with the latest developments in the industry. If you give gifts, "Wrap It Up" has Sally Walton's 50 creative and stylish gift-wrap ideas and their processes. "The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Country Music" edited by Tony Byworth shows how this music has constantly grown and developed from the first tunes brought to the New World by British and European settlers. Architecture of the Air" means sound, light and interactive technology used for public works involving spectators, by Christopher Janney, who has won many awards; examples are the sounds of certain runways, the special steamboat monument from 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Sonic Plaza 1997 at East Carolina University in Greenville, N. C. Three craft books are Kathryn Berenson's "Quilts of Provence" about French quiltmaking, "Afghans Tradional and Modern" by Bonita Bray, and "Two-Hour Scrap Crafts" by Anita Crane, all stunning visual and detailed artworks illustrated with their historical significance. "Through Deaf Eyes" is a photographic history of the American community from archives at Gallaudet University, using 200 photographs examining historical eras through a deaf lens. "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" is touted as a book that changes lives, now a major motion picture, written by Dan Millman. It features a champion athlete/college student looking for what's missing in his life; he meets Socrates, and begins a spiritual odyssey into challenging confrontations speaking to the peaceful warrior in each of us. "The Buried Book" by David Damrosch is a riveting story of the first great epic composed in Babylonia more than 3,000 years ago, telling of one hero's travels in search of immortality. Lost to the world for 2,500 years and rediscovered in the 19th century, the story features daring adventurers, fearless explorers, ancient kings, goddesses and gods.

Preview Shelf -- Ready for Thanksgiving; Remembering Halloween

About two weeks ago, 65 children gathered at the Crawfordsville District Public Library to celebrate Halloween. The Youth Services Department set up bowling for the costumed youngsters with cobs of corn in cups for pins and a pumpkin for the ball. While enjoying brew, "spider legs", and pumpkin morsels, they also heard stories, played "pin the nose on a jack o'lantern", and threw velcro'd balls at a worm in an apple. Squeals accompanied the fun. You can sign up for special events by calling 362-2242. The book "Savage Kingdom" appeals during Thanksgiving season because it is the "true" story of Jamestown, 1607, and the settlement of America. Benjamin Woolley draws on new discoveries, neglected sources, and manuscript collections to reveal the daring enterprise by outcasts of the Old World facing a new culture both ravishing and alien that they had hoped not to face here. This was 14 years before the Mayflower voyage. "For Liberty and Glory" is James Gaines' new book about Washington, Lafayette, and their revolutions. Inside the cover is "They began as courtiers in a hierarchy of privilege, but history remembers them as patriot-citizens in a commonwealth of equals." The book deals with the "sister revolutions" of France and America in a single narrative. "Markings" by Dag Hammarskhjold is a testament of personal devotion by the known peacemaker with his intense recorded inner life of efforts to live his creed, his belief that all men are equally the children of God requiring him to have a life of selfless service to others. "Chasing Life" by Sanjay Gupta offers new ideas from around the world, and sensible decisions for better days. "The Gaslight Effect" holds Robin Stern's instructions to stop letting other people manipulate your thinking and/or your life. Betty Rollin's "Here's the Bright Side" is about the "silver linings in clouds", a funny book about surprising upsides to challenging "low blows". Tony Campolo's "Letters to a Young Evangelical" argues against politically polarized and predominantly secular living. "Think" by Michael LeGault slows us down because he says crucial decisions can't be made in the blink of an eye. Bill Clinton's "Giving" shows how companies, organizations, and individuals are working to solve problems "down the street and around the world" told through the experiences of all kinds of people in different places. "Away" by Amy Bloom tells about a young innocent lady whose family is destroyed in a Russian pogrom, so she comes alone to America, and travels all around the country looking for a daughter who may still be alive. "Frank Lloyd Wright, a Gatefold Portfolio" contains 32 pull-out pages showing 16 of his special home designs like Falling Water, Wingspread, the Guggenheim Museum and the Beth Shalom synagogue, a full evening's entertainment. Leonard Susskind's "The Cosmic Landscape" explains his thoughts about string theory and the illusion of intelligent design. Thorsten Milse's photographs about "Little Polar Bears" from the Wapusk National Park west of Hudson Bay illustrate the protection of the animals while still allowing for controlled visits to the area. "Voyage of the Turtle" by Carl Safina is a pursuit of the earth's last dinosaur. "The Planets" by Dava Sobel divulges her impressive ability to make difficult scientific concepts into compelling explanations of our place in the universe (she wrote "Longitude" and "Galileo's Daughter").

Are You Ready to Enjoy Indiana Art at Its Best?

It is our great pleasure to warmly welcome the 83rd Annual Hoosier Salon Traveling Exhibition, Indiana Art at Its Best to the Library's Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery from Monday, November 5 until Friday, November 30, 2007.

The varied works chosen by this year's jurors, Ann Piper, Associate professor of Painting and Drawing at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas and Scott Wolniak, studio art teacher in various media at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago, brings an especially eclectic and diversified scope of art to our gallery.

Each year since 1925, artist members of the Hoosier Salon Patrons Association bring their newest and finest works to stand the test of expert jurors. In its 18th year at the Indiana State Museum, there were 586 entrys presented to the jury. Of these, 174 pieces by 142 artist members were juried into the show. Prizes of nearly $30,000 were awarded for excellence.

To belong to the Salon an artist must be a current Indiana resident and dues-paying member, or have lived in the state for at least one year. A member of the Salon may enter up to three pieces of art each year to be juried.

From September through January, 150 of these pieces are divided into five tour groupings that travel to 34 different venues throughout the state.

Each artist speaks clearly in his or her own unique voice. Artists chosen for our venue include: Mason Archie, Eleanor K. Brewer, John Charles Brooks, Tom Butters, Gayle Coyle, Dick Davis, Mark Dillman, Robert Eberle, Carol Fisher, Jennifer Hughes, Carol Moratti, John Oilar, J. Anna Roberts, Jerry Smith and Sharon Sommerville. What a delight to find three of "Montgomery County's Best" among Indiana's Best, included in our tour.

It is the Salon's hope that each of you find an artistic creation that brings you joy! Visitors may wish to purchase a piece that speaks to their heart to be included in their own private collections. Others may choose to incorporate the images into their mind's eye, to be played forward any time in the future. Whatever your choice, don't miss the opportunity to view INDIANA ART AT ITS BEST during the entire month of November. I promise you won't be sorry!

Are You Ready to Enjoy Indiana Art at Its Best?

It is our great pleasure to warmly welcome the 83rd Annual Hoosier Salon Traveling Exhibition, Indiana Art at Its Best to the Library's Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery from Monday, November 5 until Friday, November 30, 2007.

The varied works chosen by this year's jurors, Ann Piper, Associate professor of Painting and Drawing at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas and Scott Wolniak, studio art teacher in various media at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago, brings an especially eclectic and diversified scope of art to our gallery.

Each year since 1925, artist members of the Hoosier Salon Patrons Association bring their newest and finest works to stand the test of expert jurors. In its 18th year at the Indiana State Museum, there were 586 entrys presented to the jury. Of these, 174 pieces by 142 artist members were juried into the show. Prizes of nearly $30,000 were awarded for excellence.

To belong to the Salon an artist must be a current Indiana resident and dues-paying member, or have lived in the state for at least one year. A member of the Salon may enter up to three pieces of art each year to be juried.

From September through January, 150 of these pieces are divided into five tour groupings that travel to 34 different venues throughout the state.

Each artist speaks clearly in his or her own unique voice. Artists chosen for our venue include: Mason Archie, Eleanor K. Brewer, John Charles Brooks, Tom Butters, Gayle Coyle, Dick Davis, Mark Dillman, Robert Eberle, Carol Fisher, Jennifer Hughes, Carol Moratti, John Oilar, J. Anna Roberts, Jerry Smith and Sharon Sommerville. What a delight to find three of "Montgomery County's Best" among Indiana's Best, included in our tour.

It is the Salon's hope that each of you find an artistic creation that brings you joy! Visitors may wish to purchase a piece that speaks to their heart to be included in their own private collections. Others may choose to incorporate the images into their mind's eye, to be played forward any time in the future. Whatever your choice, don't miss the opportunity to view INDIANA ART AT ITS BEST during the entire month of November. I promise you won't be sorry!

Preview Shelf -- Becoming Library Patrons

A recent episode attracts the question, "Why can we have the useful Crawfordsville District Public Library?" We can have our library because residents of Union Township pay library taxes, which afford them patron cards to use for all the services. Our county also has four outstanding outlying libraries in Darlington, Ladoga, Linden, and Waveland, affording their area taxpayers their services and, through CDPL cooperation, allowing them reciprocal cards to the Crawfordsville Library. This commitment by taxpayers is expensive and well worth the burdens of taxation. Thanks to our responsible taxpayers! Those who do not pay library taxes may buy annual cards. A yearly fee card for a family, covering all the Crawfordsville library services, amounts to $4.05 per month. Travel guides are fun to read even if we aren't contemplating a personal visit. New on the shelf are Rick Steves' "Great Britain 2007", "Europe Through the Back Door 2007" and "Best of Eastern Europe 2007" with good maps, information about museums, tours, transportation, and trip planning. Poetry comes from Anne Stevenson ("Poems 1955-2005") biographer of Sylvia Plath, winner of the Northern Rock Foundation Writer's Award 2002, and resident of Britain. John Betjeman's "Collected Poems" offer pleasure "as much to casual readers as to the literary establishment" (New York Times). Books about conflict appeal to writers as projects and to readers as history. "Kingfish' by Richard White, Jr. is about the "reign" of Louisiana Governor Huey Long whose story inspired the movie "All the King's Men". "Last Man Out" is Robert Charles' memoir of surviving the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (June 1942 to October 1943) through courage during unimaginable brutality while building the project immortalized in "Bridge Over the River Kwai". "Beyond Valor" is Patrick O'Donnell's story of World War II Rangers and Airborne veterans in the heart of combas told through 650 e-histories and interviews. (O'Donnell is the creator of The Drop Zone, the first online oral history project for WWII veterans.) "The Genome War" by James Shreave shows "the ups and downs of humanity's frantic quest for the Holy Grail of science" (Houston Chronicle). A new historical novel by Ken Follett called "World Without End" takes place in England in the 14th century, concerned with ambition, love, greed and revenge at the exquisite Gothic cathedral (built in "The Pillars of the Earth" by the same author). "Fellow Travelers" comes from Thomas Mallon about Washington, D.C. during the McCarthy era in the early 1950s. Robert Ludlum and Philip Shelby's "The Cassandra Compact" delves into the thinking of an under-cover Russian spy who is on the run, and the intricate plot expresses an attempt to steal Russia's store of smallpox virus. "The Septembers of Shiraz" by Dalia Sofer takes us to the aftermath of the Iranian revolution, when a rare-gem dealer is wrongly accused of being a spy and his wife goes to great lengths to help. Here comes Garrison Keillor with his newest novel of Lake Wobegon called "Pontoon"; his funny first episode is about the good lady who's prepared to die and wishes cremation and her ashes placed inside a bowling ball and dropped into the lake. It is a lake "as you've imagined it -- good loving people who drive each other slightly crazy". "Hartsburg, USA" by David Mizner offers an ideological turf war of opposites vying for a seat on the school board. "The Museum of Dr. Moxes" by Joyce Carol Oates contains ten stories about relations between women and men, children and parents, and strangers whose lives intersect.

Preview Shelf -- Halloween Calls For Mystery

Here is the latest arrival of books requested by patrons. Over half are mysteries.

Perfect for Halloween. Find one about a place that interests you by authors who make plots come alive. "Justice Denied" by J. A. Jance is an A.J.P. Beaumont story that begins with what looks like just another case of turf warfare in Seattle. In "Dry Ice" by Stephen White a determined murderer who has left the Colorado State Mental Hospital returns with psychological page-turner terror. "Sweet Revenge" by Diane Davidson has a chocolate cupcake on the cover because the plot begins at a catered holiday feast for the staff of the Aspen Meadow Library. "The Tenderness of Wolves" is a 2006 Costa (formerly Whitbread) Book of the Year winner by Stef Penney set in 1867 in a Northern Canada Territory settlement. Elizabeth Lowell's "Innocent as Sin" identifies a private banker in Arizona who while painting landscapes in the Pacific Northwest is accused of a shocking crime. "My Summer of Southern Discomfort" by Stephanie Gayle finds a recent Harvard Law graduate working in Macon, Georgia, where she welcomes a new experience. "In the Woods" by Tana French is a psychological suspense story set in a Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984. "Play Dirty" by Sandra Brown involves a secret agreement between a Cowboys quarterback just released from prison and a golden couple owning a Texas airline. "Invisible Prey" by John Sandford opens in the richest neighborhood of Minneapolis where two elderly women lie murdered in their home. "Citizen Vince" by Jess Waltere paints early November of 1980 just before Ronald Reagan's victory over Jimmy Carter; from Spokane, Washington east to New York City, the story moves with dark humor as a charming crook chases his second chance. "The Good Husband of Zebra Drive" is Alexander Smith's new novel in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series in Botswana with a few tricky cases, a series of deaths, and pertinent office supplies missing from a local printing company. "Vineyard Stalker" by Philip Craig takes us to the "Martha" island where there is pressure to sell precious real estate, and a body turns up nearby complicating property disputes. James Benn's "The First Wave" is a Billy Doyle World War II mystery when in November 1942 Eisenhower's personal investigator goes to shore with the first troops at Beer Green Beach near Algiers. By contrast "Ham Bones" is Carolyn Haines' Southern Belle Mystery about Broadway coming to the Delta and how the star's lipstick is laced with cyanide. "The Night Ferry" by Michael Robotham involves a London neighborhood and a high school reunion that leads to a terrible crime and to action in Amsterdam. "The Broken Shore" by Peter Temple shows us a big-city detective posted in a quiet town on the South Australian coast and a crime blamed on three aboriginal boys. Here are other fiction requests. In "Her Royal Spyness" Rhys Bowen turns her attention to mischief by stylish minor English royalty circa 1930. "The Bourne Betrayal" by Eric Van Lustbader again features the rogue secret agent who has lost his memory, this time learning that his last friend in the world has gone missing after having been seen in Ethiopia tracking shipments of atomic bomb weaponry. To mention briefly a few more requests, try "The Maytrees" by Annie Dillard, "The Penny" by Joyce Meyer, "Sheer Abandon" by Penny Vincenzi, Fern Michaels' "Up Cose and Personal", Johanna Lindsey's "The Devil Who Tamed Her" and Linda Miller's Stone Creek novel "A Wanted Man".

Preview Shelf: Keeping Up With the Demand

The Crawfordsville District Public Library staff carefully buys new books, including those requested by readers. Often, patrons fill out request cards clipped to good reviews about useful reading. Just arrived Tony Dungy's "Quite Strength" giving his principles, practices, and priorities of a winning life is already wait-listed by football fans. "The New American Story" comes from Bill Bradley who believes that we are at a teachable moment, and he proposes things every American can do to shape our nation's future. "Modern Liberty and the Limits of Government" by Charles Fried is a meditation on the fate of traditional concepts of liberty in the modern welfare state. "A Brief History of Science" edited by John Gribbin divides its text into chaos & order, energy & motion, space & time, the nature of matter, the dynamic earth, and the pulse of life; it resembles a short colorful encyclopedia. "African American Dance: An Illustrated History" by Barbara Glass follows the dynamics of these dance forms throughout each generation. "The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang" was put together by Leonard Maltin amd Rocjard Bamm. "The Best
American Travel Writing 2006" edited by Tim Cahill includes essays about the Grand Canyon, downhill skiing in South Korea, the charms of Zurich, and an acquaintance with a French passenger plane manufacturer. "Truck: A Love Story" by Michael Perry actually recounts a year in which the author struggles to grow his own food, live peaceably with neighbors, and sort out his love life. A single experience walking out of the shadows of abuse is "Ama, Your Story is Mine" by Ercenia Cedeno. "The Grand Ole Opry" by Colin Escott gives the over-80-year-old history of that American icon. Two new travel guides are Fodor's "New Orleans 2007" and Lonely Planet's "Mexico".

New books about war struggles are Alex Keershaw's "The Few" about the American nights of the Air who risked everything to fight in the Battle of Britain (World War II). "Surviving the Sword" is Brian MacArthur's tribute to prisoners of the Japanese in the Far East from 1942-1945. "First into Nagasaki" by George Weller contains censored eyewitness dispatches on post-atomic Japan and its prisoners of war (1945). "A Deserter's Tale" is the story by Joshua Key, an ordinary soldier who walked away from the war in Iraq. Navy doctor Richard Jadick's Iraq war story is "On Call". Practical guides "Practical Pole Building Construction" by Leigh Seddon and "Water Gardens 1-2-3" come from The Home Depot. Jeanne Martinet saves us from embarrassment in "The Art of Mingling". "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Computer Basics" is by Joe Kraynak. Secrets to getting and keeping the joy you really want are found in Ron and Caryl Krannich's "The Blue-Collar Resume and Job Hunting Guide". "The Comfort of Home" by Maria Meyer is a guide for caregivers who work in patients' homes. "Keep Them on Your Side" by Samuel Bacharach shows how to lead and manage people and organizations to accomplish momentum. Elizabeth Pantley tells of gentle ways to encourage children's good behavior without whining, tantrums, and tears in "The No-Cry Discipline Solution". "Black & White" by Dani Shapiro is a novel about art, fame, ambition, and family that asks: Is it possible for a mother to be true to herself and true to her children at the same time?"

Celebrate Oktoberfest Exhibits at CDPL Art Gallery!

In the blaze of October's pumpkin sun, a whimsical ballet of frisky falling leaves begins. Radiantly colored leaves swirl, pirouette and gracefully dance on the breath of a breeze before landing on cool damp grass and warm white sidewalks, awaiting the crunch of happy-feet to grind them into fodder for next spring's avalanche of colorful blooms.

So too, under the warm haze of October's harvest moon, a whimsical ballet of WINSOME WATERCOLORS by Rena Brouwer, GLASS: AS HOT AS IT GETS by Lisa Pelo-McNeice and a FUNKY FALL FABRIC CHALLENGE by quilt artists Toshie Kazahaya, Sara Kleihauer, Marilyn Maddux and Jan Sieferman shout for joy in the Library's Mary Bishop Memorial Art Gallery.

Watercolor artist Rena Brouwer lives in the midst of a luscious wildlife haven in rural Carroll County Indiana. The environmental inspiration for her paintings is clearly evident in her delicately detailed watercolor depictions of the fauna and creatures she observes.

Rena's distinctive style is an interesting combination of realism, impressionism and abstraction. Always struggling to categorize her work in traditional terms, Rena asked international juror Robert Genn to define her work. After much thought he said, "It is Rena Brower."

Her Artist's Statement reads: "The imagery in my work springs from the history to which I belong. A part of a legacy that we each leave behind. Painting is a means for me to explore the recesses of memories from yesterday and the expressions of the 'todays'. The fluid freedom of watercolor breathes life into my creative journey."

Rena's collaborative nature has brought her opportunities to work locally, nationally and internationally through the arts.

In 2006, Rena was one of ten artists juried from a select group of 150 artists to represent Indiana in a project titled "Preserving Nature".

In recent years she has limited her teaching to community grants for schools and public venues that reach out to children and those at risk. As an instructor at Morton Community Center for 15 years, she offers public classes at the West Lafayette facility.

She has served on numerous arts boards. Her work has received recognition through awards from the Hoosier Salon, Watercolor Society of Indiana, Indiana Artists Club and various juried shows. She is also a member of the Brown County Guild, Nashville, Indiana.

Co-owner and founder of the Lafayette Renaissance Academy, Rena is the Gallery Director of the company. Her studio/gallery is located in the Lafayette Renaissance Academy. She may be reached at www.lafayetterenaissanceacademy.org.

Blown glass artist, Lisa Pelo-McNeice, owns Hot Blown Glass, Ltd. at 3717 S. County Road, 200 E, Clayton, Indiana. It is here, and at the glass studio of the Indianapolis Art Center, that she creates her one-of-a-kind eclectic glass pieces ranging in size from small and delicate to large and complex. To create her work, Lisa uses both a Hot and Cold Glass studio.

She has been the Glass Studio Department Head and Faculty Instructor in Glassblowing since 1998 at the Indianapolis Art Center. In 2000, she added Art Gallery Manager of Plainfield-Guilford Township's Public Library Gallery in Plainfield Indiana to her agenda.

Lisa strives to make a complete visual statement both in the skill needed to achieve the glass form and in the complementary color and styling enhancements of the form. She chooses glass as a medium or means to express glass, with glass, about glass. Within that equation -- her personality equals the glass. This makes for timeless study and the knowledge that there is always more to learn about glass, and about herself.

For her art glass, Lisa insists that it be identifiably unique in color and form. There would be no point in creating glass art that replicates anything created by any other glass artist. "And why would any artist want to do that anyway"? she asks.

In 1988, Lisa graduated cum Laude from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Specializing in Glass and a Bachelor of Fine Arts, in Creative Writing. This distinguished student spent 1986 in a European Study Program in Seville, Spain and belongs to the Golden Key National Honor Society. She has received many honors for both her art and her writing. Impressive!

Quilt artists Toshie Kazahaya, Sara Kleihauer, Marilyn Maddux and Jan Sieferman chose FUNKY FALL FABRIC CHALLENGE as the title for their exhibit. "Brown & white challenge fabric" was pulled from a rag bag at a quilt bee last spring. At its unveiling quilters present burst out laughing, thinking there was no way that ugly fabric could be used to make a thing of beauty! Never say never!

An exceptionally creative quilt bee member saw the fabric's potential. She brought the fabric home. She called three quilters, not present at the bee and asked them to use the fabric in a quilt, sight unseen. The three accepted and secretly created their challenge piece without the others seeing it. Weren't they brave? Or were they foolish?

The challenge read: Create a small quilt. Use fabric provided for at least one fourth of the quilt. Add "some" red. That was it! The challenge was worded loosely enough that "small" could be interpreted in any way the quilter wanted, as could "Red"!

A glance at the northwest wall of the gallery will bring forth gasps of unbelievable pleasure as you observe how each quilter interpreted their Funky Fall Fabric Challenge! Wouldn't you love to tap into their imaginations and see what falls out???

Don't let the chill of October keep you from the warm comfy exhibits presented, or the ghouly ghosts of October will come and get you.

Public Internet Computers: new log on procedure

PC Timer: The Crawfordsville District Public Library is using a log on system for the Internet computers on all floors. Each person is allowed 1 hour per day, but you may get to extend your time if all computers are not occupied (your computer will give you the option to extend when you have 5 minutes remaining in a session). You may log on for as many sessions as you wish per day until your maximum time is reached. There are two ways you can log on:

1) with your library card number + PIN (you are allowed two extensions of 30 minutes apiece)

If you have forgotten your library card PIN, you must ask a staff member at the Circulation desk (1st floor) to reset it to a new PIN (the staff can't tell you what your old PIN was). If you lose your library card and want to replace it, there is a $1.00 charge.

2) with a guest number + PIN (you are allowed one extension of 15 minutes)

If you do not have a library card, you must obtain a guest number + PIN from a staff member at the Circulation Desk (1st floor) or the Reference Desk (2nd floor). The guest log on is valid for 3 months. If you lose your guest number before it expires and want to replace it, there is a $1.00 charge for a new log on.

Express computers: The first-floor stand-up computers and the second-floor Local History computer allows 15 minutes for a session regardless of type of log on (no extensions).

NOTE: After a session is over, the computer will reboot and erase all changes. If you are working on a document (Word, Excel, etc.), it will be lost unless you have saved it to one of your own devices (a diskette, a CD-R or CD-RW, or a flash drive) or have sent it to your own e-mail account.

New Library Catalog

The next time you use our online catalog -- at home or in the library (or wherever you are), you may notice a different look. For one thing, if you misspell or mistype a search term, the catalog will often be ready with a "Did You Mean?" suggestion or suggestions. In addition, when you click for more information about an item (reviews, summary, etc.), your computer will no longer have to open a pop-up window: the extra information simply appears under the item record itself. You can also go directly to any page of your search results (instead of having to go in order page after page), sort by relevance, get better "narrow your search" options, and so on. If you have not used the catalog recently, give it a try and tell us what you think.

catalog.cdpl.lib.in.us/polaris/Search/

Genealogy Programs

Annual Dinner
The Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, IN Corp will have its annual dinner and meeting on Tuesday, October 9, 2007. Dinner will be at 6:00 pm catered by Joey. The meeting will follow at 7:00 pm, both held in the Donnelly Room of the Crawfordsville District Public Library, 205 South Washington Street, Crawfordsville, IN 47933.

The program will be "Tippecanoe Battlefield: The Space Between" by Robert Campbell, Wabash student.

Reservations REQUIRED for the dinner. RSVP Before Tuesday Oct 2, 2007. Payment of $10.00 for the meal must be made by Monday, October 8, 2007 at the Library's Local History Department. Visitors always welcome. For more information Contact: Dian Moore or Dellie Craig at PH: (765)-362-2242 Ext 118 or 119 weekdays 9-5. Or Email: gen@cdpl.lib.in.us or delliejean@yahoo.com.

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After Hours
Genealogy Club of Montgomery County, IN Corp :"After Hours Genealogy Research" 5:00-9:00 pm, Friday, October 26, 2007. Pizza Supper & Research - no charge- donations accepted towards pizza

5:00 pm Pizza, Donnelly room, lower level
5:45 pm Research in local history and reference area, 2nd floor
9:00 final closing

Advanced arrival (Before 5:00 pm) is required. Visitors welcome. Please confirm your expected attendance by Wednesday, Oct 24th to 765-362-2242, Ext 118 or 119. Or Email: gen@cdpl.lib.in.us or delliejean@yahoo.com.

Museum Day at the Carnegie

Museum Day comes to Carnegie Museum!

Join us on Saturday, September 29th.

New science projects! Face painting! Lots of family fun!

Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Place: Carnegie Museum
222 S. Washington
Crawfordsville, IN 47933
(765) 362-4618