The MeL Study is here! In an effort to continue improving MeL resources including  MeLCat so libraries and Michigan residents get the most benefit from the program, the Library of Michigan has contracted with EPIC MRA to do a study on the Michigan eLibrary.

The study includes a phone survey to the general public, an online questionnaire for library administrators and staff, and an online questionnaire for the public.

Please respond to the library online survey. We need to hear from as many library users – public library patrons, teachers, university students and faculty, K-12 students – as possible. The surveys and data analysis will be done this fall and the results will be available this winter.

Click Here for the Survey

Thank you for your participation!

The last few days, we’ve been hearing about kids missing school due to the flu, and everyone seems to have questions and concerns about vaccines for both regular and H1N1 flu. Here are a few resources that might be helpful:

• First off: what exactly IS the flu? Influenza (flu) at MayoClinic.com
• If you know kids who enjoy Sid the Science Kid (mine do!), you might want to watch this fun video showing how to avoid getting sick.
• Are your children school-age? Get the latest on student illnesses and vaccine clinics: Health Information at Manchester Community Schools
• The Washtenaw County Public Health Department is the place to check for the latest news about seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine availability.
• Check the Michigan Department of Community Health for the numbers on current H1N1 activity (numbers of people infected).

General good hygiene is the best way to avoid spreading or getting the flu, so we’ll be stocking up on tissues, antibacterial wipes, and hand sanitizer at the library.

Below is a link to a slide show from our fun afternoon with Fancy Nancy. Youth Services staff Anne and Karen threw a great party, and everyone had a good time!

The youth services department is throwing their next party on Saturday, October 24, just in time for Halloween. The Happy Halloween Party will start at 1pm and is open to all kids ages 5 and up. Wear your costume and come prepared to play games, tell jokes, and enjoy a few not-too-spooky stories. You’ll have a spook-tacular time!

For additional activities and events this winter, keep an eye on the library’s calendar.

See you soon!

Voting for this year’s Book Group Open House is now open!

For the 3rd year in a row, we’re offering a list of suggestions for next year’s Book of the Month list. Vote for your favorites and help us select what to read!

Voting in the library ends at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26. On-line voting ends on Monday, Sept. 29 at 10 a.m.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY
Thanks for your participation!

Michigan author Deborah Diesen will be at Manchester District Library on Tuesday, Oct. 6 to read her book The Pout-Pout Fish and present a special program for preschoolers (ages 3-5).

The Pout-Pout Fish introduces a fish with a pouty mouth and a gloomy attitude. His ocean-dwelling friends try to cheer him, but he resists their efforts, claiming “I’m a pout-pout fish/With a pout-pout face/So I spread the dreary-wearies/All over the place.” Eventually, one special friend helps the Pout-Pout Fish turn his “dreary wearies” into “cheery-cheeries.” A Time Magazine’s Top 10 Children’s Books of 2008, the book’s “…winning artwork…oozes personality” (Kirkus Reviews). The Pout-Pout Fish was selected for the 2009 Michigan Reads! One State, One Children’s Book program.

Ready to read The Pout-Pout Fish? Check out a copy from the library!

The program begins at 10:30 a.m. No registration is required. You may bring your own copy of the book to be signed, if you like. For more information, contact Heather Sturm (hsturm [at] manchesterlibrary.info), or call the library at 734-428-8045.

This year’s list of Great Lakes Book Award winners is full of great stories. I’ve linked the titles of the list below to the library catalog – just click to read reviews, see availability, and place a hold on any of the following:

Fiction
Dark Places, Gillian Flynn, Random House
The Great Perhaps, Joe Meno, W.W. Norton
A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Starvation Lake, Bryan Gruley, Simon & Schuster
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski, Harper Collins

General
Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting, Michael Perry, Harper Collins
The Foie Gras Wars, Mark Caro, Simon & Schuster
Horse Soldiers, Doug Stanton, Simon & Schuster
Ripped, Greg Kot, Simon & Schuster
A Splintered History of Wood, Spike Carlsen, Harper Collins

Children’s Chapter Books
After the Trains, Gloria Whelan, Harper Collins
The Blind Faith Hotel, Pamela Todd, Simon & Schuster
I Put a Spell on You, Adam Selzer, Random House
Knucklehead, Jon Scieszka, Penguin Group
The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary, Candace Fleming, Random House
My Brother Abe, Harry Mazer, Simon & Schuster

Children’s Picture Books
Baby Dragon, Amy Ehrlich, Will Hillenbrand (Illus.), Candlewick Press
Birds, Kevin Henkes, Laura Dronzek (Illus.), Harper Collins
Old Bear, Kevin Henkes, Harper Collins
That Book Woman, Heather Henson, David Small (Illus.), Simon & Schuster
The Underwear Salesman, J. Patrick Lewis, Serge Bloch (Illus.), Simon & Schuster

Stealing Buddha's Dinner

The Discussion Group will meet to talk about Stealing Buddha’s Dinner and related topics on Wednesday, September 23 at 7pm in the conference room. No pre-registration is required, and we’re always happy to see new faces. Contact Heather Sturm (hsturm[at]manchesterlibrary[dot]info) for more information.

Michigan has launched a new website for people who are dealing with economic hardship. This website contains information about jobs & training; unemployment; health care; family support; and housing.

Go to www.michigan.gov/helpinghand for more information.

Even more great information is listed at the Tough Times web site, put together by Metro Area Detroit libraries. Copies of the Tough Times brochure is available at the library, too.

If you’re using the library’s public computers for job searching, application for unemployment, or training and testing, you can request extended computer time. Check with a staff person before you log in to the computer, and they may be able to extend the normal 30-minute time limit.

A wonderful little video about reading to children — brought to you by the Wichita (KS) Public Library and Books for Life. Enjoy!

Here’s a dose of poetry from the new Magnetic Poetry boards in the Teen Spot. 

the goddess with shiny hair
lies like a enormous woman eats
as she crushes you with her bitterness bare
you may not want to ask for smelly feet

–anonymous

all these must soar said he
ask love by day

we will whisper sleep after sea swim

– anonymous

Stop in and write your own poem!