Among the most significant American sociopolitical developments of the 20th century was the achievement of national women’s suffrage, as codified 90 years ago in the 19th amendment of the U.S. constitution. Ratified by the states on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment enshrined the right to vote as an essential liberty of all adult citizens, regardless of gender. This triumph was the culmination of a tremendous amount of activism and struggle, and the library is a great place to explore the stories of the courageous women who helped bring about this landmark piece of legislation.

Interested in learning more about the lives of women’s suffrage activists like Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony? You can get more information from the Biography Resource Center, one of many great reference databases available on our website and accessible with your library card.

Another noteworthy suffragette, Carrie Chapman Catt, founded The League of Women Voters in 1920. The group is perhaps best described by their mission statement: “The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.” Their website has a wealth of resources to explore and is well worth visiting.

While we’re on the subject of voting, did you know that you can get a voter registration form from the library?  Be sure to check out our Voting and Elections subject guide, a handy resource with links and answers to all your questions about the upcoming elections.

Do you know where your food comes from?  Neither did I, until a couple of months ago; I used to buy food from the big supermarkets.  But, partially fueled by books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and movies like Food, Inc., there has been a recent surge of interest in this question of where our food comes from, and what chemicals have been put into it.  I’ve not read or seen these books or documentaries myself, as I have a huge fear of finding out all the horribly true facts that I’m totally happy ignoring.  However, I’ve started going to local organic farmers markets, which are cropping up all over the place.  Even if you didn’t care where your food comes from, it’s still a refreshing experience attending these markets.  Each farmer sells you his or her veggies, fruit, meat, milk, eggs, pastries and/or cheeses themselves.  I find it especially reassuring that each of my dozen eggs is of a different size and shape, which is the way it should be!  And they taste much better than grocery store bought eggs.  Also, I know that my vegetables are freshly harvested from Georgia clay often within the last 24 hours, instead of being trucked across the country from who knows where.  Here are some of the local organic farmers markets that I’m aware of.  If you know of any others in or around DeKalb County, please share with us in the comments section…

• Decatur Farmers Market – there is one every Wednesday at the corner of Church and Commerce from 4pm to 7pm (Winter hours are 3pm to 6pm).  There’s also one run by the same people on Saturdays, from 9am to Noon across the street from Chic-Fil-A on N. McDonough.
• East Lake Farmers Market – Saturdays from 9am to 1pm at the corner of Hosea L. Williams Dr SE & 2nd Ave SE.
• East Atlanta Village Farmers Market – Thursdays 4pm to 8pm May thru November at 1231 Glenwood Ave (Village Hardware)

More books and movies about eating locally grown organic food that I haven’t read:

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver – a memoir of a year of eating locally
• What to Eat by Marion Nestle – cutting through the hype, nutritionist Nestle tells us what we should eat
• Fast Food Nation (DVD) – the history and inner workings of the fast food industry
• King Corn: You Are What You Eat (DVD) – our food woes through the lens of one grain

It has been over two years since the beginning of the recession, and though the economy is slowly recovering, dramatically reduced tax revenues along with higher demand for public services and assistance has left many municipalities with vast budget shortfalls. In order to balance the books, many local governments have had to reduce or even eliminate public services considered to be non-essential, and unfortunately one of the first targets is often the library system.

New York City is no exception to this sad story. The New York Public Library faces a funding cut of $37million, a staggering amount of money whose absence could lead to nearly a dozen branch closures, reduced service days (four per week rather than six), and the elimination of numerous programs for kids and adults. Fortunately NYPL isn’t taking this lying down and has initiated an advocacy campaign called Don’t Close the Book on Libraries, which encourages people to write letters to their representatives on the Library’s behalf and/or donate funds directly to the Library. In order to help get the message out, NYPL has partnered with Improv Everywhere (who describe themselves as a “long form improvisation troupe which executes pre-planned ‘missions’ which usually involve socially awkward or unusual situations.”) to produce a viral video in the library. Specifically, they decided to stage a sort of recreation of a scene from the 1984 film Ghostbusters which was shot in the Rose Main Reading Room. You can watch video of the “mission” below:

For pictures and behind the scenes info, head over to the Improv Everywhere website.

Of course, NYPL isn’t the only library system feeling the pinch. The American Library Association has a list of links to websites dedicated to saving the library systems in their states which you can view here.

In these tough economic times we have the fortune of being able to turn to our local library for help. Libraries provide free internet access, computer classes, children’s programs, and of course, thousands of books, DVDs and more that can be borrowed for no cost at all. Unfortunately, many libraries across the country are losing vital funds to keep these services and programs afloat. One non-profit organization, The Friends of the Dunwoody Library, has been working tirelessly over the years to make sure that the Dunwoody Library remains a hub of the community, despite growing economic uncertainty. These volunteers’ efforts include sponsoring library programs, promoting literacy and organizing a major quarterly undertaking: the Dunwoody Library booksale.  Money generated from these booksales, which are comprised of a massive collection of community donations, has allowed for some major undertakings, namely the renovation of the Dunwoody Library this past summer. The Friends put an astounding $185,000 towards the remodeling of the branch, which included updating the children’s library and storytime room.

And their work has ensured that the Dunwoody Library can continue to provide relevant, educational and entertaining programs for community members of all ages. Each year the Friends generously give the Dunwoody Library between $55-60,000 for programs and materials that end up benefitting the entire DeKalb County Public Library System. Children’s programs, such as storytimes and the Book Bunch Book Club, and adult literacy programs would not exist without the support of the Friends.  Online databases, books, periodicals and reference materials are purchased with the help of the Friends as well. In fact, the Friends recently purchased content for a new audiobook database called Overdrive. It’s not available yet, but check back to the DCPL website in the coming months.

The Friends of the Dunwoody Library continue to succeed in keeping the library a center of the community through their hard work and commitment.  If you would like to help with their important work, you can stop by the Dunwoody Library and ask for a Friends of the Library membership form. If you don’t live in Dunwoody but would like to join your local Friends group, click here for more information.

My blog posts tend to be fairly random–just whatever’s on my mind at the moment. Right now that happens to be Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquakes that have ravaged the country.

For the past week or so I, like so many others, have been glued to the television and to the internet for any updates on the aftermath, relief efforts and ways to donate to the cause.  As heartbreaking as images and accounts of the tragedy have been, the outpouring of love and support has also been uplifting, encouraging and heartwarming.  Still, there’s always more that can be done, more that can be given.

One of the things I like to do on January 1st (besides eating collard greens for money and black eyed peas for luck) is make a list of New Year’s Aspirations. I know most people make a list of things they want to quit like smoking and being in debt but I like to write down what I want to do in the coming year. It just sounds so much more positive—to aspire vs. to resolve.

When I’m done I seal the paper in an envelope and give it to a friend to mail to me at the end of the year. It’s amazing how many things come true and it’s always fun to get the proverbial” self addressed stamped envelope” around December 31st.

However, if you still want to make a list of resolutions the most popular ones include quitting smoking, quitting drinking, losing weight, getting in shape, getting out of debt, spending more time with family, helping others and learning something new, etc.

You’ll find plenty of material from How to Books to Instructional DVD’s in our catalog to get you where you want to be. Happy New Year!

With the recently proposed $894 billion heath care legislation working its way through Congress (to date it has been passed by the House and is working its way through the Senate; for more information, go here to read a recent article detailing the progress of the legislation) and the national debate over universal health care, rising insurance costs, and the possibility of a public insurance option heating up, what is needed is high-quality, incisive, and in-depth reporting on the facts of the situation. Luckily for those interested in teasing out the true nature of the health care related problems facing the nation, journalists from both National Public Radio and the public radio program This American Life have worked jointly to produce several articles and programs examining many aspects of the health care debate, all of which are available for free online.

This American Life (which, as mentioned earlier, is a radio program and therefore is in audio format) has produced the following episodes on the topic of health care:

• More is Less is an examination of why it is that medical costs keep rising. One story looks at the doctors, one at the patients and one at the insurance industry.
• Someone else’s money is a deeper look inside the health insurance industry, including stories examining industry jargon, the origins of the employer health care system, and the inside scoop on drug coupons and how they affect drug prices.
• The third act of the episode Fine Print reports on a House subcommittee hearing addressing the insurance industry’s practice of rescission.
• Additionally the TAL website also features a page of links to other health care articles and information, which can be found here.

If you’d prefer to read your news rather than listen to it (though you can listen to these stories as well), take a look at the health care related content produced by NPR:

• How the Modern Patient Drives Up Health Care Costs is an explanation of rising health care costs focusing on the role of patients, in a similar vein to Act 2 of the TAL episode More is Less.
• How Drug Ads Changed Health Care discusses the shift in pharmaceutical marketing over the past 25 years from attempts to influence doctors to advertising campaigns targeting patients, and the consequences of that shift.

And finally, for those still eager for more coverage on this subject, check out a couple of titles available from the DCPL catalog:

• Health Care Half-Truths: Too Many Myths, Not Enough Reality
• Health Care Meltdown: Confronting the Myths And Fixing Our Failing System

Please remember that the Library is closed today in observance of Veterans Day, and the many citizens who serve our country.  Heather wrote a great Veteran’s Day post last year with some good links, so I will not try to improve on it.  Go read her post!

Halloween is upon us once again, and you can count on the Library to help you and your children get into the spirit.

The shelves are abound with Halloween books that are informational, spooky and just plain fun, including my new favorite picture book, Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara. The adorable story about a young witch girl and her haunted house is filled with retro illustrations that make this book not only a wonderful addition to the Halloween genre, but picture books in general.

There are some great Halloween websites out there that are worth checking out. You can access a list of authoritative sites which include games, costume making, safety tips and more by visiting KidSpace @ The Internet Public Library.

The Dunwoody Library, Doraville Library and Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library will be hosting Halloween programs this week. Stop by and check out these fun, free programs!

How do you get in the Halloween spirit?

Right now many adults are revisiting (and perhaps introducing their kids to) the 1963 classic Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, thanks largely to the new film adaptation of the book from director Spike Jonze. From the critics salivating over the new film to readers and scholars with fond memories of Sendak’s book, most fans agree that Where The Wild Things Are is impeccable in its celebration of childhood imagination and groundbreaking in its recognition of childhood angst and anger, even. But you can troll the web yourself for in-depth critical analysis of the book–I’ll try to steer clear of all of that.

In my day-to-day library work, I’m often stumbling onto old childhood favorites of mine, books that resonated for one reason or another. Here are a few of the ones that are truly special to me:

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe: I remember truly enjoying this book, not for the intriguing Cinderella-esque story alone but also because of Steptoe’s gorgeous and evocative illustrations. The thing that struck me most about the artwork was that it seemed to have so much richness and texture. The illustrations had this quality about them that made me want to reach out and touch the characters.

Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard: To this day, this book reminds me of my 4th grade teacher Miss Armstrong. She was a very sweet lady but my class sort of took her kindness for weakness. Miss Armstrong would have done well to have a raven-haired alter ego like Miss Viola Swamp, with scary make-up and even scarier temperament.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats: As a kid growing up in Atlanta, where the snowy days are few and far between, it was a real treat reading about the travails of little Peter in the beautifully snow-covered city.

Also, I’ve found some great adult books that celebrate the works of some of the great authors of children’s literature:

The Art of Maurice Sendak by Selma G. Lanes: This book is a smorgasbord for Sendak fans that features essays on his life, his career and his body of work as an illustrator and author. My favorite things about this book so far are the pages (three foldout pages!) of his brilliant artwork and a facsimile of “Where The Wild Horses Are“, the prototype of what would become the aforementioned Sendak masterpiece.

The Art of Eric Carle: This incredible book reflects upon the life and the art of legendary (and one of my favorite) children’s author Eric Carle. Much like Carle’s stunning book illustrations and artwork, this book is multi-textured and very colorful, an insightful collage of autobiography, essays and tributes from his peers and admirers.

Do you remember your favorite books from childhood? What are the qualities that make these books truly special?