Salute to AVRL’s Weight Lifter!

Through wind, rain, sleet, snow, and muggy summer days, Kurt is the courier who delivers your requested books to your home branch library for pick-up.    All up and down the valley, library staff are pulling items from shelves and rerouting them to other destinations.   They are packed in boxes, awaiting Kurt’s dissemination of them to the people who are planning their vacations, remodeling their kitchens, installing a solar panel, sharing good times with their children, or just waiting to read the latest book by their favourite author.    

Kurt departs from the Administration Office in Bridgetown and delivers and picks up 4 days a week at our 11 locations from Windsor to Annapolis Royal.    One of those days is dedicated to what we call ‘collection exchange’.  Those are items that are being traded among the locations, not to fill specific requests, but to refresh the collections, so that everyone sees a good variety of what the library has to offer.   It’s a 7 hour mission each day, with approximately 70 boxes both going and coming.   By our calculations, that’s an average of 1270 kilograms or 2800 pounds lifted at least once on each delivery day!  Much more than that if you consider how many times each box is moved (loading the van, stacking them on the dolly for unloading, and depositing them inside each of the libraries)!

Consequently, Kurt is quite a trim fellow who doesn’t require a gym membership.  (It helps that, being on the road, he misses the office potlucks and the many birthday cakes.)  

Kurt’s 12 years of adventures with AVRL have included flat tires, assisting at accident scenes, a minor fender bender or two, unintended security alarm breeches, and a variety of other experiences, both good and bad.   Aside from travelling with the usual books and DVDs, he’s also been accompanied by some odd storytime props and, recently, Harry Potter characters Dumbledore and Ron Weasley (stand-up cut-outs).  Kurt has worked as a clerk and substitute behind the library circulation desk, so has had the privilege of seeing the other side of the workload and knows how appreciative the public can be at receiving their much-sought-after reading material.  

When Kurt takes his vacation, do other staff scramble to fill his shoes?  Well sometimes, yes, actually, but the novelty wears off pretty fast due to the aforementioned 1270 kg per day and a couple of days of teeming-down rain.   On the plus side, by the end of his vacation, he may well be considered the most valued employee on staff. 

So, if you see a white library van with the words Driven to Read on the side, please give a nod to Kurt, AVRL’s much-appreciated weight lifter and courier of precious cargo.

Wendy Trimper

Head of Branch Services

Tech Advice - Web Browsers

Our own AVRL Systems Support Team (we call them our computer gurus) has some advice to share:

Step 3:  Web Browsers

One of the most important ways to keep you computer free of spyware is to be careful what you click on.  Almost every webpage has some kind of advertising on it and not all of it is innocent.  You can actually block a lot of the advertising simply by using a different web browser and using an “add-on” that prevents the ads from being displayed.

Firefox  is an open source web browser that has been developed and refined over the last 10 years and has slowly been taking some of the market share away from Internet Explorer (big blue E on your desktop) All you need to do is download it and install the Adblock Plus add-on and you can say good bye to many of the ads you see while surfing. 

Chrome  is the new kid on the block. It was introduced by Google in 2008 and has become very popular because of its speed and minimalist look.  It has also introduced the Chrome web store where you can download “apps for the web” that will work inside the Chrome browser.

 

AdBlock Plus is a small program that can be integrated into the Firefox and Chrome web browsers.  It works by blocking advertisements at their source; preventing them from appearing on the page you are viewing. 

Come back next Wednesday for the final installment on how to protect  your computer! 

Tech Advice - Protect your computer

Our own AVRL Systems Support Team (we call them our computer gurus) has some advice to share:

By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly.  There are many programs that claim to be the only one that you need to protect yourself, but we have found that using a combination of a few, each one taking a different approach to spyware is actually superior. A nice thing about the programs we are highlighting is that they are all free for individuals to use.  Many of them also have more functionality such as automatic updates and scheduled scanning that can be unlocked by purchasing a license.

Step 1: Make sure you have an updated virus scanner.

There are some very good free antivirus programs that actually work better in some ways than the paid versions that may have come preloaded on your computer when you bought it.   These companies make their money through licensing deals with large businesses and corporations.  The free versions are restricted to personal use only and may have some limitations that the paid versions do not such as the ability to scan only certain parts of the computer on a schedule. 

***Please note that you should not install more than one Antivirus (AV) program on your computer. Make sure you uninstall any existing AV completely before you install a new one.

Microsoft Security Essentials offers comprehensive virus and malware scanning with free updates, as well as real time scanning of files and email.

 

Step 2: Empty cache and clean up TMP files

Web caching is the caching of web documents (e.g., HTML pages, images) to reduce bandwidth usage, server load, and perceived lag.  Whenever you visit a webpage, your web browser stores a snapshot of the page in its memory. This helps to improve browsing because it means you don’t have to download the page every visit.  Temporary files or TMP files are created when an application needs to store some temporary data.  Programs which use large amounts of data, like video editing software, may need to create many TMP files to keep the program running smoothly.  They are usually deleted automatically by the parent application (the software, game, application) that created them; however there may be instances when these files are not removed from your computer and takes up unnecessary space.

 CCleaner is a small and efficient program that scans the hard drive and gets rid of these temporary files.  It can also be used to clean up old unused entries in the registry, and to control what programs are run when your computer starts up. There's a video tutorial here.

Come back on Wednesday for steps 3 & 4! 

What is YA? Vampires!

Why are vampire books so incredibly popular? There are plenty of theories, and here’s mine- who doesn’t want a rich, handsome, worldly, and slightly dangerous boyfriend (or girlfriend)?  YA vampires are almost always as mentioned. The vampire boy (most often depicted) can also be needy – maybe the girl can help him be a better… person? Maybe her love will transform him into a feeling, nice, sweet blood sucker. Maybe he will give up his penchant for human blood, and hunt squirrels instead. Or if he must drink human blood, maybe he’ll only feast on bad guys.  At any rate, the vampire is the perfect boyfriend, because he is so unattainable. He’s the perfect fantasy, he’s not real, but in the novel, he is hyper-real.  He’s a bad-boy, yes, but he is stone-cold beautiful, difficult to love, but oh so worth the trouble. He’s the older man in a teenage body. He’s been around for so long; he is just waiting for the right girl to change him.   What’s not to love? Most YA vampire novels are also low on the violence scale, so the story is more about the characters and the plot, less about graphic descriptions of throats being torn out.  Yet there is still blood, because what would a vampire book be without blood? 

One has to admit that the Twilight series recently gave the genre a huge push, but vampire books have held their own long before Ms. Meyer stepped into the half-lit night. Teens read Anne Rice’s Lestat books and Stephen King’s incredibly creepy Salem's Lot well before Edward Cullen was conceived. As an aficionado of all things vampire, I have to confess that the Twilight books are not my favourites. Yes, I’ve read them and yes, there were some good bits (like the movies), but there are plenty of other great vampire books out there.  A recent favourite was Blood by K. J. Wignall. The vampire (he prefers the term Undead) in this book doesn’t even know who made him what he is. What he used to be was an Earl in line to inherit a fortune, and of course, he is a handsome, intelligent, and thoughtful killer.  The story is complex, the English Midlands setting is perfect, and there are characters are aplenty. And of course, it is to be a trilogy.  Riffing on Harry Potter, there are vampire boarding school books, such as the House of Night series by P.C. Cast, and for the A-List fans, snobby rich-kid vampires like the ones in the Vamps series by Nancy A. Collins, and even humorous vampires like the snarky star of  Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst – and by the way, these 3 books all feature girl vampires.   If you are already a fan of the genre, take a look at our Vampire booklist, you might find a title you haven’t yet read. For those who like their characters to be fully alive (at least when the book begins), tune in next month when we’ll explore some of the books that won the Michael Printz award for excellence in YA books. 

WHAT IS YA? Will be a monthly feature, published on the 15^th of each month, written by Angela Reynolds, our Head of Youth Services.  We are giving away YA books to go along with it! Make a comment below about one of the books we talked about, and you’ll be entered into a monthly draw for a YA review copy. Must be able to pick the book up at one of our branch libraries; no books will be shipped or mailed.

BOOK TO MOVIE

We all enjoy movies but many of us are still surprised at how many movies are actually based on books. That being said should we assume that behind every good movie is a good book?  Sadly this is not always the case, but it is fun to see which books eventually become movies and whether the movies are as good as the books or perhaps even better.  By reading and then watching we can get very different stories and we alone can be the judge.

Several movies recently honoured with Golden Globe and Oscar nominations and awards are based on books.  One example of this is Hugo, based on the 2007 children’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.  This must have been a huge challenge for Martin Scorsese considering his filmography. His grandchild wanted to be able to watch one on his movies and suggested this book and it looks like he delivered. 

Going back to 1995, we were introduced to Stephanie Plum a Jersey gal from the suburbs who becomes a bounty hunter in the book One for the Money by Janet Evanovich.  Eighteen novels later with plenty of movie speculation it finally comes out in theaters in February 2012.  There are plenty of Plum fans out there who can’t wait to see what kind of job they did with this book. 

Brad Pitt hit a home run with Moneyball based on the 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis.  Critics raved about this movie.  Based on a true story, sports fans and non-sports fans alike were drawn into this amazing tale.

I am sure you have heard of the Stieg Larsson trilogy of books that started with the translation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  in 2008.  This is a  fabulous set of books and the rush to the movie version resulted in three Swedish-made films; now Hollywood is taking a crack at it.  Both versions have been very well reviewed so watch them all.  I think it will be very interesting to see how these interpretations will differ.

So check out all your favourite movies old and new and see if they have a book companion.  Were there any surprises? Which one excelled in the transition and which one disappointed?  Which books do you think would have made a great movie?  It’s a great conversation starter. 

Patricia Milner, Head of Reference Services

Snowshoes on the Bookmobile?

Being active doesn't take a lot of time, money or equipment... all you need is warm clothes and the great outdoors. Take the roof off winter and be active for your health!

Recreation Nova Scotia has partnered with Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness and developed the Take the Roof off Winter campaign. This campaign has been developed to help all Nova Scotians improve their health and quality of life by building physical activity into daily routine. The Annapolis Valley Regional Library Outreach Services Department is once again partnering with Annapolis County Recreation to provide a program that will benefit residents throughout Annapolis County. This program will provide ten pairs of snowshoes that will be made available for loan through the Bookmobile service. We have sizes available for everyone, and there is a three week lending period. 

The Bookmobile schedule for this winter in Annapolis County is:

·         Feb. 22 & March 14 – East Dalhousie, Cherryfield, Springfield and New Albany North

·         Feb. 28 & March 20 – Margaretville and Torbrook Mines

·         Feb. 29 & March 21 – Maitland Bridge, Clementsvale, Cornwallis Park, Bear River East and Bear River

Click here for the full Bookmobile schedule and locations.

The Bear River Winter Carnival runs February 9 – February 12 with many exciting activities offered each day. Some of the features include snow and ice sculpture, snowshoeing, skating, Nordic walking, yoga, cross country skiing, Tai Chi and Zumba. The Bookmobile will be there too and will offer library service on Saturday February 11 from 12 – 4 pm, as well as a family scavenger hunt! Bring your library card and have some fun. The Bookmobile will be parked in its usual spot, the post office parking lot. Click here for the calendar of events for the Bear River Winter Carnival.

The Bookmobile serves many of the Annapolis Valley's outlying communities and neighborhoods, aiming at all ages and interests. We bring the library to you, so you can feed your mind --and your body!  

 Wendy Kearnes

Outreach Services Manager

Food for Fines in February

Remember the great Seinfeld episode with Mr. Bookman, the Library Cop? 

If AVRL actually had a library cop, it would be worth holding a long overdue book just to get a visit from that guy!  (If you haven’t seen this episode, treat yourself to a good laugh, either here on  YouTube  or by borrowing the Season 3 DVD set from the library.)

While not everyone can come up with a Jerry Seinfeld skit on demand, or have truly creative excuses for not getting their library items back on time, we do hear our share of stories, both sad and funny, truth and fiction, too, we think.  

Here’s one of my personal favourite whining moments --

While seeking sympathy for the inability to pay a 50 cent fine on an overdue Metallica biography, the patron tells staff how much she enjoyed attending their recent concert! 

Yeah, thanks for sharing that tale of woe.

Anyway, if you’ve accumulated library fines, you can pay them off in February and feel good about doing it.   Just give us a non-perishable item for the local food bank, and we’ll forgive up to $3.00 in fines!   And the really good news is that there is no limit on the number of fines which can be forgiven!  Please note that this Food For Fines initiative applies to fines only, not other fees like lost books or printing costs.   

While clearing up the fines, if you’d like to regale staff with a tale of why the items were overdue in the first place, please feel free to entertain us.   We’re sending ideas off to Jerry for future comedy sketches.    

And – more good news -- it’s a leap year, so we’ll even give you the extra day in February to get it done.    

Happy Reading!  

Wendy Trimper

Head of Branch Services