Tale of Despereaux

Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo is an adorable tale about a tiny mouse who realizes that he can be as brave as a knight.

The movie has been out in theatres since Friday, December 19th. If you haven't seen the movie yet, before you go to see it in the theatre, try reading it together as a family!

Visions of Christmas

Visions of Christmas is an Exhibition of an array of Christmas images, mainly from 19th century books and cards. Includes images of works showing the evolution of Santa Claus (from a slim man who gave out gifts to the large, round man we know today), the origins of the decorated Christmas tree, and the 1820s poem "A Visit From Saint Nicholas" (also known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"). From the American Antiquarian Society.

LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/26612 - [LII New This Week] December11, 2008


Popular Christmas scene drawn by
Thomas Nast for the January 3, 1874
issue of Harper's Weekly.

Libraries on NBC Nightly News

Movie Night - Rescheduled

Attention: The Holiday Movie will be "Horton Hears a Who!"

Thursday, December 11th

6:00 P.M.

We hope to see you there!!

Christmas Tree-lighting @ the Library

8th Annual Village Christmas Tree-lighting
at the Library following the Winter Wonderland Parade
Saturday, December 6
Holiday carols sung by the Fox River Women's Choir, reading of an original Christmas poem,
Illumination of the 17-foot tree, contest winners will be announced,
visits with Santa and gift bags for kids.
Parade starts @ 5:30.

8th Annual Village Tree Lighting Contest

Grand prize winner will receive a prize and the honor of lighting the Village Christmas tree on December 6th at the library directly following
the Winter Wonderland Parade.

Contest Winners are:
Grand Prize - Emily Hintz
1st Place- Abbie Klemko
2nd Place - Kendall Trieglaff
3rd Place- Kyle Endle, Hannah Hinners, Teddy Pollock, Sara Van Nice and Erica Wright.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Get Your TV and Music Fix Online

Forget basic cable--there's plenty of free TV available to watch online. If you don't want to catch your favorite shows at the networks' own Web sites, hit up sites such as Hulu, Joost, and Comcast's Fancast to get your full-episode TV fix. Also: Stream music for free to your computer from Last.fm, Pandora (both available on the iPhone), Deezer, or Slacker.
If you're on the road and missing your TiVo, use a place-shifting device such as the Sling Media Slingbox or Sony LocationFree to watch your own DVR content online.

Movie Time!

Movie Saturday is this weekend!
Bring the entire family and invite your neighbors.
Popcorn and soda will be served.

Check out these fun Wall-E games:

BUILD-A-BOT
Build your own robot and use it to play games. Then Challenge your friends!
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/buildabot/

Treasure Round-Up
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/games/space/

Space Escape
http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/games/treasure/game.html

Upcoming Jewelry Class

2008 Election

The Presidential Election will be held in the basement of the Village Hall, 123 N River Street today from 7 am - 8 pm.

If you choose to register at the polls today, be sure to have your Driver's License, the required proof of residency and be prepared to wait.

Election Day can be hectic, but processing will be done as quick as possible.

If you have any questions about registration election issues don't hesitate to call the Village Clerk at 534-3980 or check out their website: http://www.vi.waterfor.wi.gov/.

excerpts from the Village Newsletter Oct-Dec 2008

Computer Classes Available!

E-mail Part 1 & 2

The Waterford Public Library will offter two classes entitled E-mail Part 1

on Wednesday, November 19th and E-mail Part 2 on December 17.

There will be a morning and afternoon class.

Classes will begin at 10 AM and 2 PM on both dates.

Students will learn how to send, receive and reply to messages,

E-mail addresses, inboxes and other basic functions of e-mail will be discussed.

Registration is required.

The deadline to register is Monday, November 10th for E-mail part 1.

Each class is limited to 10 students each. Call the library @ 534-3988 to register.

For E-mail part 2, Students will learn how to organize E-mail and how to send

attachements with your E-mail.

Registration is required. The deadline to register for E-mail part 2, is Monday, December 8th.

Each class is limited to 10 students each. Call the library @ 534-3988 to register.

Don't Forget to Fall Back!

On Sunday, November 2 (the first Sunday in November) at 2 a.m., Daylight Saving Time ends in the United States. This is the second year that Daylight Saving Time is four weeks longer due to the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005. The Act, which extends Daylight Saving Time by four weeks from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November, is expected to save 10,000 barrels of oil each day through reduced use of power by businesses during daylight hours.
Every spring we move our clocks one hour ahead and "lose" an hour during the night and each fall we move our clocks back one hour and "gain" an extra hour. But Daylight Saving Time (and not Daylight Savings Time with an "s") wasn't just created to confuse our schedules.
The phrase "Spring forward, fall back" helps people remember how Daylight Saving Time affects their clocks. At 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, we set our clocks forward one hour ahead of standard time ("spring forward"). We "fall back" at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November by setting our clock back one hour and thus returning to standard time.
The change to Daylight Saving Time allows us to use less energy in lighting our homes by taking advantage of the longer and later daylight hours. During the six-and-a-half-month period of Daylight Saving Time, the names of time in each of the time zones in the U.S. change as well. Eastern Standard Time (EST) becomes Eastern Daylight Time, Central Standard Time (CST) becomes Central Daylight Time (CDT), Mountain Standard Time (MST) becomes Mountain Daylight Tome (MDT), Pacific Standard Time becomes Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), and so forth.
Daylight Saving Time was instituted in the United States during World War I in order to save energy for war production by taking advantage of the later hours of daylight between April and October. During World War II the federal government again required the states to observe the time change. Between the wars and after World War II, states and communities chose whether or not to observe Daylight Saving Time. In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act which standardized the length of Daylight Saving Time.
Arizona (except some Indian Reservations), Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have chosen not to observe Daylight Saving Time. This choice does make sense for the areas closer to the equator because the days are more consistent in length throughout the year.
~ About.com:Geography

Frets on Fire

Frets on Fire is a free and open source game for Windows, Mac and Linux that comes with the goal of picking up your keyboard and trying to rock out just like the first guys on the keytar. Frets on Fire will definitely remind you of Guitar Hero, because the gameplay is very similar. If you have always wanted to test out the new music games, but didn’t have the cash, read on to find out how you can still rock out in style.

Gameplay
As mentioned above, the gameplay is almost identical to that of Guitar Hero or Rock Band. You have five different colored markers that come towards you on the screen. You must match your button mashes to the incoming markers in order to score points.
Frets on Fire uses the familiar formula of “strumming” the guitar while pressing the proper “fret.” “Strumming” or “picking” can be done by hitting the Enter or Shift key, and the frets are F1 through F5 keys.

Controllers
It is possible to also use a joystick with Frets on Fire. I’m sure some of you just said, “Why would we want to do that?” That is a valid question, but the ability to use a joystick translates into the ability to use an Xbox 360 guitar. It isn’t quite as easy as just plugging it into your USB port, but there are several guides up on fan sites and forums that discuss how to get that USB Xbox 360 controller to work with Frets on Fire.

Community
The basic game only comes with three songs, which is disappointing until you realize the amazing community that supports this game. Keyboards on Fire and Frets on Fire Fan Forum are the first two places you should go after you download Frets on Fire. There is a wealth of information on these sites from tutorials and troubleshooting to new songs and downloads. You can also find other fan and support sites from the Frets on Fire homepage.

Songs

The lack of initial songs is made up for by the ability to create your own songs and upload them. If you aren’t amazing at composing, there are several people that are, and many unique and custom songs can be found on the fan sites mentioned above. In addition to original compositions, you can upload just about all of the songs from any Guitar Hero game. You might also want to search around the internet for song packs. I’m sure you will find that lots of your favorite songs have been turned into Frets on Fire tracks.

Competition
A game is not complete without being able to tell everyone on the internet how much better you are than them. World Charts is the place you go to upload all of your high scores. It awards medals for the best shredding on each song, so get out there and start claiming all those medals just like you won the Olympics.

MakeUseOf.com August 2008

worlds greatest pumpkin carver

Hugh McMahon The following are McMahon's tips: Pumpkin preparation and cleaning:

When selecting pumpkins, lighter colored ones carve easier as they are softer. But they do not last as long.
Pick a pumpkin with a nice stem and a carvable face.
Clean the pumpkins off outside by washing off with plain water and a sponge. Allow to dry.
Keep the pumpkin outside, or in a cool place, until you are ready to carve it.
Cut open the top of the pumpkin and clean out the inside seeds and and guts (many call them Pumpkin Brains). Be careful not to pull hard on the stem as it breaks easily.
Tip: When cleaning the inside of your Jack O'Lanterns, scrape the inside wall to an inch thick. This will make carving a lot easier. Set the seed aside for cooking pumpkin seed snacks.
Safety tips:
Here are some simple tips, which will help to make your pumpkin carving and display safe:
Do not let a young child use a knife.
Always point knives away from you.
Keep your free hand away from the direction of the knife.
Use slicing motions and never force the knife. When using candles to light your Jack O'Lantern, do not leave it unattended.

Carving:
Select your design.
Draw a picture of what you want the pumpkin to look like. Even a toddler can draw a pumpkin, and it always comes out just the way he or she wanted it.
A pumpkin-carving knife is the recommended tool. It is designed for carving pumpkins, and is less likely to cause injury.
For younger children, keep the design simple The fewer curves, angles, and cuts, the better the result.
Once you have mastered carving a pumpkin, you can graduate to a pumpkin-carving design, or create your own. There are a wide variety of designs and are limited only by your imagination.

Design: Buy or make your own:
Pick one that is sized for your pumpkin. Enlarge or shrink it on a copier if need be.
Transfer the design to the pumpkin. You can trace it with a small knife, a nail, a marker or a pencil.
Slowly begin to cut out the pattern.
Slow is the operative word, as a mistake in carving can alter or ruin the outcome.
Nowadays, most people get popular carving kits with easy to use saws and patterns. Now you can get those carving kits delivered to your door in time for Halloween at a delivered price lower than you can find in the stores. Buy carving kits and supplies now at the lowest prices anywhere.

Ideas and Tips:
Use an ice-cream scoop to clean out your pumpkin instead of bending your kitchen spoons.
For a unique Jack O'Lantern, add a little glow in the dark makeup, or fake blood.
Insert a bowl into a carved pumpkin and add dry ice and warm water to create an extra spooky, smoke-filled Jack O'Lantern.
Making your pumpkin last: Apply a light coating of petroleum jelly on the cuts. It will seal the wound, and the pumpkin will last longer. After carving, place the pumpkin in a cool, dark place. It will spoil quickly if left at room temperature and will attract fruit flies.

Did you know? You can usually revive shriveled pumpkins by soaking them in a bucket of water.

Standby Power: Electronics that drain your wallet, even when they're off

Some electronic devices keep on drawing power, even when they’re “off.” While some of them have a function, like displaying the time or offering remote control functionalities, most don’t. Typical “vampire” appliances can consume up to 25 watts each, an amount that could make a significant difference in your electricity bill by the end of the year.
To help you understand how much “vampire energy” could cost you, and how you can stop draining useless energy from the power grid, Good Magazine, in association with Nigel Holmes, produced this interesting video explaining everything there is to know about “standby power.” Video after the jump. Transparency article Jan/Feb 2008

Digital TV Conversion

TV Converter Box Coupon Program -- https://www.dtv2009.gov/ -- At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting. Congress created the TV Converter Box Coupon Program for households wishing to keep using their analog TV sets after February 17, 2009. The program allows U.S. households to obtain up to two coupons, each worth $40, which can be applied toward the cost of eligible converter boxes. This website links to the coupon application form.

Article taken from the October issue of CHANNEL WEEKLY

additiona websites: Federal Communications Commission
Tips for Buying a DTV Converter
National Telecommunications & Information Administration

Movie Time!!!

Trick or Treat

Prepare for a spooktacular time!

Pictures with Shrek, four different crafts, black cat hunt,
pumpkin toss and much much more!!!

Come in costume and start your family's Halloween fun early!

Kids Reading List on Oprah’s Website

"The Oprah Winfrey Show"has suggested a Kids Reading List on the show's Web site: http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahsbookclub/kidsreadinglist/pkgkidsreadinglist/20080701_orig_kids_books.
The list is divided into five age groups, from infant to two through 12 and up. Each group contains an annotated bibliography of librarian-recommended reading. There is also a separate "Classics" section, grouped by age ranges, giving parents the opportunity to share the books they once loved with their own children. The Web site also provides a list of ways to make reading fun for kids, and other helpful tips for parents.

First Lady Invites Libraries to Participate in Statewide Book Club

Read On Wisconsin, the brainchild of First Lady Jessica Doyle, is starting a statewide book club for students and book-lovers across the state. Mrs. Doyle invites libraries to get involved in Read On by encouraging children to read the recommended books, then discuss and blog about them. This year’s top picks are recommended by students and educators across the state. Online tools and a book list for each age group are available at http://readon.wi.gov/.

(WLA Blog, September 24, 2008)

Chainmaille with Diane Miller

Monday, October 6, 5:30 - 7:30

If you have never done chainmaille or you simply want to make a beautiful sterling silver pendant and matching earrings, this is a great class for you!

This class is for a pendant and one pair of earrings only. Chain is not included. You will be working with my hand coiled, cut and polished Agentinium sterling silver jump rings.

Students will learn the basics of weaving with jump rings.

The skills learned in this class are foundational, and can be useful when moving forward into other chainmaille classes.Skill Level: All levels welcome

Limit of 8 students per class.

Class fee of $32 includes all materials.
STUDENTS MUST BRING: 2 jewelry pliers; one flat nose and one chain nose pliers.

Class sample can be viewed at Waterford Public Library. Class fees are non refundable and nontransferable. Call Waterford Library (262) 534-3988 to register today

Nominate Your Librarian!

Librarians in our nation’s 123,000 libraries make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans every day. Now is your chance to tell us why we should shine the spotlight on a librarian at your public, school, college, community college or university library.

Nominate your librarian for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award!

Up to ten librarians will be honored. Each will receive $5,000 and be recognized at an awards ceremony hosted by The New York Times at TheTimesCenter in December 2008.

Nominate a librarian who works in a public library! Public librarian nominations are open August 15 and must be completed by October 1.

Nominate a librarian at a college, community college or university! Nominations open for college, community college, and university librarians on September 2 and must be completed by October 15.

Nominate a school library media specialist! Nominations open for school library media specialists on September 2 and must be completed by October 15.

Fall Prevention Awareness Month

Stepping On Classes

will be on Thursdays
10am - noon
October 5 - November 13

By proclamation of Governor Doyle, September is "Fall Prevention Awareness Month" and September 21st (the first day of fall ) is "Fall Prevention Awareness Day". View Governor Doyle's Proclamation.

Fall Prevention Month

The prevention of falls is vital to maintaining personal independence for senior citizens.
Occupational therapist, Judy Schouten will lead a 7 week Stepping On series in preventing falls and regaining and maintaining your personal confidence after a fall.

Call Ninna Frank (toll free) 866-219-1043 to register.

This program is a partnership of the Racine County Aging
&
Disability Resource Center and Sports Physical Therapy & Rehab Specialists.

Attention Gamers: Monday is Super Smash Bros Brawl@ the Library

Teen Gaming Event
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
3:00-6:00 pm
The winner of this game will have a chance to compete in a system-wide tournament.
Each library in our system will have one representative playing for the title of TOP GAMER!

These events are for kids 12 and older.
Children under 12 must have permission from a parent.
If you register, you can play.
Or, don't register and just come and watch the action!
All games are played on the Nintendo Wii Gaming System.
For more information, contact Tricia or Andrea at the library.

The Waterford Pulbic Library is now a Wi-Fi Hotspot!

WPL will offer wireless Internet access for patrons with wireless enabled PDA’s and laptop computers. This is a free service with limited bandwidth, from the Waterford Public Library, available within the building during regular library hours.

To be able to check your emails or start surfing the Net, you must first register at information desk to receive an Access Code. Patrons returning to the library on the same day will need a new code to login.

If your laptop computer or other device does not include wireless networking, you may be able to purchase a wireless network card from the manufacturer of your equipment or at your local technology store.

Library staff is unable to assist with setting up wireless internet on your device or computer; you will be responsible for the set up, modification or troubleshooting of your own equipment.

Wireless printing is not available at this time. Although, you may email your files (or save them to a jump drive) to your web-based email service and access it from one of the Library’s internet computers.

BadgerLink Now Offers One-Stop Search

BadgerLink now offers federated searching, which lets you enter your keywords in a single “Search Databases” box and search multiple databases at once. An “Advanced Search” feature is also available. This one-search feature eliminates the need to search each database individually, and it lets you simultaneously collect search results from EBSCO, ProQuest news, and Gale LitFinder databases.

Wisconsin State Law Library Newsletter 9/08

We the People Grant

Waterford Public Library received the We the People Grant


The We the People Bookshelf project for libraries is a national grant initiative that provides classic children’s literature to school and public libraries. In 2008, 3,000 school and public libraries in all 50 U.S. states received We the People Bookshelf grants.

Grant Benefits

Selected libraries received free hardcover editions of 17 classic books on the theme of “Created Equal.” The awards are part of the National Endowment for the Humanities We the People initiative, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture.

Libraries selected to receive the We the People Bookshelf grants will organize programs or events to raise awareness of the classic literature and engage young readers.

The Bookshelf Collection

The We the People Bookshelf on “Created Equal” includes the following books:


Grades K-3: “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Anderson, “The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln, and “Pink and Say” by Patricia Polacco.



Grades 4-6: “Elijah of Buxton” by Christopher Paul Curtis, “Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence” by Russell Freedman, “Lincoln: A Photobiography” By Russell Freedman, “Many Thousand Gone: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom” by Virginia Hamilton, and “Lyddie” by Katherine Paterson.


Grades 7-8: “Saturnalia” by Paul Fleishman, “Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott” by Russell Freedman, “Abraham Lincoln the Writer: A Treasury of His Greatest Speeches and Letters” edited by Harold Holzer, and “Breaking Through” by Francisco Jiménez.


Grades 9-12: “Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution” by Natalie S. Bober, “That All People May Be One People, Send Rain to Wash the Face of the Earth” by Nez Perce Chief Joseph, “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, “Lincoln’s Virtues: An Ethical Biography” by William Lee Miller, and “Amistad: A Novel” by David Pesci.

Program Leadership

The We the People Bookshelf is presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the American Library Association.

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities. NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge, and bring ideas to life through public television, radio, new technologies exhibitions, and programs in libraries, museums, and other community places.

Founded in 1876, ALA is the oldest and largest library association in the world with more than 65,000 members, representing all types of libraries and librarians, as well as trustees, publishers, and other library supporters. The mission of the ALA Public Programs Office is to foster cultural programming as an integral part of library service in all types of libraries.

Participating Libraries

To view a list of the 3,000 participating libraries or for more information about the We the People Bookshelf project, please visit http://www.ala.org/wethepeople.

Summer Reading Program Success

The Summer Reading Program ended with the largest juvenile program we’ve ever hosted! We hosted approximately 525 people at our Ladybug Picnic on July 30th and 35 teens at the Teen Jitterbug Dance! Everything went smoothly, considering how many people were involved. The volunteers were excellent and the participants were patient when they needed to wait in line.

Summer 2008 brought 2,882 people to 30 programs. That’s an average of 96 people per program. The total number is up 24% over last year. We’re attributing that growth on several factors: 1. parents and children spreading the word with their friends about the programming, 2. more people staying local for the summer due to the economy, and 3. continued quality programming.

In general, we feel that the Summer Reading Program has had a spectacular year. We are very grateful to the 37 volunteers who donated 153 hours of their time to help us make all of these programs run smoothly.

We would like to extend a thank-you to all of our SummerReading Program sponsors.
We could not possibly have offered all of the programs and prizesthat we did without them:

The Book Cellar; Burger King;Carr's Floral; Figaro's Pizza; Fox River Archery;Green Bay Packers; KJ Tax & Accounting; Marty's Diamond Restaurant;McDonald's; Mike Webb Flooring; Milwaukee Admirals; Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens;
My Closet Castaways ;Noah's Ark Family Park; Oscar Mayer Foods Corp; Pharmacy Station;Reineman's True Value; River City Lanes;Shear Image Hair Salon; Showtime Cinema; Subway;Thai/Italiana Restaurant; Triple Crown Products; Uncle Harry's Custard; Wal-Mart;Waterford Automotive and White Fox Den.


Please continue to support our local businesses

We are already starting to think about next year’s Summer Reading Program theme: Get Creative @ Your Library!

Tricia Cox
Children's Librarian

Good Times At The Library

CBS EVENING NEWS REPORTS ON LIBRARY USAGE IN A SLOWED ECONOMY

On August 10, the CBS Evening News reported that in the face of rising gas and food prices, many financially strapped American families are turning to the library this summer for a fun and free alternative to heavy spending. The story is online at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4335685n%3fsource=search_video

The DLTCL Electronic Newsletter,Volume 10, Number 42
August 14, 2008
Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Wii Baseball Winners!

On Tuesday, July 29 we had 55 players to face off for the title of Top Wii Baseball Team.

Ms. Trisha awarded McDonalds and Subway gift certificates to the three members of the top team. Wii Baseball Champions were Jeffrey Junior, Andrew Boster and Matt Boster. Congratulations guys for a great tournament!!!

Wine Tasting

Join the Friends of the Library
For a Wine Tasting Party
prior to the Rhythm Rivers Concert on August 21st.

The Wine tasting will take place in party tents set up behind the Village Hall on the river side of the building.B & B Beverages from Wind Lake is doing the tasting. There will be about 40 different varieties of wine to taste and light snacks including cheese, fruit and sausage.We will pay $10/person to B&B with the remaining proceeds going to the Friends of the Library.

Tickets available at the Waterford Public Library

Tickests are $20 in advance, $25 the night of the concert

Libraries Are Gonna Make It After All

How to Improve Your Digital Photos

Fighting Uneven Lighting











Your camera can't capture the same range of light to dark that your eye can see. So if you have a partially lit scene, like the accompanying one of Half Dome reflected in the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, you simply can't make the entire image look good in a single image capture. The trick is to capture two images—use a tripod—one with the settings adjusted so the mountain looks good, and the other with the settings optimized for the river. It is then a simple matter to open both images in Photoshop and drag the Layer icon from one to the other (holding down the Shift key so that they are correctly aligned), thus creating a document with two layers. You can then either Erase the portions of the top layer you don't want or create a mask for it that you can Paint and Erase until you get the blend of the two images that's what you want.

Article from PC Magazine 7/2008

The Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a TOILET PAPER drive for Love, Inc. for the months of July and August.

With the rising gas prices and challenging economy, we are challenging Chamber members and community members to drop off rolls, packages or even cases of toilet paper at the Chamber office located at 102 E. Main Street Waterford.

If there are further questions contact Raegan Dexter at 262-534-5911.

Other items Love, Inc. need are Mac and Cheese, Peanut Butter, Jelly, Tuna, Canned Stew, Hamburger Helper, Personal care items, Canned fruit, and Soup. As always Love, Inc. accepts these donations at 480 S. Pine in Burlington. Love, Inc. serves Burlington, Wind Lake and Waterford families.

Please donate today!

WebAnywhere - A Tool For Blind People To Get Online Anywhere

The catch phrase is WebAnywhere: A Screen Reader on the Go and this is exactly what it does. Tools for the visually impaired are few and far between so nobody should begrudge Richard Ladner, a University of Washington professor of Computer Science and Engineering and his doctoral student Jeffrey Bigham from a bow.

The mentor and the student developed this web tool keeping the needs of the visually impaired in mind. Blind users generally use their own computers with screen reader software installed. WebAnywhere aims to correct this through its independent platform and web based application.
WebAnywhere is not only a screen reader but its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is a web-based application. That means :

- It does not need any software to be installed in the client machine. The only requirement is a browser and the ability to play sound.

- It works with any operating system - Windows, Mac, whatever

- It requires no special permissions; the computer should only be net enabled and should have audio.

- It works on any web-enabled device including any mobile that supports web access.

- With a data size of 100Kb for the home page, it has a fast loading time (less than 5 seconds)

LiveMocha

The concept behind LiveMocha (click to watch the video) is simple. It is a Web 2.0 platform from its interface to the culture of social interactivity that makes learning a new language not only fun, but more importantly free.

LiveMocha adopts a community based approach to learning a new language. Users help each other learn a new language by offering tips, checking each other’s uploaded exercises or assignments and also engaging in one on one interactions. A speaker fluent in English might for example want to learn the subtleties of French. Through this site you can teach a native Frenchman (or better, a mademoiselle) some English and be tutored in French in return. As LiveMocha calls it – return the favor.

The log-on process is simple and attractively free. Imagine learning a whole new way to communicate without spending a dime. LiveMocha to date offers lessons in 11 languages - English, Spanish, French, Hindi, German, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, Icelandic, Italian and Chinese.

1. Learning through visual and auditory cues.
2. Reading and associating it with an image.
3. Listening to the way the word is pronounced.
4. Magnet, a small exercise. The student listens to the word / sentence and drags it to a box to check the match.
5. Writes some text and submits it to the community for feedback.
6. Records a passage and submits it to the community for feedback.
The learners and the teachers can communicate with each other through texting, talking or with a webcam.

article from makeuseof.com

Feed 'n' Read

In Conjunction with "Catch the Reading Bug" Summer Reading Program



"Serious @ Series"

On Tuesday, June 17 teens were invited to brunch with a book discussion of some of the popular teen books. Vampire Cupcakes & Brain Jello were served.

Discussion highlights included:




the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer

and the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

Along with Waterford’s own version of Sisterhood of the Traveling pants

BUBBLE-OLOGY

On Wednesday, July 25th, children at the Waterford Public Library learned how to become master bubble-ologist (soapy scientist)



Karl Debelack presented Adventures in Science Storywagon program.
The children learned how to make square bubbles, spherical bubbles and how to blow bubbles inside of bubbles.










After the indoor portion of the program, we went outside to try out our bubble skills.



















How to make Homemade Bubble Solution

1 Part Dish soap (Palmolive is recommended)

Do not use Ultra brand liquid soap or antibacterial brands.

10 Parts Water

1 Medium Bottle of Bubble Solution.

Kids Bike Parade

Waterford Lion's Club 4th of July

Kids Bike Parade

Sponsored by: Uncle Harry's Ice Cream

Come join the "Kids Bike Parade" that starts at 10:30 on July 4th. Individual kids up to 6th grade are invited to decorate their non-motorized bikes, wagons and doll buggies to participate in an old fashioned Bike Parade. Uncle Harry's is furnishing the prizes so you know they'll be sweet.

Please register at Uncle Harry's

Grand Prize

1 Quart of Uncle Harry's Ice Cream each month for a year!

1st Prize (2)

$20 in Uncle Harry's Gift Certificates

2nd Prize (3)

$10 in Uncle Harry's Gift Certificates

3rd Prize (5)

$5 Uncle Harry's Gift Certificates

A few rules to make it fun for all:

1. Non-motorized bikes. No Power Wheels.

2. Any kid up through 6th grade may enter.

3. You will be given a number when you register.

It must be visible on the left side of your bike.

You can register ahead at Uncle Harry's.

4. Line up is at Main and Milwaukee St. (old bowling alley parking lot).

5. Please arrive at least 20 minutes early to sign in.

6. An adult must either walk along the parade or meet you at

Whitford Park as soon as the Bike Parade is over.

Remember: if your child is under 6 you should walk along.

7. Judges will be at the Southside of Main and 2nd St.

8. Winners will be contacted and prizes will be handed out at a later date.

9. You can register on the 4th before 10am.

If you have any questions call Beth @ 514-4588

Craft/Scrapbooking Classes

Altered Letter
With Deanna Morgan

Thursday, July 8, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Participants will “scrapbook” a large wooden letter. The letter makes a great gift or decoration for your own home! It can be hung on the wall or placed in a table top stand (not provided). A sample of an Altered Letter created for a young boy’s room can be seen at the library before you sign up. Fill out an info sheet at sign up so Deanna can provide the correct supplies for each person. If you wish to have an “extra personalized decoration” on your letter, you will need to bring it with you to the class. Register by Thursday, July 3rd. Class fee of $10 is due at time of registration.

The fee covers the cost of all materials, excluding personalized decoration.

Don't forget the surge protector!s!!

Summer causes an increased need for electronics protection, If you have a computer, you should definitely use a surge protector. It is filled with voltage sensitive components that a power surge could damage very easily. At least, the damage will shorten the life of your computer, and it could very easily wipe out all of your saved data or destroy your system. Computers are very expensive items, and the data they hold is often irreplaceable, so it's only good economic sense to invest in a quality surge protector.

It's a good idea to use surge protectors for other high-end electronic equipment, such as entertainment centers. A surge protector will generally extend the life of these devices, and there's always a chance that a big power surge will causes severe damage.

The most familiar source is probably lightning, though it's actually one of the least common causes. When lightning strikes near a power line, whether it's underground, in a building or running along poles, the electrical energy can boost electrical pressure by millions of volts. This causes an extremely large power surge that will overpower almost any surge protector. In a lightning storm, you should never rely on your surge protector to save your computer. The best protection is to unplug your computer. The more common cause of power surges is the operation of high-power electrical devices, air conditioners and refrigerators.

Fun Facts

The National Weather Service indicates that there are up to 1,800 thunderstorms in progress somewhere on the earth at any given moment.

Each year,the earth hosts over 16 million storms and 3 billion lightning strikes.

The United States experiences approximately 100,000 thunderstorms with 20 million lightning strikes annually.

Compiled with information from The Weather Channel,How stuff works.com, Currents, Automated Weather Service, Global Atmospherics, Inc and Lightning Talks.com.

TeleFlip : Push Emails To Your Cell Phone

This is so cool...

TeleFlip is a Free service that lets you auto-forward your emails to a cellphone as text messages. It’s fast and easy to configure. You don’t have to buy a new cell phone, create a new email account or download any software. Seems like an excellent tool, especially for those who don’t own a Treo or Blackberry.

TeleFlip Features:

Auto-forward emails from your email accounts to your cell phone as a text message.

Reply to your emails from mobile phone.

Filtering: Control what email gets flipped to your phone and when you receive it.

Turn TeleFlip service on/off whenever you like.

Keep a copy of forwarded emails in your inbox as usual.

Free and Easy-to setup: No downloads, No special phone, No software to install.

Note: Teleflip is free however standard text messaging charges may apply (depending on your mobile service plan).

Father's Day Program

Make Dad a Gift for Father's Day

Saturday, June 14th
10:00 - 10:45 am

We'll make Dad a cute card, a bookmark and decorate a "pillow" filled with yummy treats!

Cost $3 per child.

The first 30 who register can make these nice surprises for their Dad or Grandfather.
Call the library @ 534-3988 to register.

Summer Reading Program Kick-off is JUNE 14th

Buzz on over to the Waterford or Rochester Library June 14th to sign up for this year's Summer Reading Program

"Catch the Reading Bug".

Congratulations goes out to Kyle Endl

Kyle was our winner of our DDR competition that was held last Thursday evening.

Kyle won a $10 gift card to Blockbuster.

Everyone had a Dancing good Time!!!

Our next Wii competition will be on Monday, June 30th from 12-4.

Wii Boxing will be our next event.