Come in to the library and pickup your FREE Voucher to Disney On Ice Presents Princess Classics
playing the US Cellular Arena from February 4th-7th.
while supply lasts.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Free We Shall Remain Webinar
WGBH-Boston is hosting a free webinar for high school teachers and librarians on December 17, 4–5 p.m. Eastern Time. The event will focus on the library event kit developed for the We Shall Remain PBS television series. The presenters include former ALA President Loriene Roy and AASL President Cassandra Barnett. To participate, visit the WGBH website; to listen by phone, call toll free (888) 394-8197, participant passcode 757416....WBGH-TV
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
December Remembered
December is a time to remember significant world events. People in France recall Napoleon's coronation (December 2, 1804), Americans commemorate the Pearl Harbor attack (December 7, 1941), and Poles reflect on the landslide election of Lech Walesa (December 9, 1990).
Around the world, people also celebrate Christmas in various ways. In addition to religious services, children hang stockings by fireplaces (a custom originating with St. Nicholas of Myra), adults hang mistletoe (once sacred to ancient Druids), people decorate indoor trees (following a tradition reportedly started in Germany) and families use holly with Yule logs (like long-ago Norsemen who depended on those items to ward-off evil spirits).
On the 24th of December, 1818, "Silent Night" (by Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr) was first performed in Oberndorf, Austria (in front of the altar at the Church of St. Nikolaus). Twenty-five years later (on the 19th of December, 1843), Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol," the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and the warnings he received from his partner "Old Marley" (who "was as dead as a door-nail") and "Three Spirits" (the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future).
Although Dickens quickly penned the tale, to provide much-needed income for his growing family, people loved the story. They still do.
To provide for his growing family, Charles Dickens wrote his novella - A Christmas Carol - over a three-week period in 1843. It was published, to great acclaim, just before Christmas that year.
Often produced for film, the story remains very popular during the holidays. This clip - from a 1984 version starring George C. Scott (as Ebenezer Scrooge) and Frank Finlay (as Jacob Marley) - depicts a visit from Marley (now a ghost) who warns Scrooge (still a miser) that he must change the way he is living his life.
Awesome Stories~December 2009
Around the world, people also celebrate Christmas in various ways. In addition to religious services, children hang stockings by fireplaces (a custom originating with St. Nicholas of Myra), adults hang mistletoe (once sacred to ancient Druids), people decorate indoor trees (following a tradition reportedly started in Germany) and families use holly with Yule logs (like long-ago Norsemen who depended on those items to ward-off evil spirits).
On the 24th of December, 1818, "Silent Night" (by Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr) was first performed in Oberndorf, Austria (in front of the altar at the Church of St. Nikolaus). Twenty-five years later (on the 19th of December, 1843), Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol," the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and the warnings he received from his partner "Old Marley" (who "was as dead as a door-nail") and "Three Spirits" (the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future).
Although Dickens quickly penned the tale, to provide much-needed income for his growing family, people loved the story. They still do.
To provide for his growing family, Charles Dickens wrote his novella - A Christmas Carol - over a three-week period in 1843. It was published, to great acclaim, just before Christmas that year.
Often produced for film, the story remains very popular during the holidays. This clip - from a 1984 version starring George C. Scott (as Ebenezer Scrooge) and Frank Finlay (as Jacob Marley) - depicts a visit from Marley (now a ghost) who warns Scrooge (still a miser) that he must change the way he is living his life.
Awesome Stories~December 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Introducing "Found in Wisconsin"
The Reference and Loan Library has just released Found in Wisconsin, the updated Wisconsin Online Collection. Found in Wisconsin makes it easy for patrons of all ages to search for and link into digitized books, photographs, videos, and other resources available on the websites of libraries, historical societies and museums statewide. The database contains entries for materials that are either about Wisconsin or which were created by Wisconsin residents, authors and scholars.Found in Wisconsin allows you to search for individual items, or entire collections of digitized objects, such as “Let’s Go to the Circus,” a compilation of nearly 100 historic photographs of circus activities. The site offers “one-stop shopping” for digital content and collections hosted by libraries, museums and historical societies statewide, and it offers links directly into content, regardless of which organization hosts the collection itself.Found in Wisconsin, available on the BadgerLink homepage at http://www.badgerlink.net, offers more tools for user interaction and a more robust technical platform than its predecessor, the Wisconsin Digital Collection. The database was created and is maintained by the staff of the Wisconsin Reference and Loan Library, and we welcome your feedback.Users of Found in Wisconsin can subscribe to an RSS feed that provides updates on sites newly added to the database. You can also send a note recommending specific content that you’d like to see added, or a general recommendation for types of materials you’d like to have included in this growing collection. Users of Found in Wisconsin can even rate individual entries and send comments on their favorite sources!We invite you to explore Found in Wisconsin and enjoy this growing assortment of books, videos, photos and available online collections. - Channel Weekly, Vol. 12, No. 11 -- December 3, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
How to Make Home a Safer Place for Seniors
Get Informed
Your first step is to learn where the potential hazards lie in your parent’s house and what you can do to reduce them. A good place to do this is at the Home Safety Council’s Web site (www.mysafehome.net) where you can take a house tour that points out the possible dangers room-by-room. Many of the changes the site suggests are simple and inexpensive, like removing clutter and throw rugs to avoid tripping, installing brighter bulbs in existing light fixtures to improve vision and adding grab bars to the bathroom for support.
Get an Assessment
If your parents have medical issues like chronic arthritis or poor vision, ask their doctor to prescribe a home evaluation by an occupational therapist who specializes in home modifications. They can analyze the potential challenges and shortcomings of your parent’s home to come up with a plan that you, a handyman or a contractor can easily follow. Many health insurance providers, including Medicare, will pay for a home assessment. However, they will not cover the physical upgrades to the home.
Another option is to contact your nearby independent living center (see www.ilru.org). These are nonprofit centers that provide information on home modifications and assistive living equipment, and many even offer free or low-cost home assessments.
Ways to Pay
If your parents need or want to make substantial changes to their home, but don’t have the cash to pay for them, they should consider taking out a home equity loan. Another possibility is a reverse mortgage. Available to people over 62, a reverse mortgage will let your parent’s convert the equity in their home into cash that doesn’t have to be paid back as long as either one of them are living there. But the fees can be substantial, so be sure to speak with a financial planner before taking out this type of mortgage. For information on ways you can tap into your home equity, go to www.longtermcare.gov, a site run by the Department of Health and Human Services.
If your parent’s happen to have long-term care insurance, they should call their insurance agent and ask whether home modifications are covered under their plan and what documentation they need to be reimbursed. A policy will not pay for upgrades if they are still healthy.
If funds are scarce, contact the Area Agency on Aging (call 800-677-1116 or visit www.eldercare.gov to find your local office) near your parents, and inquire about home modification loans and services available to seniors. Many state and local communities have low or no-interest loans, tax credits or other programs to those with low or moderate incomes.
In addition, get in touch with Rebuilding Together (www.rebuildingtogether.org, 800-473-4229), a national nonprofit organization that repairs and modifies homes of older, low-income homeowners to help them age in place.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
Savvy Senior Newsletter
December 2009
Your first step is to learn where the potential hazards lie in your parent’s house and what you can do to reduce them. A good place to do this is at the Home Safety Council’s Web site (www.mysafehome.net) where you can take a house tour that points out the possible dangers room-by-room. Many of the changes the site suggests are simple and inexpensive, like removing clutter and throw rugs to avoid tripping, installing brighter bulbs in existing light fixtures to improve vision and adding grab bars to the bathroom for support.
Get an Assessment
If your parents have medical issues like chronic arthritis or poor vision, ask their doctor to prescribe a home evaluation by an occupational therapist who specializes in home modifications. They can analyze the potential challenges and shortcomings of your parent’s home to come up with a plan that you, a handyman or a contractor can easily follow. Many health insurance providers, including Medicare, will pay for a home assessment. However, they will not cover the physical upgrades to the home.
Another option is to contact your nearby independent living center (see www.ilru.org). These are nonprofit centers that provide information on home modifications and assistive living equipment, and many even offer free or low-cost home assessments.
Ways to Pay
If your parents need or want to make substantial changes to their home, but don’t have the cash to pay for them, they should consider taking out a home equity loan. Another possibility is a reverse mortgage. Available to people over 62, a reverse mortgage will let your parent’s convert the equity in their home into cash that doesn’t have to be paid back as long as either one of them are living there. But the fees can be substantial, so be sure to speak with a financial planner before taking out this type of mortgage. For information on ways you can tap into your home equity, go to www.longtermcare.gov, a site run by the Department of Health and Human Services.
If your parent’s happen to have long-term care insurance, they should call their insurance agent and ask whether home modifications are covered under their plan and what documentation they need to be reimbursed. A policy will not pay for upgrades if they are still healthy.
If funds are scarce, contact the Area Agency on Aging (call 800-677-1116 or visit www.eldercare.gov to find your local office) near your parents, and inquire about home modification loans and services available to seniors. Many state and local communities have low or no-interest loans, tax credits or other programs to those with low or moderate incomes.
In addition, get in touch with Rebuilding Together (www.rebuildingtogether.org, 800-473-4229), a national nonprofit organization that repairs and modifies homes of older, low-income homeowners to help them age in place.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
Savvy Senior Newsletter
December 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Waterford Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony!
Waterford Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
Saturday, December 5, 2009 – 6:00 P.M.
Jingle Bell Rock
The Chipmunk Christmas Song
Fox River Women’s Chorale - Director: Deanna Kulow
Silent Night at the Library
An original Christmas Poem by Children’s Librarian – Tricia Cox
Once Upon a Silent Night - Fox River Women’s Chorale
Library Contest Winners
Gift cards provided by The Friends of Waterford Public Library
Grand Prize-$50
Nathan Rehberg
1st place - $30 2nd place - $25 3rd place - $15
Trysten Robertsen Simone Felber Eva Carrara
Tree Lighting
Grand Prize winner – Nathan Rehberg
Sing-a-long – Deck the Halls
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la.'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la.Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la la la la la.Troll the ancient Yuletide carol. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
See the blazing yule before us, Fa la la la la, la la la la.Strike the harp and join the chorus. Fa la la la la, la la la la.Follow me in merry measure, Fa la la la la la la la la.While I tell of Yuletide treasure. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes, Fa la la la la, la la la la.Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa la la la la, la la la la.Sing we joyous, all together, Fa la la la la la la la la.Heedless of the wind and weather. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Visits with Santa
Please pick up treat bags as you leave!
Compliments of Gooseberries
& the Friends of Waterford Public Library
Merry Christmas to one & all! Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce
Saturday, December 5, 2009 – 6:00 P.M.
Jingle Bell Rock
The Chipmunk Christmas Song
Fox River Women’s Chorale - Director: Deanna Kulow
Silent Night at the Library
An original Christmas Poem by Children’s Librarian – Tricia Cox
Once Upon a Silent Night - Fox River Women’s Chorale
Library Contest Winners
Gift cards provided by The Friends of Waterford Public Library
Grand Prize-$50
Nathan Rehberg
1st place - $30 2nd place - $25 3rd place - $15
Trysten Robertsen Simone Felber Eva Carrara
Tree Lighting
Grand Prize winner – Nathan Rehberg
Sing-a-long – Deck the Halls
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la.'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la.Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la la la la la.Troll the ancient Yuletide carol. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
See the blazing yule before us, Fa la la la la, la la la la.Strike the harp and join the chorus. Fa la la la la, la la la la.Follow me in merry measure, Fa la la la la la la la la.While I tell of Yuletide treasure. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes, Fa la la la la, la la la la.Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa la la la la, la la la la.Sing we joyous, all together, Fa la la la la la la la la.Heedless of the wind and weather. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Visits with Santa
Please pick up treat bags as you leave!
Compliments of Gooseberries
& the Friends of Waterford Public Library
Merry Christmas to one & all! Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce
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