Lincoln Breaks Loose

It's so darn hard to blend into the crowd when you are 6 feet 4 inches and wear a stove pipe hat. All Mr. Lincoln wanted to do was catch up on the latest news and cartoons in Harper's Weekly. Instead, he was quickly surrounded by Parkland students wanting to emulate his dress and his walk. We've gotta tell you, it was a bit surreal seeing 15 Parkland students "doing the Lincoln."

Library Closed: Thursday, February 26

The library will be closed for Professional Development Day on Thursday, February 26th. We will reopen at 7:30a.m. on Friday, February 27th.

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Honest Abe

Lincoln never held back his honesty, so why should he keep his thoughts on Parkland Library to himself? It's no surprise we found him at the suggestion board. Parkland Library welcomes your suggestions too and we post responses to requests, suggestions, criticisms and praise on our suggestion board. Hope to hear from you!

Green Prizes Galore!

Come to the library and enter the drawing to win a compost bin! Other prizes you can win are: books on composting, a signed copy of Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash (this year's Parkland Reads book), and a signed copy of Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage by Heather Rogers.

Then on Wednesday, February 25 at noon, head to the Library's International Lounge to listen to Heather Rogers “talk trash.” Ms. Rogers will also be drawing the winners of the contest, so be sure to stop by and see if you have won!

Don't delay, come to the library and enter the drawing today!

Stop picking up after yourself...

...at least in terms of the magazines! We are conducting a periodicals (magazines/journals) use study and want to count what ones are being used. PLEASE DON'T RESHELVE MAGAZINES -- place them on the carts or leave them on tables so we can tally up the usage.

Thanks,
Parkland College Library

Lincoln meets Marvin Gaye?

Many of you have probably noticed the Wellness display this month on relationships. We thank you for taking such an interest in sex, love and relationships. Would you believe it? President Lincoln himself was drawn in by this topic as well. Check out the book he cozied up with at the library. He said it makes him want to party like it's 1899. We offered to give him an honorary library card as he is not a Parkland employee or student nor a resident of District 505, which are the requirements to get a library card, but he declined, adding that he would rather take notes and leave the book for someone else to check out.

A Log Cabin Divided Will Not Stand?

Happy President's Day! Activities for President's Day are one way to celebrate! Many people are off work today enjoying sales at Macy's and other stores at the mall, but we here at the Parkland College Library are working hard to bring the best research help to our patrons. We caught Mr. Lincoln once again in the library...he found his way over to the display we made for him and was demonstrating how to build a log cabin. He chuckled to himself to think that children nowadays only pretend to build such things. The Lincoln Logs on display at the library are a Bicentennial Edition where the pieces are all wood. Stay tuned for more Lincoln spottings...

Facebook & Parkland College Library

You can now become a Facebook Fan* of the Parkland College Library! Check us out here. See photos, find upcoming events, and even check the blog! Be the coolest person EVER by becoming a Fan...

*To become a Facebook fan, you must have a Facebook account.

Happy Birthday, President Lincoln!

Today marks 200 years since the birth of our 16th President. Looks like another Mr. Lincoln strolled in today on Abe's birthday. Though somewhat disappointed to learn the library had no extravagant festival complete with streamers and cake planned, he was happy to learn of events around Illinois where he might indulge in something sweet. Here he is chatting up one of our reference librarians, Nancy. He was quite surprised to learn how much citation styles have changed since the 19th century, but Nancy was happy to offer him handouts on citing his sources. We hear he plans to research and write an account of what really happened during the U.S. Civil War.

What Would Lincoln Read?

A small army of Lincoln impersonators descended on the library early this morning, in honor of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. This particular Lincoln impersonator, clearly a multi-tasker, alternated between admiring the library’s Lincoln display, and preparing for Heather Rogers’ February 25th talk in the library, by reading her book, Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage.

Book Notices from The Opinionated Librarian

Parkland Library adds hundreds of items to its collection every month. Here is a sampling of recent non-fiction titles new to the library.

DVDs
Outbreak in America: When the Flu Pandemic Hits Home. Spend 49 cheery minutes exploring how a bird flu outbreak could explode into a global pandemic. PANDEMIC people…snap out of your stupor and get that surgical mask on!
Currently shelved in the new books area, RA644.I6 P36 2006 v.2 Video disc

Diamonds of War: Africa’s Blood Diamonds. DiCaprio fictionalized it, but this documentary takes a real-life look at the black market diamond trade in Sierra Leone and how diamonds funded years of destructive civil war in that country. Giving or expecting a sparkly bauble this Valentine’s Day? You may seriously want to change your plans. 56 min. Shelved in the AV Room (faculty check out only, students can watch it in-house) HD9677.S52 D533 2007 Video disc

CD
Poetry on Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work, 1888-2006. Say what you will about the 2009 inaugural poem, HEARING is the way to experience the power of the poet. This four disc set is a hundred years of cigarettes and coffee packed into one tiny box. Currently shelved in the new books area at PS323.5 .P57 2006 Compact disc

Books
All are currently shelved in the new books area.

Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters, by Caltech paleontologist Donald Prothero,
provides a survey of the paleontological evidence for modern evolutionary science. As we near the anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s Origin of the Species, Prothero offers up an enthusiastic whipping of creationist “science.” QE721.2.E85 P76 2007

Speaking of fossils, Bill O’Reilly takes a break from politics, sort of, for recollections from his youth in A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity. Telling tales from his formative years, he gives readers a glimpse of where and how his worldview developed. With the bestsellers at PN4874.O73 A3 2008

Leonard Bernstein, American Original focuses on the years the celebrated conductor was associated with the New York Philharmonic. Barbara Haws, the current archivist for the Philharmonic, teams up with Lenny’s brother Burton Bernstein and a group of distinguished contributors to explore the art and activism of this “modern Renaissance man.” ML410.B566 B47 2008

This one’s nice! Learn to Paint Watercolors that Dance with Light, or just look through a book of pretty pictures. ND2420 .K55 2004

100 Caterpillars: Portraits from the Tropical Rain Forests of Costa Rica. It’s a snake! It’s an icicle! It’s Jabba the Hut eating a lady bug! (Plates 53, 78 and 34, respectively.) Up close and personal photographs, plus species accounts of the wiggly bit that comes before moths and butterflies. QL553.C67 M55 2006

The Elemental Prairie: Sixty Tallgrass Plants. Beautiful watercolor drawings of plants on the tallgrass prairie, with an essay that encourages looking at the prairie world with new eyes. We live in the flatland, folks…find the beauty that’s here! QK128 .O47 2005

Our Changing Planet: The View from Space. Pollution, rising sea levels, melting polar ice, shrinking tropical forests…all depicted in a coffee-table book for your browsing pleasure! In reality, while some of the satellite images in this book are spectacular, overall, it seems like they were careful not to make massive global climate change seem too shiny. GE45.R44 O97 2007

And finally, for those planning a Friday Happy Hour, Drink, a Cultural History of Alcohol might make you feel very civilized while slinging back the ethyl alcohol laden beverage of your choice. After all, page one assures you that “Alcohol is a fundamental part of Western culture.” How could you possibly go wrong?

Hugs and Kisses,
OpLib

African American Read-In

The Black History Month committee and the Parkland Library Staff invite you to join us for the annual African American Read-In, Thursday, February 5 in the library lounge from 11am-1pm.

The Read-In has been endorsed by the International Reading Association. Over a million readers of all ethnic groups from 49 states, the West Indies, and African countries have participated. The goal is to make the celebration of African American literacy a traditional part of Black History Month activities.

Bring your own materials or choose from one of many of books that will be available.

Four score and seven years ago....

Ok, it's been a little bit longer than that. On February 12, 2009, the people of Illinois as well as citizens of the United States will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of our nation's 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. Did you know Lincoln was born hours apart from Charles Darwin? Take that to your next trivia contest. Lincoln's greatest challenge as President was leading a nation at war with itself. The famous Battle of Gettysburg in the U.S. Civil War inspired Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which Lincoln modestly predicted would not be remembered. Take a stroll down a time line of Lincoln's life, sift through his papers, join an association in honor of his life and work, read about his personal struggle with depression, or just find an event to attend in celebration of the man who knew that our nation, divided, would not stand.

Be sure to stop by the Parkland Library throughout February for the Lincoln book display!