Exciting New Additions in DVD's

With the phenomenal success of Downton Abbey, interest in other Masterpiece Theatre productions has grown as well. The Library has recently added many popular titles to our DVD collection:

• The Forsyte Saga (based on the book by John Galworthy) was wildly popular when it first aired in 1967, and is enjoying a resurgence in popularity today.
• For Dickens lovers, we have Great Expectations, Bleak House, Oliver Twist, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
• Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey, Emma, and Pride and Prejudice.
• The Brontes: Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights
• We recently added the complete BBC set of Shakespeare's Plays, which have been popular as well.
• Other British series include the hilarious and quirky Doc Martin, seasons 1-5. (If you haven't experienced Doc Martin, you're in for a treat!)
• We have purchased many of the current Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning movies, including Argo, Les Miserables, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lincoln, The Hobbit, and Life of Pi.

Thanks to a generous donation from our Friends of the Library group, we have been able to add these and other DVD titles.

Our children's DVD's are very poplar as well. Most of our selection has been donated by generous patrons. We accept donations at any time of DVD's in good condition. DVD's may be checked out on an adult card for two days, with a limit of two.

We also show Movies at the Library, and these programs have highlighted this year's Oscar winners as well as long-time favorites. Check our website or the Tracings column in the Natchez Democrat for future showings.

Come in and check out our great selection of DVD's!

The Phenomenon of Downton Abby

I have been a fan of Masterpiece Theatre on PBS for a very long time. I recall the popularity of the original Upstairs, Downstairs series (which was a very long time ago indeed).

However, I have not witnessed anything approaching the phenomenon of Downton Abby. It first aired in the US in January of 2011, and the surge in popularity quickly followed. By the time the last episode of Season Two aired in late spring of 2012, fans were already asking when Season Three would be available. The series, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes, has won multiple industry awards, including at least eight Emmys. It has been generally credited with bringing new life and popularity back to Masterpiece Theatre and British programming in general.

This most unlikely smash hit will return for Season Three on PBS on Sunday, January 6, 2013.

To make the wait a little easier, I propose:

A Downton Abby Tea!
Thursday, November 15 at tea-time: 4:30-6:30.

We will show the final episode of Season Two, and the TV Special featuring the real-life Downton Abby, Highclere Hall. All of this while sipping some Earl Grey and munching some lovely scones.

To prepare, one can check out Seasons One and Two from the Library. (The Downton Abby DVD's have been extraordinarily popular.)

Hope to see you on November 15th! Cheerio!

Annual Gathering of Friends

Every September, the Friends of the Library gather together to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and announce the goals for the upcoming year. Usually we meet at the home of a member, but this year we decided to have an Open House at the Library to show it off to the community.

So please join us on Monday, September 17, 5:30 - 7 pm for this special Open House @ your Library, 220 South Commerce Street. Refreshments will be served. It is free and open to the public, although we hope you will become a member of the Friends of the Library. Be sure to bring your children - no one benefits more from a Library than children.

Most people have NO idea of all the services the Library provides. What better way to find out than to visit and see for yourself. Staff will be available to demonstrate all services and answer any questions. Here's a sample of what you may see:

• Of course, we have books! And magazines, newspapers, audio books, DVDs. It's all listed in our online catalog which you can access from anywhere - to search, renew, request materials. And if we don't have what you're looking for, we can probably get it for you.
• You can find out almost anything at your Library. Ask our Reference Librarian and she'll either answer your question or tell you how to find it. Although we have a large assortment of printed reference materials, most resources are online now. Many of these expensive resources are available for free through your Library.
• One of the most valuable resources is Learning Express Library, which has over 770 practice tests and tutorials for ACT/SAT, GRE, certification and licensing exams, and just about anything you need. We also have a special online course to learn a new language.
• We have lots of computers - including 3 that are just for young children, 2 just for teens, and 2 that are designed for reading newspapers online. We have copying and fax machines. We even have a typewriter!
• We have a genealogy and local history section that people from all over the country come to visit, including our microfilm collection and free access to expensive genealogy databases.
• The Children's section is wonderful and includes furniture and other fixtures designed for kids. There's a special section just for the very young child with a much used rocking chair. Of course, we have unbelievable programs for kids.
• Teens have their very own room that just has to be seen. Take a teen in there, and she may never leave!
• We also want to show off all the renovations. Our HVAC renovation is complete, so for the first time in years, we can guarantee it will be comfortable in the Library. You can see the progress of the exterior renovations, which is being funded by contributions from the community.
• Of course, there is much more, but you really have to come and see it for yourself. Even long time library users find stuff they never knew we had.

All you need to access all this is an absolutely free Library Card - and we'll happily give you one at the Open House.

See you @ your Library on Monday, September 17, 5:30 - 7 pm!

Movie Lovers Unite!

I'm excited that our adult programs have enjoyed increased attendance and interest this summer, especially our movie events. We dreamed of Paris with Midnight in Paris, went on a great adventure with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and made ourselves really hungry watching the great Julie & Julia. Many people have asked me what is next. I have some movies in mind, but I would like to ask you what movies you would like.

Keep in mind that our movie license (yes, a license is required even for a nonprofit charging no admission!) is based on a list of titles on their website. Not every suggestion will pass the list test.

I really would like to hear from all you movie lovers out there:

• What days/times would work best for you?
• What genres?
• Does anyone have suggestions for programs related to movies?
• Do we want monthly movies? (I say yes!)
• Do you have specific titles to request?
• How about foreign films? Or do we want to stick with American-made films?

Later this month, Hunger Games will be released on DVD, and we'll be scheduling a movie event showcasing this very popular movie based on Suzanne Collins' best seller trilogy. These books
have been popular with our teen and adult patrons alike.

A really delightful film I saw in Baton Rouge will be out on DVD soon: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, and an outstanding supporting cast, it is a heartfelt romp by some of the greatest British actors of our time. I hope lots of you will join us at the Library for this outstanding film.

We'll be letting everyone know dates and times for these events, and expect to present movies roughly once a month.

Please let me hear from you! Email or call at 601.445.8862 - or just drop by and see us.

See you at the movies!

A New Year!

Not this again!

New year's resolutions have almost become a thing of the past and the object of jokes. Let's face it -people are very skeptical of them. But in this new era of self improvement and reinvention, perhaps there is a place for a new brand of resolutions. After all, starting a new year is almost like having a clean slate, a fresh beginning. So if you're not perfect yet and want to change some part of your life, the Library can help you succeed. Here are just a few resources, but we have many more.

Get Organized

What's a Disorganized Person to Do? 317 Ideas, Tips, Projects, and Lists to Unclutter Your Home and Streamline Your Life by Stacy Platt

Grow Your Own Food

Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens by Barbara Pleasant

Save Money

Thrifty Living by Barty Phillips

Improve your Relationship

1001 Ways to Be Romantic by Gregory Godek

Get Fit or Expand Your Horizons with DVDs

Yoga for the Rest of Us: Back Care Basics featuring Peggy Cappy

Carol Dickman's Seated Yoga and Bed Top Yoga

The French Chef with Julia Child - the original PBS series featuring 12 episodes

Visions of Europe travel DVDs featuring 6 different countries or regions

And if you've always wanted to brush up your Shakespeare, we have 15 of his greatest produced by the BBC.

If you just want to read more, join our Brown Bag Book Discussion Group. Our next meeting will be at noon on Wednesday, February 15, and the book we're discussing is The Shipping News by Annie Proulx.

Come on in, get a library card, or use that old one you've been carrying around - library cards never expire. You'll find a great selection of helpful books, DVDs, and audio books that will help you get your new year off to a great start.

The Prince Is Coming to Natchez

Earlier I posted an article about the Prince from Natchez, and the film about him. Now the film is coming to Natchez.

Film & Conversation

Prince Among Slaves is an award winning PBS documentary about the fascinating life of Abdul Rahman, a West African prince enslaved in Natchez, Mississippi for 40 years, who through improbable circumstances won his freedom and became one of the most famous men of his day.

Sunday, June 5, 2:30 — 5:30 pm
City Auditorium
FREE and open to the public

Special guest Terry Alford, author of the book upon which the film is based, will introduce the film, describing how he came to write this story and how it became a film.

Following the film, the audience will break into small groups to talk about the film. Leading the conversation will be special guest Amad Shakur, founder of the Center for the African Diaspora, a research institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.



All attendees will receive a free DVD of the film and are invited to attend a reception with refreshments following the event to honor the guest speakers at the NAPAC Museum.

Event Partners:

• Alcorn State University
• Antioch Missionary Baptist Association
• Bluff City Post
• City of Natchez
• Copiah Lincoln Community College
• Friends of the Armstrong Library
• Historic Natchez Foundation
• Judge George Armstrong Library
• NAACP
• Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro American Culture
• Natchez Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Natchez Historical Society
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• National Park Service
• Unity Productions Foundation

DVDs @ Your Library

Among the many items that may be checked out at your Library, DVDs have proven to be among the most popular. We began adding donated DVDs about a year and a half ago, but last year we received a grant to build our collection.* Where possible, we have acquired Blue-ray versions, but most are regular DVDs.

In creating our collection, we started from the ground up. We first obtained some of the most popular titles from the video format, such as the Roots television series and the Ken Burns The Civil War series. Next, we added movies that were filmed in Natchez and the surrounding area, like Horse Soldiers, Huckleberry Finn, and Cross Roads. We also acquired the complete set of the popular local Angels on the Bluff performance series, filmed in our own historic City Cemetery. From there, we started building a classic movie section, including titles such as North by Northwest, The Thin Man, and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

For children, we have math and science shows, such as The Magic School Bus. Fire safety and "stranger danger" DVDs are popular. Of course, we couldn't leave out the Disney animated classics, like Snow White, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, and Fantasia.

Among the educational selections is the Visions of Europe travel series, including Italy, France, Austria, and Greece. This series provides stunningly beautiful aerial photography shot from helicopters with terrific musical backgrounds. Another standout is the Blue Planet series with spectacular nature scenes.

Of course, we do have a general assortment of family entertainment movies and always welcome suggestions for future purchases, as funds allow.

We continue to gratefully accept donations of DVDs in good condition, so look through your collection to see if you have any you would like to share.

Stop in and see our growing collection of DVDs which we have tailored for our Natchez patrons. DVDs and VHS tapes can only be checked out by adults. They check out for two days, with a limit of two per card.

*Grant funding for the DVD collection was provided as a competitive Focused Development Grant under the Federal Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Mississippi Library Commission for the Institute of Museum and Library Services.