New Bestsellers for April

FICTION

Toys by James Patterson and Neil McMahon. Hays Baker, a top operative for the Agency of Change and a national hero, suddenly finds himself a hunted fugitive who must fight to save humans from extinction.

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. Picoult takes on the issue of gay rights in this novel about a music therapist who desperately wants a child.

The Jungle by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul. Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon undertake rescue operations from Afghanistan to Myanmar.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, narrates this novel set in Paris.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. The recovery of a lost ancient manuscript in a library at Oxford sets a fantastical underworld stirring.

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy. A motherless girl is cared for by a Dublin community, but a social worker believes a foster home is a better solution.

Love You More by Lisa Gardner. Detective D D Warren must solve the case of a dead husband, a battered wife, and a missing child.

River Marked by Patricia Briggs. The shapeshifter Mercy Thompson and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, confront evil lurking in the Columbia River.

Treachery in Death by J. D. Robb. Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, investigate a grocer’s murder.

NONFICTION

Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff. A biography of the last queen of ancient Egypt.

Decision Points by George W Bush. The former President’s memoir discusses his Christianity, the end of his drinking, and his decisions on 9/11, Iraq, and Katrina.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.


CHILDREN

Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures: The Japanese Ninja Surprise by Jeff Brown. Flat Stanley mails himself to Japan to visit his hero, martial arts movie star Oda Nobu, and becomes his personal ninja.

Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures: The Mount Rushmore Calamity by Jeff Brown. Hoping to escape the attention brought on by the accident that flattened Stanley, the Lambchop family drives to South Dakota, where they become involved in a Wild West adventure at Mount Rushmore.

Summer of the Sea Serpent by Mary Pope Osborne. Jack and Annie travel in their magic tree house to the land of the mystical selkies to seek a magical sword for Merlin.

TEENS

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins. Three teens, who meet at Reno, Nevada’s Aspen Springs Mental Hospital after each has attempted suicide, connect with each other in a way they never have with their parents or anyone else in their lives.

Ship Breaker by Paola Bacigalupi. In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.

Virgin Territory by James Lecesne. When an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary appears on a tree at the Jupiter, Florida golf course where fifteen year old Dylan Flack is caddying for the summer, he encounters a group of “pilgrims” who dare him to take a risk and find out what he really wants out of life.

Your Library is the Face of Natchez

 One of the things I like best about being Assistant Director of the Library is welcoming visitors during Spring Pilgrimage. This year has been very active so far, and it’s great to see people so upbeat, enjoying the spectacular weather. But every year there are little stories about visitors showing their appreciation for help checking their email, advice on where to eat lunch, or directions to the next house on their tour.

People naturally gravitate to the Library as a starting point for their searches; whether it is for general area information or specific services. The Library is the heart of the community, and seasoned travelers know this better than most. Just this morning, we had a couple who had to time the printout of their boarding passes exactly or they’d miss the first seating. They stood by as the time ticked toward the magic moment when they could print out. As they left, the lady called out to us “We can always count on the library.” True story.

Sometimes visitors are participating in a scavenger hunt, looking for places and items peculiar to Natchez. Smart visitors know the best place to get information is a public library. Sometimes we have had the entire staff involved in looking for answers - and our visitors always win.

As described in our last blog post, the producers of the Prince Among Slaves have scheduled one of their events here in Natchez. And guess who they contacted first? That’s right. The Library. We are so happy to be able to provide whatever information we can to all visitors. It is just part of being the heart of the community.

The Prince from Natchez

Did you know that Natchez once had a Prince? Right around the beginning of our country, a remarkable man came to Natchez.

Abdul Rahman was trilingual, a successful military general, and the heir to Futa Jalon, the West African Empire, which was the size of Great Britain. However, during a war with another African country, he was captured and sold into slavery.

He was bought by Thomas Foster of Natchez and brought to his small, struggling plantation. Abdul Rahman told everyone that he was a Prince and his father would be happy to pay a ransom for his return. Of course, no one paid any attention, but they did start calling him Prince. He was a valuable slave and helped Foster develop the planation into a successful, profitable venture. He also married and had 9 children.

Through improbable circumstances, twenty years into his enslavement he was reunited with a marooned sailor that his father had rescued decades earlier. This event brought the first public attention to the Prince and over the next several years led him to become the most famous African in America. He regained his freedom, spoke to paid audiences across the country, dined in the White House, became a national celebrity, and eventually returned to Africa.

His story of courage and forbearance under the meanest of circumstances is a powerful drama that not only speaks directly to the African American experience, but also to the human experience. His incredible story was first told in 1977 in the book Prince Among Slaves by Terry Alford, which was republished in 2007 as a 30th Anniversary Edition. The book was made into a film by Unity Productions Foundations (UPF) and was shown on PBS in 2008. The book and the film are in our Library available for checkout.

Through a grant from the National Endowment for Humanities, UPF is sponsoring a series of events all over the country, showing the film along with lectures and discussions on the issues raised in the film. As the home of the Prince, Natchez has been chosen as one of the sites. Our event will be held on Sunday, June 5 in the City Auditorium. We are very fortunate to have the author of the book, Terry Alford, as one of our speakers. The event is free, and attendees will receive a free copy of the DVD. We'll have more details later, but put it in your calendar.

Just think. People all across America will be talking about a famous person from Natchez. Who knows what kind of interest in or visits to our City this may cause! You'd better learn the story, in case tourists ask you abut the Prince.

Librarians Take on Legislators!



Teen Librarian Marianne Raley &
Director Susan Cassagne

Last Wednesday a group of Mississippi librarians spent the day at the State Capitol building in Jackson to show our legislators the importance of public libraries to their communities and the need to keep our funding so as to continue to provide services that are much needed and used . 

 

Arriving at 8 am armed with banners, book marks, brochures and eye catching displays, we settled in the rotunda and waited for our local representatives to arrive. It was interesting to walk about and see what other libraries are doing in their community. There was a little of everything - from computer 101 classes to partnerships with local agencies such as WIN Job Service for those communities that are out in rural areas and cannot get to the center. One library provides a video phone for the hearing impaired so they can better communicate with distant family members.

Ms Magnolia

Ms Magnolia (AKA the Director of the First Regional Library System) strolled about the rotunda in a beautiful green gown and crown of magnolias while telling our state leaders about the great databases MAGNOLIA provides for our students, teachers and parents. The Mississippi Library Commission touted the Learn a Test online learning center.

 

Stress Books

The Armstrong Library displayed our newest pride and joy, the Teen Zone. We were a big hit as most legislators were pleased to see services being provided for our neighborhood youth. When trying to get a lawmaker to remember an organization they usually receive a pencil or pen with the name and or logo on it. Well, we went one step further and passed out a stress ball shaped like books with the Teen Zone and website imprinted on them. I don't doubt a few of those stress books were flying across the tables during committee meetings.



Capitol Rotunda



By the way, if you have not seen the State Capital building before, I suggest you do. It was my first time visiting and I was so impressed with the achitecture, woodwork, marble flooring, and beautiful stained glass windows. It was inspiring to be in the same place were laws are created or defeated.

New Bestsellers Available

FICTION

Tick Tock by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. The New York detective Michael Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague to solve a rash of horrifying crimes that are throwing the city into chaos.

The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer. An archivist discovers a book that once belonged to George Washington and conceals a deadly secret.

Fatal Error by J A Jance. After the murder of a cyber socialpath, Ali Reynolds is drawn into a web of online intrigue.

Strategic Moves by Stuart Woods. In the 19th Stone Barrington novel, the New York lawyer works with the CIA to transport a fugitive.

The Confession by John Grisham. A criminal wants to save an innocent man on death row, but he must convince the authorities he's telling the truth.

The Sentry by Robert Crais. The former cop Joe Pike finds that a pair of Katrina refugees he helps aren't all they seem.

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz. Someone is murdering entire families, recreating in detail a crime spree that took place two decades earlier.

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman. A mysterious garden offers the key to understanding a small Massachusetts town through 300 years of passionate history.

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. Three sisters from a highbrow family return home, each with a secret she's unwilling to share.

Though Not Dead by Dana Stabenow. The Alaskan investigator Kate Shugak becomes embroiled in a deadly treasure hunt involving her own family's secrets.

NONFICTION

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. An Olympic runner's story of survival as a prisoner of the Japenese in World War II.

Love your library - at the Natchez Little Theatre!

This Wednesday, February 9, at 7 pm is the preview performance of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Buying a ticket to this performance for the bargain price of $10 will benefit your Library!

The Natchez Little Theater designates the preview performance (the night before the official opening) of each show as a benefit for a worthy cause in Natchez. This time, your Library has been selected! We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Executive Director Layne Taylor for choosing us. All funds raised from ticket sales to this performance will be used to offset budget cuts made by the City for books, materials, and programming.

The Friends of the Library will be providing delicious refreshments at intermission. Library staff will be taking tickets and greeting you at the door. This is a great chance to show your support for your Library and see a classic of American theatre performed by talented local actors.

Events like this one are a great example of community involvement and support. The Library wins, Natchez Little Theater wins, and the community wins. When you purchase tickets, you are voting with your feet and pocketbook for your favorite community causes.

The benefit performance is this Wednesday, February 9th at 7 pm. (Please note the starting time is earlier than regular performances.) You can purchase your tickets at the door or reserve them by calling 601.442.2233 or emailing theatre@bellsouth.net. Be sure to specify that you want tickets reserved for Wednesday's benefit.

Let's have a full house for our Library! See you there!

EITC Awareness Day and Tax Forms @ Your Library

The Armstrong Library is celebrating Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day on January 28, 2011, with a grant provided through Entergy. Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) may be available to anyone who earned $48,362 or less from wages, self-employment, or farming in 2010. You could be eligible for a special tax credit this year and not know it. As a result, you may overlook claiming the EITC, which can put anywhere from $2 to more than $5,600 into your pockets.

People move into and out of EITC eligibility based on changes in their earnings, their parental status or their marital status. Many people will qualify for the first time this year due to economic changes in their incomes. We encourage people to see if they qualify. Eligible workers can get their EITC only if they file federal income tax returns – even if they are not otherwise required to file – and specifically claim the credit.

Taxpayers can get information and forms at the Armstrong Library from Friday, January 28 through Monday, April 18. Tax day is Monday, April 18 (this year only), in observance of Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia on April 15.

With the grant from Entergy, the Library will be of even more help to those needing tax forms and who wish to e-file. Grant funds will provide a computer dedicated to downloading tax forms and e-filing. People may come to the Library and download tax forms at a reduced price of 10¢ (ten cents) per printed page. The State of Mississippi, as a cost savings factor, is no longer mailing tax forms to individuals; therefore, the Department of Revenue has partnered with public libraries. All State tax forms are available at the Armstrong Library. People who wish to e-file may use the grant-provided computer to complete their tax filing. But, please don’t ask Library Staff for advice! We are not tax experts! Library staff can provide assistance in locating online forms, only!

The Armstrong Library also partners with the AARP in their Tax Aide program. Participation in this program is available on Wednesdays, from 9-4, beginning February 2 and ending on April 13. Persons assisted through the AARP Tax Aide program are served on a first come, first served, basis. Information on what is needed to participate in the Tax Aide program is available on Wednesdays only, during this time.

Come see what your Library can do for you!

• Tax information and forms, available @ Your Library
• A specific computer for downloading tax forms and for e-filing, available @ Your Library
• AARP Tax Aide program, available @ Your Library