The MCPL Blog from the Marathon County Public Library http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=112 <p>Keeping you up-to-date with what's happening at the Marathon County Public Library. Please join in the conversation!</p> <hr class="DashedLine"> <form action="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify" method="post" target="popupwindow" onsubmit="window.open('http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=MCPLblog', 'popupwindow', 'scrollbars=yes,width=550,height=520');return true"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="25" valign="middle"><strong><img src="http://mcpl.us/images/email_us2_smaller.gif" width="19" height="10"></strong></td><td valign="middle"><strong>Get the MCPL Blog via email!</strong></td><td valign="middle"><span class="ContentWhite">.</span><input name="email" type="text" class="SmallPrintGray" style="width:140px" value="(your email address here)"/></td><td valign="middle"><input type="hidden" value="MCPLblog" name="uri"/><input type="hidden" name="loc" value="en_US"/><input type="submit" class="SmallPrintBlack" value="Subscribe" /></td></tr></table></form><hr> Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Copyright 2012 the Marathon County Public Library en-us Wed, 16 May 2012 19:23:10 CDT Dream Big--Read! http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=112&BlogPostID=11091 Dreams and wishes and sleepy time kisses!  It’s Dream Big-Read, the Summer Library Program @ your MCPL library.  We have so much fun planned this summer for kids, teens and families that you just have to stop in, grab some good reading and go to a program or two.

Visiting a Marathon County library near you this summer are musicians/songwriters Tom Pease and Rich Baumann, juggler Bob Kann, the Raptor Education Group with large raptor birds, magician Professor Marvel a.k.a. Rob Halbrook,  and more.  You can also join us for a pool party at Memorial Park, meet us at the ballpark for a Woodchucks game, read to (and pet) therapy dogs, do some dreamy crafts, and bring the family (in your “jammies” if you wish) for a Sweet Dreams storytime on Monday nights 6:30pm @ MCPL Wausau (begins June 4).
     
If you are a teen (completed grades 6-12), we also have a special reading club and programs just for you--a scavenger hunt, art party, tie dye t-shirts, martial arts demonstration, mad science night, improv comedy and more are planned Tuesday nights at 6:00pm @MCPL Wausau.   

And don’t forget to read this summer and submit reading tickets @ your local MCPL. Teens earn rewards by submitting reading tickets online or writing book reviews.  Monthly drawings for prizes will be held. 

The Summer Library Program begins on June 3.  A complete list of Summer programs is online.

]]> Sharyn Heili, Youth Services Wed, 16 May 2012 15:31:41 GMT Maurice Sendak, Beloved Author and Illustrator http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=112&BlogPostID=11044 Sadly,  well-known children’s author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak, recently died at age 83.  Fortunately for all children, and everyone who loves children’s literature,  he left us so many wonderful, unforgettable  books to enjoy over and over again.

Sendak’s more than 50 works have evoked praise and criticism, sometimes both for the same books.  His best-loved work, Where the Wild Things Are, was also criticized for being too scary for children, and his Caldecott Honor book, In the Night Kitchen, was frequently challenged or banned for the depiction of a nude child. 

His recently published book Bumble Ardy is about an orphaned pig and his birthday party.  My Brother’s Book, a new poetry book inspired by his brother Jack, is scheduled for publication in February 2013.

Check-out his books @ your local MCPL and share them again and again with your children and grandchildren.

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]]> Sharyn Heili, Youth Services Tue, 08 May 2012 15:00:44 GMT Children's Book Week & Mother Goose http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=112&BlogPostID=11009
Children's Book Week is May 7-13. We are celebrating @MCPL Wausau with a special "Mother Goose is on the Loose" program and some of the earliest children's literature-nursery rhymes, on Saturday May 12 at 10:30am. We will have stories and rhymes, crafts, food and other activities for children and their families. Mother Goose and her goose may also make an appearance.

Children's Book Week began in 1919 to celebrate literacy, books for children, and the joy of reading. It was founded with the belief that literacy and children's books are life-changers.

Regular storytimes are held @ all MCPL locations and are an excellent way to build early literacy, social skills, and help develop a love of books, reading and learning. They are a mixture of songs, stories, fingerplays and other literacy activities for preschool children.

Please join us.

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]]> Sharyn Heili, Youth Services Wed, 02 May 2012 12:23:13 GMT Thinking About Doing Some Remodeling Around the House? http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=112&BlogPostID=11000 Home Improvement Reference Center is your “go-to” database for any number of home fix-it-up projects. Whether you’re looking at remodeling, electrical work, plumbing or garden projects, the Home Improvement Reference Center will have something for you.

The Home Improvement Reference Center offers a variety of materials including easy-to-understand instructions, magazine articles, videos and hundreds of full-color diagrams that guide you through different indoor or outdoor projects. It also features various ‘photo galleries’ that offer ideas for re-doing your bathroom, bedroom, etc.  The videos are especially useful in showing correct procedures to follow. The database also has conversion charts in case you’ve forgotten how many millimeters are in an inch!

Searches are easy to do at Home Improvement Reference Center. People can search the database for a specific item, browse the handy A-to-Z Topics list or search under specific categories like Electrical, Decorating, Outdoor, Plumbing and so on.  Information can be printed off or saved on to a personalized folder you create.

Here is a brief sampling of topics covered by the Home Improvement Reference Center: wall papering, garages, docks, feng shui, wiring diagrams, home gyms, pools and spas, trim, fire pits, painting, HVAC, plumbing routes, masonry, roofing, birdhouses, home theaters, double-hung windows, security systems, stone tile, vacation homes, porches and decks, clothing storage, utility storage, vanities, party carts, hobby farms, welding, etc.  And that just scratches the surface!

Home Improvement Reference Center can be found on the Marathon County Public Library webpage (mcpl.us) under Research and thenOnline Resources. And not only is it available at the Library, customers can be access it from home using a library card at www.mcpl.us/research/online/?topic=home_n_garden.

So, if you’re considering some home project, check out the Home Improvement Reference Center at the Marathon County Public Library. It’ll help make your project a success!

]]> Mike@ Reference Tue, 01 May 2012 12:47:55 GMT May 2012 Movie Schedule http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=112&BlogPostID=10969 The following free movies will be shown at the MCPL Wausau Headquarters in May!

Due to licensing restrictions, we cannot advertise the movies' titles online, but if you call 715-261-7200 or email us, we'll tell you. Otherwise, sign up for our monthly "Featured Events" email newsletter! 

]]> Ben Krombholz / MCPL Customer Services Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:55:58 GMT National Poetry Month http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=112&BlogPostID=10936


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]]> Marissa Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:28:56 GMT New Technology Classes http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=112&BlogPostID=10919 Thanks to the UW Extension and the Office of Broadband Sustainability, a new series of technology-related classes will be offered at MCPL locations this fall! To reserve your seat, please contact the location hosting the class.

Classes include:

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All classes are taught by Mike Theiss from the UW Extension.
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Don't forget, computer classes taught by MCPL staff are ongoing at the MCPL Wausau Headquarters! You may view the schedule for these classes here.

(last updated 2012-05-04)
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]]> Ben Krombholz / MCPL Customer Services Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:09:13 GMT Information at Your Fingertips: Consumer Health Complete Database! http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=1769&BlogID=112&BlogPostID=10907                                                                                                                                       
To help answer medical questions, Library customers should check out the Consumer Health Complete database. Consumer Health Complete offers up-to-date, comprehensive information along with illustrations and videos on hundreds of diseases, conditions, procedures, new medical developments and other related subjects. And it's easy-to-use and easy-to-understand!

Using Consumer Health Complete, a customer can search for and print out information on specific topics such as leukemia, Paget's disease, IBS, glaucoma, St. John's Wort, Alzheimer's Disease, yoga, etc. or general subjects like women's health, parenting, environmental health, pregnancy, smoking cessation and alternative treatments.

The Consumer Health Complete database is made up of the full-text editions of more than 170 medical books such as the American Medical Association Complete Medical Encyclopedia, Mayo Clinic Family Health Book and the Complete Guide to Prescription and Nonprescription Drugs; thousands of magazine articles, reports, fact sheets & pamphlets; and hundreds of high-quality, full-color illustrations, diagrams and videos.  

Likewise, the information found in the database is written in every-day English - no "Doctor Talk" here! 

In short, Consumer Health Complete is an extremely useful and user-friendly source for medical information. Yet it is only one  of the many research tools that Marathon County Public Library can provide for its customers. And not only is it available at the library, people can access it from home using their library card at www.mcpl.us/research/online?topic=health.

So, if you have any medical question, stop in, call the Reference Desk at 261-7230 or email us at Ask a Librarian on our webpage at mcpl.us. As always, Library staff will be happy to help with any questions you have.

]]> Mike@ Reference Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:28:15 GMT