Marilyn W Dean

One of the library's most devoted and loved patrons and a former employee, Marilyn Dean, passed away on February 28, 2008. She was born in Presque Isle and attended Presque Isle schools, Bates College, and Chamberlain School of Retailing. She was married to Perley M. Dean of Easton.

Marilyn was employed by SAD #42 Mars Hills, was a Children's Librarian at the Turner Memorial Library, and was a Health Sciences Librarian for 24 years at the Aroostook Medical Center.

At her request, contributions in her memory can be made to this library. To date, over $1,600 dollars have been donated to purchase books in her memory. Some books have also been purchased in memory of her husband Perley Dean.

The books are on display in the adult section of the library. Please stop in and see this loving tribute to this wonderful woman. There are many beautiful children's books, cookbooks, Maine books, mysteries, and many other titles that reflect Marilyn's interests.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

New York Times Bestseller

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by Susanna Clarke

I'll admit that when I see a book that is 782 pages long, I know I'll never have the time to finish it. So, when my colleague, Rick Asam, recommended this book to me he also told me that we had it on CD and he assured me that I would really enjoy it whether I read it or listened to it. Rick's picks are always great and when he suggests something, I know enough to read it, listen to it, or watch it. I took the easier route, and have the CDs (all 26 of them) at home and have been enjoying them just as Rick predicted.

The point of this is that we all have busy lives, we all need to make adjustments sometimes, and if you find yourself in the same situation, ask us to get the book on CD, get the book in large print if you need it, or even get the film version of a book for you. It is sometimes hard to make time for things you really enjoy, but it is so worthwhile. So, let us help you by making suggestions, recommendations, finding information, and adapting things to meet your needs, your schedule, your life. The library is constantly trying to improve the service we give to you and we always appreciate any comments and input. You know by now, that we will listen.

We are open seven days a week to make it easier for you to find the right time in your daily life to come visit the library. You can reach us online in a variety of ways (email, IM, Facebook, MySpace, Second Life) and for those who prefer we are always only a phone call away. The library is a great resource in this community that is available to everyone and if you aren't using your library you should take the time to see what has changed since your last visit.

Gardening

After the long winter, we are all more than ready to begin planning our summer gardens. Get a jump on the season by attending a presentation on Seedlings and Container Gardens.

Gardening Program April 15th at 4 pm

Starting Seeds and Container Gardening Presentation
by Lisa Fishman from the UMaine Cooperative Extension Service

Join us for this free program to learn more about starting your summer garden

Tuesday, April 15th at 4 pm in the library

Second Life

If you have already established a free account on Second Life (SL), created your avatar, and entered into this virtual world, we hope you have visited the Mark & Emily Turner Library in SL.

A Relay for Life Donation Station to support the American Cancer Society has just been put up in our SL library. Stop by and visit and make a donation.



Relay for Life History

If you have never heard of Second Life and wish to learn more, stop into the library and we'll arrange to give you an online tour.

We have recently received two new books on Second Life:

I, Avatar by Mark Stephen Meadows

The Making of Second Life by Wagner James Au

Ginn's Pavilion

Do you remember Ginn's Pavilion? I'm told it was a dance hall owned by Frank Ginn in this area that was very popular in the 30's, 40's, and 50's. There were lots of great bands, plenty of dancing and socializing, and a huge ball that hung from the ceiling that was just beautiful and created a wonderful atmosphere. Jim Carter is the grandson of the owner, Frank Ginn, and Jim is interested in talking with anyone who has information, memories to share, and photos from Ginn's Pavilion. Jim can be contacted by email at jcarter001@maine.rr.com

Local History

We answer lots of reference questions at this library on a wide variety of topics. Some of the most interesting questions are local history questions. We may be asked to locate photos of local spots or businesses long gone, help find the history of a house, search for an obituary, locate gravesites, search old census records, or review old maps to determine the growth of a section of the town over time.

We use a variety of resources to answer these questions such as Maine Memory Network, our Maine Collection and local history collection, microfilm of old newspapers such as the Star Herald, census data, atlases, Maine Registers, oral histories, scrapbooks, city directories, City of Presque Isle Annual Reports, and our Genealogy collection. We also talk to people who visit the library and see what they have to share on a given topic. We have wonderful local resources such as the Presque Isle Historical Society, records at City Hall, Special Collections at University of Maine at Presque Isle, our local historian Dick Graves, Voscar, and many other people who write local history in the Star Herald, Echoes Magazine, Crown of Maine Website, and several others who have published books and articles on local history.

We have many books that have been published by local authors and the recent book by John Llewellyn Hone, A Long Time Forgotten, about the Presque Isle Opera House and the history of Presque Isle is just one of the excellent books we can consult.

If you have a local history question, or any question, call us, write us, email us, fax us, IM us, stop in, visit our library in Second Life, reach us anyway that works best for you and we'll do the research and get your question answered. We are here to help. The very best part of all this is that we all learn something new along the way and contribute to preserving local history.

Turner Librarians

Over the past 100 years, the library has had many librarians who contributed to the success of this library. Lou Marston was the first librarian of the Presque Isle Free Library and held that position from 1908 to 1928. She is pictured at left among her students.

Lucinda Bigelow Marston was born in Smithfield on November 22, 1863 and was the daughter of George W. and Ruhamah Bigelow Marston. In 1870, the family moved to Aroostook County and lived on a farm in the eastern part of Presque Isle (next to the Easton town line). She attended school in Presque Isle and Farmington Normal, and later taught in the Presque Isle schools. When the Presque Isle Free Library was built, Miss Marston became its first librarian and continued until she was forced to resign due to ill health in August of 1928.

As the first librarian, Ms. Marston was instrumental in working with the board of trustees to establish and develop the library from the ground up. Her obituary states, "She was much beloved by her pupils, during and since her teaching days, and highly regarded by the public with whom she came in contact in her library work." Miss Marston was a member of the United Baptist Church of Presque Isle and of the Rebekahs of Easton. She died in 1931.

How Starbucks Saved My Life

How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else by Michael Gates Gill

If you enjoy books where the person has everything, loses everything, and then finds happiness, then this book will appeal to you. It's a nice true story about finding one's humanity and relying on others to help rebuild your life.

A film, based on this book, is due out this year and will star Tom Hanks.

Penguin Group About the Book

Wall Street Journal Review

Library Closed on Easter

The library will be closed for Easter on Sunday, March 23rd and will reopen on Monday, March 24th at 9 a.m.

Geography of Bliss

Can a place make you happy? Imagine traveling around the world and visiting countries just to find out why some places seem happier than others. This is an assignment I would love to get. Well, that's what I thought until I got to the chapter on Moldova--which the author describes as one of the unhappiest places on earth. I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and fun to read. Eric Weiner, foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, visits ten countries in search of happiness and writes about his adventure with sarcasm, wit, and great observations. Iceland is one happy place despite being cold, isolated, and dark most of the year. Read the book to find out why.

Geography of Bliss

New York Times First Chapter

Eric Weiner Books

Author's Website. You can post your happiest places message there.

Twelve Books

Publisher's site. From their site: "TWELVE was established in August 2005 with the objective of publishing no more than one book per month. We strive to publish the singular book, by authors who have a unique perspective and compelling authority. Works that explain our culture; that illuminate, inspire, provoke, and entertain. We seek to establish communities of conversation surrounding our books."

Other books on happiness for further reading:

100 Years!

The Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library turns 100 on Sunday, March 16th. Stop in on Sunday and join us for refreshments to celebrate. Events are planned for each month throughout the year to celebrate the library’s birthday and will be listed in the local paper, our newsletter, Website, blog, MySpace, and Facebook pages.

We currently have a display in the library on Beulah Akeley, the second librarian at this library from 1932-1945. Stop by to see the display and read an excellent article about this fascinating woman. In future posts we will highlight other librarians who made important contributions to this library throughout its long history.

Job Fairs and Library Careers

Northern Maine Community College hosts an excellent job fair and this is the second year our library has participated at the fair. This year it was held on Thursday, March 13th at the NMCC campus from 9 - 1 pm. Fifty businesses participated and the response was great. Ruth White, Regional Director for the Early Collge for ME program at NMCC has coordinated the fair with other NMCC staff for the past four years with amazing results. It is a wonderful event where job seekers can come and meet with potential employers and learn more about job opportunities in the area. There were also door prizes and fun giveaways at all the tables.

The library booth was set up to provide information on careers in libraries, schools offering programs in library science, and scholarship information. We answered many questions about working in libraries and handed out literature for many of the online programs across the country.

Many schools and organizations generously donated brochures, program literature and handouts, pens, keychains, bookmarks, READ buttons, stress balls, calculators, library journals, ice scrapers, notepads, and magnets to put out at our booth.

We extend our sincere thanks to the following organizations for providing information and giveaways:

University of Maine at Augusta
Drexel University iSchool
Simmons College
San Jose State University
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
Southern Connecticut State University
University of South Carolina
University of Rhode Island
Library Careers.org
American Library Association/Placement Recruitment Office
American Libraries
Library Journal
Bolinda

The next area job fair will be held on Wednesday, March 26th from 10:30-1:30, at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Be sure to stop by our booth.

If you have questions about working in libraries and becoming a librarian, contact us and we'll be happy to provide information and meet and talk with you about this great field.

Here are a few sites to get you started:

LibraryCareers.org

American Library Association

Scholarship Information

Saint Patrick's Day

March 17th is Saint Patrick's Day and it isn't too late to stop by and grab a history book about the Irish, some fiction by an Irish author, Ireland travel books, or an Irish cookbook. You might even want to do some genealogy research on your Irish roots.

Maine Memory Project
Irish Immigrants in 19th c. Maine

UK & Ireland Genealogy

Irish-American Club of Maine
P.O. Box 1683
Portland, Maine 04104-1683
Phone: (207) 780-0119
E-mail: IAC@maineirish.com
Website: www.maineirish.com/club

Works to preserve and promote Irish-American culture, history, and community in Maine. Monthly social gatherings with entertainment and speakers, cultural programming for adults and children, children's holiday parties, annual Saint Patrick's Dinner Dance, annual Summer Family Picnic, Traditional Céili dancers with live music, monthly newsletter, field trips around New England and Canada, club discounts for members at local businesses and theaters.

Irish Heritage Center
34 Gray Street
P.O. Box 7588
Portland, ME 04112-7588
Phone: (207) 780-0118
Fax: (207) 780-0115
Website: www.maineirish.com

This ornate, gothic brick building was finished in 1888 as Saint Dominic's Church, whose parish served as the bastion of the Irish American community in Portland for over 180 years. Recently purchased and restored by the Irish American community, the building now houses a first-rate library and genealogy center with a collection that documents the Irish who moved into, and through, Maine and serves as a central gathering place for the Irish-American community. Open Monday-Friday 9am-4pm.

Ethan Frome

Please join us for a
MOVIE & DISCUSSION
of Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome
facilitated by
Dr. Nan Amodeo, professor emerita
at the Mark & Emily Turner Library
Saturday, March 15th at 9 am
Library Gallery/Multipurpose Room

For more information email:
pimelibrarian@gmail.com or call 764-2571

Edith Wharton Society

The Mount Estate and Gardens

Ethan Frome Audiobook from Project Gutenberg

Librivox Audiobook

Women's History

Maine Women Living on the Land

Finding Their Own Voices Maine Women at the Millennium: Their Stories

Margaret Chase Smith A Woman for President

March 9th is International
Women's Day

The month of March is Women's History Month

Celebrate both International Women's Day and Women's History Month by learning more about the contributions of women in history. We have some books on display in the library you might enjoy and many more still in the stacks. Our Maine history section has some excellent and interesting books about the women of Maine.

March 8th is International Women's Day

March is Women's History Month

National Women's History Project


New Woman’s Day/ALA Initiative - Using the library for health information

From now until May 11, Woman’s Day magazine, in conjunction with American Library Assocation's (ALA’s) Campaign for America’s Libraries, is collecting stories on how its readers have used the library to improve a family member’s or their own health. The magazine announced the initiative in its March issue, where it asks its readers aged 18 and over to submit their stories in 700 words or less. Up to four of the submissions will be featured in the March 2009 issue. If you have used a library to do research or find information on health issues for yourself or a family member, write up your story and email it to womansday@ala.org.

Birding

Jonathan Rosen's new book, The Life of the Skies: Birding at the end of Nature, just arrived on our shelves. One of the first lines in the book informs us that there are 47.8 million Americans who are birdwatchers. Even people in cities find wonderful birdwatching spots. It seems that bird watching is a real pasttime for many. This book is part birdwatching history, personal account, nature writing with a bit of philosophy.

You really don't have to go far to see some great birds. Outside the library we have regular visits by cedar waxwings. In our own backyards we see chickadees, goldfinches, red breasted nuthatches, pine grosbeaks, and an assortment of finches. Every now and then a family of cardinals comes through my backyard.

I just finished reading this book and it was an excellent and enjoyable read. You may want to read this book (see reviews below) and then read some others on birds, birding, and people like Audubon. We have plenty. Just stop in and ask for assistance.

NPR story Life of the Skies

Bird Watching Trends in the United States 1994-2006

San Francisco Chronicle Review

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux


Maine Bird Sites and Information

Northern Maine Birds

Maine Birding Trail

Maine Birding.Net

Maine Audubon

Maine Birds.com

Maine Birds Blog

Maine Natural Areas Program

Biodiversity Research Institute

Eagle Cam

Loon Cam

Daylight Saving Time

It's time to change the clocks again to one hour ahead. Everyone seems to hate this task, but we all love the extra hour of daylight. If you want the new time to be incredibly accurate you can verify it here.

We'll be open on Sunday at 10:00, but that is daylight saving time 10:00 am.

Bestseller Lists by Country

What do they read in other countries?

I wasn't surprised to hear that the latest Harry Potter tops the list for each country shown below except for Japan, where it is third on the list. These lists are based on Amazon's bestsellers by country. We all seem to fit neatly into the stereotypes of our own cultures. Those in the UK preferred books by TV personalities, the US prefers self-help books, French readers prefer meaningful "deep" fiction, Germans prefer travel/outdoor books, and the Japanese read manga (a kind of adult comic book/novel). While this is perhaps not the most scientific study, it is fun to see the titles and read the newspaper articles below.

United Kingdom
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling 2. Nigella Express, Nigella Lawson 3. Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life, Jamie Oliver 4. Do Ants Have Arseholes?: And 101 Other Bloody Ridiculous Questions, Jon Butler 5. On the Edge, Richard Hammond 6. My Booky Wook, Russell Brand 7. QI: The Book of General Ignorance, QI 8. Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 9. The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins 10. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini.

United States
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling 2. The Secret, Rhonda Byrne 3. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert 4. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini 5. The Dangerous Book for Boys, Conn Iggulden 6. Deceptively Delicious, Jessica Seinfeld 7. Strengthsfinder 2.0, Tom Rath 8. Good to Great, Jim Collins 9. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen 1 10. Now Discover Your Strengths, Marcus Buckingham

France
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling 2. I Do Not Know How to Lose Weight, Dr. Pierre Dukan 3. The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery 4. School Blues, Daniel Pennac 5. Secret, Philippe Grimbert 6. Volume 18: The Irish, Jean Van Hamme 7. Volume 19: The Last Round, Jean Van Hamme 8. A Life, Simone Weil 9. Fitness: 110 Exercises Without Equipment, Olivier Lafay 10.The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

Germany
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling 2. I Am Off for a Bit, Then, Hape Kerkeling 3. For Every Solution a Problem, Kerstin Gier 4. Volume 3: The Inkworld Trilogy, Cornelia Funke 5. The Secret, Rhonda Byrne 6. A Fjord, Angelo Colagrossi 7. The Joy of Life Calendar, 2008 8. The Civil Code 9. The Cleaner, Paul Cleave 10. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

Japan
1. Yukuko Tanaka's Face Massage, Yukuko Tanaka 2. Inspiring Exercise, Micaco 3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling 4. Michelin Guide to Tokyo, 2008, Michelin 5. Nodame Cantabile 17 (manga), Tomoko Ninomiya 6. The Homeless Junior High School Student, Hiroshi Tamura 7. Between Living Organisms and Inanimate Objects, Shinichi Fukuoka 8. Moyashimon, Volume 6 (manga), Masayuki Ishikawa 9. The Secret, Rhonda Byrne 10. Nodame Cantabile 18 (manga), Tomoko Ninomiya.

The Times Online

Telegraph

Economic Times

Mystery Books by Louise Penny

Canadian mystery author, Louise Penny, is an award winning journalist who worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) before embarking on a writing career.

I just finished her first mystery, Still Life, and it was a very enjoyable read. Her main character, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec, has been described as "cerebral, wise, and compassionate" by Kirkus Reviews. This book has received starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews. The Denver Post describes it as "a perfectly executed traditional mystery."

Find out why a long time resident in a rural village south of Montreal is found dead in the woods. I have the second book, A Fatal Grace, already started.
We just received her most recent mystery, The Cruelest Month.

Read more about Louise Penny at her site and her blog.

New Books

Katahdin: An Historic Journey
Legends, Explorations, and Preservation of Maine's Highest Peak
I say Katahdin and you say Katahrdin. Whatever you call it, it is the highest peak in Maine and this book will tell you all you need to know about it's history, legend, and lore.

On the Road to Freedom: A Guided Tour of the Civil Rights Trail.

Learn more about the historic sites, people involved, speeches, marches, and history of the civil rights movement from an author who was there and was part of the movement.

Girls' Toys of the Fifties and Sixties
This is a fun book with dolls, bikes, games, costumes and more. Find your old toys and take a trip down memory lane. We have the Boys' Toys of the Fifties and Sixties on order.

1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die

This is just the book you need at this time of year. The gardens in this book are just beautiful. You could spend an afternoon just reading and flipping the pages and dreaming of flowers.

Teen Tech Week March 2-8, 2008

It's cold, it's dark, it's snowy
Why not come to the library and celebrate?

Join Lisa Shaw on Saturday, March 8th
from 12:00-1:30 @ the library

Stop by and join your friends and learn some new tech skills. Bring laptops, Ipods, Mp3 players and any other tech device you own. Learn about ebooks, blogs, podcasts, music downloads, social networks, and more.

Lisa Shaw will be there to provide information and lead group discussion.

Topics:

• Downloading music
• Social Networking
• Online Research

Refreshments will be provided--pizza, snacks, and drinks.

Contact Lisa to sign up:

Email
Phone 764-2571

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS

Theodor (Ted) Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904,
in Springfield, Massachusetts

His books are loved by children and adults all over the world.
Feel free to start a discussion about your favorite Seuss book.

Take some time to view the links below to learn more about this author. Stop into the library and reread one of your childhood favorites or take a book home for your own children to read. We also have other books about Seuss that you might enjoy. Charles Cohen's book, Seuss, the Whole Seuss, and Nothing but the Seuss is one you might like to see.

The Advertising Artwork of Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss Biography

NEA Biography Dr. Seuss

Dr. Suess National Memorial Sculpture Garden