Safe and Well During Disasters

PC Magazine had a nice column in the August 2008 issue on page 18 listing sites where you can check on the status of friends and family affected by disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.

The American Red Cross site has a Safe and Well List where those affected by disaster can register and you can check to see if your friends/relatives are safe. Visit the site at https://disastersafe.redcross.org

ContactLoved Ones.org is hosted by Project Genesis and the American Red Cross and allows those with access to a phone to leave or receive voice messages. Visit the site at: http://contactlovedones.org

FamilyLinks is a site operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross for global disasters. Visit the site at www.familylinks.icrc.org

Recent Arrivals

Slideshow Presentation at the library

Join us for a beautiful slideshow presentation on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Dr. Todd Russell from the University of Maine, Presque Isle will be at the library on Friday, August 29th at 6:00 pm to give a talk and slideshow presentation on the backpacking trips he and his wife Kaye have taken through the Pacific Crest Trail. Their slideshow of this 2650 mile journey from the Mexican border to the Canadian border offers breath-taking scenery, deep snow covered mountain passes, scorching desert, and the many interesting people they met along the way.

All are invited to an evening of beautiful natural splendor.

Pacific Crest Trail Association

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

Transition to Digital Broadcast TV

Are you confused about the upcoming

changes to your television?

Come to the library on Monday, August 25, 2008, at 9 a.m. in the art gallery for a public forum concerning the transition to digital broadcast television. A representative from the Federal Communications Commission will answer questions and will sign attendees up for a discount coupon for digital converters.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Northern Maine Household Hazardous Waste Collection

In Presque Isle on Saturday, August 23rd from 9:00 - 1:00

Pre-registration required. Must register by August 20th.

Call Connie at NMDC to register at 498-8736.

A permit will be issued and must be presented at event.

Types of Waste Accepted

• Turpentine/Varnish
• Brake Fluid
• Paint Remover/Thinner
• Charcoal Lighter Fluids
• Pool and Photo Chemicals
• Linseed Oil
• Used Antifreeze
• Adhesives/Solvents
• Oven/Drain Cleaners
• Fungicides/Herbicides/Pesticides
• Battery Acid/Muriatic Acid
• Waste Gasoline
• Pharmaceuticals
  
  
  

Help identifying old photo

One of the most interesting parts of library work is researching local history. We received a copy of this photo with a request to post it to see if anyone out there can help identify the photo, children in the photo, photographer, any other details.

This photo was given to the late Julian Turner during the time of the James School Restoration (1985-1987). Could this photo be of a class from the old James School before the newer (1917) James School was erected on Niles Road in Presque Isle, Maine? The photo is possibly from the early 1900's.

Please post any comments here or call or email me at the library.

James School Presentation

Please join us in welcoming Martie Pritchard to the library on Tuesday, August 19th at 4:30 p.m.

Martie will give a presentation about her research on the James School History Project.

All are welcome and light refreshments will be served.

The James School is the last one-room schoolhouse in the Presque Isle area still in public use. Built in 1917 it was used as a school until 1948 when rural schools in the area closed. The Hillside Gospel Mission purchased the building in 1949 and used it as a church for about ten years. The last recorded church business was August, 1958. The school building was boarded up and abandoned until 1985 when it was scheduled to be burned by the city of Presque Isle. It was then that a restoration committee was formed under the guidance of Judge Julian Turner. For the next two years every Saturday was a work day for citizens of the area. The James School stands as a monument to hard work and community pride, providing a year-round gathering place for meetings, parties, picnics, and school field trips.

Martie Pritchard joins the ranks of historians of the James School. She is a special education teacher in Presque Isle, a farmer, grandmother and freelance writer. She is working on the James School History Project in two volumes; a compilation for adults and older students, and a children’s book which incorporates questions posed by her students on field trips with photographs of children exploring the historical features of the school.

Presque Isle Reading Club at the Library

Selections for the 2008-2009 reading group are listed below. The group meets on the third Thursday of each month. The group will also have three extra meetings during the year with outside speakers and films (dates and programs to be announced soon).

The first book will be Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. and the group will meet at 6 pm on September 18th in the library.

• October 16 As I Lay Dying/William Faulkner
• November 20 Huckleberry Finn/Mark Twain
• December 18 The Lost Salt Gift of Blood/Alistair MacLeod

2009 Reads

• January 15 Luther/Heiko A. Oberman
• February 19 Othello/Shakespeare
• March 19 The Art of Drowning/Billy Collins
• April 16 Beloved/Toni Morrison
• May 21 The Regeneration Trilogy/Pat Barker
• June 17 On Human Nature/Edward O. Wilson

Library Bookplate

Recently, I was shelving some books and opened one up to find this beautiful bookplate. Just in time for the Olympics, I thought this was a perfect item to post. These plates appear in books purchased in the 1930's and 1940's from the Myrtle L. T. White Fund. It is beautiful and makes me want to look further for others we may have in our older books on the shelves and in the rare cabinets. I'll post any others I locate.

To view other bookplates, see links below.

Bookplate Archive University of Texas at Austin

Stanford University Libraries Bookplate Exhibits

Bookplates on Flickr Brooklyn Museum

National Library of Medicine Bookplates

American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers