A Different Kind of History "Book" to Read

Just recently, I learned of a very interesting Blog being posted by an Englishman using his grandfather's letters home during WWI.

Anyone interested in a real picture, a first-hand account so-to-speak, of the life of a soldier fighting in the Great War will want to read this Blog.

I have placed a link to the Blog with William Henry Lamin's letters to his family in the section for links located in the left-hand column of the Library Blog. There are a few things you will want to know before you begin:

1. BEWARE. The letters are being posted on the same date they were received 90 years ago, so if you start with the most recent one you will be jumping into the middle.
2. The BEST WAY to start is to click on the oldest date (July 2006) in the WWI Blog's archive and read from the bottom or oldest one up. The archive is located in the left-hand column of the Blog.
3. To make it all more understandable, Lamin's grandson is posting background and research information between the letters.

I'm sure you will get just as hooked on reading this Blog as I have.
Please let me know if you like this type of posting.

New Year Resolutions

Did you make one or more resolutions for the New Year? Maybe you made one and you've already broken it. Maybe you didn't because you figured you couldn't keep your resolution.

Whether you took part in this tradition or not, it's not too late to make just one more resolution... one that will let you feel good about yourself because you made a committment to help someone else.

Here's what you can do. Just resolve to:

1. commit to help support your library financially by making a regular monetary gift
...a. donate $1 each time you visit your library
...b. donate $1 for each item you borrow from your library
...c. donate $1 for each week or $10 for each month or $1 for each day the library is open and make your donation in a single sum early in the year or split it in half, paying half in January and half in July.

2. commit to offer to purchase some supplies for your library, such as replacement lightbulbs (ask what type), a case of 96 brite - 20 lb multipurpose paper, a ream of white, blue and/or green 67 lb cover stock, or toner cartridges for an HP 4050 Laserjet printer.

3. commit to donating your time and skills to your library as a storytime volunteer, a library buddy for children while their parent browses elsewhere in the library, a shelver or shelf reader to help keep our books organized, or become a Friends member and help with their library service projects.

Many people think a library gets all the funds needed to buy books and pay salaries and building expenses from local, county and state funds. This is not true. Only a portion of the funds necessary to run your library comes from these sources. A large portion comes from donations from private individuals or bequests and memorials and from grants and donations from businesses and employee groups. To learn more about how your library is funded stop in and pick up a copy of the most recent Annual Report. Plans are to publish our next Annual Report on our website. Watch for the link to appear... possibly next month.

What is YOUR New Year's Resolution for 2008?