Issue 9, Aug. 31, 2007
10050 Ravenna Rd. , Twinsburg, OH 44087- 330.425.4268 - www.twinsburglibrary.org
Play and Learn program always in demand
land-area librarian who herself was a new mom with lots of questions. The program was a hit and has spread nationwide. The Twinsburg Public Library became involved in 2001, when it was awarded a $34,000 grant to set up a local version. Wilms and some other library staff traveled to New York for training sessions, and the library used grant money to purchase toys and other equipment. After that, Wilms said, the library underwent certification by Family Place, the organization that now oversees Play and Learn, essentially to ensure the program would be properly implemented. Family Place maintains contact with all the participating libraries, observing them and communicating with staff. The Play and Learn program runs for five weeks. The first week consists simply of the parents and children playing together and with other families. After that, an expert from a particular field is brought in for each session. Lipinski said a librarian will discuss early childhood learning, a speech pathologist and childhood physical education specialist will be brought in, and a nutritionist will discuss diet. At the sessions, the children
Participants in the 2005 program find the program name ‘Play and Learn’ to be remarkably descriptive.
The library has a host of resources for new families, but each year a handful of new parents opt for some more hands-on training. The program, called Play and Learn, brings a variety of experts to the library to meet with new parents and their children in a relatively informal and unstructured environment. The workshop runs for five weeks for kids aged 18 months to 3 years old. “We set up the storytime room like an early childhood center,” said children’s librarian Katie Lipinski. “It’s supposed to be a chance for moms to get answers to questions they may have in a comfortable environment.” Lucy Wilms, of the children’s department, explained that Play and Learn is the brainchild of a Long Is-
Please see Play, page 2
Issue 9, Aug. 31, 2007
...Play, from Page 1
play together and the parents are free to approach the specialists with questions, though Wilms stresses it’s a low-stress environment and little is actually required. “The parent’s job is to play with the child,” she said. Wilms said up to 15 families can participate in the program, and participants are asked to commit to attending all five of the Thursday evening sessions. While the sessions themselves are informative, Wilms said it has the added benefit of showing new parents who may not have been to the library before just what the facility has to offer families. In addition to the large dedicated children’s room, there’s an extensive collection of materials and books geared towards new parents and the unique skills of which they all too suddenly find themselves in need. The program also has other lasting benefits for the families, Wilms said. She explained that many of the participants have gone on to form play groups together and stayed in touch with one another. “We’ve seen a lot of good friends made through this program,” Wilms said.
TPL Magazine is a publication of the Twinsburg Public Library. For more information, e-mail fbaer@twinsburglibrary.org. This month’s contributors include Beth Hatch, Cari Dubiel and Fred Baerkircher. Copyright 2007 Twinsburg Public Library 10050 Ravenna Rd. Twinsburg, OH 44086 330-425-4268 TPL Magazine, Page 2
Issue 9, Aug. 31, 2007
Teen radio drama in the works
It wasn’t so long ago that people grew up listening to radio dramas like The Shadow, and War of the Worlds. Many would say those shows died off in the face of a new technology that came along: television. Now, another new technology has the potential to bring shows like that to life again. TeenCrossings will have a meeting Sept. 12, at 2:45 p.m. for any teens who may be interested in starting up and running a radio drama over the Internet. Podcasts, Web audio shows, are relatively easy to make (see the howto in the Just for Kicks section of this magazine). They can be easily delivered to any number of people instantly, and those people can listen to them at their convenience on a computer or a portable MP3 player. The radio drama is just one of the potential audio projects in the works. “I’m thinking about the teens doing a monthly podcast similar to the radio show the library already does,” said Youth Services Coordinator Laura Leonard. She explained the show would include book and movie reviews, segments about school life, and other topics focused on teens. As for the radio drama, Leonard said she’ll find out at this month’s meeting what genre the teens would be most interested in performing. From there, she’ll determine whether it would be best to adapt a stage play or use an original radio drama script for the programs. “They’re excited,” Leonard said of the teens, adding that many of the teens look forward each year to performing in the summer play. “They’ve always asked me to do a winter play.” The director of those summer plays, Beth Noga, has already agreed to lend a hand with the radio drama, Leonard said. She explained that doing the radio drama instead of adding another stage production gets around many of the logistic hurdles that have prevented staging a winter play in the past. Things like costumes and set design become moot points in the audio format, though she said the group will need to come up with some good sound effects. Perhaps more important, Leonard said, the radio format will be more flexible. “Trying to work around things like cross country and work is one of the difficult things with teens,” she said. A number of teens have already expressed interest in participating, Leonard said, though more are certainly welcome. She said she hopes to have the programs well on their way to airing around November.
Library seeking videos for YouTube contest
Wanna be a movie star? The Twinsburg Public Library is holding a contest for any teens ages 13 and up. It’s part of the upcoming Teen Read Week, Oct. 14 through 20, promoted by the national Young Adult Library Services Association. This year’s theme is Laugh Out Loud at Your Library, and there are two categories from which winners will be selected: comedy and drama. Laura Leonard, head of the library’s Youth Services Department, said all videos are due by Oct. 1, and will be posted not only on the popular online site YouTube, but also on the library’s young adult Web page, http://www.teencrossings.org. Library patrons will then get to vote on their favorite video, with the winners getting prizes like movie tickets and gift certificates. “The material needs to be appropriate for library viewing,” Leonard stressed. She added that many Twinsburg teens have already made quite a splash on YouTube for videos they’ve made, and a quick search for Twinsburg on the site will return a number of such shorts. Leonard said any submissions for the contest should be sent to her, and should not exceed 5 minutes in length. For more information, call TeenCrossings at 33-425-4268, ext. 6.
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Issue 9, Aug. 31, 2007
Scheduling begins for new round of library foreign language classes
No longer are libraries places where people have to speak in whispers. These days, you’re likely to hear a few different languages going on at once in the Twinsburg Public Library. This month marks the return of the library’s wildly popular language classes, for kids and adults. Classes on sign language, Spanish and Chinese have been offered before, but this will be the first time French has been included, said Laura Leonard, head of youth services and the coordinator of the library’s language programs. The sign language classes are taught by Debbie Stylinski, who has been very popular with children at the library. “She’s been with us about three years now,” Leonard said. “Last year was the first year she started teaching adult classes. There was a lot of demand for it.” The adult French, Spanish and Mandarin classes are all taught by the same instructor: Marie-Laure deShazer. She grew up in the Basque region of Europe, studied at the Sorbonne and lived in Peking for several years. She met her husband while teaching Parisian air-traffic controllers to understand the Mandarin Chinese pilots spoke, Leonard explained. In addition to French, Spanish and Mandarin, deShazer is also certified to teach Italian, Leonard said. She teaches languages for a living, and even has a book, Chinese for Everyone, coming out, though it’s only available in the United Kingdom for now. While the Spanish classes have been in demand for some time now, Leonard said she was a little surprised at how popular the Mandarin classes were last year. “It’s popular with people in the business community,” she said. Children also have an additional teacher, Charlene Tomasek, who teaches Spanish Saturday mornings. One more new offering is a class for non-native English speakers, taught by Uma Krishnan, a professor at Kent State University who is originally from India. Leonard said that the Twinsburg schools already offer English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes for kids. But, she added, Twinsburg is seeing new residents come in from varied places like Russia, China and other Asian countries at a pace not seen in decades, at least. “It’s something the school district probably hasn’t faced since the early days of immigration,” Leonard said. All told, there will be introductory French, Spanish, Mandarin and sign language classes for adults, as well as more advanced Chinese and Spanish sessions for those who previously took the introductory course. Childrens’ classes will all be at the beginner level, in French, Spanish, sign language and Mandarin. All the classes require a $10 materials fee (per series of class, not $10 for each session). To register for any of the courses, contact TeenCrossings at 330-425-4268, ext. 6.
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Issue 9, Aug. 31, 2007
Meet the Author— Casey Daniels
inspired you to set the series here? My guess is that the Lakeview Cemetery was an inspiration.
This month, TPL Magazine talks CD: Absolutely! One thing you need to with Casey Daniels, author of the know is that I love cemeteries. I Pepper Martin mystery series. hang around in cemeteries a lot. Casey will appear at the TwinsI spend my days off in cemeterburg Library on Tues., Oct. 2, to ies, I take photographs in cemepresent a workshop on plotting teries. I find them interesting and in fiction using tarot cards. The relaxing and I know that everyprogram is part of the TPL Writwhere I look, a story idea will ers’ Circle series, generously spark. That’s why it’s no sursponsored by the Friends of the prise that I once interviewed for Library. Casey will be on hand Casey Daniels. a job as a tour guide at Lake to sign and sell her books as well. View Cemetery. I didn’t get the Please register by calling the refjob, but as I was leaving, I got the idea for erence desk at 330-425-4268, ext. 2. Pepper. It’s the perfect setting, of course, seeing as how my detective is surrounded Twinsburg Public Library: Tell us a by the dead. And if she can just happen to little bit about Pepper Martin, star of see and talk to some of them, so much the Don of the Dead and your upcoming better! My Garden View Cemetery is a novel, Tombs of Endearment. fictionalized version of Lake View. Casey Daniels: Hmm… a little about PepTPL: Many of your fellow Ohio mystery per. Well, the first thing you need to know is that Pepper was raised with money. She’s spoiled and she loves every minute of it, or at least she used to until her surgeon father went to prison for Medicare fraud. Pepper’s mom fled to Florida to hide her shame and left on her own, Pepper had to find some way to make a living. As a former Art History major in college (she figured she’d never actually have to use her degree for anything since she planned on marrying well and spending her time working on her backhand and her tan), the only job she could find was as a tour guide in a historic Cleveland cemetery. Pepper’s plenty smart, she just doesn’t know it yet. Much to her dismay, she’s finding out thanks to her Gift. You Beth's Cheesy Italian Chicken - Low see, one day in the cemetery, Pepper tripped and hit her head on the mausoleum Carb of Gus Scarpetti, a famous mobster. After Ingredients that, she could see Gus. In each of her adventures, she solves a mystery for one (or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts more) ghosts. It’s been fun watching Pep2/3 cup ricotta cheese per grow as a detective and a person. She 8 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese started out caring about no one and nothing 1 tbs minced garlic but her image, her make up and her 1 tsp Italian seasoning clothes. Slowly, she’s starting to come 2 cups low sugar spaghetti sauce around. Sometimes she does it kicking and screaming!
authors join you in your blog, The Little Blog of Murder (www.thelittleblogofmurder.com). Do you have any book recommendations for Twinsburg’s readers — Ohio authors or otherwise? CD: I’m glad you mentioned The Little Blog of Murder. The first thing I’d recommend is that readers check it out and read the books by the authors there. We’re a merry little band of mystery writers and there’s something there for everyone’s taste. Other than that, there are so many good books out there, it’s hard to pick out just a few. I recommend that readers browse their libraries and their bookstores, check out what’s new. If I had to be specific, I’d recommend books by a couple friends. One is Emilie Richards who writes the Ministry is Murder series. Her books are set in a fictional Ohio small town. The other is my buddy Miranda Bliss who writes the Cooking Class series, foodie mysteries that include recipes.
Fill slit with mixture, overflow is okay. Bake in a casserole dish for 40 minutes. Take out of oven, and pour spaghetti sauce over the top (use extra if you like). Sprinkle remaining mozzarella over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Serves 4. To make this recipe, I used the lasagna cheese mixture from my mother-inlaw's pasta recipe, but since there is no pasta allowed on the South Beach diet (at least in Phase 1), I decided to substitute chicken breast instead. Figuring out how to put the mixture inside the chicken breast was tricky. I thought about pounding the meat flat and doing a roll, but the chances of the cheese mixture leaking out was almost inevitable. So, I cut the chicken length-wise, and then set it split side up, so that the cheese stayed in place. The garlic and seasoning gave the dish a lot of flavor. I served it with a fresh green salad. YUM. And, it goes wonderful with a half glass of red wine. TPL Magazine, Page 5
TPL: Pepper Martin is a tour guide in Cleveland’s fictional “Garden View” cemetery. What
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix 6 oz of mozzarella, ricotta, garlic, seasoning, and egg in a bowl. Set aside. Place chicken breast on its side, cutting a deep slit into the middle of the breast.
Issue 9, Aug. 31, 2007
New class aims to demystify social networking sites
We have seen terrifying headlines splashed across the pages of newspapers and news Web sites that describe innocent victims falling prey to online predators, many times through social networking sites like MySpace. As a precaution, many parents intensely monitor their children’s Internet usage while they use home computers. Schools and libraries filter social networking websites as part of CIPA, the Child Internet Protection Act. No one under the age of 18 can access these Web sites in facilities that receive government funding. While children may need to be protected, fear also keeps many adults from becoming members of a social network and limits their involvement in this growing Web phenomenon. Being part of a social network has many benefits. First, and most obvious, it is a way to keep in contact and share your life with friends and family, especially those who do not live close by. Many people keep in contact with their friends and loved ones via the Internet already. A grandmother might enjoy receiving pictures of her grandchildren through picture Web sites or email, for example, since she can’t travel often to see them. A daughter or son may send word of his or her life in the military. Close girlfriends who have moved apart can stay in touch through the Web, sending email messages and pictures when they have the time. Families and friends no longer stay in the same area, moving to all parts of the country, sometimes overseas, and the Web has allowed them to stay connected. Social networking Web sites have taken this way of communicating to a whole new level. These sites allow different types of media to be shared in one convenient location: pictures, video, blogs (journals), mail, music and much more. The first social networking site to be developed was Classmates.com. It was created as a way for old high school friends to find each other, even if they had been apart for years, like a virtual class reunion. Who hasn’t been curious about how their high school classmates turned out and where they are now? Since then, several social networking sites were created to offer many other features. MySpace is by far the largest social network on the Web. According
Celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell, left, on MySpace, and even businesses like JC Penny, right, on Bebo, have started to take advantage of the interactions social networking sites make possible.
to Saul Hansell of the New York Times’ article “For Google, MySpace's Size Poses a Big Test”, MySpace is expected to have over 100 million members by the middle of August 2007, which works out to approximately 3 percent of the entire U.S. population. In short, that’s a whole lotta people. Close behind MySpace are Facebook, which just opened up for general membership instead of being restricted to college students, and Bebo. To get started, all you need to do is create a new profile, upload a picture or two, add some personal information and a description, and search for your friends. What about privacy and online predators, you ask? Every profile has the ability to be restricted to friends and family only, which means only the people you are “friends” with are able to view your information. Unfortunately, many young people leave their profiles visible to anyone, and this is where they get into trouble. Even with a restricted profile, you are still able to search for new friends. There are other reasons to make your profile visible to the general public, but these mostly involve marketing yourself in a business sense -- the new wave of social network membership. Many people are capitalizing on the vast population of these Web sites: Artists like Natalie Imbruglia are using these sites to market their bands and music. Businesses like JC Penny are building profiles to become more visible to a younger age market. Even celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell are becoming members of MySpace to appeal to their fan base. For more information on social networks, feel free to attend our workshop in September. Demystifying MySpace and Other Social Networks Workshop, Sept. 24, 2007 from 2 – 4:30 p.m. Demystifying MySpace is a workshop designed to dispel the myths of social networking sites and to show you how to protect yourself and your loved ones while staying connecting with friends and family, as well as meeting new people online.
Changed—call for details
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Issue 9, Aug. 31, 2007
How the Internet is resurrecting the radio star
Ever wanted to become a radio star, but couldn’t convince any stations to give you air time? You might be surprised at just how easy it is to make your own show in this Internet age. The library now has several audio programs running, with more in the works. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to make a show of your own. The first step is planning. This might sound like a no-brainer, but without detailed notes, it’s easy to get sidetracked mid-show. An absurd amount of planning can help prevent those dreaded “um” ruts. Next comes the recording itself. There are myriad ways to go about this, ranging in price from mostly free to exorbitantly expensive. The library’s shows are produced on studio microphones and a sound board graciously donated by the Friends of the Library. The equipment sounds great, but you certainly don’t need anything that fancy to get started. Any method that will get sound into a computer will work. You could use a microphone hooked to your computer, run a line from your computer to a tape deck, or use other methods. Obviously, sound quality will vary. Next comes editing. There’s a great free program called Audacity, that let’s you divide a sound file into tracks and edit them independently. This makes it easy to do things like fades and cuts. It also lets you turn your files into Internet-friendly MP3s that people can download. Of course, in order for people to be able to download your show, it has to be online. There are a few ways to go about this as well. If you have your own Web site, this is easy. If you don’t, there are other methods. For example, there are sites dedicated to hosting people’s podcasts and which will let you post yours. The final step is to write an
While the Friends of the Library donated this fairly sophisticated audio equipment (librarians Laura Leonard, left, and Cari Dubiel were not included in the purchase order) for the creation of the library’s podcasts, workable shows can still be created on a shoestring budget.
RSS feed. This is a snippet or computer code that lets people subscribe to your show and have it delivered to their computers. If your eyes glaze over at the thought of typing up some weird computer language you’ve never heard of, don’t worry. There are plenty of places you can just copy the needed code, or you can use a free service to generate it. Following these steps can have you up and running with your own show in no time. If you want more information, the library has a variety of books on podcasting, and has some of the software you’ll likely need installed on computers in the Mousepad. Happy podcasting! Podcast resources: Kristal: Free software that duplicates a mixer -- http://www.kreatives.org/ kristal Audacity: A free audio editor -http://audacity.sourceforge.net Opsound: Copyright-free music and sounds – www.opsound.org
OurMedia: A site that hosts podcasts --
http://www.ourmedia.org FeedBurner: A free tool to create an RSS feed for your show – www.feedburner.com
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Issue 9, Aug. 31, 2007
Calendar of Events
Adult Programs Sept. 4, 2-3:30 p.m. Resume Help Session Sept. 4, 6 p.m. First session of Mandarin Chinese seminar for those who have taken beginner’s course Sept. 4, 7 p.m. Writer’s Circle Sept. 4, 7:15 p.m. First session of Spanish seminar for those who have taken beginner’s course Sept. 5, 6:30 p.m. Women Moving West: A Heritage of Strength and Faithfulness Sept. 6, 7 p.m. Mystery Book Discussion Group, Mission Flats, by William Landay Sept. 10, 7 p.m. Soul of Literature Book Discussion Group, Angel of Harlem, by Kuwana Haulsey Sept. 10, 7 p.m. Asian Book Discussion Group, The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston Sept. 10, 7:15 p.m. First session of Introductory Sign Language Sept. 26, 6 p.m. Intro to Google TeenCrossings Sept. 4, 2:30 p.m. Nintendo Wii Day Sept. 5, 2:45 p.m. Group Study Day Sept. 10, 2:45 p.m. Drop-In Craft Day Sept. 10, 2:45 p.m. Group Study Sept. 11, 2:30 p.m. Nintendo Wii Day Sept. 12, 2:30 p.m. Radio Play Club Sept. 12, 2:45 p.m. Group Study Day Sept. 17, 2:45 p.m. Drop-In Craft Day Sept. 17, 2:45 p.m. Group Study Sept. 17, 3:15 p.m. Mock Newbery Club Sept. 18, 2:30 p.m. Nintendo Wii Day Sept. 19, 2:45 p.m. Group Study Day Sept. 24, 2:45 p.m. Drop-In Craft Day Sept. 24, 2:45 p.m. Group Study Sept. 25, 2:30 p.m. Nintendo Wii Day Sept. 26, 2:45 p.m. Group Study Day Children’s Place Sept. 10, 4:15 p.m. First session of Sign Language classes Sept. 10, 4:15 p.m. First session of French classes Sept. 10, 5 p.m. First session of Spanish classes (one of two goups) Sept. 10, 5:45 p.m. First session of Mandarin Chinese classes Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m. First session of English for New American Children classes Sept. 15, 10 a.m. Paws to Read Sept. 15, 10 a.m. First session of Spanish classes (second of two groups) Sept. 16, 1:30 High School Musical Party Sept. 18, 7 p.m. Bilingual (Hindi and English) storytime Sept. 19, 7 p.m. Feeling Crafty at Children’s Place Sept. 23, 2 p.m. The Goonies Sept. 27, 6:30 p.m. Play and Learn workshop Sept. 28, 10 a.m. Sign to Your Baby Sept. 28, Wild About Eyes kiosk TPL Magazine, Page 8
Sept. 11, 2-3:30 p.m. Resume Help Session Sept. 11, 7 p.m. Home Staging with Lynn Koerner Sept. 17, 2 p.m. Third Monday Book Discussion Group, Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen Sept. 18, 6 p.m. Introduction to Entrepreneurship Sept. 18, 7 p.m. Men’s Book Discussion Group, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer Sept. 19, 7 p.m. Writer’s Circle Sept. 22, 1:30 p.m. Chat with “Coondog” Sept. 24, 2 p.m. Gaslight Classics Book Discussion Group, The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy Sept. 25, 2-3:30 p.m. Resume Help Session Sept. 26, 6:30 p.m. Women Moving the World $1 at a Time, part 1 Mousepad Sept. 5, 10 a.m. Introduction to Windows XP Sept. 6, 2 p.m. Part one of Intro to GIMP Sept. 10, 2 p.m. Part one of Intro to Word 2003 Sept. 17, 2 p.m. Intro to PowerPoint 2003 Sept. 18, 2 p.m. Intro to the Internet Sept. 19, 2 p.m. Introduction to Windows XP Sept. 20, 2 p.m. Advanced Internet Sept. 24, 2:30 p.m. Demystifying MySpace and Other Social Networking Sites Sept. 25, 6 p.m. Intro to Excel 2003