Know Your Library Newsletter - March 2017

Know Your Library Newsletter - February 2017

Taos Public Library Holiday Season Closings

The Taos Public Library along with the book drop will be closed December 22-26th 2016 and December 30, 2016 thru January 2, 2017 in observance of the upcoming Christmas and New Years holidays. 

---> No items are due during these closures <---

Thank you for NOT leaving any items outside. The weather can damage items that are still checked out to you. 

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Taos Children's Library Book Giveaway

Thanksgiving Library and bookdrop Closure

The Taos Public Library and the book-drop 

will be closed November 24-27th 2016. 

No library materials are due at this time. 

Please do NOT leave anything outside. 

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

Know Your Library Newsletter - November 2016

Veterans Day closure

The Taos Public Library will be closed Monday, November 7th, 2016 in observance of Veterans Day.

Know Your Library Newsletter - August 2016

Know Your Library Newsletter - July 2016

KNOW YOUR LIBRARY

July 2016. written for the Taos Public Library by Joanne Forman

WE ARE ALL THEIR CHILDREN!

   THE STORY OF IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED STATES

      Even Native Americans, “Indians” (Columbus was lost)—are thought to have entered north America and what is now the United States via a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska. Whether that is so or not, what is true is that every other American is either an immigrant or the descendant of immigrants. What could be a more apropos topic for July, when we celebrate the independence of our nation from a powerful empire.

     Yet, one of the constant threads of American history is the fear of, the despising of, the looking down upon, those whose ancestors arrived five minutes after ours. What’s going on here?

     As always (we keep saying it because it’s true!) your Taos Public Library has some 161 books on immigrants and immigration to help you understand this background, this history. Check things out for yourself!

THOMAS PAINE AND THE FIGHT FOR LIBERTY by Samuel Crompton (jBPai) is in the childrens’ room, but even teens and grownups will enjoy this short succinct biography. After the United States came into being, Paine went back to England and wrote THE RIGHTS OF MAN, which got him into very hot water with the government of the day. Common men to have rights? What a radical idea!!

       He went on to France to their Revolution in 1789, wrote “THE AGE OF REASON”—and was almost guillotined. Rescued, he returned to the USA and died in New York City.

      The words of Paine are collected in a book with a thorough and interesting introduction by the major (and nowadays too much neglected) American novelist John Dos Passos in THE ESSENTIAL TOM PAINE. (320.51Pai.) this includes not only the major works, but many occasional pieces; Paine was nothing if not prolific.

     The above two books are quite short; a longer biography is

THOMAS PAINE AND THE PROMISE OF AMERICA by Harvey J. Kaye. This is thorough not only on Paine’s life and work, but his continued influence on American life, thought, and politics. It may not be immediately evident, but it’s there!

Next month: HIROSHIMA. Joanne Forman, author and composer of PIKADON, a radio docudrama, will give a talk—with some of her music, performed by singer/harpist Julie Hawley and flutist Tina Hahn, at noon on Saturday August 6 in the Taos Public Library meeting room. Free, of course.

Joanne Forman also writes a newsletter for the Talpa Community Library!

Join us for the Taos Public Library's 20th Anniversary Celebration

Know Your Library Newsletter - June 2016

KNOW YOUR LIBRARY! JUNE 2016       _{Written for the Taos Public Library} byJoanneForman……………

      CUBA!

     Having noticed that the island of Cuba, 90 miles off the tip of Florida, has not sunk into the sea because the United States government doesn’t like the Cuban government, the recent re-opening of relationships cannot but benefit both nations. And, as always, your Taos Public Library is ready: there are 111 books on Cuba, so you’re bound to find what you need and/or are curious about.

     Whether you’ll get to go there in person, or merely by armchair, you’ll find entertaining BICYCLING CUBA. 917.291.

     And whether you find Fidel Castro antichrist or one of the great figures of the age, it can’t be denied that he’s had a colorful life. There are several biographies in our library; a good one to begin with is CASTRO’S CUBA, CUBA’S FIDEL by the journalist Lee Lockwood. 972.91LOC

     The United States has had a long and usually contentious relation-ship with Cuba, dating back to at least the late 18^th century. This is detailed in CUBA:a new history, by Richard Gott. 972.91. Gott.

     Another exposition of this topic is CUBA AND THE UNITED STATES by Jane Franklin. 327.7291073F824c

     Of special interest to Taosenos may be THE GREENING OF THE REVOLUTION: CUBA’S EXPERIMENT WITH ORGANIC AGRI-CULTURE by Peter Rossett and Medea Benjamin. 635.987R829g.

     Prior to the 1959 revolution, Cuba had been, for many decades, a glittering and smarmy mob-controlled destination for gamblers and rich tourists. However, at least one had a more substantial love affair with the island, and made it his home for many years: the great American novel-list Ernest Hemingway: HEMINGWAY IN CUBA by Norberto Fuentes.B813.52.

     The “George Washington” of Cuba is the philosopher, writer and revolutionary JOSE MARTI. (If you fly into Havana, you will land at the Jose Marti airport.) When exiled, he lived in New York City, and was a cigar-maker in Tampa, Florida. (Cigar lovers know that the best are Cuban.) Marti was killed in an abortive uprising in the late 19^th century, as part of the long struggle to free Cuba from Spain. He is the subject of the oddly named novel THE DIVINE HUSBAND by Fran-cisco Goldman. FIC G19d.

Comments? What topic would you like covered in this newsletter?

Telephone: 751-1102.

July: Who was Tom Paine? August: Hiroshima.

Observance of Memorial Day

Taos Public Library - Teen Summer Reading Program 2016

Taos Public Library

Get in the Game, READ!

Teen Summer Reading Program 2016

June 10th - July 29th

Know Your Library Newsletter - May 2016

KNOW YOUR LIBRARY!.......

WRITTEN FOR THE TAOS PUBLIC LIBRARY  by Joanne Forman. May 2016      ______________________________________________________________________________

TO YOUR HEALTH!

      The coming of Spring creates a new impulse for being healthy, looking forward to the increased activities of the warm weather: walking, hiking, swimming—to name just some of the tamer things people indulge in. So it’s time to pay attention!

     As always, your Taos Public Library has plenty of books to send you on your way to a healthy and (we hope!) happy Spring and Summer. There are some 250 books in our library on this subject, so whatever your need, you’ll find it here.

     If you’ve become too much of a couch potato over the winter, you probably couldn’t do better than consult THE COMPLETE MANUAL OF FITNESS AND WELL BEING. Edited by Readers Digest. (613.7Com)

     When I surveyed our catalog, the first thing that caught my eye was ENDING BACK PAIN, by Jack Stern, MD. (617.564Ste.). We bipeds, many (most?) of us notice, pay a big price for our upright posture—and for many (again, most?) of us, it doesn’t get better as we grow older. Back pain, injuries, can be terribly debilitating, and we need all the help we can get! Reading a book may not solve your problem, but it’s a good place to start.

     Very many Taosenos suffer from various allergies and/or sinus conditions, and, especially in the Spring, it can make one really miserable. Help is at hand, with SINUS SURVIVAL: the holistic medical treatment for allergies, asthma, bronchitis, colds and sinusitis by Robert S. Ivker. (616l.2Ivk)

     The days when one just accepted the word of the (supposedly) godlike doctor are long gone, and your library has books addressing controversial issues. There are troubling questions for many parents about vaccinations, and there’s help: VACCINATION edited by Peggy O’Mara. (614.47 Vac.)

     Increasingly, as people live longer, the middle generation feels squeezed between the problems of taking care of kids—and of ageing parents. There’s help! TAKING CARE OF MOM AND DAD by Mike Rust will help start you on your way. (362.6

R971t.)

     THE DIRTY DOZEN: TOXIC CHEMICALS AND THE EARTH’S FUTURE by Bruce Elliott (363.738 Joh.) will give you plenty of information and insight about this controversial and often difficult topic.

     Along these lines, there’s also CRITICAL CONDITION: HOW HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA BECAME BIG BUSINESS AND BAD MEDICINE by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele. (362.109Bar.)

     If you’re bent out of shape by all this, you might want to consult ANGER KILLS (616.1 Wil.) As you well know, we all get angry at least sometimes—but it’s bad for the arteries.

     A very troubling medical problem nowadays is diabetes. Again, a book won’t solve the problem, but it can get one started. Knowledge is power: TYPE 2 DIABETES by Marcia Roper. (616.462Rop.)

     Everyone now knows the importance of diet, and your library will not fail you. COOKING THE WHOLE FOODS WAY by Christina Pirello will get you started. (641.563Pir)

     More general on health: NEW CHOICES IN NATURAL HEALING edited by Bill Gottlieb. (615.5)  This is a new book, so look for it in the new/current book section to the right as you enter the library.

    Full of helpful information on all aspects is THE COMPLETE HOME HEALTH ADVISOR by Rita Elkins. (616.024E43c.)

     Have a subject you’d like covered in future newsletters? Phone me at 751-1102.

     June newsletter: CUBA

Know your library newsletter - April 2016

KNOW YOUR LIBRARY April 2016………….

Written for the Taos Public Library by Joanne Forman…………………

THE DISMAL SCIENCE?

     Economics is often called “the dismal science.” And, true enough, thinking about it, paying the bills (or trying to pay them), especially nowadays can be dismal enough. And is it a “science?”—with objective laws that can be proven, tabulated, repeated? Or, are our economics controlled by—the government? The corporate world? And/or…??That in itself is a controversial question. And, as usual, your Taos Public Library has books to help you understand and cope—120 of them. Whatever your interest or problem, you’ll find help here.

      Most of us find the ins and outs of economics—especially nowadays—incomprehensible. One couldn’t do better than THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO ECONOMICS by Tom Gorman. 330.Gor.

     ABUNDANCE: THE FUTURE IS BETTER THAN YOU THINK, by Peter H. Domandis and Steven Kotler. 303.48Dia…will technology (and changes of mind?) “save” us? This is a very American idea. Read it and decide for yourself.

     AFFUENZA: The all-consuming epidemic, by John deGraaf et al. 306.2973.DeG. We Americans are told 24/7, especially by TV, that the Meaning of Life is in what you own, and How Much. Never does the media propose the notion that everything you own owns you, and that the less you need, the more free you are. Read, and decide for yourself.

     THE ASCENT OF MONEY: A FINANCIAL HISTORY OF THE WORLD by Niall Ferguson. 330.9Fer. We’re led to believe that the economic world is the way it is because of “natural” “forces,” not decisions made by human beings. Is it true? Check it out for yourself.

     A big part of most budgets is the car, it’s payments, maintenance, insurance—the whole thing. Three thousand pounds of metal and plastic to transport every single body over the age of 16? Try BREAKING GRIDLOCK: MOVING TOWARD TRANSPORTATION THAT WORKS by Jim Motavalli. 388.4M917b. (Full disclosure: this writer has never owned a car.)

     Definitely related is ECO-ECONOMY: BUILDING AN ECONOMY FOR THE EARTH by Lester R. Brown. 337.7Bro.

     A radical view is provided by the prominent linguist, philosopher, writer and gadfly Noam Chomsky: THE COMMON GOOD, 327.C548.c

     A very different point of view is provided by CRASH PROOF: how to profit from the coming economic collapse. Peter Schiff332.609Schi.

If you have strong nerves this might be the very book for you.

Whatever the future holds, whatever kind of economy evolves, and we humans will still need to eat; try THE AGRARIAN READER by Norman

Wirzla. 338.1. Whether you have a teeny garden patch or lots of acres, this thoughtful book covers every aspect of what the future may hold for food production.

NOTE: During this (interminable) election season, YOUR TAOS LIBRARY is on the ball: in the new books section to the right of the entrance, are books by and about ALL the presidential candidates.

ALSO NOTE: The Children’s Room has two copies of the delightful WOLF! WOLF! By Caroline Rackley, easy-to-do plays derived from Aesop’s fables. These are perfect for school, church or community group. You could even turn off the TV and stage them in your living room!

Love to hear from you: 751-1102

Next month: Health

June: Cuba

Community Assessment Survey Amazon Gift Card Winners!

Amazon Gift Card Drawing

Complete our Community Assessment Survey and be entered to win one of 4 amazon gift cards

Win (1) of (4) Amazon Gift Cards

by completing the 

Taos Public Library 

Community Assessment Survey! 

Click here ---> Community Assessment Survey 

to complete survey through March 18th, 2016. 

Drawing will be held on March 28th, 2016.

You do not have to be present to win. Good Luck!

Announcing...Fizz, Boom, Read!

For more information, contact Annette Montoya

at 737-2589 or amontoya@taosgov.com

Designation of Cesar Chavez Days

 

                    KNOW YOUR LIBRARY

Written by Joanne Forman for Taos Public Library……….….July 2015

 

   REMEMBERING A GREAT AMERICAN

   Spearheaded by Taos Town Councilor Judi Cantu, and chaired by prominent Taoseno Arsenio Cordova, August 1 and 2 have been designated CESAR CHAVEZ DAYS.

        Why should we care?

     Elves do not plant, grow and pick the crops.

     While our fruits and vegetables nowadays come from all over the world, much of our produce still comes from California, and the San Joaquin Valley of that state was the beginning of an epic struggle among farmworkers for justice, equity, a living wage and to be treated like human beings.

     Some Taosenos wonder why we should care. Do you eat? Care.

     And some have never heard of the man who is certainly to be ranked among great Americans; along with others, the creator of the only lasting farmworkers labor union in American history.

      Read up! As usual, your Taos Public Library has books ready to help you with this history.