Director’s Blog

The November election is right around the corner and we want you to be prepared!

Take a look at our list of links for information on voter registration, polling locations, and local candidates and issues. Or take a look at the latest election news.

What about your elected officials? Find out more about the U.S. Senators and Representatives, or find out more about the Ohio Senators and Representatives.

Interested in reading up on the election process or learning about some of the hot campaign issues? Check out these books on the topic.

Not old enough to vote? There’s still a lot to learn about the election process! Check out these links to get an idea of how it all works. Or check out these books on the topic.

Important Dates to Remember

Voter Registration Application Deadline: When registering to vote or changing your address, your application (mailed to your county’s Board of Elections or to the Secretary of State’s office) must be postmarked no later than October 6th.

Absentee Ballot Application Deadline: Applications must be received by your county’s Board of Elections by noon on November 1st.

Absentee Ballot Deadline: Absentee ballots must be postmarked no later than November 3rd (if mailed), and must be received by your county’s Board of Elections by November 14th.

Election Day: Election day is Tuesday, November 4th, 2008. Don’t forget to take a valid ID to the voting booth!

With gas and food prices rising, and the housing markets falling, who wouldn’t be interested in something for free?

Well, the library is all about offering things for free!

So why not take advantage of our free wi-fi access, our free laptop loans (for in-library use), our free blockbuster DVD rentals, our free eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMusic, or even our free phone booths (for local calls only.)

At the library, you can even get expert advice for free! Why not attend one of our many events hosted by experts in their field, including Saving for College, A Reading by Westerville Poets, A Painting Workshop with Donna Dewberry, or Ghost Ballads.

When I feel that shopaholic urge threatening to derail my investment plans, I go to the library with cloth book bags and borrow 30 books at one time. I exit the building feeling like the wealthiest woman in the world, says Kimber Chin, guest blogger on My Open Wallet

Take it from a shopaholic, the library is good for your wallet!

We look forward to your visit!

Don W. Barlow

Executive Director

As part of our Going Green initiative here at the library, we will no longer be purchasing plastic bags for distribution. Until our supply of new bags runs out, we will be simultaneously offering new bags and the option of re-using a bag from a bin at the Circulation Desk.

Though plastic bags are convenient, they also pose a major threat to the environment. With over 100 billion plastic bags being used and discarded in the United States every year, the effect on the environment is undeniable.

Here are some facts:

• In the United States, about 12 million barrels of oil and 14 million trees go to producing plastic and paper bags each year.
• It can take a plastic bag up to 1,000 years to decompose.
• China, Ireland, Uganda, San Francisco, and parts of Australia have already banned plastic bag production and/or distribution.
• Plastic bags pose a threat to marine and wildlife, clogging sewers, entangling birds, and getting swallowed by whales and other wildlife.

Here at the Westerville Public Library, we take our role as community leader and steward of the environment seriously. Our previous green efforts have included implementing paper recycling, offering cell phone & printer cartridge recycling to patrons, switching to environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, and installing energy efficient light bulbs.

For more information on going green, check out these resources!

Please note: We will not be accepting donations of plastic bags for reuse or recycling. But feel free to BYOB: Bring your own bag!

Thank you for helping us make a difference in our environment!

Don W. Barlow/Executive Director

As a part of our mission to enrich the lives of community residents, we have developed a collection of Somali Language Materials (Waxyaabo Ku Qoran Luuqada Af-Soomaliga) that includes books and DVDs about Somali life and culture.

According to an article in the Columbus Dispatch this year, “Franklin County’s immigrant population grew 158 percent between 1990 and 2004…A large portion of that population is made up of Somalis and Latinos.”

Check out our complete list of titles and reserve one today! While you’re at it, take a look at our Spanish Language books and media collection.

The Summer Olympics kick off in Beijing on August 8th. To celebrate, check out the following resources. Or come in to the library to play Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games on the Wii!

Websites:

Visit the Official Website of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games for information on the competition schedule, an overview of the sports categories, and fun goodies like wallpaper and top news stories.

The Official Website of the Olympic Movement provides information on all of the past Olympic Games, including portraits of the athletes, video highlights, and mascots.

Visit the New York Times’ Olympics 2008 portal for all of the latest Olympics news.

Books

DK Eyewitness: Olympics by Chris Oxlade

The Olympic Games : Athens 1896 – Athens 2004 by DK Publishing

Frommer’s Beijing: Day by Day

History of the Olympics (audiobook) by John Goodbody

Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull

Off the Deep End: The Probably Insane Idea that I Could Swim My Way Through a Midlife Crisis – and Qualify for the Olympics by W. Hodding Carter

Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics by Sue Macy

They are all topics covered by our new Online Collections!

Interested in the pros and cons of cloning? Try Issues and Controversies, which covers the different viewpoints for current issues.

Want to learn another language? Try Mango Languages, which offers easy tutorials for learning 12 different languages.

Need answers to those burning questions such as how to deal with peer pressure? Check out Teen Health and Wellness, which covers all topics relating to the physical and mental health of teenagers.

Looking for a diagram of the human digestive system? Look no further than Science Online, which covers major topics in science and technology.

Want to know Egypt’s national anthem? Try CultureGrams, provides information on the countries of the world, as well as the 50 states.

Yes! The library has installed a Wii gaming system in our Gaming Room (part of our 2007 Media Services expansion project.)

Find out what all the fun is about. Create a Mii and use the wiimote, nunchucks, or Wii wheel to play MarioKart, Wii Sports, Super Paper Mario, or Mario & Sonic at the Olympics, among others. (A valid library card is required.) People of all ages are welcome to play. You’re never too old to Wii!

Want to find out more about gaming at the library? Read about it here.

Now is the time to Catch the Reading Bug and find out what all the buzz is about.

If you’ve never joined the library’s Summer Reading Program, you’ve missed out on some great prizes. This year’s sponsors include Graeter’s Ice Cream, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Columbus Clippers, and our very own Friends of the Westerville Library, to name a few!

So whether you’re a litter bug, a shutterbug, or a jitterbug, break out of your cocoon and start reading.

(Can’t view the video? Check it out on YouTube.)

Registration begins June 12th. This year you can even sign up and log your progress online! Itching to start reading? Take a look at our teaser page in the meantime.

There is no doubt that the library’s collection of VHS videotapes has served our community well over the years. But in order to stay true to our motto of “Delivering the Future,” we must look to new technologies and services.

Therefore, on May 15th, we will be saying good-bye to a once-beloved technology. The library’s fiction and non-fiction VHS videos will be removed from circulation and given to the Friends of the Westerville Library to sell for $1 each at their discretion. The juvenile/children’s videotape collection, as well as the small collection of descriptive videos for people with visual disabilities, will remain in circulation.

This decision was made for a number of reasons, including the continued decline in VHS circulation, as well as the need for more shelf space for DVDs and audiobooks. Within the last year, the library’s fiction VHS collection has accounted for only 5% of the total fiction movie circulation. DVDs accounted for 95% of checkouts!

With this change, we look forward to a new chapter in our continued commitment to serving the Westerville community. Please stop by to see how the library is changing to meet your needs!

Did you know that there are more public libraries than McDonald’s in the U.S.—a grand total of 16,549, including branches?

Did you know that Americans spend more than twice as much on salty snacks as they do on public libraries?

And did you know that Americans check out an average of more than seven books a year?

Last but not least, did you know that this week is National Library Week? Spread the word: libraries are good! Help us celebrate by coming in for a visit and you’ll see why the Westerville Public Library is the ultimate shopping experience.

And if you’re still not convinced, check out what Julie Andrews (of Mary Poppins fame) has to say about libraries in her very own Public Service Announcement!