Go Indian Packing Company Go!

     You have to admit that this just doesn’t have the same ring as Go Pack Go!  You ask anyone in this state, who’s the best football team and the answer 99.9% of the time will be the Green Bay Packers.  Just recently a poll was taken and the results showed that America is coming around to our way of thinking.  The Packers captured 22% of the vote, making them America’s favorite team, while the second best team was Dallas, 11%, followed by the Bears, Giants, and Steelers, 8%, Saints, 7%, Patriots, 6%, Redskins, 4%, and the Jets,2%.

     The earliest mention of any type of football played in Wisconsin was in La Crosse, back in 1860.  The first game played in Green Bay was on September 21, 1895, at Washington Park.  It resembled a barroom brawl more than the game we have come to know and love.  As the game was tweaked and became more organized it grew in popularity.  1919 is recognized as the beginning of the Green Bay legend.  Back then there were no game tickets, no admission fees and no bleachers.  The games were played at Hagemeister Park.  The manager would walk among the crowd and collect donations, which would pay for expenses and injuries.  The remainder went to the players and in that season each player received a whopping $17.00.  The fans were happy though.  Some of those first games had scores of 87-0 and 76-6 with a season total of 565-24 for the home team.  In their second season, some bleachers were built and they sold tickets.  1,200 tickets were sold for the first game.  That season they won 9, lost 1, and tied 1.  Once again they outscored their opponents 227-24.

     Up to this point the team had been sponsored by the Indian Packing Company.  After the second season, they were bought out by the Acme Packing Company and the new owner was convinced to buy a franchise to the newly formed American Professional Football Association for the total cost of $50.00.  Try to do that today and it will cost you one million dollars.  Back then uniforms didn’t have padding and helmets were made of leather and could easily be folded up and put in your pocket.  Some players would roll up magazines and use them as shin guards.  While Coach Lombardi won 5 championships and he never had a losing season with the Pack, Curly Lambeau, who worked to put this franchise together, went 29 years with just  one losing record and 6 world titles.  Before They Were Packers is a great book describing this golden era of football.  Everyone has heard about Lambeau Field, but I never knew much about the man for whom the field is rightly named.  Even though Curly Lambeau: Building the Green Bay Packers is a children’s book, it shows the vision of the man who was a player, coach, owner, and founder of the Green Bay Packers.  For more Packer and football history, you might enjoy 75 Seasons, The Packers, and Packer Legends in Facts.

     Just about everyone who loves the Packers has heard about Vince Lombardi.  Like Lambeau, he was a special man for a special time.  Had he followed his teenage passion, he would have become a priest.  It’s perhaps his religious background and discipline that made him the man that he was.  He had his admirers and his critics and he stood by the things he believed in.  The following books help to tell his story: The Lombardi Legacy: Thirty People Who Were Touched by Greatness, I Remember Vince Lombardi, Lombardi: An Illustrated Life, Lombardi and Landry, Giants: What I Learned About Life From Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry, That First Season, When Pride Still Mattered, and Strive to Excel: The Will and Wisdom of Vince Lombardi.

     After many poorly played seasons, things started to change as Bob Harlan, Ron Wolf, Brett Favre, and Reggie White entered the picture.  Love him or hate him, Brett Favre helped to bring the team around.  In both Favre and Brett Favre, you come to know the thoughts and feelings of this quarterback with the gunslinging style.  After watching Favre for 17 years, it was hard for most fans to imagine what the team would be like when he would no longer play.  In Life After Favre, author Phil Hanrahan returns to Wisconsin and follows the team under the direction of Aaron Rogers.  He not only follows the team, but also the fans both in Green Bay and throughout the nation.  Life does go on after Favre.

     A true Packer fan can never know enough about their favorite team.  The following books should take care of that.  Everything you ever wanted to know should be in 100 Things Packer’s Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Green Bay Packers: Titletown Trivia Teasers, and Tales From the Green Bay Packers Sideline.  With all this knowledge, you should be ready to cheer on the Green and Gold, loud and clear, GO PACK GO!

Picture courtesy of:http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c73.0.403.403/p403x403/386778_10151035225330073_1364758706_n.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.facebook.com/barbarians.md&h=403&w=403&sz=34&tbnid=bc24F9lGu722IM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=92&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpictures%2Bof%2Bcurly%2Blambeau's%2Bfootball%2Bteam%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=pictures+of+curly+lambeau's+football+team&usg=__XL44hKq40-7q8eqA8wWKoGSlAIc=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=a4FCUJalJ8SNrAGYoIGYBw&ved=0CE4Q9QEwCQ&dur=5112

What should I read next?

Wondering what you should read next?  Looking for big name authors?  Want something new and exciting?

Fall is traditionally the biggest publishing season of the year and this year being no exception. Look no further then the list below for what to read in the next couple of months.

Available now to order:

No easy day: the firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden by Mark Owen

This book examines the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, details the selection and training process for one of the most elite units in the military, and describes previously unreported missions that illustrate the life and work of a SEAL and the evolution of the team after the events of September 11.

NW: a novel by Zadie Smith

Growing up in the same 1970s urban planning development in Northwest London, four young people pursue independent and reasonably successful lives until one of them is abruptly drawn out of her isolation by a stranger who is seeking her help.

Telegraph Avenue: a novel by Michael Chabon

When an ex-NFL quarterback Gibson Goode, the fifth richest black man in America, decides to open his newest Dogpile megastore on Telegraph Avenue, Nat and Archy, the owners of Brokeland Records, fear for their business until Gibson’s endeavor exposes a decades-old secret history.

Winter of the world by Ken Follett

A follow up to the best-selling Fall of Giants continues the stories of five interrelated families who struggle with social, political, and economic turmoil in the mid-twentieth century, during which they witness the rise of Nazi Germany, the Spanish Civil War, and the horrors of World War II.

The yellow birds: a novel by Kevin Powers

In the midst of a bloody battle in the Iraq War, two soldiers, bound together since basic training, do everything to protect each other from both outside enemies and the internal struggles that come from constant danger.

Coming soon reserve now:

Back to blood: a novel by Tom Wolfe

A colorful cast of residents and visitors to Miami go about their daily activities, both legal and illegal.

The casual vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter fans will recognize the name “Rowling.”  Yes, Rowling is the same author of the Harry Potter series.  This is Rowling’s first novel for adults. The early death of small town councilman reveals deep-roots conflicts in the seemingly idyllic community of Pagford, which rapidly deteriorates in the face of cultural disputes, generation clashes, and a volatile election.

Live by night by Dennis Lehane

Lehane is back with another historical fiction following the “Given day.”  This time it’s prohibition in 1926. Joe Coughlin defies his strict law-and-order upbringing by climbing a ladder of organized crime that takes him from Boston to Cuba where he encounters a dangerous cast of characters who are all fighting for their piece of the American dream.

The secret keeper by Kate Morton

Withdrawing from a family party to the solitude of her tree, house sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicholson witnesses a shocking murder that throughout a subsequent half century shapes her beliefs, her acting career, and the lives of three strangers from vastly different cultures.

The racketeer by John Grisham

Grisham fans will sure to be pleased with another legal thriller.  This time around “The racketeer” is concerns a federal judge and his secretary who fail to appear for a scheduled trial and panicked clerks call for an FBI investigation, a harrowing murder case ensues and culminates in the imprisonment of a lawyer who imparts the story of who killed the judge and why.

Notorious nineteen: a Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich

This new book continues the adventures of the intrepid Stephanie Plum in this blockbuster

series.

NYPD Red by James Patterson

Detective Zach Jordon investigates a series of brutal, public crimes that coincide with the arrival of dozens of glamorous celebrities in town for parties and premieres.

Look for these titles later this year.

The forgotten David Baldacci

Merry Christmas Alex Cross by James Patterson

The black box Michael Connelly

Flight behavior Barbara Kingsolver

Dear life: stories by Alice Munro

Sweet tooth by Ian McEwan

Reserve a copy now!

Get a jump start ahead of the rest, and reserve these titles and many more @ your Library.

Picture courtesy: Google Images

Here comes the Zombies

There has been a lot of buzz lately surrounding different activities involving everyone’s favorite undead creatures, zombies.  For example, NPR recently did a story on runners who gain motivation from the walking undead through fun runs and a running app featuring different story-like episodes.  Similarly, zombies have made a resurgence in the visual realm with the hit AMC television series, The walking dead, based upon the graphic novels written by Robert Kirkman.  With October coming up it may be the time to get in the mood for Halloween and what better way than with Zombie themed books and movies?  We hope that these titles will get you thinking about your survival skills in the case you find yourself confronted with the zombie apocalypse.

Fiction:
The Fear by Charles Higson
Warm bodies by Isaac Marion
Zone one by Colson Whitehead
Pride and prejudice and zombies : dawn of the dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
World War Z : an oral history of the zombie war by Brooks, Max.

DVDs:
Zombieland
Dawn of the dead
Night of the living dead

Zombies aren’t just for adults.  Check out these titles for the kids:
Sludgment day by John Kloepfer
Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk by Megan McDonald
Why I quit zombie school by R.L. Stine.
Zombie Tag by Hannah Moskowitz.

* photo courtesy of Google images

Holiday Crafts & DIY Projects

I don’t know about you, but fall is a time when I love to decorate and do craft projects because the holidays are coming around the corner.  First, you can decorate for autumn with fall leaves, pumpkins, apples, cinnamon and all the wonderful foods and scents associated with fall.  Right after that, you can decorate for Halloween, and then Thanksgiving, and before you know it, Christmas is here!  This time of year makes it so much more fun to do craft projects because you can instantly use them as decorations for the holiday seasons and brighten up your home with some holiday cheer!

I am a big fan of Martha Stewart’s holiday craft projects, as well as her big book of crafts.  They are always beautifully done, the instructions are clear, and can be a jumping off point for finding other project ideas.

Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts

Martha Stewart’s Handmade Holiday Crafts

Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts

Her website is also wonderful to use as well.  Everything is broken down into clear and easy-to-follow steps.  It contains holiday crafts, regular craft projects, food and entertaining ideas, and recipes galore.

Another inspiration source for craft projects for me and my family has been Pinterest.  If you have never heard of this site, I highly recommend checking it out.  It is basically a great big bulletin board for sites you find interesting on the internet, or to find new sites that might interest you.  I love to use it for craft projects and DIY projects.  And some of the holiday projects they have on Pinterest are amazing.

I recently threw a baby shower for my sister that was The Very Hungry Caterpillar themed.  I used Pinterest to gather ideas from everything about what to serve as food, table landscapes, and party decorations.  And I could share all the ideas instantly with other family members who were helping to plan the party.

Another website I like to browse is the Better Homes & Gardens website.  They have great DIY projects, cool room makeovers and stunning furniture transformations.

If you would like to browse the EasiCat catalog for other DIY books or craft books, follow any of the links below.

DIY books

Craft projects

Martha Stewart books

Holiday crafts

Sewing projects

EasiCat has a new look!

No, we didn’t just move things around to keep you on your toes, the new  features of the EasiCat program make searching for a book easier than ever.

When looking up an item, click on Search, and from the dropdown box choose between Keyword and Browse.  Keyword is great if you’re not sure of the exact wording of the title, or if you’d like to see several  related items.  Browse is perfect if you know the exact title or author’s name, and you want the computer to browse through the alphabetic listing to find only that title or author.

For example, suppose you enjoyed watching Downton Abbey last winter, and you decide you’d like to watch it again while you wait for season 3 to come out.  Click on Search, then Browse, and type in Downton Abbey, and you’ll see the DVDs for seasons 1 and 2.  However, if you choose Search and Keyword, you’ll get the Downton Abbey DVDs plus a book called The World of Downton Abbey and another titled The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook.  These titles didn’t appear in a Browse search, because they fall elsewhere in the  alphabetic listing of library materials, but they show up in a Keyword search because Downton Abbey is a keyword in both titles.

Let’s say you want to watch DVDs that are similar to Downton Abbey. There’s a toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen that says Narrow Your Search.  If you scroll down farther, you’ll see Related Searches, and under that, Subjects.  You’d like to watch a film with servants and their masters, but you don’t see that subject listed. Click on More, and then Household employees pops up.

When you click on that, you see you have 110 matches.  Now we’ll use  the top of the left-hand toolbar to Narrow Your Choices.  This is like shopping for shoes at Zappos.  If you narrow yoursearch by selecting DVD under Type of Material, you get 9 results, including The Help, TheHousemaid, and Upstairs, Downstairs.

Now you decide you’d like to read a book instead, so you click on DVD to deselect it, and choose Book.  There are 95 matches, so you narrow your Subject to Great Britain, then scroll down to Target Audience and choose General/Adult (other options include juvenile and adolescent).  Then you choose to limit your search to just those books in our library, so you click on Frank L Weyenberg Library, which narrows your choices down to three, including The House at Tyneford and The Gentleman Poet.  Now look at the right-hand side of your screen:  clicking on Availability tells you that the book available in  the AD New Fiction collection, so you head for the rotunda and find it under the author’s name, Solomons.

So the left-hand toolbar can be used two ways:  starting with a broad topic, you can narrow your search, (think Zappos), or beginning with a particular book or movie title, you can broaden your search to find other similar items.

One last thing:  The library carries items in several different formats.  On the right-hand side of the screen you will see  blue icons which tell the format of the item you are looking at:  be sure to take note of those so that you get the format you desire.

 

The Christy Awards

     Some of the first works of Christian fiction were allegoric writings such as Divine Comedy, by Danti Alighieri and The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan.  Today, some Christian fiction may include biblical stories, but it has become so much more.  There is Christian romance and romantic suspense, thrillers, historical fiction, westerns, science fiction, and fantasy.  The characters in these stories are challenged to handle their lives according to Christian principles.  These principles will vary from author to author, but in most cases, the ideas that they convey do not come out as overbearing to the reader.  Christian fiction is more of a gentle read, usually without reference to profanity, explicit sex, or strong violence.   

     If you love John Grisham thrillers, then you’d probably like suspense thrillers written by Robert Whitlow, Harry Lee Kraus, Brandilyn Collins, Ted Dekker, Tim Downs, Terri Blackstrap, Linda Hall and Mindy Starns Clark.  If you like stories where good battles evil and the godly triumph, then you may like the works of Frank Peretti and Tim LaHaye, who write supernatural suspense.  For Christian romance you might want to try one of these authors, Karen Kingsbury,  Janette Oke, Beverly Lewis, Dee Henderson, Tracey Bateman, Melody Carlson, Lori Copeland, or Lyn Cote.  For those of you who love to go back in history, authors like Lynn Austin, Gilbert Morris, Liz Curtis Higgs, Linda L. Chaikin, Ruth Glover, Brock and Bodie Thoene, and Davis Bunn will help you travel back in time.  For a change of pace you might enjoy a contemporary writer like Melody Carlson, J. Lynne Hinton, Jerry B. Jenkins, Calvin Miller, Jan Karon, or Lisa Wingate.

     To honor excellence in Christian fiction, the Christy Award is given each year in several categories.  This award is named in honor of Catherine Marshall’s well known novel, Christy.   The awards for the 2012 winners and finalists are:

Historical

            Wonderland Creek, by Lynn Austin

            Forsaking All Others, by Allison Pittman

            Mine is the Night, by Liz Curtis Higgs

Historical Romance

            The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, by Julie Klassen

            A Lasting Impression, by Tamera Alexander

            To Die For, by Sandra Byrd

Suspense

            The Queen, by Steven James

            Over the Edge, by Brandilyn Collins

            Pattern of Wounds, by Mark Bertrand

Visionary

            Veiled Rose, by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

            The Chair, by James L Rubart

            Forbidden, by Ted Dekker

Young Adult

            Waterfall, by Lisa T. Bergren

            How Huge the Night, by Heather Munn

            The Merchant’s Daughter, by Lisa T Bergren

Contemporary Romance

            Wolfsbane, by Ronie Kendig

            My Foolish Heart, by Susan May Warren

            Larkspur Cove, by Lisa Wingate

Contemporary Series

            The Amish Midwife, by Mindy Starns clark

            Dancing on Glass, by Pamela Binnings Ewen

            The Touch, by Randall Wallace

Contemporary  Standalone

            Promises to Keep, by Ann Tatlock

            Dry as Rain, by Gina Holmes

            Words, by Ginny Yttrup

First Novel

            Words, by Ginny Yttrup

            An Eye for Glory, by Karl Bacon

            Southern Fried Sushi, by Jennifer Rogers Spinola

            As you can see, there are plenty of choices.  I hope there are some that you think are worth looking into.  Happy reading.

Picture courtesy of: http://www.wakegov.com/NR/rdonlyres/A86362D8-EC70-44CA-A8BF-2A98B65C7B37/0/ChristyAwards0711.pdf

Reference on the Move

“Where’s your reference collection?  It used to be right here and now I don’t see it.”  If you are wondering where all of those books that used to sit behind the adult reference desk have gone they have just been relocated.  The adult reference collection can now be found in the last aisle by the north windows behind the shelving units for the DVDs and audiobooks.  Look for some new titles and updated volumes of core materials in this collection.

If you are looking for current medical information be sure and check out the following updates.

Physicians’ desk reference 2012

This annual authoritative compendium provides comprehensive prescription drug and products information supplied by manufacturers.

Medical tests sourcebook 4^th edition

Provides basic consumer health information about laboratory, imaging and other types of medical testing for disease screening, diagnosis, and monitoring along with information and guidelines for preventive care testing for children and adults.

Professional guide to diseases 2013

This guide provides full clinical coverage for over 600 disorders. Information is clear, comprehensive and accurate.

Current medical diagnosis & treatment

Annually updated reference book provides expert information on diagnosis and management.

This title is currently on-order.

Looking for a job? 

Stop by our reference shelves to locate the following books.

Occupational outlook handbook  This is a good place to start your job search.  Find out about positions and what you can expect from the career.  Have new 2013-14 edition in reference and older copies to circulate.

Best jobs for the 21^st century

A thorough resource for a new era that covers 500 occupations, providing details about wages; projected growth through 2018; required education, training and experience; and much more; in book that also includes 65 lists that reveal the best jobs for pay, growth, openings and more.

Don’t forget to ask at the adult reference desk for the 2012 Wisconsin manufacturers directory, the 2012 Wisconsin business service directory and the 2012 Wisconsin manufacturers register.   These items will provide you with a quick overview of a company when you are preparing for job interviews. Often times, there is little information on private companies and these sources will help with that too.

Need some practical advice?  You’ve come to the right place.

Emily Post’s etiquette: manners for a new world  by Peggy Post

In its 18^th edition, this book is a one of the most trusted sources on etiquette.  Coverage includes the formal, traditional, the contemporary and the casual aspects of etiquette. This item also circulates.

AMA handbook of business letters

This fully updated volume contains more than 370 flawlessly written, customizable model letters. It covers a broad spectrum of communications used by professionals in a wide variety of industries.

The old farmer’s almanac

Find out what the forecast will be for this winter.  Check planting dates for next year.  This single volume provides a unique combination of statistics, dates and information. Look for an older edition to circulate.

Undecided on where to go to college?  We’ve got you covered.  We have quite an extensive list of titles to meet your needs.  New updates include the following titles.

The College Board book of majors

The College Board college handbook

The College Board Scholarship handbook

4 year colleges

Pondering that next homework assignment?

Think you might need information on a country try the World Today Series.   This set consists of nine volumes. New updates are on-order for 2012. 

Need additional information for your report on a saint?  Try this new item.

This saint will change your life by Thomas Craughwell.

Featuring over 300 saints for every person and situation.

Think you might need commentary on a Bible passage?

The Baker illustrated Bible commentary edited by Gary M. Burge and Andrew E. Hill

Get a better understanding of the Bible with this book.  Geared toward the nontechnical layperson, this source provides interpretations of the whole Bible from 43 leading evangelical scholars.

Do you need a dictionary, encyclopedia or a map?  Find these items and more in our newly located reference collection.  Ask @ reference.

Image courtesy of Google Images.