Sunday, November 29, 2015

MPL Comics Club is learning from the pros this Tuesday

Silvanna and Abby draw their own comics during out Comics Club meeting at Mentor Public Library.
The young artists and writers of our Comics Club will be learning from the professionals during their get-together this Tuesday.

Instead of our Main Branch, our Comics Club is meeting at 5 p.m. on Dec. 1 at the Comics & Friends shop in Great Lakes Mall. They, they'll meet local artists and create their own comics.

Our Comics Club is for any 8- through 12-year-old who likes to read, talk about or draw sequential art. Not just superheroes either—we love everything from Amelia Rules to Batman to Bone.

At a typical meeting, the kids talk about a special theme. Then we introduce the kids to graphic novels and comics that can be found in the library’s collection.

We close out each meeting with free time for the kids to draw or read.

Once again, the next Comics Club meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at Comics & Friends. The club is free to join. However, we do ask that parents or guardians register their children beforehand.

To register a child for the Comics Club, call the library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.

If your kid loves comics, they'll probably also like the comics collection they can download for free on Hoopla.
Haniska reads Tinkerbell at our Comics Club meeting.

Friday, November 27, 2015

Have Yourself a very Freegal Christmas

Thanksgiving is over. Nobody can give you a dirty look for playing Christmas music now.

So if you’re looking for something different to play this Christmas or just need a new copy of an old favorite, you should check out Freegal.

Freegal is one of the library’s digital services, which lets you download DRM-free mp3s of your favorite songs. Moreover, once you download a song, you can keep the mp3 forever. Put it on your phone, your computer, your iPod–wherever you want. It’s yours.

And if you prefer to stream music, you can do that too!

If you have a Mentor Public Library card, you can download five songs for free every week from Freegal, and there's no limit to how many songs you can stream.

So here are just a smattering of your seasonal choices.

1. Pentatonix, That's Christmas to Me

Last year's most popular Christmas album is likely to stay in heavy rotation this year. You can even check out the new tracks the group added to their Deluxe Edition.

2. Kelly Clarkson, Wrapped in Red
Clarkson’s Christmas album is already ubiquitous. You can start downloading songs from it now for free. (If you have the patience to spread it out over a couple of weeks, then you can get the entire album. And, yes, I still call them albums.)

Personal favorite: I’m always game for a new cover of "Run, Run Rudolph." I’m less enthusiastic about "Baby, It’s Cold Outside," which is pretty much the holiday version of "Blurred Lines."

3. Harry Belafonte, Christmas
Belafonte could sing about muddy slush and it would still sound great with his voice, so it’s a delight to hear him sing these carols.

4. Dolly Parton, Home for Christmas
As a general rule, I love Dolly. This is doubly true during the holidays.

5. Ukulele Christmas
This album’s for all the people who loved Israel Kamakawiwo`ole’s version of "Over the Rainbow." And, no, these standards aren’t performed by IZ, but they have that same combination of earnestness and sweetness.

Personal favorite: "Auld Lang Syne," but you might also like the "Over the Rainbow/We Wish You a Merry Christmas" medley.

6. Kirk Franklin, Christmas
If you need some gospel music this time of year, Kirk Franklin and the Family have you covered. Standards like "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" sound sweeter than ever.

7. Harry Connick Jr., When my Heart Finds Christmas
Connick has a lot of Christmas albums in his discography. This one’s my favorite but they are all available on Freegal.

Personal favorite: "I Pray on Christmas."

8. Parranda All-Stars: Navidad
There’s a lot more to Latin Christmas music than Feliz Navidad. This album is a good place to start.

9. NSYNC, Home for Christmas
Any NSYNC fans out there? There must be some. These guys only sold 50 bajillion records.

If you bought the CD or even *gasp* the cassette when you were in middle school, here’s a chance to update your medium for free.

10. Glee Cast, Blue Christmas
If you don’t like Glee…

11. Elvis, The Classic Christmas Album
Freegal has the Elvis version of "Blue Christmas" too.

What are some of your favorite Christmas albums?

If you’re having trouble with Freegal, MPL Librarian Mary Pelton made a video explaining how to navigate its web site.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

It's a Thanksgiving celebration at MPL, Charlie Brown

The kids laugh along to a special screening of "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" at Mentor Public Library.
Like Charlie Brown missing the football, some traditions are built to last.

We may not have had any poultry at our annual Charlie Brown Thanksgiving party, but we had enough popcorn and ice cream to make Chef Snoopy proud.

We screened the classic A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving today at our Main Branch and even served the same lunch as Charlie Brown did for his friends—popcorn, pretzels, toast and ice cream sundaes.
Bryn pauses from her popcorn to pose for a photo.
Our branches close 5 p.m. Wednesday and our closed Thursday for the holiday, but all of our digital services are still available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You can still download ebooks and audiobooks from OverDrive and 3M, download music on Freegal, stream music and movies on Hoopla, and check out digital editions of magazines on Zinio.

So have a happy Thanksgiving and we'll see you Friday!
Maddie decorates her name tag during our Peanuts Thanksgiving party.
For more photos from our Charlie Brown Thanksgiving party, visit Mentor Library's Facebook page.

What happens to your book after you donate it?

Your donations help fill our Pop-Up Library, which gives away books all around the community.
When you place a book or two in our donations box—thank you, by the way—do you ever wonder what happens to it?

Where does it go? Will anyone ever read your book again?

The answer is your book could go to a lot of different places; but, wherever it goes, that book is helping someone.

We give a lot of donated books away. We firmly believe everyone should have access to books. If that means giving away a book that we might have sold at a book sale, we’re fine with that.

We’ve given away hundreds of books during My Community Monday where we donate books to local nonprofits, including schools, churches, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Deepwood, Lake Metropolitan Housing Authority, Hannah’s Home, Boy and Girl Scouts, and more.

The books you donate help fill the Little Free Libraries in parks, restaurants and businesses all over the city. We also give them away at city pools and at Mentor Headlands Beach so people never lack for a good summer read.

Your donations also fill the Pop-Up Library that gives away books at CityFest, Beachfest, schools and more.

And many of the donations we receive are sold during the Friends of the Mentor Public Library book sales at our Read House. In turn, that money goes to support library events and programming. The money that pays for an author talk or buys supplies for children’s programs often begins with the book you donate.

Furthermore, thanks to donations from people like you, we’ve given away more than 10,000 books this year.

And that doesn’t happen without your donations, so thank you! Thank you for your support, your donations, and for making us your community library.
Diane Frangos picks donations from the shelves of our Read House for the Girl Scouts.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Can Your Fines food drive returns to Mentor Library

Help those in need and have your library fines forgiven.
The Can Your Fines food drive is returning to Mentor Public Library and, once again, library patrons can donate food in exchange for forgiveness of their fines.

The food drive will run from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31 and people can donate at any of Mentor Public Library’s branches.

The donated food will go to local food pantries at St. Gabriel and St. John Vianney. The pantries will, in turn, give it to families in need.

Each nonperishable food item that somebody donates will be worth up to a dollar off of the fines they owe. People can get up to five dollars in fines waived this way.

Patrons can only trade food for fines once during the Can Your Fines food drive. Those whose fines have gone to collections are not eligible to participate.

Last year, patrons donated hundreds of pounds of food to their neighbors in need. We hope to collect even more this year.

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Teens can hone their writing at our Write On Club

Teens write their own stories using different prompts and brainteasers when MPL's Write On Club meets.
On the third Monday of every month, teen writers gather in the Frances Cleveland room of our Main Branch.

They use different writing prompts and brainteasers to hone their skills. For example, this month, they took random books, opened to page 46 and used the first full sentences they read as the first sentence of their stories.

They are our Write On Club and they are awesome.

Any teen who wants to join their ranks is welcome. The Write On Club is a fun, supportive place to practice and improve your writing with other teens who are doing the same thing.

Our next meeting is 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21, at our Main Branch. You can register for it on Mentor Library's website.

By the way, Mentor Library also has a book club just for teens. Their next meeting is 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, at our Lake Branch. We'll be discussing Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park. You can pick up a copy of it at our Lake Branch if you'd like to join us.
All teen writers are welcome at our Write On Club.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

It's 'happily ever after' at our Tangled party

We had a lot of Rapunzels at our Tangled party, but only Sadie brought her own frying pan.
Kids made their own lanterns, sang along to their favorite Tangled songs and tried to pin the nose onto Flynn's wanted poster—“They just can’t get my nose right”—during our Tangled party on Thursday.

The young princesses even got special Rapunzel-inspired nail art if they wanted.
Claire decorates her lantern during our Tangled party.
It was quite the princess party, and the fun's not over.

Check out our event calendar for more programs and story times at Mentor Library.

You can also visit our Facebook page for a lot more photos from our Tangled party!
Alexis shows off her Rapunzel-inspired nail art.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

7 lessons Katie Spotz learned while rowing the Atlantic Ocean

Katie Spotz learned a lot while rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. She shares that knowledge in her new book, "Just Keep Rowing."
Katie Spotz is an endurance athlete, philanthropist, Mentor native and, now, author.

She learned a lot while rowing solo across the Atlantic Ocean and she shared some of those lessons when she visited Mentor Public Library earlier this week.

A Long Journey Begins with a Single Step

How did Spotz row 3,000 miles from Senegal to Guyana? As she explained it, she rowed one mile 3,000 times.

Spotz has swam the length of the Allegheny River, ran across deserts and biked across the country with a broken pelvis. All of those overwhelming tasks were made possible by breaking them into less intimidating chunks.

Wake up to Water

Every morning during Spotz's record-breaking row, she woke up surrounded by water that she couldn't drink.

That seems like a bizarre circumstance when you grow up near the planet's largest freshwater source, but it's reality for a lot of people. One in eight people don't have access to clean water that's safe to drink.

That's why a portion of the proceeds from Just Keep Rowing go to H2O for Life, a nonprofit that develops service-learning programs to provide clean-water projects to schools around the world.

Spotz's cross-Atlantic row also helped raise money and awareness for the global problem.

Experience Solitude, not Loneliness

Spotz spent 70 days by herself in a rowboat. She saw sharks, birds, dolphins and tankers but no people for more than two months.

She used meditation to prepare herself for that type of solitude but admits you can only prepare so much.

"It's still a jump to go from not speaking to someone for a few hours to one or two days to 70 days," she said.

Life Is a Team Sport

Spotz may have rowed alone but that doesn't mean she did it by herself.

She had the help of trainers, experts—for example, a weatherman helped her plot a course that took advantage of prevailing currents—sponsors who provided tens of thousands of dollars because they believed in her mission, and, of course, her family.

Whenever you're doing something difficult, assemble a good team and then trust them to support you.

See the Bioluminescence in Everyone

Spotz saw a lot of beautiful things while out on the water—the unhindered night sky, both the peace and tempest of the ocean—but nothing was more memorable than the plankton.

The tiny organisms were bioluminescent, meaning they glowed at night. Spotz compared passing through the plankton to rowing through millions of tiny, twinkling stars.

You don't really think of plankton as pretty. Spotz said the ocean taught her that there's beauty in everything and joy in finding that beauty.

What Does Not Kill You Makes You Stronger

Everything won't always go right. Spotz had two fires on her boat during her row. She broke her pelvis while preparing for a cross-country bike ride.

Those setbacks didn't force her to quit. Instead, she adapted her plans and overcame those hardships.

Scale the Mental Wall

Spotz doesn't undersell the difficulty of running across a desert, swimming a river or rowing 3,000 miles; but she says the most difficult part of these challenges is mental, not physical.

Sometimes you have to convince yourself something is possible before you can do it.

These are just seven of the 70 lessons Spotz discusses in Just Keep Rowing. You can buy the book online or check it out from Mentor Library.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

It's an artistic free-for-all at Studio MPL

Caleb uses an old hard drive as the heart of his mixed-media robot.
Caleb uses an old hard drive as the heart of his mixed-media robot.

Studio MPL, our art club for kids, had its first free-for-all contest on Monday.

The kids made anything they wanted, voted on their favorites and even designed the trophies the top vote-getters received.

The young artists followed their imaginations, creating robots, dress designs and even an oversized smart phone.

While not everyone could win the contest, all of these young artists are winners.
Feathers fall from above as Lynn brainstorms for her fashion project.
Every month, the kids take on a new art project. They’ve created imaginary friends, made sun catchers, painted sunsets, weaved, tried out pointillism and even garnered inspiration from Jackson Pollock.

Studio MPL meets on the third Monday of each month. If your kid likes art—any kind of art—they can join the fun!

Next month’s session will be Dec. 21 at our Main Branch. You can register for it here.
Our young artists!
For more photos from Studio MPL, visit Mentor Public Library's Facebook page.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Unwrap a Book at Mentor Library

Unwrap a book at Mentor Library.
Get yourself a gift during the holidays at Mentor Library.

From Nov. 21 to Dec. 21, you can check out one of Mentor Public Library’s “Secret Gift” books; and, if you rate it, you could win a $35 gift card to Barnes & Noble.

That's right! You can win a prize for treating yourself.

And how will you recognize one of our Secret Gifts books?

They’re wrapped so you can’t see the title—it's more fun when it's a surprise, after all—but you can see a short description of the book written on the wrapping.

They’ll be shelved on one of the main displays when you first walk into our Main Branch.

Check them out, rip them open and give them a good reading.

Inside each Secret Gift book is a rating card. Fill out the card and drop it off at our Main Branch. After Dec. 21, we’ll pick one rating card at random, and that person will win the Barnes & Noble gift card.

By the way, you can enter more than one rating card; so check out as many gift-wrapped books as you like.

Who knows? Your favorite gift this year might be the one you get yourself.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Video-game tournaments for kids and teens during International Games Day at Mentor Library

Mentor Library is hosting Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros tournaments on International Games Day.
Kids who come to Mentor Library on Saturday, Nov. 21, better be ready to play because it's International Games Day.

To celebrate, our Main Branch is hosting not one but two video-game tournaments that day.

Kids ages six to 12 can play in our Mario Kart tournament, which begins at noon.

Teens can compete in our international Super Smash Bros tournament from 2 to 4 p.m. One lucky gamer will even win a $25 gift card to Game Stop.

Both tournaments are free to play in. However, we ask that you register beforehand. You can sign up on Mentor Library's website—specifically at this link for Mario Kart and here for Super Smash Bros—or by calling 440-255-8811.

Want more? Mentor Library also has a monthly video-game tournament called Clashing Controllers at its Lake Branch. The next tourney is 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

By the way gamers, Mentor Library circulates games for PlayStation, Xbox and Wii consoles, as well. Feel free to check them out.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The best documentaries and videos for commemorating Veterans Day

Mentor Veterans Memorial
First and foremost, thank you to our veterans from all branches of the military.

We cannot not do what we do unless we are first safe, and you are the ones who have kept us safe.

Secondly, all of Mentor Library’s branches will be closed this Veteran’s Day. But, with our digital services, you still have access to all sorts of movies, ebooks, audiobooks and music even when the library’s buildings are closed.

Also, Hoopla has several films and documentaries that are appropriate reminders of what Veteran’s Day is all about. You can stream the videos to your computer, tablet or phone for free if you have a Mentor Library card.

1) Where Soldiers Come From (91 min) Not Rated

This documentary follows three young men from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as they receive their basic training and are sent to Afghanistan, patrolling roadways looking for improvised explosive devices. The film charts their evolving attitudes about the war and American foreign policy as they see how it works up close, as well as their sometimes tense relationships with their families, who aren’t certain the young men will ever come home.

2) You're the Enemy—Welcome Back! (46 min) Not Rated

Forty years after the end of the war, a few brave American veterans have returned to the place their country devastated. The amazing forgiveness and optimism of the Vietnamese people as they welcome these former enemies with open arms is the most potent form of therapy for the Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and the guilt which made the lives of many veterans so difficult when they returned home.

3) Comedy Warriors (84 min) Not Rated

Four professional comedians (Zach Galifianakis, Bob Saget, B.J. Novak and Lewis Black), work with five wounded veterans (Stephen Rice, Darisse Smith, Rob Jones, Bobby Henline and Joe Kashnow) to hone their stand-up acts. This documentary shows healing power of humor.

4) The Ghost Army (60 min) Not Rated

From PBS: War, deception and art come together in this astonishing true story of American G.I.s who tricked the enemy with rubber tanks, sound effects and carefully crafted illusions during World War II. This remarkable tale of a top-secret mission that was at once absurd, deadly and amazingly effective is told through the stories of the veterans, many of whom—like Bill Blass and Ellsworth Kelly—would go on to have illustrious careers in art, design and fashion.

5) D-Day: The Price of Freedom (54 min) Not Rated

Five D-Day veterans return to Normandy and revisit the locations they landed on June 6, 1944, sharing their own very personal stories of war. This documentary won Emmy Awards for writing and photography.

6) The Battle for the Midway (50 min) TVPG

One thousand miles from anywhere lay a lonely outpost of coral and sea called Midway. It was here in 1942 where the U.S. and Japan fought one of the greatest naval battles of World War II that changed the course of history. And it is here again where Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard now leads a team of experts and four World War II veterans on the voyage of their lives. They're on a race against time to do the impossible: find at least one of the five downed aircraft carriers. Join them as they pay their final respects to their fallen comrades.

7) World War II: Saving the Reality (55 min) Not Rated

This documentary tells the story of an individual who owns the largest private collection of World War II artifacts in the world. More than 50 interviews with veterans and survivors of the war help tell the story of the meaning of the over 7,000 individual items in the collection of Kenneth W. Rendell.

8) A Perfect Soldier (56 min) Not Rated


An extraordinary and inspiring documentary about one man’s journey from child soldier to international hero. A Perfect Soldier tells the story of Aki Ra, who as a young boy was taken by the Khmer Rouge and forced to plant hundreds of landmines in the Cambodian countryside. As an adult, he has devoted his life to removing them, one landmine at a time. In 2010, he was named one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of the Year.

9) Ken Burns: The War (seven episodes, each 120 min) TV14

Ken Burns’ seven-part documentary series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, explores the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective by following the fortunes of so-called ordinary men and women who become caught up in one of the greatest cataclysms in human history. Six years in the making, this epic 14-hour film focuses on the stories of citizens from four geographically distributed American towns—Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and the tiny farming town of Luverne, Minnesota.

10) The Winning of World War II: The Road to Victory (16 episodes, each 60 min) Not Rated

Join General John Eisenhower as he retraces World War II. From the rise of Hitler to the historic battles and the eventual involvement of U.S. forces, witness the Allies’ road to victory. Then, discover the top commanders who made this victory possible.

11) Crusade in the Pacific (26 episodes, each 30 min) TVPG

Experience the epic television documentary event that chronicles all the bloody land, sea and air battles for the Pacific, produced by the legendary March Of Time newsreel unit and featuring never-before-seen footage from the archives of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, as well as film captured from the Japanese government.

12) Vietnam: 50 Years Remembered (seven episodes, each 50 min) TVPG

This 7-part documentary series tells the history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Featuring personal stories from veterans and detailing the battles, strategy, and politics of a war that consumed multiple U.S. Presidents. Vietnam: 50 Years Remembered is a chronicle of the tragedy that tested the strength of our country and forever changed the social and political landscape of the world.

Here’s a link to all of Mentor Library’s digital services, all of which are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Also, if you're not sure how to use Hoopla, we've created an explanatory video.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Get wrapped up in Mentor Library's 'Tangled' party

Do your kids love Tangled? Do they know every word to "I've Got a Dream" and "I See the Light?" Do they ask you to buy them a chameleon so they can name it Pascal?

If so, they're going to love our Tangled party on Thursday, Nov. 19, at our Main Branch. If not, they're probably still going to love our party.

We're going to have games, crafts and a singalong, all celebrating the Disney story. Kids can make their own lanterns like Rapunzel and Flynn, as well as their own crowns. They can try to pin Flynn's nose on his wanted poster. ("They just can't get my nose right.")

And, of course, there will be music.

The program is free and open to kids from the ages of four to nine. However, we do ask that you register for the program beforehand. Also, we only have so much space; so the sooner your kid signs up, the less likely they are to be left out of the fun.

You can register on Mentor Library's website or by calling us at 440-255-8811 ext. 221.

See you at the party!

Monday, November 9, 2015

Lego love at Mentor Library

The Dziemianzok family builds as a team during Kids @ Work at Mentor Library.
You’ve heard of our Kids @ Work program?

On the first Saturday of each month, families come to our Main Branch to play and build with our Lego blocks.

Yes, it’s that simple. Usually, there’s some sort of theme. For example, last Saturday we were building stuff that had to do with Thanksgiving.
Andrew concentrates on building his ship.
But there’s also no need to follow the theme. You can build whatever your imagination conjures.

You don’t have to register beforehand either. Just come and play. (However, we do ask that kids younger than 8 have an adult with them; and, as with any library program, we ask that you be kind to the other patrons.)

The program may be simple, but it’s also pretty popular. Our Garfield Room gets crowded on that first Saturday with young builders.
Sammy puts the finishing touches on his house.
And our Lego love extends beyond Kids @ Work. We have three Lego/Duplo programs a month—one for each of our branches.

You can rock with our blocks at the Main Branch on the first Saturday of the month, at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch on the second Saturday, and at our Headlands Branch on the third Saturday.

The rules are the same at each branch. You bring your imagination, we’ll bring the Lego blocks, and let’s see what we can build!
Kids can build based on a them or make whatever they imagine.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Katie Spotz, adventurer and author, talks new book at Mentor Library

Meet Katie Spotz and hear about her new book, "Just Keep Rowing," on Nov. 17 at Mentor Public Library.
Want to know what it's like to row across the Atlantic Ocean—to spend 70 days with nothing but your boat to keep you company—or to swim the Allegheny River or bicycle across the country with a broken pelvis?

There are two ways to find out.

You could read Katie Spotz's new book, Just Keep Rowing, which talks about her adventures and what she has learned from them. Or you could ask her yourself when she speaks at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Mentor Public Library's Main Branch.

Spotz is a Mentor native and Mentor High School graduate. She uses her adventures as a way to raise money and awareness for clean-water projects all around the world.

Her book shares 70 life lessons that she learned while crossing the Atlantic, one for each day she spent at sea.

After her talk, Spotz will also be on hand for a book signing and meet & greet.

The talk is free and open to everyone. Moreover, the first 35 who arrive at her talk will receive a free copy of Just Keep Rowing.

However, we do ask that people register for the program beforehand. They can sign up on Mentor Library's website or by calling 440-255-8811 ext. 216.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

American Girl Book Club meets Molly

Abby tears newspaper to stuff her sit-upon.
You know our American Girl Book Club? The one where kids make everything from kites to rag dolls to dreamcatchers and talk about classic American Girl books?

Well, it just got easier for your child (or children) to join. We’ve now stretched the age range so kids from six to 12 years old can get in on the fun.

Our American Girl Book Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month to discuss a different American Girl book and make a new craft.
Claire ties a bit of string onto the end of her bookmark.
This week, the girls met Molly and made a pair of crafts: a sit-upon (a kind of pillow) and a special bookmark.

They also learned how to dance the hula like Molly and her friend on Halloween.

If you have a child who likes the American Girl books or dolls, then he or she can join the fun. They can even bring their dolls with them, if they like. (Of course, the dolls aren’t required.)

Our next meeting is 4 p.m. on Dec. 2 in the children’s section of our Main Branch on Mentor Avenue. The girls will be meeting Julie.

You can register your child for the book club on our web site or by calling (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.
The girls practice their hula.
For more photos from our American Girl Book Club, visit Mentor Library's Facebook page.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Get the latest news from Mentor Public Library using Bluubeam



Mentor Public Library always has something going on—whether it be an interesting talk, fun program for kids, or a new digital service—but one downside to being so busy is that it’s easy to miss something

So Mentor Library is using Bluubeam beacons to keep patrons up to speed.

The beacons use Bluetooth technology to beam messages directly to their phones—but only if the patron wants to receive them.

If someone wants to receive these helpful messages, they only need to download the Bluubeam app onto their smartphone—free at the iTunes or Google Play stores—and turn on their Bluetooth while at any of the Mentor Public Library branches.

The beacons are location specific, which means the message a patron receives will be tailored to where they are in the library.

For example, if someone enters the children’s area at Mentor Library’s main branch, they may get an update about a special story time or program.

Mentor Library has installed Bluubeam beacons at all three of its branches and even on its Pop-Up Library, which distributes free books around the community.

For more information on Bluubeam, patrons can ask a librarian about it or check it out themselves at any of the library’s branches.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Meeting the K-9s of Big Creek Search Dog Team

Rocky from the Big Creek Search Dog Team introduces himself to the crowd.
Mentor Library had a furry, friendly and well-trained visitor on Monday.

Rocky and his owner, Jeremiah Trench, of Big Creek Search Dog Team, spoke about service dogs and search dogs, in particular. (Well, Trench spoke; Rocky only barked on command.)

Here are seven fun facts that we learned from the Big Creek Search Dog Team.
  1. Dogs are built to be better smellers—and, hence, better trackers—than humans. The average human can identify about 1,000 different odors. Dogs can identify more than one million.
  2. That's because dogs have 300 million olfactory receptors in their nose. By comparison, humans have only six million.
  3. Dogs have other advantages besides smelling when it comes to tracking or searching. They have a superior sense of hearing, can cover ground faster and fit into places that humans cannot.
  4. A dog's nose is so acute that a trained K-9 can smell out drugs, chemicals (like for explosives), people (living or dead), bed bugs and more. Some dogs have even been trained to alert when their owners have low blood sugar or a seizure.
  5. The Big Creek Search Dog Team is comprised of 14 humans and 16 dogs, all of whom are volunteers. They pay for most of their dogs' training and certification out of pocket. They also don't charge a fee for their services
  6. The team has helped law enforcement, fire departments, park rangers and other agencies to help find missing persons. They're available 24/7 with different volunteers offering their time depending upon whom is available.
  7. For a missing person or their family, what the Big Creek Search Dog Team does is a matter of life and death. However, for the K-9s, it's a game.
"He does it for a toy," Trench explained. "It's all a big game for him."

For more information on the Big Creek Search Dog Team, visit their Facebook page. For more programs and events at Mentor Public Library, visit our online event calendar.