Color Printer Out-of-order

The color printer has been performing erratically since last week. Monochrome prints still look good, but until our vendor, Advanced Systems of Iowa, acquires and installs repair parts, color prints may not turn out well.

Please contact a staff member if you have questions or need assistance with your printing.


c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Storm Closes Local Libraries

The Waterloo and Cedar Falls Public Libraries will be closing this evening at 7:00 p.m. Meteorologists are forecasting sleet followed by intense snow fall later this evening.

No decision has been made on hours for tomorrow (Friday, 12/19/08). Tune in to local radio and/or television tomorrow morning for updates.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Teen Advisory Group Meeting

Waterloo Public Library Teens will hold their Advisory Group Meeting Thursday, December 12, 2008. Teen Librarian, Kristi, promises fun, pizza, and friends will be in the second floor Teen area starting at 5:00 p.m.

For details, contact Kristi at anhaltkr@gmail.com or call 291-4476.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Winter Book Sale in Progress!

The Friends of the Waterloo Public Library Book and Magazine Sale continues today and tomorrow, 9-3 each day.

It looks like we're in for a long, cold winter. Now's the time to stock up on recent fiction, mysteries, science fiction, and contemporary non-fiction for those long cold evenings when you can't be outside.

While you're at the sale, don't forget to fill out a membership form. For $15/year, Friends membership is the best deal in town!

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

WPL Friends Winter Book Sale!

The Winter Book and Magazine Sale of the Friends of the Waterloo Public Library begins later this week and runs through Saturday.

A "Friends Only" preview sale begins Thursday, December 4, at 6:30 p.m.; Friends of the Library get first crack at the inventory until 8:30 p.m. If you're not a friend, don't despair: Annual memberships are a mere $15 and may be purchased at the door.

The sale opens to the general public Friday morning, December 5, at 9:00 and runs through 3:00 that afternoon with the same hours on Saturday, December 6.

The sale will be held in the basement of the Waterloo Public Library, located at 415 Commercial Street, Waterloo, IA 50701.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Closed for Thanksgiving

The Waterloo Public Library will close at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 26, and will reopen at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, November 29.

There will be no Learning Center activities on Wednesday.

Have a good Thanksgiving; we look forward to seeing you again on Saturday!

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

More River Renaissance Activity

Despite the snow, mud, and cold weather, drainage work on the River Renaissance project continues.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Riverfront Renaissance Work Continues

Excavation of the old parking lot continues in early morning frost as workers rush to complete the area around the new agriculture exposition area, visible in the upper left hand corner of the picture. In the midst of the newly bricked exposition ground the Public Market can be seen. Note the many pallets of bricks on 3rd Street; apparently, more bricklaying is on the horizon. In the upper center of the photo is the recently vacated MidWestOne Bank building.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Edgar Allan Poe Wows Crowd!

Edgar Allan Poe interpreter, Duffy Hudson, shown above with librarians Amy and Sue, entertained 51 guests with dramatic readings from Poe's works on a wet and gloomy downtown Waterloo evening; a perfect setting for enjoying the works of one of America's foremost literary figures.

Hudson, a writer, teacher, director, and Broadway actor, using only a wooden chair as a prop, kept us spell-bound as he performed The Raven, Annabell Lee, and the Tell-Tale Heart. After a spell-binding presentation--during which he stayed perfectly in character--Hudson took questions from the crowd and chatted about his life on the road.

What a great evening!

Support for Hudson's show was provided by the Friends of the Waterloo Public Library. Hudson expects to return to the area next spring when he will be launching a new show, based on the life of Albert Einstein!

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

In the Shadow of the Raven

Edgar Allan Poe comes to the the Waterloo Public Library October 13, 7:00 p.m. as his channeler Duffy Hudson, of film and Broadway fame, presents his one-man show. Share with us Hudson's fascination with Poe's life and work as he reads excerpts from Annabel Lee, The Raven, and The Tell Tale Heart.

I plan on being there with my wife and friends. I hope that you're able to join us for what promises to be a great evening!

This programming is brought to you courtesy of the Friends of the Waterloo Public Library!

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Banned Books Week!

September 27-October 4 is the American Library Association's annual, Banned Books Week. Each year at this time, librarians celebrate their devotion to providing uncensored information to America's library patrons.

Despite strenuous efforts to prevent access to popular works by noted authors, it pleases me to write that the Waterloo Public Library contains each title on the ALA list of "Most Banned Books of 2007:"

1. And Tango makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
   


2. The Chocolate War, by Richard Cormier
   


3. Olive's Ocean, Kevin Henke
   


4. The Golden Compass, Phillip Pullman
   


5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
   


6. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
   


7. TTYL, Lauren Myracle
   


8. I know why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
   


9. It's Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
   


10. The Perks of being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
    

The Waterloo Public Library is committed to providing its patrons with the materials that they wish to view or read. Check back in early fall of 2009 to see if we keep up the good work!

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

WPL Closed Friday; Try Cedar Falls!

View Larger Map

The Waterloo Public Library will be closed for in-service training Friday, September 26. If you need Internet access, or wish to take advantage of other library services, consider a visit to our sister library, in Cedar Falls.

The Cedar Falls Public Library has 20 public access computers as well as a wide selection of fiction, non-fiction, and audio-visual materials. Cedar Falls is an Open Access library that will extend borrowing privileges to residents of Waterloo as well as many other locales.

The CFPL is only 20 minutes away, has great parking, and will be open from 9:00-5:00 p.m. Or, if you can stand the wait, the Waterloo Public Library will reopen Saturday, September 27, at 9:00 a.m.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Fugitive File goes Online!

Ever wonder about the Top Ten Floods in Waterloo's history? Or, whatever became of Josh Higgin's Park? Or, how do you submit a petition to the City of Waterloo?

Answers to these head scratchers and more can be found at the Waterloo Public Library's most recent contribution to the Internet: The Waterloo Public Library Wiki! The Wiki, a Hawaiian term for "fast," is rapidly being populated with entries from what we've previously called the Fugitive File, those odd bits of folklore and ephemera that are important to us locals, but not easily accessible via traditional reference sources.

As time goes on, WPL Reference librarians gradually transfer this information from bits of paper to electronic bits, the "new order of order."

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Friends Autumn Book Sale!

The Friends of the Waterloo Public Library Used Book & Magazine Sale is nearly upon us. The event kicks off Thursday, September 4, with a "members only" pre-sale from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (For information on becoming a WPL Friend, visit their website.)

The doors reopen Friday & Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m. and will close each day at 3:00 p.m. The Friends promise that nothing will cost more than a buck, and most items will cost far less.

The Friends' book sale area remains in our basement, which still shows the effects of last June's flooding. The carpetless floors look nasty, but the place is dry as a bone and has been professionally sanitized. With luck, the next sale will see a brand new tile floor.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Enhanced Flatbed Scanner

Patrons of the Waterloo Public Library have had access to a flatbed scanner for about a year now. However, until recently, it hasn't worked very well. It was slow, tended to freeze, and was an altogether mediocre system.

The computer has been recently upgraded and the security has been reconfigured. The upgrade has greatly enhanced performance, and the security changes mean that downloads and thumb drive software are no longer problematic.

So, if you have an image to scan, or are having trouble downloading on one of the PACs, ask a librarian for a ticket on the Express Scanner.

As always, please submit comments or suggestions to the blog, to dargan@gmail.com, or any librarian.


c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

MyLibraryDV Subscription not Renewed

The MyLibraryDV service, available on the Waterloo Public Library website since the fall of 2007, will be discontinued when the subscription runs out September 30. Usage, never high, peaked in March after a front page story in the Waterloo Courier. Usage continued to decline in April and recently has been negligible.

The library will continue to watch the downloadable video market, and may one day resubscribe. However, for for right now, our patrons want other products, and that's where we're going to put our acquisition resources.

As always, be sure to let us know of your desires for library materials and programming.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Teen Area Goes Online!

The Waterloo Public Library Teen Area is about to get computers! Four Dell business grade computers--surplus from City Hall--have been installed around a pillar in the Teen Area. The machines have been upgraded, tested, and are nearly ready for use.

Each computer is equipped with Internet Explorer 7.0, Picasa2, and most of the Microsoft Office 2007 Pro Plus suite. Teen users will be able to send print jobs to the public access printer. After 10 minutes of inactivity a warning of impending shutdown will be displayed for a further two minutes. If no activity occurs, the computer will restart and reset; all changes (including data!) will be wiped. BE SURE TO SAVE YOUR WORK REGULARLY TO A THUMB DRIVE!

The computers will be controlled by one-time use tickets which will be handed out to Teens by Reference staff members. Initially, Teens will be allowed at least one hour a day on this set of computers. The limit of 2 patrons per computer will not apply to these machines.

We'll be having a staff meeting Thursday to discuss management of these machines and expect to go live with them soon afterwards. If this project is a success, we might be adding a few more later in the year. In the meantime, let us know if you have questions, comments or suggestions.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Legal Aid Online

Patrons often approach the Reference Desk with questions about legal issues: How do I file for divorce? Change my name? Halt an eviction? Who can help me through the legal maze?

Librarians are careful to not give legal advice, but are eager to refer you to self-help resources. One of the best is the Iowa Legal Aid Website. Their site is full of answers to frequently asked questions, and it's even possible to do an online chat session with a real lawyer!

Remember: librarians are not allowed to dispense legal or tax advice. However, we can point you towards resources for either self-help or reasonably inexpensive professional help.
c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Join the WPL Friends!

Everyone has heard of the WPL Friends' book sales, and you may even have purchased a magazine or cup of coffee from the Friend Shop. However, our Friends do much more than sell books.

Volunteer Friends help with youth summer programs, conduct library tours, deliver materials to the home bound as well as to nursing homes. They also read shelves, help with children programs and other special projects.

For details on how you can be a Friend of the Waterloo Public Library, visit their website, or call 291 4496 for details.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library

Homework Made Easy

Working on that summer class term-paper? In a hurry to get your research done and done well? If so, you're in luck! The Waterloo Public Library Ebscohost subscription includes "Ebscohost Web."

This amazing product allows WPL patrons--in the building or from home using a library card--to simultaneously search articles in more than 21 databases with titles ranging from Master File Premier, to Academic Elite, to Vocational and Career Collection.

Once you've found your sources you may either print them to our high speed color laser, or save them to your thumb-drive. For more information on what Ebscohost at the WPL can do for you, stop by the reference island for a consultation with one of expert librarians.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library