Librarian, Martha Edmundson Retiring

Martha Edmundson, Branch Manager of the Emily Fowler Central Library, is retiring from the Denton Public Library System after 29 years of service.  Martha was a children’s librarian at the Emily Fowler Central Library for many years and many children and their parents knew her as “Ms. Martha.”  She became the manager of the South Branch Library in 1995 and the manager of Emily Fowler Central Library in 2005. 

 

Throughout her years of service, Martha has been the driving force for quality youth programs at Denton Public Library.  Martha plans to continue her work for children and families through organizations such as the Denton Kiwanis Club.

 

Please join us at a reception in her honor, Monday, March 31, 2008 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm, at the Emily Fowler Central Library, 502 Oakland Street.

 

 

For more information contact Laura Douglas at 940.349.8749 or visit the library’s web site at www.dentonlibrary.com.  

A screen cast of Ima Reader putting a hold on a movie…you can too.

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Test Prep

Did you know that we offer online test prep resources?  Many people have been coming to the reference desk lately looking for GED and other test prep books, only to find out that they are all checked out.  Don’t despair!  Click here and scroll down to Test Preparation and Careers.  The Learning Express Library and Testing and Education Reference Centers offer practice problems and tests for college entrance, grad school entrance, high school equivalancy and many career-specific aptitude exams.  It’s all free and you can access it from home if you have a library card and you know your PIN.  

New “on order” movies you can put a hold on

1. How She Move

2. Mad Money

3. Over Her Dead Body

4. P. S. I Love You

5. Rambo

6. Strange Wilderness

7. Untraceable

Arthur C. Clarke

British Science Fiction novelist, mathematician and physicist Sir Arthur C. Clarke died today at the age of 90.  Clarke is credited with the idea of geostationary satellites, but is most famous for 2001: A Space Odyssey. Clarke wrote numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including more than 100 sci-fi novels.   Here are just a few of them.

Time traveling at the library

 There are many ways to time travel.  Reading is good.  Have you read The Doomsday Book, or To Say Nothing of the Dog ?  Both are written by Connie Willis and are about time travel.   You might also be interested in The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Time and Again by Jack Finney, Fool’s Joust by Crystal Wood, or  Timeline by Michael Crichton.

You can time travel yourself by visiting the Portal to Texas website: http://texashistory.unt.edu/ and entering the “researcher’s portal”.  The library has over 1,500 historical photographs on this website.  Try a search for “burial of John B. Denton”, “Denton square”, “Nike Missile Base”, or just try “Denton tank”.   Then go take a walk around the Denton square and cross your eyes, click your heels… who knows what might happen.

 This article appeared in the Pilot Point Post-Signal in December of 1910.  The original copy is in the Special Collections Department at the Emily Fowler Central Library.

Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month. Check out our collection of books and other material celebrating women and their contribution to the world.

Thank You Bear

Have you ever found something that you thought was so great, it impelled you to enthusiastically show it to everyone you know?  I know that I have shared music, tv shows, movies and books that I loved with friends and family, only to get replies of, “It’s okay.” and “I’ve heard/seen/read better.” 

 The ursine protagonist in Greg Foley’s picture book, Thank You Bear,  also experiences this sort of rejection, but his ardor revolves around a simple box.  His enthusiam for the box results in criticisms and rejections by his fellow animals, and our bear friend soon feels isolated and dejected.  The book ends happily, as all picture books should, with the bear realizing that he is neither alone in his love for the box nor in his outlook on life. 

 In the world of children’s literature it is difficult for a fable to demonstrate pertinence to adults while also appealing to children’s sensibilities and emotional intellects; however, Greg Foley achieves these two aims beautifully.  His art effectively demonstrates the emotional spectrum that Bear experiences throughout the books and opens the book to a more empathetic reading.    I highly recommend Thank You Bear because Foley’s simple words, pictures, and story make its message of friendship enjoyable for adults and understandable to children. 

-Dana

Denton History Stuff in the Genealogy Department

     In 1920, the Denton Record-Chronicle ran a series on the subject entitled, “What Does Denton Need?”  Residents would write in their opinion and the paper would post it on the front page.  This letter was written by R. L. Whiteside and showed up on January 2nd, 1920.  Needless to say, the writer would be happy today.

New “on order” movies you can put a hold on

1. 27 Dresses 

2. Lars and the Real Girl

 3. The Orphanage