When I was a little girl there was a Memorial Day tradition that I shared with my grandparents. You see, my grandfather was a veteran of World War II and both my grandparents were members of their local American Legion Post, the Earl B. Clark Post (42). Since we visited with our grandparents just about every weekend we were often at their house during some part of Memorial Day weekend. So on Memorial Day weekend we would “earn our keep” by going around selling the American Legion’s rememrance poppies. Grammy would take up her post behind the steering wheel and my brother and I would hop in the car (arguing over who got the much coveted front seat) and be driven around the neighborhood, and surrounding neighborhoods, traveling door to door selling poppies. I never really knew what the significance was of those paper flowers, only that the money made by selling them went to help veterans who were worse off than my grandpa. I knew they were special to veterans, that the lady on the corner of Bow Lake Road would always buy a whole bouquet of them from us, and that we would get an ice cream cone when we were done.

The American Legion and Auxiliary began selling poppies to raise funds for veterans and their families in 1921. The first remembrance poppies were made of silk by French widows and orphans (near Flanders) following World War I. In 1922, American veterans made paper poppies in Minnesota hospitals. The crepe paper was selected because “it provided the maximum of work for the disabled veteran with the minimum expenditures for materials.” The poppy was selected because of a famous war poem written about poppies that were growing wild in a field and cemetery in Flanders, France.

My grandparents have passed on now, but every Memorial Day I look for someone selling those remembrance poppies and I buy some. And I remember.

~Yvonne~

000  Generalities  (example 020 is Library and Information Sciences)

100  Philosophy and Psychology

200   Religion

300   Social Sciences

400    Language  (English and other languages of the world)

500    Natural Sciences and Mathematics

600    Technology and Applied Science

700    The Arts (includes music, recreation,  sports and performing arts also movies, television, etc)

800   Literature and Rhetoric

900    Geography and History

Within each group of hundreds, it is broken down more specifically:

910  Geography and travel

920   Genealogy, Insignia

930    History of the Ancient World

940    General History of Europe

950    General History of  Asia

960    General History of Africa

970    General History of North America

980     General History of South America

990     General History of Other Areas

This is just a very brief overview of the subject classification system initially organized by Melvil Dewey in 1876.  For a specific breakdown of today’s system; you can look in the Reference Collection for 025.431 DEW (Dewey Decimal Classification System Edition 22).

To prepare for the event:

Bank of England—Bank holiday on June 4, 2012 and June 5, 2012.

British Summer Time holiday for government and citizens.

All schools closed for month of June.

Pre-Jubilee Events:

March 12: Commonwealth Day Observance in Westminster Abbey.

May 10, 11, 13:  Diamond Jubilee Pageant (dancers, musicians, military, equestrian displays).

May 19:  Parade and Muster at Windsor Castle (all armed forces of the United Kingdom).

Central Weekend: June 2-5, 2012

June 3:  Thames River Pageant: At high water the queen will lead at least a thousand boats down the Thames: one of the largest flotillas ever assembled on the river.  Down river at Tower Bridge there will be a gun salute and an avenue of sailing ships. The Royal Navy will also be in attendance.

June 4: Concert at Buckingham Palace – The Queen and Prince Philip and other members of the Royal Family and 10,000 members of the public who were selected to receive free tickets will attend a Concert at the Palace.  The BBC will televise the event. There will also be special Jubilee Beacons lit.

June 5: Service of Thanksgiving – The Queen and Prince Philip and other members of the Royal Family will attend a Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral.  A prayer, written at the Queen’s direction by the Chapter of St. Paul’s in honor of the Diamond Jubilee, will be used in the service. Children from across the UK will also have the chance to sing at the Service of Thanksgiving as part of the Diamond Choir.

Other Events:

Big Jubilee Lunch: Basically a  nationwide block party for neighbors – a great excuse to get to know people, try new things and have a party!

Thousands of beacons will be lit around the world.

Jubilee Time Capsule: The Royal Commonwealth Society has organized a special Jubilee Time Capsule, a digital archive of The Queen’s reign. You can contribute to this by picking a day and adding your memories and stories of that day. You can use photos, words or videos and talk about anything you want.

Establishment of a new charitable trust: Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.

Other information:

The Diamond Jubilee emblem was chosen from a national competition and won by 10-year old, Katherine Dewar.

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal an official medal commissioned to mark the Jubilee.  Armed Forces and emergency services personnel are eligible to wear it.

To become Britain’s longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth, will have to reign until September 10, 2015. Long may she reign!

John

Zweigler will discuss Colonial burial customs and beliefs, and share ghost stories from some of the most beautiful and long forgotten cemeteries in the northeast. Learn about the ancient symbolism, stone carvers and stories behind some of New England’s oldest gravestones. Copies of her book will be available for purchase.

Roxie Zweilger has been compiling stories of New England legends and lore since 1993. She is the author of five books and two CD’s based on New England’s legends, lore and history. She has given hundreds of lectures throughout New England and New York over the past 10 years, and has been featured on numerous television programs including the History Channel, Travel Channel and NECN.

For more information call the reference desk at 624-6550 x 320.

Over the past several months, however, due date has come to mean something else for my wife and me: new life, anticipation, joy, love, and yes, apprehension and fear. We’re expecting our first child…this month! Life will never be the same. Do we know what we’re doing? Of course we don’t!  The good news is that millions of parents, doctors and midwives do know what they’re doing, and have written plenty of books to help would-be parents, new parents, and struggling parents. Does your library have these books? Of course we do! Here is just a tiny sample of some of our more recent selections.

Fertility & conception

Plan to Get Pregnant : 10 Steps to Maximum Fertility by Zita West. New York, N.Y. : Dorling Kindersley. (2008).

Making Babies : Stumbling into Motherhood by Anne Enright. New York : W.W. Norton. (2012).

Health, nutrition and fitness during pregnancy

Expect the Best : Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, and after Pregnancy by Elizabeth Ward. Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley. (2009).

Rea Shiva Mama Baby Yoga by Rea Shiva. Louisville, CO : Gaiam. (c2012.).

Not your first child? How to share the news

Baby On the Way by William Sears. Boston : Little, Brown. (2012).

Baby names

Baby Names that Go Together : From Lily, Rose, and Violet to Finn and Fay – Siblings that Mix and Match in a Perfect Way by Eric Groves. Avon, Mass. : Adams Media. (2009).

Preparing a space for baby

Room for Children : Stylish Spaces for Sleep and Play by Susanna Salk. New York : Rizzoli, 2012.

Don’t forget Dad!

Pacify Me : A Handbook for the Freaked-Out New Dad by Chris Manzinni. New York, NY : Simon Spotlight Entertainment. (2011).

Or, on a more serious note:

The Birth Partner : a Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and Other Labor Companions by Penny Simkin. Boston, Mass. : Harvard Common Press. (2008).

Childbirth

The Mommy Docs’ Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy and Birth by Yvonne Bohn. Cambridge, MA : Da Capo Lifelong. (2011).

Heading Home With Your Newborn : From Birth to Reality by Laura A. Jana. Elk Grove Village, Ill. : American Academy of Pedriatics. (2011).

Pregnancy: from Conception to Caring for Your Newborn Baby. [Hallandale, Fla.] : Revodition. (c2008.).

The Simple Guide to Having a Baby. New York : Meadowbrook Press. (c2011.).

Postpartum

The Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook : Practical Skills to Help You Overcome Anxiety, Worry, Panic Attacks, Obsessions and Compulsions. Oakland, Calif. : New Harbinger. (2009.).

Feeding

American Academy of Pediatrics New Mother’s Guide to Breastfeeding. New York : Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks. (2011.).

The Baby & Toddler Cookbook : [Fresh, Homemade Foods for a Healthy Start] by Karen Alsel. San Francisco : Weldon Owen. (2011).

Of course, the birth of a new baby is just the beginning. The library is here to support parents, and children, throughout the entire journey. Check out the parenting collection, located in the lower floor hallway, just outside the children’s room, for a current selection of books on topics ranging from nutrition and exercise to child development and discipline.

Steve Viggiano

Join us on May 19th at the West Branch for a special book signing of  the new novel, “Pool”, by Robin Beaudette.

A wedding like no other : inspiration for creating a unique, personal and unforgettable celebration or Your unique wedding : say “I do” with a twist can help you with planning the entire day, as can The everything green wedding book and The complete outdoor wedding planner.  For help with more specific parts of the ceremony, how about Wedding readings & musical ideas, Sacred threshold : rituals and readings for a wedding with spirit or The world’s best loved wedding music.  And speaking of music, don’t forget that the library has a collection of CDs that you can borrow, too.

For the do-it-yourself type, we have books to help with making everything from the invitations to the flower arrangements; from the wedding dress to the wedding cake.  Take a look at Wedding papercrafts, Creative wedding florals you can make, Bridal gowns : how to make the wedding dress of your dreams or Wedding cakes you can make.  Or maybe Wedding crafts : 40 charming ideas for a unique personalized wedding will inspire you.

Can’t decide on a honeymoon location?  Tired of all these details and want to just get away entirely?  The everything destination wedding book, 100 best U.S. wedding destinations or Ultimate guide to the world’s best wedding & honeymoon destinations might be what you need.

No matter what size wedding you’re planning (or the size budget you have to work with), don’t forget to check out the library for great ideas.

Patrons will access the new titles through the downloadable books website, http://nh.lib.overdrive.com, and still have access to the entire downloadable books consortium collection. All of the circulation parameters are the same (i.e. two week check out, no renewals, no fines, and early returns are available).

When deciding what to purchase first, MCL has made books with long hold lists a top priority. Here is a slide show on how to place a hold on an ebook and identify books the library has purchased.

Here is our first order of OAP titles. The link will take you to the downloadable books catalog record for the title.

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James: http://bit.ly/MCL_Fifty_Shades_of_Gray
1858 by Bruce Chadwick: http://bit.ly/MCL_1858
44 Cranberry Point by Debbie Macomber: http://bit.ly/MCL_44_Cranberry_Point
The Abduction by Mark Giminez: http://bit.ly/MCL_The_Abduction
An Amish Love by Beth Wiseman: http://bit.ly/MCL_An_Amish_Love
The Anatomist’s Apprentice by Tessa Harris: http://bit.ly/MCL_Anatomists_Apprentice
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo: http://bit.ly/MCL_Behind_the_Beautiful
Defending Jacob by William Landay: http://bit.ly/MCL_Defending_Jacob
Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter: http://bit.ly/MCL_Darkest_Secret
The Expats by Chris Pavone: http://bit.ly/MCL_Expats
Fallen by Karin Slaughter: http://bit.ly/MCL_Fallen
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin: http://bit.ly/MCL_A_Game_of_Thrones
Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Steig Larrson: http://bit.ly/MCL_Girl_Who_Kicked
Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larrson: http://bit.ly/MCL_Girl_Who_Played
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: http://bit.ly/MCL_Girl_with_the_dragon
If You Know Her by Roxanne St. Clair: http://bit.ly/MCL_If_You_Know_Her
Life As I Blow It by Chelsea Handler: http://bit.ly/MCL_Life_As_I_Blow_It
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks: http://bit.ly/MCL_The_Lucky_One
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: http://bit.ly/MCL_The_Night_Circus
Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson: http://bit.ly/MCL_Primal_Blueprint
Sister Queens by Julia Fox: http://bit.ly/MCL_Sister_Queens
Starters by Lissa Price: http://bit.ly/MCL_Starters
American Gods by Neil Gaiman: http://bit.ly/MCL_American_Gods
Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein: http://bit.ly/MCL_Art_of_Racing
Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell: http://bit.ly/MCL_Death_of_Kings
Micro by Michael Crichton: http://bit.ly/MCL_Micro
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver: http://bit.ly/MCL_Pandemonium
Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan: http://bit.ly/MCL_Sex_At_Dawn
Supreme Justice by Philip Margolin: http://bit.ly/MCL_Supreme_Justice
When did I Get Like This by Amy Wilson: http://bit.ly/MCL_When_Did_I_Get_Like_This

For more information about e-books contact the library at 624-6550×319 or email us at library@manchesternh.gov.