Oscar Mania

Pipestone County Star 02-27-2014

It’s that time of year, when an actor’s fancy turns to thoughts of golden statues.  The 86^th Annual Academy Awards will be held on March 2^nd at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.  Ellen DeGeneres will be hosting and the full awards list can be found on-line.  It’s a night of parties and excitement, where those who watch from home sit around the television holding their breath as they wait for the winners to be announced.

Okay, not everyone watches with that amount of fervor and attention.  I’m lucky to see a few acceptance speeches while I try and keep my kids occupied, but I’ve always enjoyed it. 

You might say “Wait, what is the Librarian doing writing about the Oscars?  Aren’t those movies?”  You are completely right.  They don’t have an awards show for books and if they did, I suspect it would be rather boring.  However, Meinders Library does have an extensive DVD section.  In fact, we order about five new releases ever month!

For those of you who don’t follow the announcements, here are the Nominees for Best Picture.  As these movies come out, we will be ordering them (especially the winner!).  Many of these pictures have nominations in other categories – some of them even come out this month!

12 Years A Slave: Solomon Northup was a free man in the North, but since he was black, he was captured and sold into slavery in the south.  Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, and others.

American Hustle: Crime and Comedy in the late 70s.  Need we say more? Christian Bale and Amy Adams.

Captain Phillips: Tom Hanks stars as the man who was captured by Somali pirates.

Dallas Buyers Club: Matthew McConaughey stars as an AIDS patient who smuggles drugs to help other AIDS sufferers.

Gravity: The longest opening shot (17 minutes) ever filmed – Sandra Bullock and George Clooney

Her: Can you fall in love with Siri? Joachin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson

Nebraska: Bruce Dern stars in a touching comedy-drama about an old man, a scam, and the stories he has to tell those who try and help.

Philomena:  Judy Dench stars as an Irish woman looking for a son she gave up for adoption under duress.

The Wolf of Wall Street: Securities Fraud perpetrated by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Come in and check out a movie, or something that you have been dying to read.   And just as a reminder, if you know a movie has been released, but you don’t see it on our shelves, let us know!  We can get it for you through interlibrary loan, or we can place a Hold for you so you’ll be on the list.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

PAFL Update:  Pipestone Area Friends of the Library is looking for members – anyone who is a friend to Meinders Library is welcome to join!  The Friends group works hard to promote the library, raise money for projects, and organize their yearly book sale, in addition to the HUGE amount of support they provide throughout the year.  Call us for the date of the next meeting!

Winter Weather:  We tend to follow the lead of Pipestone Area Schools.  If the school is closed, we will also be closed – if there are no students, they put off plowing until later in the day, which includes our parking lot.  If the school closes early, we stay open for about a half hour afterwards to make sure all the kids can get picked up.  If the school has a two hour late start, we are not affected and will open at our regular time of 10 AM.

If you have questions or have a book you’d like to reserve or renew, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (507) 825-6714.  The hours for Meinders Library are Monday through Thursday from 10 AM – 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM.  Meinders Community Library is located at 1401 7^th Street SW, on the south side of the high school.

Oscar Mania

Pipestone County Star 02-27-2014

It’s that time of year, when an actor’s fancy turns to thoughts of golden statues.  The 86^th Annual Academy Awards will be held on March 2^nd at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.  Ellen DeGeneres will be hosting and the full awards list can be found on-line.  It’s a night of parties and excitement, where those who watch from home sit around the television holding their breath as they wait for the winners to be announced.

Okay, not everyone watches with that amount of fervor and attention.  I’m lucky to see a few acceptance speeches while I try and keep my kids occupied, but I’ve always enjoyed it. 

You might say “Wait, what is the Librarian doing writing about the Oscars?  Aren’t those movies?”  You are completely right.  They don’t have an awards show for books and if they did, I suspect it would be rather boring.  However, Meinders Library does have an extensive DVD section.  In fact, we order about five new releases ever month!

For those of you who don’t follow the announcements, here are the Nominees for Best Picture.  As these movies come out, we will be ordering them (especially the winner!).  Many of these pictures have nominations in other categories – some of them even come out this month!

12 Years A Slave: Solomon Northup was a free man in the North, but since he was black, he was captured and sold into slavery in the south.  Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, and others.

American Hustle: Crime and Comedy in the late 70s.  Need we say more? Christian Bale and Amy Adams.

Captain Phillips: Tom Hanks stars as the man who was captured by Somali pirates.

Dallas Buyers Club: Matthew McConaughey stars as an AIDS patient who smuggles drugs to help other AIDS sufferers.

Gravity: The longest opening shot (17 minutes) ever filmed – Sandra Bullock and George Clooney

Her: Can you fall in love with Siri? Joachin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson

Nebraska: Bruce Dern stars in a touching comedy-drama about an old man, a scam, and the stories he has to tell those who try and help.

Philomena:  Judy Dench stars as an Irish woman looking for a son she gave up for adoption under duress.

The Wolf of Wall Street: Securities Fraud perpetrated by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Come in and check out a movie, or something that you have been dying to read.   And just as a reminder, if you know a movie has been released, but you don’t see it on our shelves, let us know!  We can get it for you through interlibrary loan, or we can place a Hold for you so you’ll be on the list.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

PAFL Update:  Pipestone Area Friends of the Library is looking for members – anyone who is a friend to Meinders Library is welcome to join!  The Friends group works hard to promote the library, raise money for projects, and organize their yearly book sale, in addition to the HUGE amount of support they provide throughout the year.  Call us for the date of the next meeting!

Winter Weather:  We tend to follow the lead of Pipestone Area Schools.  If the school is closed, we will also be closed – if there are no students, they put off plowing until later in the day, which includes our parking lot.  If the school closes early, we stay open for about a half hour afterwards to make sure all the kids can get picked up.  If the school has a two hour late start, we are not affected and will open at our regular time of 10 AM.

If you have questions or have a book you’d like to reserve or renew, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (507) 825-6714.  The hours for Meinders Library are Monday through Thursday from 10 AM – 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM.  Meinders Community Library is located at 1401 7^th Street SW, on the south side of the high school.

Dead Presidents

Pipestone County Star 02-13-2014

The third Monday in February is Presidents’ Day, which most people know.  For some reason, I always thought that this celebrated Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson, though I have learned that it’s really just the first two.  Jefferson was born in April and, while Alabama includes him in their celebration, technically he gets left out.

Before 1971, Presidents’ Day was actually George Washington Day and was celebrated on February 22^nd (1732), Washington’s actual birthday.  A bill in 1971 moved the holiday to the third Monday in February and renamed it – because of its placement in the month, the third Monday will never actually fall on February 22, so calling it Washington’s birthday would be silly.

Since Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, naming the date Presidents’ Day made sense - being on the 3^rd Monday puts it smack dab between the two men.  It is a holiday, which means that school has it off (except in cases of snow day make-up) and most government offices are closed, but it has become far more commercial than it was ever intended.  Now there are car and furniture sales, specials at grocery stores, and all sorts of other attachments that were probably never intended.

In honor of two amazing Presidents, here are two books that will help you get to know their history a little better:

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Lincoln has become famous for the make-up of his cabinet, an unusual mix of men, many of whom were rivals of his in the presidential election.  Lincoln was such an effective President because he was able to work with the different personalities and see the talents they had, even if they disagreed with him.  This book is a testament to the power of a great leader and we should probably send several copies to Washington DC.

His Excellency, George Washington, by Joseph J Ellis

Ellis draws heavily on the Washington Papers, which were cataloged at the university of Virginia in the early 2000s.  Because of his access to information, Ellis recreates a rich view of Washington’s private and public lives, stripping away much of the legend to reveal the very competent, real-life man beneath.  The book is excellent and very informative – a must for anyone who adores American History and the powerful figures that populate it.

PAFL Update:  Pipestone Area Friends of the Library is looking for members – anyone who is a friend to Meinders Library is welcome to join!  The Friends group works hard to promote the library, raise money for projects, and organize their yearly book sale, in addition to the HUGE amount of support they provide throughout the year.  Call us for the date of the next meeting!

Winter Weather:  We tend to follow the lead of Pipestone Area Schools.  If the school is closed, we will also be closed – if there are no students, they put off plowing until later in the day, which includes our parking lot.  If the school closes early, we stay open for about a half hour afterwards to make sure all the kids can get picked up.  If the school has a two hour late start, we are not affected and will open at our regular time of 10 AM.

If you have questions or have a book you’d like to reserve or renew, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (507) 825-6714.  The hours for Meinders Library are Monday through Thursday from 10 AM – 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM.  Meinders Community Library is located at 1401 7^th Street SW, on the south side of the high school.