News

Image from NASA

Many people are looking for ways that they can help mitigate damage following the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster off the coast of Louisiana and for more information about the spill. With anywhere from 5000 to 60,000 barrels of oil a day being released into the Gulf of Mexico, the negative impact to the environment and economy of the Gulf Coast is expected to be very severe.

Resources with more information and ways to help

The Joint Federal Response website dedicated to the disaster http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/

The White House is maintaining a blog post detailing the government response to the disaster day-by-day at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/05/ongoing-administration-wide-response-deepwater-bp-oil-spill

The Boston Globe’s Big Picture series dedicated to the spill http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/oil_spill_approaches_louisiana.html

NASA satellite images monitoring the spill http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oil-creep.html

AL.com’s Gulf oil spill page. Alabama focused with frequent updates and lots of images.http://www.al.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/

TakePart.com is an independent online community that connects people to info on important issues and opportunities to help. They are maintaing a good list of volunteer opportunities related to the spill. http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/04/30/the-gulf-coast-oil-leak-how-to-help

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College has partnered with BP to provide health and safety training for volunteers http://www.mgccc.cc.ms.us/announcements/2009-2010/deepwater_horizon_02may2010.php

These important number from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) can also be found on most of the above sites:

• To report oil on land, or for general Community and Volunteer Information, please phone 866.448.5816
• To report oiled or injured wildlife, please phone 866.557.1401
• To discuss spill related damage claims, please phone 800.440.0858
• BP is asking fishermen for their assistance in cleaning up the oil spill. BP is calling this the Vessel of Opportunities Program and through it, BP is looking to contract shrimp boats, oyster boats and other vessels for hire to deploy boom in the Gulf of Mexico. Fishermen should phone 281.366.5511 about this program.

This week, October 18-24, we are celebrating National Friends of Libraries Week. Memberships start at just $10! Support your library and get access to fun social and volunteer opportunities.

Don't worry if you don't have time to contribute. We also love our silent partners - members that love the library and want to be in the loop but may not be able to volunteer or attend meetings. All types of support are appreciated!

Visit the Friends Bookstore on your next trip and these links to learn more!

Friends of the Hoover Public Library
Friends Bookstore

The AVL Back to School Quiz has been extended!!

Now through SEPTEMBER 30, library users can take the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Back to School Quiz and win books and database access for their favorite library (We hope it’s Hoover Public Library!) or school.

On your next visit to the library, go to http://www.avl.lib.al.us/quiz2009.html, enter Hoover Public Library, and then answer a couple of trivia questions using our wonderful informational databases. All ages can play and there are different questions for each age group.

If you are unfamiliar with our databases, we will be happy to demo them for you. Are you looking for the latest research on a disease or information about a company? Do you need scholarly sources for an important research project? Are you investigating your family history and genealogy? AVL and Hoover Public Library databases can help! See our entire list at www.hooverlibrary.org/databases.

Be an AVL super sleuth, have fun and win prizes for your library!

The Nonfiction Department will be partnering with the Cahaba Lily Chapter of the DAR to promote Constitution Week September 17-23. A special book display will be in the library starting September 14 and a member of the DAR will be at the lobby Sunday,September 20 with handouts for the public.

Try the Interactive Constitution from the National Constitution Center: http://ratify.constitutioncenter.org/constitution/. You can explore the famous document by keyword, topic and relationship to Supreme Court cases.

Now through September 21, library users can take the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) Back to School Quiz and win books and database access for their favorite library (We hope it’s Hoover Public Library!) or school.

On your next visit to the library, go to http://www.avl.lib.al.us/quiz2009.html, enter Hoover Public Library, and then answer a couple of trivia questions using our wonderful informational databases. All ages can play and there are different questions for each age group.

If you are unfamiliar with our databases, we will be happy to demo them for you. Are you looking for the latest research on a disease or information about a company? Do you need scholarly sources for an important research project? Are you investigating your family history and genealogy? AVL and Hoover Public Library databases can help! See our entire list at www.hooverlibrary.org/databases.

Be an AVL super sleuth, have fun and win prizes for your library!

Everyone has a favorite book from childhood, a book they read over and over and over again each night before bed.  One of my favorites was Animals Should Definitely NOT Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett.  You're probably familiar with her most popular book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  What you may not know is that it is coming to the big screen beginning September 18.  Get ready to enter a world where it rains all kind of food, from mashed potatoes to pancakes.

If a world of food storms isn't wild enough for you, I have good news.  Maurice Sendak's Caldecott-winning book Where the Wild Things Are is also heading to theatres beginning October 16.  The Children's Department here at the library is especially excited about this movie.  Drop by the Kid Zone to check out the elaborate display created by our very own Wild Things: Mary Ann, Justin and Wendy.

The Adult Summer Reading theme was DON'T LET THE KIDS HAVE ALL THE FUN! We have been doing Adult Summer Reading for four years. Winner of the Grand Prize Barbeque Grill was Wanda Mayhall.

Prizes donated by the Friends of the Hoover Public Library were:

Gas Grill - grand prize

2- Lowes Gift Cards-$50

Jim ‘N Nicks Gift card $50

10-Rave Motion Picture Gift Cards $30

Bonefish Grill gift Certificate $50

New this year were weekly drawings for prizes provided by:

Chiptole Grill - 10 lunches

California Pizza Kitchen - 10 lunches

Bonefish Grill - 10 appetizers

The Woodcraft Shop of Pelham - $25 gift certificate

September is National Library Card Sign-up Month. One of our goals at the Hoover Public Library is for every child in our community to have a library card. Especially during back to school season, we feel this is the most important school supply children can have.

During the month of September the Hoover Public Library is partnering with Green Valley Baptist Church to provide a location for the Food for Fines Drive. For each canned item you donate $1.00 will be waived in library late fees, for up to $10.00. This is a great way for the people of Hoover to reach out to other members of their community while also clearing up their fines. More...

Thanks to the wonderful group of Master Gardeners who designed and planted the library's Reading Garden as part of the new Plaza area. Come enjoy the garden and the wonderful seating area surrounding the garden. Great tables with umbrellas, including tables for children, with lots of chairs are available on the patio. The Master Gardeners who contributed to the Reading Garden are Martha Picardy, Maurice Picardy, Linda Systrom, Carolyn Wynn, Juanita Smith, Ann Shirley and Hope Long. Special thanks to Hope for leading the effort. Also special thanks to the city's Public Works department for their wonderful help on this project!