Snippets from the Shelves

Like something out of a science-fiction novel, Meadville Public Library has an uncanny ability. It actually holds more information inside than you might expect from just looking at it. How do we do that? Is there some space-time rift allowing for the internal expansion of the library beyond the bounds of its bricks and mortar? Not exactly.

We have access to more information than could possibly fit in our three floors through our collaboration with other libraries in Pennsylvania. You probably know about our non-fiction and fiction collections for children, young adults and adults, our magazines and newspapers, our videos and music all available for you to check out when you stop by the library, but are you aware of the resources we have through our web site?

Whether you’re at MPL or visiting our web site, POWER Library is one such resource that offers
information on a range of subjects: Art, Auto Repair, Biography, Business, Children’s Resources,
E Books, Education, General Reference, Health, Literature, Music and Science plus additional magazines and newspapers. Thinking about buying a new snow blower and want to know what Consumer Reports has to say about what’s on the market? Is your child writing a school report about his or her favorite author? Looking for trustworthy information about an herbal remedy your neighbor suggested? All of these needs and more can be met through the offerings of POWER Library.

Look for the POWER Library icon on our home page or the POWER Library stations on the Main Floor. If you have questions or need assistance, remember you can always stop by the desk, give us a call, or email your questions to info@meadvillelibrary.org.

The Meadville Public Library has added a new reference service for
patrons who do not have physical access to the building and its collections.

Library users may send e-mail requests for help with specific questions by accessing the main page of the new library web site and clicking on the link to “Ask a Librarian”. The main floor library staff will then research information sources and send responses via e-mail.

Our plan at this time is to check e-mail once a day Monday through Saturday and send responses within two working days. The library is pleased and excited about this new service and expects that everything will run smoothly. However, we do ask for your patience and understanding in advance if minor difficulties are encountered.

Several new magazines and a newspaper have been added to the periodical collection. Main Floor patrons will be able to peruse Backpacker (for hiking enthusiasts), Foreign Affairs, Hispanic Magazine, and the Washington Post National Weekly Edition. Disney Adventures and Disney Princess may be found in the Children’s Room as well as Ask, Chirp, Click, Kids: Fun Stuff to Do Together (Martha Stewart for kids), Preschool Playroom, and Wild Animal Baby. Our teen patrons will want to check out Career World, ELLEGirl, Imagine, Ride BMX, Wizard: The Comics Magazine, and Teen Ink which are available in the Fiction Department. Several magazines have also been moved from the Main Floor to Fiction and include Game Pro, PC Gamer, Transworld Skateboarding, Transworld Snowboarding, and VOYA.

Unfortunately along with the additions there are some deletions. The library will no longer subscribe to Antiqueweek, Breakaway, Consumer Reports on Health, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and New York Times Upfront. We hope the new magazines will be enjoyed and the old ones missed only slightly.

by Roseann Dies, Librarian

The Meadville Public Library has added more than forty new magazines to the periodical collection. A few of the titles include Bead & Button, Creative Crafter, Crochet Fantasy, and Memory Makers for craft lovers while gardening enthusiasts might enjoy checking out American Gardener and Country Gardens.

For our patrons who love to cook (or just love to eat), then Everyday Food, Food & Wine, and Gourmet should not be missed. Shoppers, please check out Lucky! For those interested in recreation and leisure activities, be sure to take a look at Backyard Living, Boating World, Flying, and Motorcyclist.

These and more new magazines are on display on the main floor of the library.

New magazines in the Children’s Room are American Baby, Discovery Girls, Junior Baseball, Young Dancer, and Young Rider.

The following new titles have been added to the reference collection:
Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound edited by Frank Hoffman (who just happens to be a librarian) is a two volume set that covers the history of recorded sound. The entries range from short definitions to lengthy essays and cover Thomas Edison’s disc to the MP3 player.
The New Biographical Dictionary of Film written by David Thomson contains 1300 entries about actors and directors of which 300 are new additions to the 1994 edition.

United States Holidays and Observances: By Date, Jurisdiction, and Subject authored by Steve Rajtar covers not only the United States but American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Fifty-one essays and more than 90 maps tell the story of how each of the fifty states became a part our nation in the new reference work titled The Uniting States: The Story of Statehood for the Fifty United States.

Library patrons who are interested in ebooks, may want to look at what is available through Access PA. To view the available titles please go to the Power Library site. From there click on Find a Book and then–net Library. There are 8,926 ebooks available and range from the classics of literature to more recent titles. The Help menu is quite detailed and should answer any questions that users may have about the NetLibrary site. One interesting feature is the ebook of the month. The selection for May is Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. It was published in January 2005 by Harvard Business School Press.