Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Displays in the Children's Room

Happy Thanksgiving from the Berkeley Heights Public Library staff to all our patrons and blog readers!

Enjoy our displays of Thanksgiving books, DVD's, audiobooks and cute stuffed animals upstairs near the Circulation Desk and in the Children's Room. Thanks to Ann-Marie and Laura for decorating for the holiday.

The In the News and Trending Topics Shelves

The Slat-wall shelf: Holiday Crafts

I am NOT posting the very funny joke, 'The Library Parrot at Thanksgiving' this year. But if you just can't get through the holidays without that joke and some other Thanksgiving thoughts this blog has posted over the years, here are the links:

The Post with the original 'Library Parrot at Thanksgiving,' a true, or truthy, story

The Post with the Poem, with a plea to use our Columbia Granger's Poetry database

The Post about how librarians get ready for Thanksgiving, blog-wise that is  

The Post about how the library is open the day after Thanksgiving and what we do and maybe you don't want to go shopping  on Black Friday...

A very short, stupid turkey joke, right here in its entirety for  those in a hurry to be amused:

"Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
drum roll please....
.
.
.
the outside.
:-(
"
Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday, Mary Oliver

If this blog were a greeting card, it would have a 'happy belated birthday' option. I noticed that our post on Mary Oliver's poem 'Percy and Books' has really been trending on our usage statistics in the last week. That's because Ms. Oliver's birthday was Saturday, September 10. She is 81. Happy birthday to a wonderful, American poet! Here is the link to our post 'Percy and Books' about her dog Percy. What does Percy feel about books? Well, they aren't dog treats or a walk are they?

Percy and Books (Eight) by Mary Oliver

Spring at the Berkeley Heights Public Library

Winter into Spring, 

a slide show made with Animoto's free video maker app for iPad.

Just a few weeks ago, the Berkeley Heights Public Library, and most of New Jersey, was covered in snow. Now spring is beginning to appear as a few intrepid daffodil shoots poke up through the bare, muddy ground. The days are getting a little longer and a little warmer.
I searched our 'Columbia Granger's World of Poetry' database for a poem to express the feeling of relief that the winter of 2013 - 2014 is over. I found hundreds of poems about spring and April. Willliam Leighton's 'April' tells it like it is, don't you think?

'Gusty March is dead and gone!

 April heard his parting sighs,

 Smiling through her tearful eyes

At the sweet days coming on.'

There's more to this poem. To find this and other poems by first line, last line, subject or poet, search the Granger's Poetry database from our  'Databases and Articles' webpage. Type in your Berkeley Heights Library barcode number at the prompt.

  MLA
Leighton, William. “April.” Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online. 2014. Columbia University Press. 4 Apr. 2014.

[Originally posted on this blog in April 2014 ]

The Thanksgiving Post

Every Thanksgiving for some years now, we have posted Thanksgiving cooking advice, jokes and a very long shaggy dog story, er shaggy turkey story? Here is the link to last years Thanksgiving post:
http://bhplnjbookgroup.blogspot.com/2013/11/which-side-of-turkey-has-most-feathers.html

In the interest of new blog content, here is an even newer bit to help our faithful blog readers and library patrons get in the holiday spirit: a Thankgiving poem from Granger's poetry database.

Poem: Thanksgiving Wishes

Author: Arthur Guiterman (1871–1943)

 I wish you all that pen and ink

—Could write, and then some more!

I hope you cannot even think

—Of half you're thankful for.

5

I hope your table holds a wealth

—Of prime Thanksgiving fare,

And Love and Peace and Joy and Health

—Will all be seated there.

I trust your guests will all be bright,

10

—But none of them too wise,

And each will bring an appetite

—For mince or pumpkin pies.

I hope the fowls will all be fat,

—The cider sweet to quaff,

15

And when you snap a Wishbone, that

—You'll win the larger half!

 MLA
Guiterman, Arthur. “Thanksgiving Wishes.” Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online. 2014. Columbia University Press. 22 Nov. 2014. . 

To find this and 103  other full-text poems with the word "Thanksgiving' in the title, Berkeley Heights patrons can search our 'Columbia Granger's World of Poetry database.' All BHPL databases are linked to our 'Databases and Articles' page. Have your library card barcode handy to authenticate yourself so you can use Granger's and dozens of our other online research resources.

National Poem in Your Pocket Day

Lately much of the Reference Department's incoming email alerts us to the latest news about budget cuts to NJ libraries, so it was so much more fun to see an email pop up from our visiting NJ author, Robert Daniher. Bob's tone always seems to be upbeat and encouraging to aspiring authors and really to all of us, so take a look at his post:

"Thursday, April 29th is National Poem In Your Pocket Day. The concept is to select a poem that you love and carry it around with you in your pocket sharing it with others throughout the day. There are even national events held all around supporting the day where people can read poems out loud in front of others. This might be a little too much for some who are not used to public speaking. And let’s face it…who is?
This brings to mind a fun exercise for aspiring writers, and Poem In Your Pocket day is a perfect time to try it. Instead of carrying a poem you like to read, why not try writing a short one of your own. Just like reading different genres works to help you become a better overall writer, so does writing in different genres. Poetry is perfect for that. There are so many things you can do with it. You can write a colorful scene in a few lines that pinpoints a special moment, you can write a funny limerick or you can just write stream of consciousness and see where it takes you. You might be surprised with the outcome. Poetry is a very versatile form of literature. It lends itself to so many ways of expression and can really get the creative juices flowing.
I will sometimes write a poem if I am experiencing writer’s block. It’s a great way focus on another topic while remaining in the writer’s frame of mind. You might find that you enjoy it. So this April 29th try to write a poem of your own and then carry it around in your pocket. It will be more personal to you. Even if you think your poem stinks, you were courageous enough to try something new and best of all…you wrote!'

LINKS:
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/406

From Poets.org: 'To pull poetry from your pocket every day of the year simply go to www.poets.org/m on any mobile device.'

Don't forget BHPL has Columbia Granger's World of Poetry online linked to "Remote Databases" on our homepage

Path through the Woods Behind the Library

Enter these enchanted woods, 
You who dare.
Nothing harms beneath the leaves
More than waves a swimmer cleaves.
Toss your heart up with the lark,
Foot at peace with mouse and worm, 
Fair you fare.
Only at a dread of dark
Quaver, and they quit their form:
Thousand eyeballs under hoods 
Have you by the hair.
Enter these enchanted woods,  
You who dare.

From the Woods of Westermain

Meredith, George. “Enter these enchanted woods.” Columbia Granger's World of Poetry Online. 2008. Columbia University Press. 30 Jun. 2008. http://www.columbiagrangers.org/.

Use BHPL's Grangers' Poetry database to find this and thousands of other poems online.