Oregon Middle School: support your library

The September Project at Oregon Middle School:

We are connecting with our local public library to celebrate  National Library Card Sign Up Month, introduce the various programs available at the public library and services available on line.  We have set aside Sept 24th for the public librarian to visit our middle school to meet with students and faculty.  I have created a bulletin board  to advocate for our libraries  and I have public library card applications in my possession ( in Spanish and English) giving students the convenience to “get carded” at school.

Happy September!!

Cheryl Carr
Library Media Specialist
Oregon Middle School

on the road…

I don’t normally talk about my work outside of the September Project, but since it is connected to libraries and September, I thought I’d share.

I work for TechSoup on the MaintainIT Project, an effort to capture how libraries maintain their public computers. Basically, we share what’s going on in the world of technology and public libraries so that libraries can learn from the experiences of others. We all know that someone out there has dealt with an issue another is struggling with, and we try to bridge that gap by publishing, blogging, and sharing those techniques and tips we gather.

Right now, I’m on the road, traveling to rural and small libraries in northern California. This has been an amazing trip; meeting and talking with public librarians, learning of their triumphs and tribulations, and pulling it all together to help them keep computers available to the public. I’ll still be on the road next week, and I wonder if there are any libraries in northern California that are participating in the September Project that we haven’t heard from yet. I’d love to visit–please let me know if you’ve planned an event, and I’ll do my best to be there!

If you’re interested, check out the project blog and photos of our travels.

Marriot Library, University of Utah

The University of Utah’s September Project event should prove to be an interesting one. A mixture of thoughtful reflection and public talks, their latest September Project event will have something for everyone, including the chance to hear our very own David Silver share his thoughts. He’ll share his thoughts on blogging and its growing place in discussions of culture, politics, and other issues of importance. Drawing from his experiences as a professor, as the co-director of the September Project, and as a human, he’ll talk about how blogging has influenced his work, his interests, and his voice. This should be a great program–wish I could be there! Also on September 11:

Freedom of speech is a keystone liberty for all citizens of the United States. Come to the Library’s east plaza to write out on OrangeCards your thoughts,concerns, and questions related to current affairs, politics, and issues you careabout; then hang the OrangeCards up for all to see. OrangeBands will be available for display on backpacks or book bags to promote dialogue on issues affecting our community and our world. This event is sponsored by The Marriott Library, ASUU, and OrangeBand www.orangeband.org

And on September 13:

Democracy as an Ongoing Project: Threats and Challenges to Democratic Governance in the U.S
Alexander Keyssar is the Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy at Harvard University ’s Kennedy School of Government. A historian by training, he has specialized in the excavation of issues that have contemporary policy implications. His 1986 book, Out of Work: The First Century of Unemployment in Massachusetts , was awarded three scholarly prizes. His book, The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States (2000), was named the best book in U.S. history by both the American Historical Association and the Historical Society; it was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Award. Keyssar’s current research interests include election reform,the history of democracies, and the history of poverty. http://ksgfaculty.harvard.edu/alexander_keyssar

Reflection at Bridgeport Public Library in Connecticut

The Bridgeport Public Library has yet again organized a thoughtful event for the September Project. The inclusion of the heptacodium miconiodes is an especially nice addition to their event… and beautiful!

A special tree planting ceremony will take place at the Bridgeport Public Library, North Branch honoring those who lost their lives during the September 11 tragedy. The heptacodium miconiodes, or seven sons flower, a native of China and purchased by the North End Association was chosen because of its ability to produce interesting foliage in all four seasons. A special plaque will also be unveiled as part of the ceremony. Pastor Craig Carlson, Covenant Church of Easton, will give the invocation and benediction. City officials and other dignitaries will be present along with children from neighboring schools.

The public is invited to attend this dedication on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. The North Branch Library is located at 3455 Madison Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06606

For more information please call (203) 576-8113.

 

Film, expression, and community at Yakima Valley Regional Library

Yakima Valley Regional Library’s motto, “Connecting People and ideas,” is not only provocative, but particularly apt when describing their September Project event. If you’re in the area, check it out!

This year we will be showing the PBS film “Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience.” We have invited the public to share letters, poems, and e-mails from current or past wars. A local poet will moderate. This program will be held in the evening of Sept. 11.

For more information download their flyer.

updated: their flyer has been translated into spanish.

community collaborations at aberdeen timberland library

some september project libraries highlight materials that relate to issues that matter like peace. some september project libraries work with various civic institutions to provide civic education. and some libraries, like aberdeen timberland library, do both.

we recently heard from thirza krohn, senior/adult services librarian at aberdeen timberland library, and they’ve planned some excellent september project events:

We first collected what we had locally [books, videos, dvds, children's books in English and Spanish, etc.] on the broad and important subject of PEACE.

We were later contacted by the local community hospital, who asked us to be in touch with the County Emergency Preparedness Agency because September was Emergency Preparedness Month. They are providing handouts which they would like us to distribute; and they want us to support their display with our books. Cooperating with the hospital and the county for Emergency Preparedness sounded like a very good idea to us. Our librarian then took the idea to the City Council meeting and the Aberdeen City Fire Chief has provided us with information to distribute as well. This display is now a collaborative effort among the Aberdeen Timberland Library, the Grays Harbor Community Hospital, the county of Grays Harbor Emergency Management Department, and the city of Aberdeen. We are very pleased to join with these agencies in promoting emergency preparedness.

We felt that both these displays would be appropriate for The September Project. They will be on display beginning next week.

september 11 at sugar grove library

for the fifth year in a row, sugar grove public library will keep its doors open for 24 hours on september 11. the effort, which is also part of the libraries remember project, includes a diverse set of activities. as library director beverly holmes hughes writes:

During this time we will host Ceremonies at the Library Flag Pole, conduct library card registration & voter registration, enjoy visits from our local heroes – the Sugar Grove Police and Fire Departments - and offer a Scholastic Book Sale. The Sugar Grove Library Friends will be hosting a Coffee/Snack Bar throughout the event in addition to their membership drive and silent auction.

please take some pictures beverly!

Analyzing Afganistan at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington

It’s a pleasure to hear from past September Project participants about their current events, and I’m always happy to hear of events like this one that combine media–film and books– and top it off with a discussion to bring light to concepts and to invite further analysis from the audience.

At the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW), campus constituencies are collaborating to present an evening of understanding, introspection and reflection about the peoples and cultures of Afghanistan, and the United States’ role in the region.

The event is co-sponsored by the UNCW Common Reading Program who have selected Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” for the fall 2007 campus-wide read. Also sponsoring the event is UNCW’s Randall Library who have been actively involved with The September Project in prior years.

This September, the UNCW Common Reading Program and Randall Library will be convening a film and panel discussion comprised of UNCW scholars to commemorate 9/11 with a focus on the present and future of Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, Sept. 11 at the Lumina Theater, the UNCW Common Reading program will be screening a documentary titled “Afghan Stories.” The film deals with the American invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks and subsequent fall of the Taliban. After the film screening, we are convening a panel to discuss Afghan culture, the legacy of September 11th and life during wartime and its impact on the people of Afghanistan.

Eyes Wide Open, an exhibit at Goffstown Public Library, NH

The Goffstown Public Library participated in the September Project last year, with a list of events including film, discussion, and a presentation broadcast from another participating library. This year, they’ve organized a haunting, yet apropos exhibit, described best here:

The Goffstown Public Library is honored to be hosting “Eyes Wide Open: an Exhibition on the Human Costs of the Iraqi War” through the month of September. This widely-acclaimed display is a project of the American Friends Service Committee and features a pair of boots representing each U.S. military casualty resulting from the war in Iraq. The original display included casualties from all 50 states but due to increasing numbers of losses, the exhibit was split and now circulates by region. The exhibit at Goffstown Public Library represents the 6 New England states with 159 pairs of boots. Each pair of boots carries the name and home state of an individual casualty. In many cases, friends and loved ones have left notes, flowers, id tags and other commemorative items which will remain with the boots as they continue on their journey. The library intends to provide each pair with a 3 inch metallic star bearing the wish of an individual who participated in last year’s September Project, “Wishes For Our World.” The public is invited to view this moving exhibit and to share their thoughts and reflections in a journal dedicated to this project. On September 11th, the exhibit will be placed on the library’s lawn for the day after a morning benediction. To round out the day, the library will host a discussion on Civil Liberties in the Post 9/11 World, featuring Prof. Richard Hesse from the Franklin Pierce Law Center.

 

For more information on “Eyes Wide Open”, please go to www.afsc.org.

progetto settembre at la biblioteca berio

la biblioteca berio, in genova, italy, has organized a powerful september project on september 11, 2007.

first, in italian:

Biblioteca Berio
Ufficio Comunicazione-Promozione-Eventi Culturali
Via del Seminario, 16 - 16121 Genova
e-mail: berioeventi@comune.genova.it
tel. 010 5576093/6086/6031
fax 0105576054

Martedì 11 Settembre

Progetto Settembre 2007 … a sostegno di punti di incontro in tutto il
mondo l - 11 settembre

La Biblioteca Berio aderisce per il secondo anno consecutivo a “Progetto Settembre”, un’iziativa che intende prendere spunto dalla tragedia dell’attacco al World Trade Center di New York del 2001 per promuovere nelle biblioteche di tutto il mondo la riflessione e la discussione sul ruolo e l’importanza dell?informazione nella promozione di una cultura di pace e nella comprensione di un mondo sempre più connotato da tensioni e conflitti globali.

Progetto Settembre nato nel 2004, ha finora coinvolto più di mille biblioteche in tutto il mondo. La Biblioteca Berio aderisce al progetto organizzando alcune iniziative in collaborazione con Emergency Genova.

Conferenza
“Emergency in Sudan, una scommessa nel deserto”

Sala Chierici ore 17.00
Nella conferenza Mizio Ferraris parlerà degli interventi di Emergency in
Sudan per garantire l?assistenza medico-chirurgica alle persone affette
da patologie cardiache causate da malattie infettive e malnutrizione.

Mostra fotografica
“Prima le donne e i bambini”

Piano terra della Biblioteca 8.30-19.00
La mostra illustra, attraverso immagini e testi, le condizioni di vita
di donne e bambini principali vittime degli effetti della guerra.

unfortunately, i do not read italian. using BAD translation software, i understand the following is going to happen on september 11 at biblioteca berio.

on september 11, la biblioteca berio will host two september project events.

at 5 pm, the library will host a conference titled “emergency in sudan, a bet in the desert.” it will feature mizio ferraris.

throughout the day, the library will host a photo exhibit called “Prima le donne e i bambini.” the exhibit illustrates, through images and witnesses, the living conditions of women and children who are victims of war.

thank you, biblioteca berio, for participating again in the september project.