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Evening Book Discussions
The evening book discussion group with Amy Garrett meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. September through April. Because of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, discussions in November and December will be the second Thursday of the month.

Alternates:

Copies of the books will be available approximately four to five weeks before the date of discussion and will be held at the Information Desk. If we do not own enough copies of a book, we will try to Interlibrary Loan the material. Please call Amy Garrett at 330-688-3295 for more information.

Morning Book Discussions
The morning book discussion group with Chris Caccamo meets the second Friday of the month at 10:00 a.m. Book discussions for the 2005-2006 season will begin Friday, October 14.

Sign up is not required; however, due to the large size of the morning book discussion group, Chris is offering a second discussion option. If you prefer a smaller group setting, you may come to an afternoon session at 2:00 p.m. on the same day. To attend the afternoon session you must register by calling the Information Desk at 330-688-3295. This session is limited to 15 participants. The same book will be discussed at both sessions. The option is yours! If you have any questions, please call Chris Caccamo at 330-688-3295, or you may email her at stowpr@yahoo.com.

Computer Use
Computers for use by adult and teen patrons are in very high demand! This is a reminder that you can reserve a computer ahead of time. Just call the Information Desk at 330-688-3295 to reserve a computer for a one-hour time limit. Computers may be reserved up to one week in advance. All adult patron compuers are now available by reservation only.

Computer Training
The library offers classes for beginning computer users and more advanced users. They include Introduction to Computers, Introduction to the Internet, and training in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Classes are offered both day and evening at no charge. The computer class schedule for November will be released Monday, October 24 at 9:00 a.m. The class calendar can be viewed at www.smfpl.org/calendar.htm. Please call 330-688-3295 if you have any questions.

Computer Volunteer
Computer volunteer Tom Labbe is available to help patrons with computer questions during the following hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1:00 - 2:30. He is available at the Adult Information Desk.

Local History
The Local History Room is looking for "a few good people." Volunteers are needed to staff the Room on afternoons or evenings once a week. The Local History Room is a unique resource for the community, providing access to Stow's 200-year history via books, maps, news clippings, photo albums and more. Volunteers will welcome visitors and help them find information, as well as perform tasks to further organize the collection. If you are at least 18 and like to sleuth out the occasional mystery, please call Bridget Hair at 330-688-3295.

Teen Craft Night
October 11 was Teen craft night, Crazy CDs. Teens made dreamcatchers and disco balls out of old scratched CDs and assorted art supplies.

Yu-Gi-Oh
Saturday, November 5 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Chess Club
Tuesday, October 25 at 6:30 p.m.

For further information on Teen programs please go to the Teen Services web page at www.smfpl.org./TS.htm.

Storytimes
Please call 330-688-3295 for times and registration.

The Quiltmaker by Edufun
Wednesday, October 26 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
This program for children ages three to six gives children the opportunity to explore pioneer life through pioneer musical instruments, pioneer games, and more. Meet Lydia Lavinia Carvey McConnell, a real Ohio quiltmaker and one of the original Firelands settlers. Hear The Quiltmaker's Gift, New York Times Bestseller and Book Sense Book of the Year, read by Lydia's great, great grand-daughter, Judie Ryan. See Lydia's quilts and hear about her life as a child and adult in historic Ohio. Registration is required for this program. Please call the Children's Department at 330-688-3295 to register.

Art and Artists
Learn about the lives of the great artists from Dali to Degas and create your own work of art in the style of the masters. This program is for children in grades two through five. Dates are Saturdays, November 19, and December 17 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Please call the Children's Department at 330-688-3295 to register.

To see a complete list of Children's programming, please go to the Children's Department web page at www.smfpl.org/CS.htm. For further information please call 330-688-3295.

Pick 5 Bestsellers Club
How would you like to automatically be placed on the reserve list for five of your favorite popular authors? Join our Bestsellers Club and that's exactly what will happen! Just pick up a form at the Circulation Desk and join over 300 satisfied members. Are you already a member, but would like to change an author or two? Ask for an "add/delete" form at the circulation desk. It's just that easy!

Honorees
Arabica gift certificates have been awarded to the following patrons visiting Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library recently: James Butler, the 500,000th checkout of 2005, Donna Izaldine, the 550,000th checkout, Patricia Park, the 18,000th window checkout of 2005, Suzanna Geul, the 19,000th window checkout, Susan McDade, the 20,000th window checkout, Christopher Igielinski, the 4,000th new registration of 2005, and Jason Thompson, the 4,500th registration.

Cardholders have their privileges at Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library!

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Corner Gallery
During October the Corner Gallery features the bird photos of Bob Roach. Roach has been interested in birds since he was a child, and has been photographing them for approximately one year. All of the bird photos on display were taken in Northern Ohio, with the majority taken in our local parks.

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The Friends, one of the largest organizations in Stow, is a citizen support group for Library services and activities. They sponsor booksales as well as the annual Needlework Show and other activities. Friends meet the third Tuesday of every month (except December and July) at 2:00 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room. Friends membership is currently at 450 members.

If you are interested in joining Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library Friends of the Library you may call the library at 330-688-3295 for further information, or you may go to the Friends page on the library website (www.smfpl.org/friends.htm) for an online application.

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    October's spotlight shines on Biographies. What do John Adams, Audrey Hepburn, Madonna, and Fidel Castro have in common? Books about them can be found in our Biography section, located in the garden view area of the library. From Presidents to Kings, movie stars to athletes, national heroes to everyday people, biographies are available on people from all walks of life and circumstances. The Biography section also contains autobiographies. An autobiography is a biography written by someone about him or herself. Shooter: the Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper by Jack Coughlin and Beyond Innocence: an Autobiography in Letters: the Later Years by Jane Goodall are two examples.

     David G. McCullough is a popular author of presidential biographies such as John Adams, Mornings On Horseback (about Theodore Roosevelt), and Truman. McCullough's latest book is 1776, the story of the American Revolution and the men who fought and commanded the war. 1776 can be found in the New non-fiction section. Edmund Morris, author of Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Regan and Theodore Rex, also has a new book, Beethoven: The Universal Composer. This book is currently on order. To find New Biographies, including Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong by Mark Cotta Vaz, My Face is Black is True: Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations by Mary Frances Berry , and Lovesick Blues: The Life of Hank Williams by Paul Hemphill look in the New Biographies section, next to the Books on CD.

     Many biographies have been turned into movies, such as October Sky, based on the book by Homer Hickam, All Things Great and Small based on the stories by James Herriot, and A Beautiful Mind based on the novel by Sylvia Nasar. Others are written about everyday people facing unusual circumstances. Examples include Let's Roll, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage by Lisa Beamer, about her husband Todd who was a victim of the September 11 terrorist attacks, The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls, about her dysfunctional childhood, Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole by Jerry Nielsen, and The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan, which is set to be released in movie theaters this fall. Biographies about contemporary heroes, such as Lance Armstrong (It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins) and John Glenn (John Glen: A Memoir by John Glenn with Nick Taylor) are also available.

    Biographies for teens have yellow stickers on the spine. They are shelved in the Teen Section and with the Adult Biographies. Biographies on audio tape and CD are shelved with the non-fiction audio books, and Biographies on DVD and video are with the non-fiction DVDs and videos. Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library carries DVDs of the popular A&E Biography series. www.biography.com is the website for biographies which have been featured on the A&E program. You may also wish to search the Biography Resource Center database, available through our library website at www.smfpl.org. Go to Adult Services, Databases, Infotrac, and Biography Resource Center.

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October's staff pick is New Rules: Polite Musings From a Timid Observer by Bill Maher, recommended by Assistant Head of Adult Services Barbara Nelson. Warning: Do not read this book in public! You will laugh out loud at Bill Maher's exasperated view of everyday things like cell phones that do too much, fad diets, and reality TV shows. Maher, a libertarian, ridicules members of both political parties. This book is a funny "take" on our current social culture.

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Website for the month of October is Home Energy Saver at http://hes.lbl.gov.. Enter your zip code and other information to get personalized advice on saving energy costs. Find remodeling advice and tips on no/low-cost energy saving techniques. There is also a section for middle school and high school students and teachers. Mathematics, science, economics, social and political science teachers will find a list of student lessons and activities with keys to subject matter standards.

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