"The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them."--Ronald Reagan
Twenty-four years ago today, the space shuttle Challenger exploded on liftoff high over the Atlantic Ocean off of Cape Kennedy. All crew members on board, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, were killed in the accident. It was the first time American astronauts had been killed in flight, and it effectively shut down the space program for two years while its safety was investigated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The space program continues today in spite of and because of the sacrifices of the Challenger crew.
If you or someone you know has family members in Haiti, you may be able to find out more by calling the U.S. State Department's Haiti Hotline at (888) 407-4747. Call volume has been heavy, so callers may hear a recorded message or end up on hold for a while.
The IRS is kind enough to send out tax forms and instructions this time of year, guaranteeing that the merry highs of the holiday season are tempered somewhat by some sober reality.
You can pick up forms at any of our branches, or you can download and print PDFs of the forms from the IRS website. To make it easier, here is a link to the IRS Tax Form Index. Remember, "f" stands for "form", "i" stands for "instructions" and "p" stands for "publication."
And by the way, if you need any help from the IRS regarding ordering forms or filling your forms out, you can contact them by telephone at 1-800-829-1040.
From now until March, the Terrebonne Parish Library's Main Branch at 151 Library Drive in Houma will host a travelling collection of 40 authentic World War One recruitment and propaganda posters. The collection, titled "The Winds and Words of War" will be housed on the first floor and features posters urging Americans of all stripes to "do their bit" to win the war. Included is the famous "I Want You" poster with Uncle Sam pointing directly at the viewer.
Also, on Febrary 24th at 6:30 PM Trisha Dubina, a graphic design instructor at Nicholls State University will give a talk on "Early American Graphic Design." Ms. Dubina will give her presentation in the distance education classroom on the second floor of the Main Library.
Call Lauren Bordelon at 985-876-5158 ext. 234 for more information.
>Before Dewey came up with and standardized his system, library collection organization varied widely from place to place...and even within the SAME place! Under "location," a catalog might say something like "Third Floor, Norton Hall, Shelf Nearest the Stairs, Shelf No. 118A." Some libraries even arranged books by size and color, regardless of content. Not very efficient.
>Dewey was obsessed with efficiency, and came up with a system that allowed library users to find a book within fields and subfields of knowledge relative to one another, rather than in relation to a fixed location or shelf number.
>The "decimal" part of the Dewey Decimal System allows the system to be infinitely expandable...there is always room for something else. For instance, the system was first formally codified in 1876, before, say, airplanes. But now we find airplanes in at 629.13 or thereabouts. 629, when it was thought up, was "Other Engineering," which is exactly what aerodynamics would have been considered in Dewey's day.
Now, none of this might sound like a really big deal, but it revolutionized library organization and made your life (and mine) a lot easier when visiting your local public library.
Today is the 68th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. That day, 2400 American servicemen died in one of the most infamous sneak attacks in all of military history.
Below are some links with some information about Pearl Harbor and American involvement in the Second World War.
Also, in our Gale Virtual Reference Library , we offer the Business Plans Handbook, which, in the appendix, has a blank business plan one can cut, paste, and fill in.
The quick links at the bottom of this page are searchable; just enter terms, click, and start using Gale!
Also, don't forget the many business plan books we have in the library's collection...click here to see what our online card catalog has to offer.
Remember: writing a business plan might be your first step to financial independence.
The rest of October will be busy for the Terrebonne Parish Library System, with many Halloween-themed events and craft times for kids and teens. Here's what's happening from now until Halloween.
For Kids
Thursday, 10/22 at 5 p.m. Haunted Library Storytime for pre-k – 3rd graders. Chauvin Branch
Saturday, 10/24 at 2 p.m. Halloween Craft Workshop for pre-k – 3rd graders. Main Library
Monday, 10/26, Wednesday, 10/28, and Thursday, 10/29 from 3-5:30 p.m. Halloween Pumpkin Painting Craft. Bring a clean pumpkin. Montegut Branch
Monday, 10/26 at 4 p.m. Halloween Story Time and Candy Workshop for k – 4th graders. Dularge Branch
For Teens
Friday, 10/23 at 4 p.m. Wii Games and Halloween Craft Dularge Branch
Tuesday, 10/27 from 4-5:30 p.m. Pumpkin Painting Workshop. Bring a clean pumpkin. Montegut Branch
Wednesday, 10/28 from 4-5:30 p.m. Playstation 2 “Buzz Quiz” Game. Registration is required--call 985-575-2639 Gibson Branch
Saturday, 10/31 at 2 p.m. Michael Jackson “Extravaganza” featuring his Live in Bucharest – The Dangerous Tour and a Michael Jackson “Look-a-Like” Contest. East Houma Branch
October is Fire Prevention Month! October is traditionally the time of year when people start firing up heaters and fireplaces (soon, we hope!), so this is also the time people need to be mindful of what it takes to keep fires from happening.
And Remember! You can get a free smoke detector from any office of the Houma Fire Department in Terrebonne Parish! Just call Fire Chief Todd Dufrene's office at (985) 873-6391 for more information.
It's already been a year. As you may know, October is BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, when women are asked to think about breast self-examinations, mammograms and general breast-friendly living, including diet and exercise.
Here are some links--many the same as last year's--to help you find more information about breast cancer.
LSU SLIS was awarded a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to recruit and educate 30 students for professional employment in southern Louisiana libraries. Students eligible and selected to participate will receive IMLS-funded scholarships to earn master’s degrees in librarianship focusing primarily on academic, public, and school libraries.
Following completion of their coursework, students will be required to find employment in an academic, public, or school library in Southern Louisiana affected by hurricane disasters. On September 23, at 1p.m., Dr. Robert Ward will provide an information session for individuals interested in taking part in Project Recovery. This session will take place in the DISTANCE EDUCATION CLASSROOM, located on the second floor of the Main Library at 151 Library Drive in Houma, near the Civic Center.
Dr. Ward will be available throughout the day beginning at 10am to talk with individuals one-on-one and answer any questions they may have. Contact Lauren Ledet at 876-5158, ext. 234 for more information.
It's coming soon. The seventh annual Monster Movie Madness film series begins October 5th, 2009. This year's selections:
>October 5th--Devil Girl From Mars-See a giant robot with porch-light head! Don't miss it!
>October 12th--The Giant Claw-A ridiculous-looking giant bird eating ridiculous-looking model planes and just generally doing ridiculous-looking things while looking ridiculous.
>October 19th--King Dinosaur-BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
>October 26th--Plan 9 From Outer Space-Our traditional closing movie. So bad you can't believe it...or look away.
All movies will be shown at the MAIN LIBRARY at 151 Library Drive in Houma. MOVIES WILL BE SHOWN FROM 6PM--8:30PM.
If you came last year, you might have been disappointed because of equipment failures (we were still recovering from Gustav). But THIS year, we'll do all we can to assure that all goes off without a hitch.
Of course, we will have free drinks and popcorn at each movie, and the audience is encouraged (if not required) to make snarky comments pointing out the many, many flaws in each film.
Contact Darryl Eschete at 985-876-1733 ext. 202 for more information.
The Terrebonne Parish Library is taking part in the September Project this year with a series of displays celebrating the protected American right to freedom of religious expression.
On the first floor of the Main Library, you'll find the Introductory Display Table, the Buddhism Table and the Minority and Alternative Faiths Table. On the second floor, you'll find Christianity, Judaism, The Freedom to Not Believe, Islam and Hinduism. Each display features a placard informing you of how many practitioners of that particular faith are in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Each display also offers a selection of books and DVDs selected to give you a well-rounded and fair view of each faith.
We selected the faiths for the displays based on the numbers of practitioners, but we did our very best to be inclusive and fair.
For more information on the library's participation in The September Project, contact Darryl Eschete at (985) 876-1733, ext. 242 or send him an email.
Just click the link and enter your Knowledge Card barcode in the blank (no spaces), and you are off and running.
The content in here is so high-quality that it's almost unbelievable, and you can get it all from home. Everything from Aesop to Zoroaster, FULL TEXT. No charge, of course. It's your tax dollars at work!
Some out-of-this-world neat stuff is coming up in the next week at the library.
A couple of reminders:
Thursday, August 20 at 6:30 pm at the MAIN LIBRARY--Mr. Cliff Fenton will give a lecture on "Human Life Out of This World: The Moon by 2020 and Mars in the Future." He'll discuss what it takes to support human life as we begin to discover further from out home planet.
Tuesday, August 25 at DUSK at the Main Library--Mr. Gene Dalton, local astronomer, will provide an evening of star gazing through telescopes until 9 p.m. (In case of bad weather or poor visibility, will be rescheduled for Wednesday the 26th or Thursday the 27th).
If you come by the Main Branch, be sure to stop at the display cases in the lobby and on the second floor to take a look at the "Pan Handle Pete" collection, left with us by Emile Hebert.
Mr Hebert's collection includes memorabilia of the Old West, The "Hollywood West" and even models of the types of guns and rifles used by gunfighters and lawmen in the days of Billy the Kid and Doc Holliday.
Also on display are badges, whips, boots and hats as well as movie posters, pictures, lunchboxes and newspaper clippings.
