Barbie On Display

If you have little girls--or if you used to be one yourself--be sure to stop by the Main Library and see all 128 Barbie Dolls on display here. The collection is the property of the Library System's Youth Services Manager, Cherie Mahaffey.

Cherie owns about 150 dolls, most still in their original packaging, and she has been collecting since the age of five.

"I started collecting when people starting giving them to me," Cherie says. "I just kept it going."

The dolls will be in the locked cases in the lobby and on the second floor of the library until the end of July. For more information on the display, email Cherie or call 985-876-5861, extension 114.

Hurricane Season: Be Ready!

On June 1st begins Hurricane Season 2009. We all learned a tough lesson last year as Hurricane Gustav decided to make this area his target and sent many of us packing in a general evacuation.

Well, until November 30th, we're under the threat of hurricanes again, and it might be a good idea to read up on just how we can make ourselves more ready and thus safer this year.

Preparedness Links

Terrebonne Readiness and Assistance Coalition

Louisiana Governor's Office: Get a Game Plan

National Hurricane Center's "Be Prepared" Website

Louisiana Department of Transportation Contraflow Maps--Must be printed in "landscape."

The Department of Health and Human Services Hurricane Preparedness Tips

Hurricane Supply Checklist

The Red Cross Hurricane Evacuation Supply Checklist

Weather Monitoring

The National Weather Service's Hurricane Center

Stormpulse Hurricane tracking

NOAA Hurricane Tracking Chart--Print and use.

Learn a Foreign Language!

Summertime @ The Terrebonne Parish Library

There's a lot going this summer at the library, and here are some events and programs you might want to know about:

1. The annual summer reading program, titled "Once Upon a Time" begins May 26 and ends July 25. Children through the sixth grade can read books to win prizes, participate in arts and crafts workshops and see live performances. Coupons and certificates from local businesses reward those kids who complete the program.

Teens and adults aren't left out, either. The teen summer program, "Express Yourself" will have workshops just for teens. Remind the young adult in your life that the library is a safe and sophisticated place to meet a friend or just hang out.

2. In June, a collection of folk art featuring the work of 21 southern artists from 9 states will be passing through. This display of so-called "outsider" art will feature text panels and photographs explaining where the artists got their inspiration.

3. June's Summer Performances--

Bourg Branch (11am), East Houma(2pm)--Friday, June 5--Betsy McGovern, Musician--KIDS

Main Library--Monday, June 8 (2pm)--Johnette Downing, Musician--KIDS

Bourg Branch--Monday, June 15 (11am)--Character Two, Storytellers--KIDS

Main Library--Tuesday, June 16 (1pm)--Healing Force, Musicians--KIDS, ADULTS

Main Library--Wednesday, June 17 (2pm)--GrayHawk, Storyteller--KIDS

Montegut Branch--Friday, June 26 (11am)--The Jack and Jill Players, Acting Troupe--KIDS

Montegut Branch(11am) and East Houma Branch(2pm)--Tuesday, June 30--Toni Batiste, Dancer--KIDS

Chauvin Branch--Tuesday, June 30 (1pm)--Mary Lecompte, Storyteller--KIDS

Faces & Stories: A Portrait of Southern Writers

If you're the kind of person who finds looking at photographs of notable people interesting, then a new exhibition on display at the Terrebonne Parish Library is for you.

Through the end of May, Faces & Stories: A Portrait of Southern Writers, a travelling exhibit operated by the Southern Arts Foundation and made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, will be housed on the first floor of the Terrebonne Parish Main Library.

The photographer, Curt Richter, was commissioned to photograph the founding members of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. The project expanded until he had taken hundreds of strikingly beautiful black & white photographs of some very interesting faces.

For more information on the exhibit, call or , email Lauren Ledet at 986-876-5158, ext. 234.

Fitness and Exercise

May is National Health and Fitness Month...and the library is a great place to get information about getting and staying in shape. The Internet has more information on fitness than you can bench-press, too!

At the Library

Books

Terrebonne Parish Library Catalog Search: Exercise and Fitness

Terrebonne Parish Library Catalog Search: Diet & Health

Magazines

Terrebonne Parish Library Catalog Search: Fitness Magazines

Websites

Internet Public Library: Health and Fitness

National Library of Medicine: Exercise

Nutrition.gov--What is an RDA? Find out here.

Military.com Fitness Center--Get in fighting shape.

Running.about.com

Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

If you're already sneezing and sniffling, you know it's allergy season. Every year, the blooming of various weeds and flowers fills the air with pollens and other irritants that make life for some of us miserable. For people with asthma, this can be doubly troublesome.

Here are some links that might help you get informed about asthma and allergy during this Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month:

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

American Asthma Foundation

National Library of Medicine: Asthma

National Library of Medicine: Seasonal Allergies

Medline Plus Encyclopedia: Allergies


Medline Plus Encyclopedia: Asthma

Mayo Clinic Article: Asthma and Allergies Often Occur Together

WebMD: Treating Nasal Allergies