Big Library Read Starts Today!

The new Big Library Read initiative is a joint effort between Sourcebooks,
OverDrive and public libraries worldwide.  It’s a unique program (May
15-June 1) designed to unite the world in reading the same eBook title
at the same time and to demonstrate the influence library
patrons (you) can have. We already know the power of libraries – this is a
unique way to let the rest of the world know!

Excitement is building….since last week, over 2,000 libraries have
opted-in to participate in this event from 8 different countries – on 4
continents! Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, North Las Vegas
Library and Boulder City Library are three of those libraries!

The eBook for this pilot is Four Corners of the Sky (click to get your copy of the eBook) by Michael Malone.  Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Malone, every member of the community (with a valid library card) can read the eBook at the same time at no cost to the library!

If you don’t want to read the eBook version you can still participate with the print version! There are limited copies of The Four Corners of the Sky (click to reserve the print copy) available which you are welcome to begin reading now.

Related articles

• Big Library Read (lvccldnews.wordpress.com)

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Digital Bookmobile Event during Spring Break!

Join us Monday March 25 or Tuesday March 26 at the Digital Bookmobile for lots of fun! Story time is at 11 a.m. both days and there will be crafts for the kids and there will be Easter eggs filled with goodies. Enter to win a Sony WiFi eReader by just taking a tour of the Digital Bookmobile. Want to learn how to get library eBooks, free music and free Magazines? Visit us & we will tell you how easy it is to download books, audiobooks, music and magazines to your computer or mobile device. Hours both days is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can’t miss us, the Digital Bookmobile will be parked in the Library’s parking lot! To learn how to get an additional entry for the drawing visit the Digital Bookmobile Tab on Facebook.

 

Remembering Pearl Harbor

The USS West Virginia burns in Pearl Harbor. From Credo Reference

Please take a moment to pause, remember, and reflect on the Japanese aerial attack of Pearl Harbor, which brought the USA into World War II 70 years ago today. The attack took place on December 7, 1941 on the US naval base named Pearl Harbor, located on Oahu island, Hawaii, USA. It was carried out by a large Japanese naval force, under Vice Admiral Nagumo, and took place while Japanese envoys were taking part in “peace talks” in Washington, D.C. More than 2,000 members of the US armed forces were killed, and a large part of the US Pacific fleet was destroyed or damaged.

Events will be held throughout the country today to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the attack. Survivors from the attack are also expected to join military leaders and civilians at a ceremony in Pearl Harbor today.

Please commemorate all those that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor and remember “[the] day that will live in infamy!”

For more information on Pearl Harbor, head to the Pearl Harbor Credo Topic Page.

Mother’s Day

U.S. a nationwide observance of Mother’s Day was suggested by Anna Jarvis of Grafton, W.Va., and in 1908 formal observances were held in churches in Grafton and Philadelphia. By 1911 every state celebrated the occasion on the second Sunday in May. It was formalized by Congress in 1914. In Britain, Mother’s Day is celebrated in mid-Lent as Mothering Sunday. During the Middle Ages a custom developed of allowing those who had moved away to visit their home parishes and their mothers on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent. Many other countries also celebrate the holiday on this date, while some mark the observance at other times of the year.

Read more in: Credo Reference Online or U.S. History Online

Valentine’s Day

Today’s featured Topic Page is about St. Valentine’s day, a celebration of love which honors Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. St. Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated almost universally on February 14th and is often associated with images of cherubs, hearts, and lovers. The holiday is based off an ancient ceremony through which couples were originally paired off. To learn more about the traditional celebration of St. Valentine’s Day and find out the back story of the holiday’s patron saint, in Credo Reference visit the St. Valentine’s Day Topic Page!

St. Valentine’s Day has inspired many people to express their love in a variety of ways. Some go all out with a grand wedding on the holiday, holding the actual ceremony of their union underwater! Others organize group events such as kiss-ins and hug-ins. A South African high school, for example, ran a hug-in in 2002 which had more than 1,000 students and teachers attend. Current traditions for St. Valentine’s Day involve exchanging cards, giving gifts or writing love poems but the celebration was stared with very different customs. Visit the Topic Page on the subject and learn about full history of the holiday or read an excerpt about it below:

… Part of the ancient ceremony entailed putting girls’ names in a box and letting the boys draw them out. Couples would thus be paired off until the following year. The Church substituted saints’ names for girls’ names, in the hope that the participant would model his life after the saint whose name he drew…

To continue reading, find out more about Saint Valentine and his holiday, and access relevant images and papers, visit the St. Valentine’s Day Topic Page!