A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Need an image? You can research more than words with the Fairfax County Public Library’s databases. Here are a few to try:

Access Science offers thousands of articles and illustrations in the fields of science and technology. News headlines, video clips, biographies and more are available.

eLibrary contains interview transcripts, speeches and other primary source materials. It features a "go to the best part" button to help you browse quickly through your search results.

EBSCOHOST MasterFILE Premier covers diverse topics including general information, business issues, health and multicultural materials. It includes an image collection with photos of people, natural science photos, photos of places, historical photos, maps and flags

The Fairfax County Public Library has a wealth of local, historical photographs available in its catalog. Once in the catalog, select "Historical Collection" in the banner.

All you need to browse the databases for images or other info is a library card. Don’t have one? You can apply online.

Do you have another good source for images? Let us know.

Cult Books

Great Britain’s Telegraph recently published a list of 50 cult books and attempted to define this unusual genre.

“What is a cult book?,” a Telegraph reporter wrote, “We tried and failed to arrive at a definition: books often found in the pockets of murderers; books that you take very seriously when you are 17; books whose readers can be identified to all with the formula ‘ whacko’; books our children just won’t get…”
Here’s a few that made the list:

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Dune by Frank Herbert

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

No Logo by Naomi Klein

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig

The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf

How would you define a cult book? Do you have a favorite? Let us know.

Don’t Miss …
May 6, 7:30 p.m. Alden Theatre
Conservative Cal Thomas and liberal Bob Beckel, authors of the
syndicated column, "Common Ground" and the recent book Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America, the last event in the library’s Perspectives Series.

Free tickets will be available at the theatre beginning at 7 p.m; limit four tickets per person, first come, first served. Books will be available for sale and signing courtesy of Borders. The Alden Theatre is located in the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Avenue. For details call 703-324-8428.

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, set aside each year to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the environment. Make any of the following events at the library part of your Earth Day celebrations.

State Historic Marker Presentation
A historic highway marker unveiling ceremony will take place Saturday, April 26, 2 p.m. at the Oakton Library. The marker will honor Ira Noel Gabrielson, 1889 - 1977. Dr. Gabrielson, an Oakton resident, was a pioneer conservationist, distinguished field ornithologist and renowned author. He served as the first director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and founder and first chairman of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Oakton Library is located at 10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton.

Tuesday, April 22
Arts and Crafts -- Celebrate Earth Day and make crafts using recycled materials. Tuesday, April 22, 3:30 p.m. at Patrick Henry Library. Register by calling 703-938-0405. Age 8-12.

Saturday, April 26
Wild Birds in Your Backyard -- Fairfax County Park naturalist brings live native birds for an informative nature program. Saturday, April 26, noon, at Oakton Library. Cosponsored by the Friends of the Oakton Library. Register by calling 703-242-4020. Age 6-12.

Art Contest Winners on Display
Visit the Oakton Library and see art work submitted for the library's Sharing Our Earth art ontest from students in grades K-12. (The winners will be announced April 26.)

For directions to any of the Fairfax County Public Library branches visit our Web site.

Poem In Your Pocket Day

You’ve got two days before the first-ever "Poem In Your Pocket Day," sponsored by the Academy of America Poets. To celebrate National Poetry Month in April, the academy is encouraging everyone to stick a poem in their pocket and share it with friends, family and co-workers on Thursday, April 17.

Among suggested ways to share: handwrite some lines on the back of your business cards, add a poem to your e-mail footer, post a poem on your blog or social networking site, or text a poem to friends.

If you need some inspiration, check out these two Web sites recommended by our information staff:

American Verse Project

Verse Anthologies and Thousands of Poems

Here’s an irreverent favorite of mine:

Haiku Ambulance
by Richard Brautigan

A piece of green pepper
fell
off the wooden salad bowl:
so what?

So get those poems ready and let us know what you’ll be sharing on April 17!

National Library Week

The American Library Association has declared April 13-19, 2008, National Library Week to celebrate libraries and librarians and the "pleasures and importance of reading." There are many ways for you to help us celebrate: Attend a program at any of our branches, borrow a book, visit our Web site, donate a book to the library through the Fairfax Library Foundation's Wish List (other types of donations also accepted), donate books for book sales or buy books at any of the sales occurring this spring.

Below find a list of the upcoming used book sales. These fundraisers are generally sponsored by the library's Friends' groups. To learn more about such groups, ask at your local branch, or visit our Web site and click on About the Library.

Used Book Sales

April 12, 13   Patrick Henry Library

April 24-27   George Mason Regional Library

April 25, 26   Great Falls Library

April 25-27   Reston Regional Library

May 1-3         Kings Park Library

May 2-4       Pohick Regional Library

May 2-4       Chantilly Regional Library

May 3           Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library

May 16-18   Centreville Regional Library

May 31       City of Fairfax Regional Library

Based on the Book

To get a head start on upcoming films based on books, check out the “Books Into Movies” feature at www.bookreporter.com. April flicks based on the written word include “The Ruins,” adapted from the horror novel by Scott Smith; “Life Before Her Eyes,” based on a book by Laura Kasischke; “Then She Found Me,” adapted from a novel by Elinor Lipman and “Nim’s Island” based on a children’s book by Wendy Orr.

Other recent films made from books include "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,” based on the book by Winifred Watson; “Paranoid Park,” adapted from a novel by Blake Nelson; and of course “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who.”

If you enjoy comparing books to film, here’s a few events that may interest you:

Wednesday, April 9, 7 p.m.
Lights, Action, Camera! Movie Night at the Library! Enjoy great books made into great movies. Refreshments will be served. Adults. No registration is required. Oakton Library. 703-242-4020.

Sunday, April 13, 1 p.m.
Hollywood History. How accurate are Hollywood's images of historical events? Film followed by a discussion. Call for film title. Adults. George Mason Regional Library. 703-256-3800.

Tuesday, April 15, 10:30 a.m.
Golden Oldies. Movies from Hollywood's golden age. Call for film title. Refreshments provided by the Friends of the George Mason Regional Library. Adults. George Mason Regional Library. 703-256-3800.

Got a favorite book to film adaptation? Let us know.

Helen Keller Miracle Anniversary

"As the cool stream gushed over one hand ... I felt a misty
consciousness as of something forgotten, a thrill of returning thought,
and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me." April 5, 1887, was the day Anne Sullivan placed Helen Keller's hand under a gushing water pump and used sign language to spell "w-a-t-e-r" into Helen's palm. Helen grasped the meaning - spelling the word back into Sullivan's palm - and excitedly learned 30 more words that day.

Keller would go on to become the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college, write books and crusade for the disabled.

Here’s some reading on Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan:

Blind Rage: Letters to Helen Keller by Georgina Kleege

Helen Keller: Selected Writings by Helen Keller

The Radical Lives of Helen Keller by Kim Nielsen

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Helen and Teacher: The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy by Joseph Lash


Does the Library Have Your E-mail Address?
If the library has your e-mail address, then you probably appreciate the
messages that arrive reminding you when your books are due or letting
you know that a hold has arrived at the branch you requested. If you
aren't receiving e-mail messages, update your library account
information by visiting our Web site and go to Account Services or call your local branch.

America’s Pastime

The Nats beat the Braves 3-2 yesterday in their first official game in D.C.’s new $611 million Nationals Park, so the season has officially begun. Whether you are a rabid baseball fan or just an occasional spectator, here’s some reading you might enjoy:

Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan’s Guide for Beginners, Semi-Experts and Deeply Serious Geeks by Zach Hample

Twice Around the Bases: The Thinking Fan’s Inside Look at Baseball by Kevin Kennedy

The Book on The Book: A Landmark Inquiry Into Which Strategies in the Modern Game Actually Work by Bill Felber

For the Love of Baseball: An A-to-Z Primer for Baseball Fans of All Ages by Frederick Klein

Why is the Foul Pole Fair: Or Answers to Baseball Questions Your Dad Hoped You’d Never Ask by Vince Staten

So is it a new era for the Nationals in their new ballpark? What do you think?