Calling All Bookmark Collectors

If you collect bookmarks, there's an upcoming online convention just for you.  The Bookmark Collectors Virtual Convention will be held online on Saturday, February 20th and Sunday, February 21st.  There is a small admission fee - with no travel expenses or anything else to worry about.  Click here to visit the convention website to learn more.  Be sure to then click on the links to the right of that page to visit the sponsors and learn more about the first ever virtual bookmark convention.

By the way, did you know that those wonderful bookmarks that are always available to you at checkout at the Roswell Library are purchased by the Friends?  Yes!  We looooove bookmarks.  And judging by their popularity, you do, too!

One Week Until Noonday Nosh

You have one week left to finish up this month's Noonday Nosh Book Club selection:  Outcasts United: A Refugee Soccer Team, an American Town by Warren St. John.  Copies are available for check-out at the Roswell Library and copies are available for purchase (and future autographing at the Roswell Reads Final Event) at the Friends' Book Corner.   Bring your thoughts about Coach Luma and the Fugees to the meeting for a great discussion.

To learn more about the book and the Fugees, check out the following websites:

OutcastsUnited.com

FugeesFamily.org

Check out upcoming Nosh selections by visiting our Noonday Nosh page: www.forl.net/noondaynosh.htm.

Roswell Reads Presents: What's It All About? Refugee Resettlement Agencies and Their Work

Our Roswell Reads programming season kicks off tonight, Feb. 8th, at 7:00 p.m. Join us for an informative discussion presented by Paedia Mixon of Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA).

What better time than this, considering the tragic earthquakes in Haiti, to learn what's involved in placing refugees into new homes.  Some Haitans will move to other countries around the world, including the U.S.

You'll also learn what the soccer team members in Outcasts United... have gone through and you'll come away with a better understanding of their lives.


About RRISA
Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta is a non-profit agency with a multi-lingual, multicultural staff that provides an entry into the American culture and continued services for hundreds of refugees each year. Working with the community, RRISA strives to improve the plight of displaced and uprooted people. RRISA answers the humanitarian call to serve those fleeing from persecution, war, famine and extreme poverty.

This Week @ the Roswell Library

Wondering what to do next week?  For the week of February 8 - 13, you'll find Story Time programs for all ages, the first Roswell Reads program (a discussion on refugee resettlement), Free Tax Assistance, a film screening in collaboration with the Roswell Roots Celebration of African American Heritage, ESL classes, books for sale in the lobby and in the Friends' Book Corner, and an ongoing Photography Contest (part of Roswell Reads). Whew! To learn more about these great programs (and many more), visit the Friends of the Roswell Library's website for a complete list. Or, just scroll through our blog and you'll find lots of info.

The Pinkney Family Dynasty

Fans of children's literature will enjoy this recent article in USA Today about author/illustrator Jerry Pinkney and his family.  Mr. Pinkney recently won the American Library Association's Caldecott Medal (an annual award given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children) for his book The Lion and The Mouse.  Mr. Pinkney, along with his wife Gloria, son and daughter-in-law Brian and Gloria, and son and daughter-in-law Myles and Sandra, has created a literary dynasty rich with more than 175 titles between them.  Not to be outdone, there are two other Pinkney children also in the arts fields.  Click here to read about these talented authors and illustrators and their family.  Photo by Robert Deutsch, USA Today.

2010 Book Sales

The Friends of the Roswell Library have chosen dates for spring, summer and holiday book sales!  Here's a schedule:

SPRING BOOK SALE
April 16th and 17th

SUMMER/BACK TO SCHOOL BOOK SALE
August 20th and 21st

HOLIDAY BOOK SALE
December 3rd and 4th

More details, including times, are forthcoming.  Stay tuned to our Blog and FB pages for updates.

The BIG READ and the ATL

The BIG READ is a nationwide reading program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.  The 2010 selection for metro Atlanta is the classic novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.  The program officially launches February 17th with a kick-off at the Margaret Mitchell House in midtown Atlanta.  Other programs will be held around the city, including at the DeKalb County Public Library in Decatur.

Here are a couple links that will provide more information:

The Margaret Mitchell House

Georgia Center for the Book

The Big Read's Official Website

So, as soon as you finish reading the Roswell Reads selection, Outcasts United ..., pick up a copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God and join the BIG READ!

What's Happening at the Georgia Center for the Book?

What do Jim Wallis, Anne Perry, Lee Smith, Alex Berenson, Thomas Ricks, Hannah and Kevin Salwen, Deborah Plant, Karen Spears Zacharias, Thomas Cahill,  Carol Goodman, Kevin Young, Peter Hedges, Sarah Addison Allen, Lynn Cullen and more have in common?  They are all coming to metro Atlanta to the Georgia Center for the Book!  Click here to visit their website to get more details and learn a little bit about this organization.

Roswell Roots Presents a Screening of the Film "Traces of the Trade"

What would it be like to learn that your ancestors were part of the largest slave-trading family in American history?  Shocking, troubling, disturbing, horrifying - all these things and more.  Katrina Browne learned this very fact about her family and made a documentary about it.  Join us at the Roswell Library for two screenings of her film Traces of the Trade:  Stories from the Deep North.  The documentary follows Ms. Browne and nine family members as they retrace the Slave Trade Triangle and her New England ancestors' involvement in that trade.

Thursday, February 11th @ 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 13th @ 3:00 p.m.

Leslie M. Harris, Associate Professor of History and African American Studies at Emory University, will facilitate a post screening community discussion after each film. 

Roswell Reads Programs!

Roswell Reads programs begin this month! First up is a program about refugee resettlement on Monday, February 8th at 7:00 p.m.

The Roswell Reads committee has carefully planned a variety of activities in collaboration with this year’s selection Outcasts United: A Refugee Soccer Team, an American Town by Warren St. John. Below, you’ll find book discussions, soccer programs, information about the photography contest (all ages – kids, teens and adults), a journalism workshop, a seminar discussing how refugee resettlement works, and a forum about youth in sports. For more information, please visit the Roswell Reads page on the Friends’ website: www.forl.net/roswellreads.htm


FEBRUARY PROGRAMS

Photo Contest for all ages! Ongoing until March 7 (entry deadline).
Download a 2010 Photo Contest Brochure (includes entry form)
or pick one up at the Roswell Library.
Theme: “Sports are ... ” Photos of the sports experience.
Call the Roswell Library for more details.
(770) 640-3075

What’s It All About?
Monday, February 8. 7:00 p.m.
Refugee Resettlement Agencies and Their Work
Presented by Paedia Mixon

Noonday Nosh Book Club
Book discussion of Outcasts United ...
Tuesday, February 16. 12:00 p.m.
Roswell Library Meeting Room

Monday Night with Mary Apps
Book discussion of Outcasts United ...
Monday, February 22. 7:00 p.m.
Roswell Library Meeting Room

Mystery Readers’ Book Club
Selection: Field of Thirteen by Dick Francis
Tuesday, February 23. 6:30 p.m.
Roswell Library Meeting Room

Youth in Sports: A Forum
Saturday, February 27. 2:00 p.m.
Perspectives by an Official, a Professional Coach, an Athlete, and a Parent

Soccer for Dummies (All Ages)
Sunday, February 28. 2:00 p.m.


MARCH PROGRAMS

Journalism Today
Sportswriting, Editorials, and Freelancing
Tuesday, March 2. 7:00 p.m.

Saturday Scoreboard
Book discussion of Outcasts United ...
Saturday, March 6. 2:00 p.m.
Roswell Library Meeting Room

Soccer Clinic Series
Sunday, March 7. 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Soccer Clinic I (Ages 6 - 10)
Waller Park Extension
Lower Field
The Soccer clinics will be taught by high school varsity players.

Photo contest for all ages!
Theme: “Sports are ... ” Photos of the sports experience.
Deadline: Sunday, March 7, 2010
Call the Roswell Library for more details.
(770) 640-3075

Exhibit of Photography Contest Photos
“Sports are …”
March 13 - March 31, 2010
Branch Hours
Roswell Library

Soccer Clinic Series
Sunday, March 14. 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Soccer Clinic II (Ages 10 and up)
Waller Park Extension
Lower Field
The Soccer clinics will be taught by high school varsity players.

FINAL EVENT– A LITERARY FEST!
with author Warren St. John and Coach Luma Mufleh
Saturday, March 20, 2010
5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Roswell Adult Recreation Center
830 Grimes Bridge Road
(770) 641-3950

Tickets are $15 each or $10 each for children under 12. Each ticket includes a meal. Tickets may be purchased at the Friends of the Roswell Library’s Book Corner, just inside the Roswell Library. A ticket form is included in the Roswell Reads Brochure - download one now!

BOOKS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SIGNING AT THE FINAL EVENT!

Roswell Reads Presents: What's It All About? Refugee Resettlement Agencies and Their Work

Our Roswell Reads programming season kicks off next Monday, February 8th at 7:00 p.m. Join us for an informative discussion presented by Paedia Mixon of Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA). Learn what's involved in placing refugees into new homes. You'll also learn what the soccer team members in Outcasts United... have gone through and you'll come away with a better understanding of their lives.

About RRISA

Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta is a non-profit agency with a multi-lingual, multicultural staff that provides an entry into the American culture and continued services for hundreds of refugees each year. Working with the community, RRISA strives to improve the plight of displaced and uprooted people. RRISA answers the humanitarian call to serve those fleeing from persecution, war, famine and extreme poverty.

Author Shelia P. Moses Visits the Roswell Library Feb. 3rd!

National Book Award finalist Shelia P. Moses will visit the Roswell Library on Wednesday, February 3rd @ 4:30 p.m. Her children's book The Legend of Buddy Bush was named a Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book for 2005. Join us for a fun afternoon with this talented and prolific author.

This program is part of the Roswell Roots Celebration of African American History and the Atlanta Author Series sponsored by the Friends of the Roswell Library.

For more information or directions to the library, please call the branch at 770.640.3075.

Free Computer Classes in February

The Roswell Library is offering free computer classes this month.  All classes are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. You can make a reservation by calling the Roswell Library at 770.640.3075.

Using www.afpls.org @ Your Home
Tuesday, February 16th @ 6:00 p.m.

Excel 2003 Basics
Wednesday, February 17th @ 6:00 p.m.

Introduction to Computers
Tuesday, February 23rd @ 6:00 p.m.

Introduction to the Internet
Wednesday, February 24th @ 6:00 p.m.

Roswell Reads - Photo Contest is Ongoing Until March 7th

ROSWELL READS 2010 presents a Photography Contest for all ages – kids, teens and adults!

Download a 2010 Roswell Reads Photo Contest Brochure (includes entry form) or pick one up at the Roswell Library. The entry deadline is March 7, 2010. This year's theme is: “Sports are ... ” Photos of the sports experience. Call the Roswell Library for more details: 770.640.3075. Some helpful information is listed below.

• This year's theme is: "Sports are ..." Photos of the sports experience. The contest is open to photographers of all ages and skills. There are three levels: Child, Teen, Adult.

• Judging criteria will include quality of work and cohesiveness of the show. Entries must be original and entirely the work of the entrant. Entries must not be copies or derivatives of published works, although they may have been shown previously.

• Applications are available at the Roswell Library or you may download a brochure (with application/entry form included) by clicking this link: 2010 Roswell Reads Photo Contest Brochure.
  

• Fill out an entry form. No entry fee is required. Up to two entries per person, 8 x 10 photographs, matted, and in an envelope. Place the completed and signed entry form in the envelope with the photographs.
  

• Applications and photographs may be hand-delivered to: Roswell Library, 115 Norcross Street. Please call 770.640.3075 for directions.

• The Deadline to enter is 6:00 p.m., Sunday, March 7, 2010.

• Please label the back of each photograph with 1) Title; 2) Arrow indicating the top of the photo and 3) The category (Adult, Teen, Child).

• PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THE PHOTO. Your name goes only on the outside of the envelope.

• Consideration for acceptance is not guaranteed for entries that do not include all required criteria.

• Winning and selected photos will be exhibited at the library from March 13 - March 31, 2010.

• All work must be picked up at the Roswell Library between April 1 and April 30, 2010.

• Prizes will be awarded for each level (Child, Teen, Adult).

Don't forget - visit the Friends of the Roswell Library's website to learn more. Answers to your questions are just a click away: www.forl.net.

Free Tax Assistance on Mondays Through April 12th!

Free Tax Assistance will be offered on Mondays, February 1 - April 12 from 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Assistance is provided by trained AARP Tax-Aid volunteers. Volunteers will gladly assist anyone, with special attention given to those ages 60 and older. Please bring last year's tax returns and other important documents.