Shamrock

You'd think this would mean a stone that's really not. "Sham rock" Hilarious. But it's actually a legume, from Family Leguminosae. So it's a sibling of peas, beans, lentils, clover, and alfalfa. OK, we could have guessed the clover. But probably not the peas. Plants we Iowans know and love and have seen filling entire fields. Not to mention all the commercials we have enjoyed over the years that describe in great detail products that DESTROY anything that threatens these crops. So shamrocks should feel at home and safe here! Happy St. Patrick's!


Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia

Ireland - Geneaology and St. Patrick

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, (so you know it's true) in a study of males they found around 20 percent of men from northwestern Ireland are related to 'Niall of the Nine Hostages'. And guess who one of his hostages was? Succat, soon to be known as St. Patrick. Could be that worldwide as many as 3 million men are descendents of this guy. So when they say everyone's Irish on on St Pat's ...
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education; 2/10/2006, Vol. 52 Issue 23, pA4-A6, 2p

Dental Schmental

Dental hygiene. It is indeed mental, because it's all in your head. Ha! So take good care of those choppers if you want to hang on to them. Which means you have to visit a dentist on a regular basis. Doesn't sound appealing? Smile for life : a guide to overcoming your fear of the dentist may help get you in that chair. And if the whole keeping your teeth thing doesn't work out there are always other options, such as the one covered in As good as new : a consumer's guide to dental implants. Remember, if a smile is your umbrella, you don't want it full of holes. Again with the Ha!

Register yourself

There's a new service available through our freshly revised web site. You're no longer limited to the library's open hours if you want to sign up for an activity. When a library program is coming up that requires registration, you can get your name in from your very own computer. Here's how:

Click on Events/News on our homepage
Click on Calendar
Click on the date of the program and scroll to the location
Click on the link for the program – here you will see a description of the event. (If it is a youth services event, please double check that the person being signed up is within the age/grade range.)
Click on the green Sign Up button in the lower right corner
There are only 3 items of information required to register someone for a program: first name; last name; and phone number or e-mail address. You can fill out all of the screens if you like, but including the address is not necessary.

Now you can register whenever the mood hits you, whether it's at the beach (ah, someday) or at 3 AM when you're in your jammies eating ice cream. Not that people ever eat ice cream that early in the morning. I swear.

Local Info, Sometimes Old

Did I mention that we have city directories? Oh my yes we do. Every one of our six buildings carries the current Des Moines City Directory. Handy if you need to know the name of someone in your neighborhood - you can just look up the address and there they are. Also if you have a phone number and can't remember whose it is, the CD has listings by phone number.

At the Central Library we have print directories from 1910 to the current edition, with two exceptions. Due to World War I and World War II, we do not have Des Moines City Directories for 1918 or 1945. On microfilm we have CD's from 1866 to 1935. Some of the old directories on microfilm are arranged up and down rather than left to right. Plus, some reels start with the last page of the directory. Takes some getting used to, but it's kind of enjoyable.

Old city directories are just a treat to browse. They have some advertisements from local companies, they go back in time to an era when telephone numbers started with letters, and you can see who used to live in your house! Hours of entertainment!

Peak Experiences

Tomorrow night (Wednesday, March 12) come hear mountain climber Ed Viesturs speak about his experiences. He will be appearing at the Central Library Meeting Room, 6:30 PM. Mr. Viesturs' book is entitled : No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks. Apparently, he couldn't stop with one peak. He couldn't stop with a dozen! And not only did he make it up 14 peaks, he made it down safely - no wonder he looks so heroic on the cover. This is a man to listen to carefully. Take notes.

You Like Us, you really like us!

The Institute of Museum and Library Studies announced Feb 28th the results of a study that, among other things, compared library use by internet users and non-users. According to the report internet use has not had an adverse effect on the use of public libraries. Au contraire! In fact, 96% of the public who use the Internet also visit the library in person. Plus libraries and museums are the most trusted sources of information. Take that...er... any other information source! Yeah!

Click here for more information.

Sleep Deprivation

Nooooo! It's the least wonderful time of the year when we lose an hour of sleep. Sure,we all like the extra hour of light in the evening, but at what cost? And it's so early now! From 1987-2006 Daylight Savings Time began on the first Sunday in April. That was somewhat more civilized. Now it starts the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. Sigh. The official time to set your clock forward an hour is 2AM Sunday, but if you're like me it's gonna happen closer to 10 PM. Maybe 7.

Source:World Almanac and Book of Facts 2008 p. 340

Really Strange Movies Part I

Strange, but curiously good. In the City of Lost Children Krank is a scientist who cannot dream and suffers terribly as a consequence. So naturally he kidnaps children to steal their dreams. A little girl thief and a strongman (Ron Pearlman!) work together to stop Krank. Of course, it's not nearly that simple or direct. But the design work is amazing and the visuals are stunning, in the dark fashion of Brazil. As a bonus, it's in French! Take it home and don't worry too much about the plot, just enjoy this as a sort of moving painting.