Review Thursday: Half Broke Horses

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (2009)

Jeannette Walls, whose searing autobiography Glass Castles detailed her chaotic and tumultuous childhood, has written what she describes as ‘a true life novel’ about her grandmother Lily Casey Smith. Drawing on family members’ stories, memories, photographs, and documents, Walls recreates a woman with boundless energy, tremendous resilience, insatiable curiosity, and an unshakeable moral core.

Lily narrates her own story and, stunning as some of the events are, her commonsense approach is a match for all of them. At fifteen she left her family and their hardscrabble homestead in west Texas and traveled alone on horseback over 500 miles to teach school in a small Arizona town. Lily’s life was one unconventional adventure after another as she lived through the Great Depression, suffered a disastrous first marriage, endured her sister’s suicide, married a man more than 20 years her senior, faced foreclosure on their house and business, raised a family while helping to run a 100,000 acre ranch, turned a used hearse into a school bus, and learned to fly a plane. To help make ends meet, she also sold liquor from her back door during Prohibition, hiding the hooch under her baby son’s crib when the cops came to call!

Lily’s strong opinions and feisty manner landed her in trouble and often resulted in conflicts with those in authority. She advocated for those she felt hadn’t gotten a fair deal whether it was her female co-workers during World War II or the indigenous Havasupai Indians near the ranch. People either loved her or hated her but they always knew where they stood with her. For all her pragmatism, Lily was also a seeker, continually searching for what her father called her Purpose. That drive informed her life and enriched those who knew her.

Walls has painted a vivid portrait of a strong, indomitable yet fallible woman. Half Broke Horses will appeal to readers who enjoy biographies like Angela’s Ashes and West with the Night, novels like O Pioneers and The Stone Diaries, and authors like Fannie Flagg and Adriana Trigiani.

What free technological resources are available through the library for the disabled?

We asked the Maryland Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) to answer the question. Librarian Tyson Fogel answered with the following information:

With regard to technology, the library has four adaptive technology workstations for walk-in patrons equipped with Jaws, Zoomtext, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and Kurzweil 1000 & 3000. We offer free one-on-one technology training that begins with an ability assessment and is then tailored to meet individual goals and objectives.

The library offers a large variety of books, magazines and newspapers available in audio, Braille, large print and digital formats that can be mailed directly to patron’s residence. A qualified team of librarians with specialties in reference, youth services, Braille, and adaptive technology is available to assist patrons with all of their information needs. In addition, The LBPH hosts a wide range of cultural, educational and youth programs such as book clubs, poetry workshops, art tours, and theatre. The library features a state-of-the-art adaptive technology lab with fully accessible computer workstations, and holds individualized computer and technology classes on a regular basis.

Also, we offer tours of the library and presentations of our basic services if anyone at LATI is interested. Contact information is available on their website.

Who are the People in Your State Library Resource Center

Meet Michael Scott!
Digitization Supervisor &
Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage Coordinator
Enoch Pratt Free Library/State Library Resource Center

What do you do?
I am Digitization Supervisor and Coordinator of the Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage (MDCH) program. MDCH is a statewide collaborative digitization program headquartered here at SLRC. We partner with libraries, historical societies, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions to digitize materials related to Maryland's history and culture. We also provide access to digital collections from throughout the state at the MDCH website (www.mdch.org). Items in the online collections include historical maps, photographs, manuscripts, art work, rare books, and oral histories. In addition to working with outside partners, our department also digitizes rare and unique materials housed here at SLRC, such as items from the Edgar Allan Poe and H.L. Mencken collections.

How did you get here?
Like many people, I had quite a few different jobs before settling on a career path and getting my M.L.S. I started at SLRC as a reference librarian in the Fine Arts and Music Department, then was hired as MDCH Coordinator in October 2008. Before coming to SLRC, I worked at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Folger Shakespeare Library.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?
I really enjoy traveling and meeting people from a variety of libraries and cultural heritage institutions. It's interesting to see the unique collections that exist throughout the state, and to work with other institutions to develop partnerships.

What’s a book that you didn’t expect to like – but did?
Hmmm... let's see. Not too many come to mind. I once took a poetry class where we read a book called The Descent of Alette by Alice Notley. The entire book is essentially one long poem where the lines are segmented into phrases with quotation marks. It wasn't that I didn't expect to like the book, but it was quite a challenge at first to get used to the rhythm of the writing. In the end, though, I found it quite lovely and was glad I read it.

What is your favorite SLRC program, service, or training?
At the risk of sounding biased, I suppose I have to pick MDCH. It's a great program that offers a range of digitization services to partners, and provides the general public with online access to collections they otherwise might not know about or might have to travel some distance to see in person.

What do you do when you’re not reading?
I love movies, travel, and going to art museums. My husband loves indie bands, so we go to shows when we can. I'm also a big animal lover, and spend a lot of time walking with my two dogs, Henry and Sylvie, in my neighborhood in south Baltimore.

Review Thursday: Fiction Quick Picks

Forensic Fiction: If You Like CSI....Then Try These

Virgin Lies by Roderick Anscombe. (2007)

After the death of their young son in an auto accident, forensic psychiatrist Paul Lucas is desperate to restore his faltering marriage to his wife, Abby. When Abby calls to say that an eight-year-old girl has been abducted from her agency, Paul rushes to help.


The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett. (2006)

Forensic anthropologist Dr. David Hunter moves to a rural British village hoping to escape his tragic past. Instead, the young widower is reluctantly pressed into using his crime-solving medical specialty when a serial killer begins to prey on local women.


Unnatural Selection by Aaron Elkins. (2006)

Forensics professor Gideon Oliver, known as the “skeleton detective,” accompanies his park ranger wife, Julie, to a conference on an island off the British coast. All signs point to murder when Gideon explores a little-visited Neolithic sight, and a not-so-Neolithic bone turns up.


The Fourth Sacrifice by Peter May. (2007)

A request from the American ambassador puts forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell’s imminent departure from China on hold when a series of execution-style decapitations claim a fourth victim, a Chinese-American man employed by the U.S. Campbell and Beijing deputy section chief Li Yan join forces on the difficult investigation.


Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs. (2006)

While supervising a dig of Native American burial grounds on the Charleston, South Carolina shore, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan stumbles upon a fresh skeleton among the ancient bones. Her old friend Emma Rousseau, the local coroner, persuades her to stay on and help with the investigation.

If someone expresses suicidal wishes/tendencies, what are resources that you could provide to the customer to help them?

Although rare, sometimes librarians do get calls from people with suicidal tendencies. We should always treat each call seriously and give the person resources where they can get the help they need. The following resources are reliable, and are good ones to keep at hand for use in such situations:

• 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
• 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
• TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)

Suicide Prevention Lines

The biggest suicide prevention centers in the US are the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Both of these suicide prevention centers have suicide prevention hotlines. These suicide prevention hotlines are: 1-800-27-TALK and 1-800-SUICIDE. You may call these suicide prevention numbers from anywhere in the United States, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Concerned people are waiting to help.

If you are you feeling desperate, alone or hopeless? Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you.

Callers to 1-800-SUICIDE reach an AAS-certified suicide crisis center whose staff is highly trained in de-escalating crises and in performing appropriate interventions, particularly if a suicide seems imminent. Crisis centers maintain resource lists for human resources and services in their areas of operation which enables them to refer callers to mental health treatment and other services as appropriate.

Maryland Suicide & Crisis Hotlines website has a listing of suicide hotlines numbers from the State of Maryland. Broken down into Maryland counties, it also includes a few websites with additional information and resources for people who may need or may know someone who could use help.

The American Association of Suicidology has a list of local AAS-Accredited Crisis Centers for the State of Maryland and across the United States. Also includes additional information for people thinking suicide or people who want to help. Additional information includes Education and training, statistics, research and support groups.

Review Thursday: Books for Children

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline (2009)
Nancy Springer

When her mother disappears mysteriously, 14 year old Enola, runs away from home rather than be sent to a boarding school for “finishing” by her much older brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. She sets herself up in a rooming house and passes herself off as an adult, with the aid of a variety of disguises. Along the way she uses deduction, follows clues and solves ciphers as well as her brother, often beating him to the punch. The Enola Holmes Mystery series, the most recent of which is The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, in which her deaf, elderly landlady is kidnapped, proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Sherlock’s younger sister can take on Nancy Drew with one hand tied behind her back.

The Lion’s Share (2009)
by Matthew McElligott

Before the lion gets his share of cake, the guests at his party eat it all. (Each eats half of what is passed on to them.) So ant offers to bake him another one. Not to be outdone, the other animals propose to “up the ante” by doubling the number of cakes put forward by the previous animal. The elephant ends up having to bake 256 cakes. Not only will young readers relish the absurdity of the situation, they will also inhale simple multiplication and fraction concepts. Ink and watercolor illustrations, enhanced with digital techniques, continually reinforce the mathematical theme. Early elementary grade teachers will appreciate being able to tie this in with other math focused titles such as Spaghetti and Meatballs for All!: A Mathematical Story by Marilyn Burns. Ages 5-8

Pharaoh’s Boat (2009)
by David Weitzman

When the Pharaoh Cheops died he needed a boat to guide him into the afterlife. This fascinating narrative effectively weaves together the history, texts, mythology, and customs of ancient Egypt, drawing readers in through the step by step processes used to build the vessel. The rediscovery of the actual boat in an archeological find and its reconstruction 4000 years later is detailed with great care. The final foldout pages reveal the pharaoh's boat in full restoration. Armchair archeologist as well as teachers with ancient Egyptian curriculum will gravitate toward this standout selection. This will complement such biographies as Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Boy King by Zahi Hawass. Ages 9-12

What resources are available for homeschoolers?

If you have customers who are interested in homeschooling, one of the most useful general information resources is the Enoch Pratt Free Library State Library Resource Center’s Home Schooling – Is It the Right Choice for You? how-to guide. This guide will assist a customer in deciding whether or not homeschooling would be a good choice for his or her child. It also offers coverage of laws governing homeschooling, curriculums and lesson plans, and Maryland-based homeschooling associations.

The Maryland State Department of Education’s Maryland Home Schooling page provides information, links, and a list of local home schooling coordinators. Another website with useful links is the Carroll County Public Library’s Teacher’s Toolbox web page of homeschooling resources. The Baltimore County Public School system has a nicely designed Home Schooling guide featuring current information on Baltimore County Public School home schooling procedures, frequently asked questions, and a list of useful web resources. The St. Mary’s County Public Library’s inviting Homeschooling page contains helpful links as well as a Homeschoolers’ Bulletin.

In considering homeschooling as an alternative, it helps to be able to talk with other parents who have had some experience in homeschooling their children. You’ll find links to various Maryland homeschooling groups at the State Library Resource Center’s Home Schooling guide, Carroll County Public Library’s Teacher’s Toolbox, Maryland State Department of Education’s Home Schooling page, and the St. Mary County Public Library’s Homeschooling web resource.

Review Thursday: Nonfiction

Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook (2007)
Jamie Oliver

You may be familiar with Jamie Oliver from The Naked Chef on TV or his cookbook of the same name. Oliver has put together another cookbook only this time it focuses on teaching you how to cook. Recipes are organized by categories -- salads, pasta, meat, fish, vegetables, and desserts. The emphasis is on fresh and seasonal ingredients and Oliver provides great introductions to each section of the book.

Oliver introduces the book by explaining why he decided to write a cookbook for people learning to cook. It stems from his Fifteen cookery course for students at his restaurants. Throughout the recipes, Oliver gives great tips and advice on how to shop for ingredients as well as how to put the dishes together. Tips on knife skills, wine pairings, herbs and spices provide excellent insight for new and experienced cooks alike.

Blogs to Consider

Keeping up with trends in libraries can be challenging, but the following blogs can help you keep up with what is going on in a variety of libraries! This is just a sampling of some great resources available -- more will be coming in the future!

Closed Stacks
A collection of librarians representing a wide variety of library environments -- technology, law, public, academic, and even a library student! Posts cover all kinds of topics from book reviews to discussion of library resources and customers. With wide coverage of the library world, this blog is a good read for any librarian.

David Lee King
David Lee King is the Digital Branch & Services Manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library in Kansas. He writes about a Web and Library 2.0 topics -- what is going on and what the future might hold!

Library Garden
Librarians from New Jersey with a variety of perspectives (academic, public, state, etc.) post on all things library related. From information on booksales to igniting your passion to technology for presentations, the Library Garden will provide you with interesting insights.