Cauli Le Chat

Cauli Le Chat
Cauli Le Chat, MPL Feline Roving Reporter

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Uncovering an Ancient Feline Civilization

Wild Thang, MPL Early Literacy Specialist, held an archaeology lab yesterday (June 29, 2011), and our preschool patrons had a wonderful time learning to dig for hidden artifacts from ancient civilizations.  The dig was situated near my hangout, the MPL Kinder Garden.  It seemed to be a well-defined, organized affair.

MPL Preschooler Archaeological Dig
(Note Sophisticated Tools of the Trade)


I was particularly excited when the archaeology team discovered this seemingly natural layer of sand, which, to the trained eye, was clearly a feline community litter box.


Sand Layer Excavated for Sifting
(Clearly a Feline Community Litter Box)

The question, of course, was whether this sand litter area was used by modern felines or by their ancient ancestors.  This is why the sand must be sifted for further artifacts, such as petrified scat (left by prehistoric felines) or unusual items that may have been passed through relatively recent digestive tracts (e.g., bits of synthetic string, yarn, or cat toys).   Nothing of the sort was located, however, so we were faced with only one option:  dig deeper.

The general site includes my Library and Miller's Merry Manor Nursing Home & Rehabilitation Center.  A Google Maps 2011 aerial photo should provide basic orientation.

Aerial View of Mooresville Public Library & Miller's Merry Manor
(Courtesy of Google Maps, 2011)
(Click to Bigify)

An expert archaeologist knows just where to look and what s/he's looking for.  After digging through purely contemporary soil layers, we reached the level known by local historians to have been used by a poultry-producing human civilization.  There was sufficient evidence of chicken bones to verify this well-established historical fact.

Smitherman Hatcheries, 259 West Harrison Street, from an
Advertisement in the 1968 Mooresville High School Yearbook,
Wagon Trails

Convinced that further depth was required to reach the ruins of ancient feline cultures, I ordered more excavation.  I felt certain that a significant feline population would live near such a convenient and plentiful food source as had been previously worked on the site.  My hunch paid off!  We struck ruins of a sophisiticated, technologically developed feline society, which looked something like these photos I borrowed from Google.





That could be moi on those ruin walls, before my boxing injury.  Use a little imagination, and, well, I am there.  You, too.

Scowl-Face felt that the artifacts we uncovered were simply some old household or grocery items left on the grounds about 75 to 100 years ago, along with some locally manufactured brick that were used to construct an outbuilding when the site was used as the local interurban railway storage and repair hub.  He may know Mooresville history, but what does he know about archaeology?  Probably just the Indiana Jones movies.  Hey, that's a convenient segue.


The Feline Indiana Jones


Cats were the first trained archaeologists.  We've been digging in the dirt for thousands of years.  (So have slobberdogs, but kitties know what we're looking for.)

You can see bottles and other peculiarities unearthed when the new addition was constructed at my Library in 2006.  Visit the MPL Indiana Room display cabinets and look at the top row.  You'll see the bottles and stuff, straight-away.




I'd Make a Good Feline Indiana Jones,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Archaeology News Beat



P.S.  Although Peter Gabriel's "Digging in the Dirt" from the album Us (1992) first came to mind as a musical closer, the themes are too adult-oriented for a family-friendly blog.  The original music video, however, is pretty interesting.  Look it up on YouTube if you want a look-see.  For this posting, though, we like this collection of movie clips accompanying the song "Dig It" by the D-Tent Boys, from the Disney motion picture, Holes (2003).

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A Home Run Hit

I don't mind telling you that the Lady With the Red Hair's latest book trailer is a home run hit.  (In fact, it's a runaway hit, so I guess it'd be a home runaway hit.)  Actually, it is a book series trailer, which is something of a first around her (or my) Libraries.  Have a look, won't you?


The trailer features the four mystery novels comprising the Southern Sewing Circle Series by Elizabeth Lynn Casey.  I could drone on about them, but that's Scowl-Face's job.  Anyway, this video summarizes things mighty fine, I must say.  (You may also watch it on my Library's YouTube Channel.)

Mysteries are a great summer read.  Well, any season will do nicely, but it's summer right now, so why not?  Don't wait for a rainy day.  Place your holds now if you're an Evergreen Indiana cardholder.  Do an author search in our online catalog for books by Casey, Elizabeth Lynn.  (Be sure to select everywhere to search the entire E.I. library consortium.)  See what you find, and find what you see.




Not Just Another Sew-Sew Mystery Series,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Readers Advisory News Beat

P.S.  Digging deep into the musical archives, Fanny Brice sang "The Song of the Sewing Machine" (1927).


Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Postcards From YA Summer Readers

Broadway Gal told me that the MPL Youth Services Department has been exchanging postcards with other library teen (young adult) summer readers.  Approximately 60 libraries were sent postcards, and many responded.  The postcards are on display in my Library's YAZ (Young Adult Zone).

Summer Reader Postcards From
Libraries All Across the USA


I wish we had room in this post to show you all the cards, which my minions dutifully photographed, but they're posted to the MPL Flickr account. I've selected a few to show you.










As you can see, all these teens are pretty pumped up about summer reading at their libraries.  And well they should be!  Summer reading is, surely and truly (. . . wait for it . . .), the cat's pajamas.  (We've all heard that expression, but what does it mean?  Let's have a look.)


Cat's PJs = One Unhappy Feline

Don't even think of dressing me up like that.  I've got claws on all four paws, and I know how to use them.  (Hey, that sounds like a lyric to a song!  Somebody want to put it to music?  Maybe finish the lyrics?  Say, Music Man, make with the musical notation.  The Lady With the Red Hair is good with lyrics.  Scowl-Face, not so much.)

I noticed, by the way, that NONE of these postcards was addressed to moi.  This calls for a Cauli postcard writing series from around the world!  Minions, you know what to do.  Mail your postcards to moi to this address:  Mooresville Public Library, Attn: Cauli Postcards, 220 West Harrison Street, Mooresville, IN 46158.  I'll be waiting by my Library's mailbox.  I could use some treats, too, if you're asking.  And I think you're asking.




 
Looking Forward to Receiving MY Postcards,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Summer Reading News Beat



P.S.  "Please Mr. Postman" seems an obvious musical closer for today's post (hey, there's an unintended bonus pun).  Here is the version by The Marvelettes (1961), which was the group's debut single and was the first Motown Records release to reach number one on the Billboard pop singles charts (it also topped Billboard's R & B charts).

Monday, June 27, 2011

MPL Youth Summer Readers: Join Us For a FREE End-of-Summer Splash

MPL POOL PARTY!  FREE!  At Mooresville (Indiana) Pioneer Park!

  • WHO IS ELIGIBLE:  Every family that has at least one youngster participating in my Library's youth summer reading programs (Little People, Big World!; One World, Many Stories; or Picture This!) is entitled to attend, free-of-charge.
  • WHEN:  Friday, July 29, 2011, from 6:30-8:00 p.m.
  • WHY:  'Cause it's FREE
  • MORE WHY:  Swimming and Prizes
  • HOW TO:  REGISTRATION is REQUIRED.  Visit our online calendar, or call (317) 831-7323, to register.  You must register EVERY person in your family who plans to attend this event.
Mooresville Aquatic Center at Pioneer Park

Hey, parental units!  If you like parties (and who doesn't?), and you like swimming pools and related recreational funtime activities, AND your child(ren) is/are participating in MPL youth summer reading programs this year, then you should plan to attend.  As for moi, I'm not a huge water baby, so I might drop by for snacks and lounging in the sun.  If you're there, please say hello.  You may scratch behind my ears, if you're nice about it.



Summer Reading and Swimming Are Both Mighty Cool Pursuits,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Summer Reading News Beat


P.S.  Here's "Pool Party," by the Aquabats, recorded for the children's television program, Yo Gabba Gabba! (2000).

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Posting Some Sweet Tweets Now

I'm now twitterin' away on Twitter, posting some sweet tweets, I can assure you.  Thanks to Broadway Gal, who set up my Library's account long ago, we have this great sharing resource for all my adoring fans.  Broadway Gal had twice provided Scowl-Face with the appropriate login information, which he immediately lost the first time around.  (Don't trust him with anything important.)  But now we're good to go.

MPL Twitter Page (Click to Bigify)

You should visit our Twitter page.  You know where to click.  Follow all our riveting tweets.  You know I'll have some spectacularly interesting hyperlinks to share or observations to make.  So far, I've been posting some links to my Library's YouTube videos or some of my recent blog posts.   But there should be more variety to follow, once I get the hang of this Twitterin' business.  Buffalo Gal says I need to learn the Twitter lexicon if I'm to become a really successful Tweeter.  Minions, make a one- or two-page summary for me.  By noon.  (My clock says 11:52 a.m. as I write.)  Today.  Make it so.  (I love being a boss kitty!)

I hope you follow all my Library's tweets.  We do some cool stuff, as you know.  Don't miss it.




Twitterin' Away Like a Winged Dinner,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Social Networking News Beat


P.S.  This instrumental (except for the sound effects) classic by The Tweets, "The Birdie Song" (produced by Henry Hadaway in the U.K., 1981) must be universally recognized as a variation of "The Chicken Dance," the transmogrified title of a song composed during the 1950s by Swiss accordion player Werner Thomas.  The original Swiss title was "Der Ententanz" (the Duck Dance), which would have made it an appropriate musical closer for my duck squatters blog posting.  You may recall we had a television musical closer featuring the chicken dance in one of my previous blog posts.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Okay, I'm Officially Disgusted

There was an interesting item in today's newspaper, which, around these parts, is The Indianapolis Star.  Quoting (as shown in italics below):

Fried Food Frenzy Hits Kool-Aid

Fried Kool-Aid looks like it will be the newest of favored fried foods for sale at state fairs this summer.  Fried Kool-Aid debuted this month at the San Diego County Fair, where "Chicken" Charlie Boghosian, 42, tries to come up with new and unusual fried foods every year.  Boghosian creates a thick batter with Kool-Aid drink powder and uses an ice cream scoop to drop balls of the mix into the fryer.  An order of six or seven costs $5.95.  It's not clear whether it will be coming to Indiana.

Okay, I'm officially disgusted.

This is what fried Kool-Aid looks like, following the Boghosian recipe.

I'm quite impressed by Mr. Boghosian's entrepreneurial inventiveness.  He should make rather a large pile of money from this idea, and rightly so.  It is a clever confectionery concept.  Little kiddies will surely get their sugar (or sugar-substitute) rushes this summer at the fairs, for sure!  Plus folks who need a fried food fix will be all set, too.  As for moi, sugar and sugar substitutes combined with a deep-frying medium are WAY overrated as consumables, and I frankly can't imagine eating anything so sweet as fried batter balls of Kool-Aid.  You people out there may like it--I'm certainly down with that--but we felines are looking for more substantive kitty treats, like tuna-flavored kibble-on-a-stick.

If you'd like to try some yourself and are not afraid of homemaking a batch in your kitchen (well, it could be somebody else's kitchen; I'm not rigid about these details), here's a "how-to" video:


Deep Fried Kool-Aid Tutorial


Is there a fried Kool-Aid song?  Of course there is (eye-roll).

Fried Kool-Aid Song

The recipe is also available online at the fried Kool-Aid website.



Will this new culinary craze boost sales of Kool-Aid?  Folks at Kraft Foods are probably hoping so, big-time.




Sorry, But I'll Go For Tuna-Flavored Every Time,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Confectionery News Beat


P.S.  Here's a Kool-Aid television commercial from the 1950s.  Could you tell?  (Massive eye-roll).

Friday, June 24, 2011

The Dangers of Filial Imprinting

HELP!  I'm being stalked.  Call 911!

Beat It, Goosesoons!  I Am NOT Your Mother!

Where is Konrad Lorenz when you need him?  You may recall that a squatter mother duck and her egged chicksoons were invading my turf, which got my dander riled.  (Better a mixed metaphor than a stitched pinafore.)  Well, there's a river near my Library called White Lick Creek, and apparently there was a mama goose with egged goosesoons somewhere in the underbrush along the banks somewhere.  I happened to be browsing nearby for a snack empty soda cans (you can get money to recycle them), and out came a gaggle of freshly-hatched goosesoons.  Naturally, they immediately imprinted upon moi, and now they follow me everywhere I go, like I'm their mother.  As if!

This goes beyond mere annoyance.  I am NOT regurgitating any food for them, I hope you know.  Clearly, I am in no way, shape, or form anything remotely resembling a mother goose.  Only gender is the same; otherwise, these babies are way off the mark!

Some of my neighborhood feline pals suggested I just eat them, but that could prove awkward.  They truly believe I'm their mama!  You can't eat babies who think you're their mama!  It simply isn't done.  Bad form in the worst way possible.

So I'm stuck with these winged tagalongs until I can unload them upon their actual mother or a suitable surrogate.  Any takers?  Step right up.  I'll pony up 12 cans of tuna-in-oil right now if you take the whole brood off my paws.




What Do Goosesoons Eat, Anyway?  Just Asking,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Psychology News Beat


P.S.  Legendary folk musician Burl Ives sings "The Grey Goose," from the album Burl Ives Sings The Little White Duck and Other Children's Favorites (1959).  You may remember this from your childhood.  The record was newly released when Scowl-Face was a tiny li'l stern-looking feller.




You Could Save a Life

If you have not had CPR training and you live in the Morgan County, Indiana area, now is your chance to become affordably certified.  My Library is hosting CPR training on Thursday, July 7 and Thursday, July 21, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the MPL Community Room.  You can become certified in child, adult, and AED CPR by George Ignas of the Mooresville (Indiana) Fire Department.


Cost is $10 (non-refundable) to reserve your place and $30 at the door. Registration is required, so please call (317) 831-7323 or visit our online calendar to register.

Become CPR certified.  You could save a life.  That would make you the coolest person I know.



My Library's Staff is CPR Certified, So Why Not You, Too?

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Health News Beat


P.S.  Among the many heart-titled songs, there is "Heart of Gold," by Neil Young, from his album Harvest (1972).

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Twitterin' in the Stacks

Birds in all creation
Will be twitterin' in the trees
And down below's a pond I know
You can swim in it if you please

Gordon Lightfoot, "Summertime Dream"
(from the LP Summertime Dream [1976])

The lyrics sound better when sung, so watch this.

Gordon Lightfoot singing "Summertime Dream"
Live in Concert (Undated)

Gordon Lightfoot certainly sang truly about those twitterin' winged dinners.  How could he have known, way back in the dark ages (i.e., 1976), that folks and felines alike would be twitterin' messages on Twitter?  It's pretty amazing prognostication, I'd say.  (Or was he being literal?)  Well, I'm happy to use this segue to introduce new library tweeting.


The Lady With the Red Hair, whom, you may recall, is boss lady of Technical Services at Greenwood (Indiana) Public Library (GPL), had a terrifically clever idea.  She suggested that she and her staff would tweet the latest books they had just cataloged and include hyperlinks to the Evergreen Indiana (E.I.) online catalog (OPAC) so that patrons could place holds on these freshly-cataloged items.  Isn't that just the cat's pajamas, if you'll pardon the cliche?  It was such an extraordinary idea that Scowl-Face immediately stole it for my Library.  But Scowlly doesn't have my Library's Twitter login information, plus he is frankly clueless about how to use Twitter, so I guess I'll have to show him the ropes, once again.  Good help is just so hard to find (sigh).  Plus Broadway Gal will need to email him the account information.  Again.  (Eye-roll.)

What will Scowl-Face tweet about, do you think?  Well, obviously, he should be twitterin' about my blogs; that much should have been obvious, even to him.  He should also tweet about my Library's book trailers and other videos posted on the MPL YouTube Channel.  He could also twitter about newly cataloged items (he works both reference and technical services at my Library).  There's also library program promotions, other blogs, new library services--the list is extensive and multitudinous.

I'll post my Library's Twitter name (once Broadway Gal tells me) so you may follow all our tweets.  It's something to look forward to.




Looking in Those Trees for Some Twitterin' Winged Dinners,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Social Networking News Beat


P.S.  On the television program Top of the Pops (1972), The Jackson 5 performed their cover of "Rockin' Robin," which Michael Jackson solo-recorded on his album, Got to Be There (1972).  The song was originally released by Bobby Day in 1958 and was his only hit single.

Are You Booked For a Movie?

Hey, adult patrons!  Want to enjoy a free movie, with free popcorn?  (The operative word here is free.)  Adult Services at my Library shows movies in the Community Room.  It's called Booked for a Movie, and if you register, your free ticket is assured.  Movies are shown from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.  Here is the movie schedule for July, 2011:


July 6 (1-3 pm)


July 20 (1-3 pm)

Why not enjoy these movies while you're visiting my Library?  Free popcorn is always a good reason to drop by.  Registration is required, so visit our online calendar to register, or call (317) 831-7323 (ask for Meghan, whom I call Programma Mama).



Is There Butter For My Popcorn?  Just Asking,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Cinematic News Beat


P.S.  If you visited an American cinema or drive-in movie theatre sometime during the last 58 years, you probably have seen "Let's All Go to the Lobby" (1953), the cheesy animated clip promoting concession stand goodies.  You will never get the music out of your head.  Still, it's better than the Bay City Rollers. (Just kidding!)  Actually, the band had some nice pop songs.  Let's see . . .  Not "Saturday Night" . . .  Hmmm . . . Wait, I've got one--There's the Bay City Rollers with their cover of "I Only Want To Be With You," from the U.S. edition of their LP Dedication (1976).


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Stupid Guy Thing Day

Today (June 22) is Stupid Guy Thing Day.  If you're not quite sure what to make of this, you've got company.  Is this a celebratory holiday, or should we be mourning?

Are there any examples of stupid guy behavior in cyberspace?  Like shooting swimming dinners in a barrel!


I guess guys should come with big yellow warning labels, like so:


Notice that we gals do not have a stupid gal thing day.  Well, naturally.  Stupid gal is an oxymoron.  Guys, on the other paw, are just some kind of morons.

Just kidding!  Some of my best friends are guys.  You know Junior (of Junior's Farm).  He's a guy.  So is Hershey, my slobberdog pal.  A guy.  Neither is particularly stupid.  Well, not by Scowl-Face comparatives, anyway.

Tober the Thorntown (Indiana) Library Cat is a guy, and NOBODY had better call him stupid.  Remember--I'm Kit Cauliflower, feline welterweight champion.  I will box your ears, which is serious (see what happened to mine).

So give your favorite guy a scratch between the ears today.  He will surely need it.  He's done something stupid, you can bet your boots.




Glad to be a Female Feline,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Holiday News Beat



P.S.  Speaking of warning labels, here's "Warning," by Green Day, from the CD of the same name (2000).


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

There's a New Sheriff in YouTube Town

Looks like there's a new sheriff in YouTube town.

GPL Book Trailer:
Murder Past Due, by Miranda James

Kudos to The Lady With the Red Hair for creating her inaugural book trailer. Pretty slick!  Of course, it would have been infinitely better had it featured moi, but Diesel is a strong feline character in the novel, so I'm down with that. I, too, recommend the book.  It is a fast and enjoyable mystery read.  For us Evergreen Indiana (E.I.) library cardholders, you may place a hold on this book by going to the E.I. OPAC (online catalog).



Greenwood Public Library (GPL) Entrance
(Greenwood, Indiana)

I'm told that, upon approval by their Boss Ladies, Greenwood Public Library (GPL) Technical Services Department is planning to use online social networking to promote newly cataloged items.  Thanks to The Lady With the Red Hair, who is boss lady of that department, they have chosen a spokesinsect (think spokesperson, only substitute a butterfly) to blog and tweet.  GPL has a fine butterfly garden, which is the tie-in for their master of ceremonies for the cataloging posts.  This promotion also dovetails nicely with The Lady With the Red Hair's workshop involving library animals and public relations/promotions to be given at the Indiana Library Federation (ILF) conference in November 2011.  You should plan to attend.  I'll be there, I hope.  Bring some food.  I might get hungry.




Congrats, Lady With the Red Hair, on Your Nifty Book Trailer Debut,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Readers Advisory News Beat


P.S.  To learn more about GPL Technical Services, you could watch (if you can stand it) an early video Scowl-Face made in April 2010 for his S504 Cataloging course in the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at IUPUI.  It's supposed to be funny, so laugh a little.  Otherwise, you'll hurt Scowl-Face's feelings.  Boo-hoo.  Buck up, man.

Paving the Way to a Memorable Walk

The MPL Courtyard and surrounding gardens are traversed by a walkway called Pathway to Knowledge, which is surrounded by various vegetation identified for nature lovers' enjoyment and enlightenment.  The walk is comprised of pavers, some of which have been engraved with the names of family members or friends that patrons wish to commemorate.  This aspect of the pathway is referred to as Legacy Lane.  The Library's "Town Crier" PowerPoint slideshow, which runs continuously at the Circulation Desk, tells the tale.


Legacy Lane consists of engraved pavers
along the Pathway to Knowledge by the MPL Courtyard

Sample Engraved Paver


There are many ways to beautify our library grounds.  Pavers make a unique and lasting tribute to your loved ones.  Wouldn't it be nice if somebodies (you know who you are) purchased an engraved stone like this?
After all, Legacy Lane should be a classy walk.  Why not the best?  Worked for Jimmy Carter (sort of).  Seriously, you should buy one of these pavers to commemorate your loved ones.  Ask Boss Lady for details.

I've got an ideal spot already picked out for my paver, by the way.  It's on the way to the MPL Kinder Garden, which is my special hangout.  Come visit and see when it's done (provided, of course, that "somebodies" come across with the Benjamins).  You can take your picture standing next to it.  Maybe me, too, if I happen to be around at the time.




Adding to the MPL Courtyard's Natural Beauty,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Landscaping News Beat


P.S.  For you symphonic metal fans out there, here is "Pathway to the Moon," by Pathfinder, a symphonic power metal band from Poznan, Poland.  The song is included on the band's debut album, Beyond the Space, Beyond the Time (2010).

Monday, June 20, 2011

Papier-Mâché Mask of Moi Competition

Just a few days ago, Junior (of Junior's Farm) presented his special correspondent's blog posting about my Library's papier-mâché mask-making program.  Alert reader Ellie made a brilliant suggestion:  Have a contest to select the best papier-mâché mask made in my likeness!  It's an idea whose time has surely come.

Since this program was offered through my Library's Youth Services Department, I would need to clear any contests with Broadway Gal.  But I think this would be a sure winner and would attract hordes of my adoring fans to the Library.  That should help our patron door count.  These things take planning and time to organize and arrange, so we probably wouldn't see an actual contest until sometime next year, since MPL Youth Services plans a year ahead or thereabouts for its fun time activities.  But the ball is certainly rolling, thanks to Ellie.


Hoping to Wear the Winning Mask at the Next Mardi Gras,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Party Down News Beat


P.S.  Speaking of Mardi Gras, here's Louis Armstrong's definitive rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In."

My Special MARC Record in Evergreen Indiana

UPDATE (December 19, 2013):  Since I have moved away from Mooresville, Indiana, as I mentioned in another blog posting, my MARC record has now been removed from the Evergreen Indiana online catalog.  I'll leave this posting up, however, because it shows what my MARC record looked like when it was still active in the catalog.

Everyone knows I am a valuable resource at Mooresville Public Library.  Librarians will tell you that valuable library resources should be cataloged to enhance patron accessibility.  After searching the Evergreen Indiana (E.I.) catalog, I discovered that I was not included.  Shouldn't there be a catalog entry for moi?  Of course there should!  Make it so, Scowl-Face!

Click to Bigify Cauli's Catalog Entry

That was quick.
  
Catalog entries (in automated catalogs like E.I.) are typically called MARC records.  For all you non-library folks out there, a MARC record is a Machine-Readable Catalog record.  It is the format used in integrated library systems (ILS), which are computerized databases describing the resources available through a library's collections.  MARC records enable patrons to search a library's OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) to find items of interest.

So, if you were to go to my Library's OPAC and type Cauli Le Chat into the search line, you would find my MARC record, which, for catalogers, looks like this:

Cauli Le Chat MARC Record (in Catalogers' Format View)

Now you may find moi among my Library's (and the E.I. library consortium's) invaluable collections.  This is as it should be.  You can't check me out, though.  I'm non-circulating.

Great job, Minions!  Thanks to The Lady With the Red Hair for supervising Scowl-Face's cataloging.  T.L.W.T.R.H. has over 20 years of cataloging experience and is head of technical services at Greenwood Public Library.  She used to be head of the catalog division at the Indiana State Library (ISL).  She knows cataloging rules (AACR2, for you acronym buffs) backwards-and-forwards, and she serves on the E.I. cataloging committee and helps catalogers whose libraries have joined the consortium.  ISL is in charge of E.I.  So it all fits together nicely.





Great Reference Resource, I Am,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Catalogers News Beat


P.S.  Our musical closer today is "At the Library" by Green Day, from the band's debut album, 39/Smooth (1990).

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Why No Block Party Food For Moi?

This past Thursday (June 16, 2011), the Town of Mooresville (or, more particularly, those attending residents) enjoyed a Mardi Gras Block Party, sponsored by Zydeco's 5 restaurant and Citizens Bank.  The block involved in the party centered upon the central downtown business district along Main and Indiana Streets, but several other local businesses and organizations were involved, and so there was much to see and do.  Mostly, there was food to eat.  That's why I was there, naturally.  (There is no requirement that a roving reporter deliver the news on an empty stomach.)

Thanks to The Lady With the Red Hair for taking a few photos with my Library's adult services digital camera.  It was her first time using it, so we should cut her some proverbial slack here.

 MPL Booth at Mooresville Mardi Gras Block Party

There were several other photos on the camera's memory card from the block party (two of which were of satisfactory quality to use), but each had people's images, and we didn't secure signed permissions to post them here (or anywhere, for that matter).  So I can't use them in my blog, but I'll describe them a little.  One had a bunch of folks hitting a fresh lemonade stand, because it was hot, but not unbearably so; and another showed a father and son, the latter of which was covering his ears, possibly because he found the music too loud for his sensitive hearing (I have known several boy kiddies under age 10 who are sensitive to loud noises, and, as a feline with acute auditory capabilities, I sympathize.  At age 7 or 8, Scowl-Face cried at Fourth of July fireworks displays because the booming physically hurt his ears.  Still cries, probably.)  Other attempted photos didn't turn out, in part because of battery complications (the electric juice ran out).  The Lady With the Red Hair would have done better with her own digital camera, but she didn't bring it along.  There's a lesson here about preparation, I'm thinking.

What about the food?  Most interesting to moi was the crawfish (crayfish?)-eating contest, in which folks ate several pounds of crawfish in competition with one another.  Inexplicably, I was excluded from this event; in fact, I wasn't allowed to sample any tasty morsels at the block party.  Some nonsense about public health laws.  I'm cleaner all around than people, any day of the week, I'll have you know.  It was totally bogus.

But patience and vigilance have their own rewards.  There were multiple trash cans scattered around downtown, filled with many a delicious tidbit.  As you may recall, I am a master dumpster diver.



Crawdads Slide Down the Gullet Nice and Smooth,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Summer Parties News Beat

P.S.  You grammar dudes out there needn't remind me that nicely and smoothly would be proper adverb forms.  I'm using vernacular, or, more precisely, dialect.



P.P.S.  "Party everyday!"  Here's "Rock and Roll All Nite," by Kiss, which was one of the group's biggest singles.  It appeared on the LP Dressed to Kill (1975).




Saturday, June 18, 2011

Enjoy My Blog Trailer

Just a couple of days ago, I mentioned to The Lady With the Red Hair that I needed my own blog trailer.  A blog trailer is something new for us.  It highlights a blog that a Library staffer or volunteer posts on Blogger.

My Library has loads of videos, including program trailers, book trailers, local history videos, music videos, and other promotional videos, on the MPL YouTube Channel, but none for moi.  This glaring omission required immediate action.  Well, lo and behold, this morning I found a Facebook link that took me to this video.  Watch it with me, will you?

MPL Blog Trailer for Moi

I couldn't be more pleased.  Thanks, Lady With the Red Hair and The Music Man, for his great soundtrack music!  Oh, and Scowl-Face helped a little, so thanks, too.




Hoping For Lots of Video Views,

Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Video Trailer News Beat

Friday, June 17, 2011

Papier-Mâché Some Mystique Into Your Life





By Junior, of Junior's Farm
MPL Special Feline Correspondent
Arts & Crafts News Beat







Fans of Marvel Comics think of Mystique (Raven Darkhölme, among other aliases) as a fictional character associated with the X-Men franchise.  Teenage boys--well, we know what they're thinking.  Comics are heavily stylized to appeal to the younger male portion of the young adults audience.

Marvel Comics' Mystique






But mystique, by its everyday definition, is a mysterious quality that we may infuse into our lives.  But how, you may wonder?  What if you're hopelessly dull, like Scowl-Face?  How can mystique be introduced into such a drab existence?  Simple.  Don a mask.

Papier-Mâché Mask






Recently, my Library began a three-week workshop (well, it meets every Monday between June 6 to June 20, 2011) teaching patrons in grades K-12 to make French papier-mâché masks.  (Papier-mâché is French for "paper-chewing.")  Put on one of these, and you are assuming a secret identity, an alter ego in which you may secretly become anyone you choose.  Is that cool, or what?  Loads of mystery there, rest assured.

Papier-Mâché Masks May Be Partial or Full-Facial Covering

These are quite intriguing masks, and the ones our young patrons will be making at my Library will be totally pawsome, but I need something more suitable for moi, as Cauli would say.  A more feline design would be ideal.

Oooooow, I Like . . .

My Library should have some sort of costume ball/party/dance/whatever to which our young patrons could wear their masks (with costumes of their own design or choice).  Wouldn't that be something?  I would attend wearing the kitty mask (above) dressed as a key member of Feline Enforcers XIV, about whom Cauli has posted before.


I hope our young patrons enjoyed this interesting and creative workshop, which finishes its run next Monday (6/20/2011).  I hope Broadway Gal posts photos of the masks on the Library's Flickr account.






What Superhero Name Goes With My Mask?  Just Asking,

Junior, of Junior's Farm
MPL Special Feline Correspondent
Arts & Crafts News Beat



P.S.  The most famous masked man on 1950s American television was The Lone Ranger, whose ultra-cool theme song consisted of climactic portions of The William Tell Overture (1829) by Gioachino Rossini.  Here are the opening credits to the TV show The Lone Ranger (1949-1957).