Between 2010 and 2019, Cauli Le Chat (2006?-2020), feline roving reporter for Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana), reported all things interesting to cats (and humans) happening at the library. Related stories from across the state (and beyond) were also included.
Librarian and MPL Director Bonita Marley (1906-2002) retired in April 1984, and even though I have enjoyed nine lives (and more to boot), I never met this great lady from Mooresville, Indiana. She would have invited moi to be the Library's feline roving reporter, I'll venture. She probably would have assigned a special spot inside the Library for moi when I visited. She welcomed everybody at the Library.
Read all about it in the Library's Treasure Trove blog posting, in which we're celebrating the Library's centennial anniversary.
Did you know that Mrs. Marley designed Mooresville's official town banner (flag) to celebrate the town's founding in 1974? Now you do. Read all about that by clicking here. You may see the banner itself by visiting the MPL Indiana Roving Reporter Room. The flag is on permanent display in one of the glass wall display cases.
The Library's Bonita C. Marley Community Room is available for public use by patrons and local organizations or groups. Click here for more information.
The Marley Room is Great For Stretching Out in Big Sunpatches,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Library History News Beat
P.S. "Helping Hand," by Ed Rashed, is a song about the power of helping others. Mrs. Marley would have liked that message. The song appeared on the CD Wrong Side of the Door (2001).
The MPL YouTube Channel has just passed 125,000 viewings. (The counter on the MPL YouTube Channel home page is way behind the actual number of viewings.) Eight times that will reach a cool million. It could happen in our lifetimes, especially if one has nine of them.
Should we celebrate by watching one of the Library's videos? How about the hottest one, in terms of increasing viewership statistics?
Animal Alphabet Song
(Video by Jaymi Edwards, MPL Early Literacy Specialist)
Miss Jaymi, of course, is Wild Thang in my lexicon. This video is fast approaching 10,000 viewings. More people are currently watching it than any of my Library's 269 other videos.
We think Wild Thang deserves something special for this achievement, Boss Lady. Pizza is good. Maybe we should ask Wild Thang what she would like. Pepperoni, I'm thinking. And snausages. They're not just for slobberdogs, you know.
Oddly, I Don't Like Anchovies on Pizza,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Library Video News Beat
P.S. Here's a Snausages television commercial. What slobberdog could resist such tasty treats?
When the Library encountered a financial crunch during the late 1970s-early 1980s, local politicos, our Director, and our Board of Trustees put their heads together to knock-out a funding solution. The result is explained in the latest MPL Treasure Trove blog posting.
The fix involved a merger, lots of local governmental and library officials, some tax revenues, and some slick negotiating. Our elected representatives could work together to resolve public problems, at least back in the 1980s. They still can, if politics could be set aside for awhile.
Thanks to everybody involved in the process, by 1985 my Library had survived a rough fiscal patch and was able to construct a brand new facility (1987-1988) that afforded considerably expanded romping room for patrons and staff. Plus there was much more space for books and such like.
That's a happy ending, I'd venture. But the story doesn't stop there. Follow along our stroll through a century of library services. Just keep reading my blog, and I'll link you to what's interesting. I'll link you to Scowl-Face's blog, too. Those are probably mutually exclusive outcomes.
What happens when the Library's delivery of expanded, essential public services meets declining tax revenues? Belt-tightening and imaginative practices become necessary byproducts. That was true in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when financial conditions were tough for public libraries, while patron demand skyrocketed. Happily, the stewards of MPL were up to the challenges, as we may discover from the Library's Treasure Trove blog posting that discusses this period (1975-1983) of MPL history. An institution that survives (and thrives) for a century and beyond has had some clever folks running the show, that's for sure. Still true, today.
Can't Wait to See How It All Turns Out,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Library History News Beat
P.S. "It's Money That Matters," by Randy Newman, appeared on his album Land of Dreams (1988). As true today as then, I'm afraid.
Two things I immediately recollect about the 1960s and 1970s.
Yes, I (in one of my previous nine lives) was visiting San Francisco in June 1967 (having just been driven up from Los Angeles by a performing rock band) to catch the hippie scene in the Haight-Ashbury district. Hippies were all about love, which meant that you could get as many meals as a feline could scrounge just for a few headbutts, purrs, and eye squints. It wasn't necessarily posh food--I remember being given Ramen instant noodles--but it was filling, and it was given with love and kindness. The nicest hippies would take you in for the night (or a week or a month), give you a warm place to snooze, and make sure you were safe and comfortable. It was a fun time for us feral kitties.
There was that drug thing, too, for those unfortunates who took that path, and they paid dearly with much misery. For moi, my bag was the music. I loved the open-air concerts, from California to Connecticut.
There were protests, too--civil rights and peace marches--and I saw my share of trouble when free speech and right to peaceably assemble knocked heads with The Man (or his billy clubs and tear gas). I kept a low feline profile, for sure, during those rough days and nights. But times were a'changin', and it was quite amazing to be an eyewitness to such a dynamic period of history.
The 1970s were something of a let-down following the upheavals of the previous decade. But I enjoyed the relative quiet of the times and took advantage of the improved feline dumpster-diving opportunities ushered in by the fast-food lifestyle. A half-full box of KFC was quite the treat, let moi assure you--and all mine. It just took a little pushing and scratching through some inedible trash.
Platform shoes were hysterical. Humans through the mid-1970s were clomping around in these elevator footware, as if the oxygen were better a few inches higher. We cats had to be cautious that we didn't get stepped upon, though. People stumbled more than walked around in these things.
I could talk about polyester pants, leisure suits, cheesy necklaces, and other items from Scowl-Face's wardrobe, but I think most of my readers have seen the movie Saturday Night Fever (1977) or watched the television series That '70s Show. These may not be 100 percent historically accurate, but it's close enough to make your head throb.
Why all this nostalgia about the '60s and '70s? My Library is now exhibiting another of its Through the Decades displays as part of our 100th anniversary bigbash. Those decades are up-to-the-plate, to use a baseball analogy. Drop by the Library to see some lively examples of ladies' clothing from the past century. What were they thinking? But it was stylish back then, whatever it was.
Trust moi: If your parents, or grandparents, or great-grandparents, or [etc.] had known then how dorky they looked, they would probably have dressed differently. Just think how your (great)(grand)children will howl with derisive laughter at photos of the clothing you're wearing now. So be nice to your elders. Boomerangs return faster than you might expect.
I could just hyperlink to Scowl-Face's blog posting, but why not just upload the pictures here from there? Saves clicking the link and reading Scowlly's hi-snore-ical commentary.
Everything looks much better if you come to the Library to see it for yourself. Photos simply don't do justice, especially when Scowl-Face is the digital photographer.
Look Out For the 1980s & 1990s,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Library History News Beat
P.S. Most of my musical closers are songs from the 1960s. So let's be radical and choose something from the 1930s and 1940s. If it sounds good, it is good. Duke Ellington knew what he was talking about.
Let's start this groove with "Mood Indigo," by Duke Ellington and his Cotton Club Orchestra, recorded on December 10, 1930 and released on a 78 r.p.m. record (to which you're now listening).
P.P.S. "'Round Midnight" (1947 recording here), by Thelonious Monk, became a 1944 jazz standard but was probably written as early as 1940 or 1941.
P.P.P.S. Returning to the 1970s, here's "Midnight Cruiser," Steely Dan's tribute to Thelonious Monk (and the great jazz age of the 1920s-1930s-1940s that fueled Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's musical nostalgia). The song appeared on the group's debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill (1972).
You have probably already seen Wild Thang's early literacy videos, so you may feel as if you already know her. We've talked about CircMaster in this blog, too. But do we really know them as people? Well, for us felines, people are people. End of story. But for humans, some sort of back story is required.
CircMaster with her grandchildren
(click image to bigify)
Wild Thang
Let's begin with favorites.
Favorite Colors:
CircMaster: Purple.
Wild Thang: Blue
Funny story behind WT's color choice. "My favorite color is blue, which is a bit ironic due to the fact that I was a 'boy' up until the day I was born," Wild Thang told moi. She has a blue baby blanket that she takes everywhere. I can relate. I love sleeping on warm blankets! Quite cozy, especially when lying in a nice sun patch.
Lately, Wild Thang has been fond of green. Looks like blue has some competition! Of course, green is just blue mixed with yellow.
Favorite Bands:
CircMaster: Crimson Moonlight (metal band from Sweden).
Wild Thang: New Kids on the Block, 'N Sync, the Eagles, Garth Brooks.
Wild Thang loves country music, and her mother is a huge Eagles fan, which explains the country/rock influences. She had a middle school crush on the members of 'N Sync. Who didn't? New Kids on the Block was her first concert. We always remember our first live music experience.
CircMaster's musical choice may surprise some readers. Crimson Moonlight has some free downloadable music on its website, but we can always turn to trusty YouTube.
"Intimations of Everlasting Constancy"
by Crimson Moonlight
(from the CD Veil of Remembrance [2005])
Both Wild Thang and CircMaster live in Morgan County, Indiana (but not in Mooresville). Wild Thang is a native of the county seat (Martinsville), although she was born in Bloomington and went to college in Greencastle (all Hoosier cities). CircMaster was born in Portland, Indiana, which is smaller than Mooresville, but still is a swell place, and she resides in Monroe Township west of Mooresville. She used to live in West Indianapolis. She must like the West. Cowgirl thing, maybe.
What were their favorite library memories as klds?
CircMaster worked in a library in middle school, and this sparked her interest in the profession. "I love helping patrons find the right book," she explained. She has worked at MPL for seven years and has been Circulation Coordinator at MPL for the past 3-1/2 years.
Wild Thang spent many childhood days at the main branch of the Morgan County Public Library in Martinsville, where my good friend Morgan the Library Bunny lives and works today (and everyday). WT's favorite memory partially explains the origin of her nickname. She "got in trouble for rearranging the books," she admitted. "Even at a young age, I was a bit of an organizer. Thus, I decided to take it upon myself to reshelve the books from shortest to tallest. [This] made sense to my six-year-old brain. . . . I was politely reprimanded while my mother stood there, mortified by my obsessive-compulsive behavior." The experience must have left a lasting impression of Wild Thang, because I have never seen her reshelving books in that fashion at our Library.
Wild Thang has worked for MPL since June, 2009. She landed the position two weeks after graduating from DePauw University. Quite an accomplishment.
While CircMaster's favorite aspect of working at MPL is helping patrons find just what they're looking for or are interested in, Wild Thang's favorite workplace thing is our young patrons. "I absolutely love coming to work everyday because it is so much fun," she said. "When I see a baby go from [being] immobile to crawler to walker, I realize how amazingly small children really are. Daily I remind myself how lucky I am to be able to work with an age group that is constantly learning. Their little minds are like sponges, and I feel fortunate that I am able to contribute to their early education. When someone asks my little kids what their [favorite childhood memory of the library] is, I hope they will remember Story Time [and WT's other early literacy programs] and how much fun we had."
Fond memories. That's a library experience we can all appreciate, thanks in large part to staff like CircMaster and Wild Thang.
More "Get to Know Those in the Know" Next Week,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Library Staff News Beat
P.S. We've already heard/seen a music audio/video for Crimson Moonlight, CircMaster's favorite band. Which of Wild Thang's favorite bands should we include? How about a song with a Hoosier flavor? "James Dean," by the Eagles, comes from the album On the Border (1974). "So hungry and so lean." Sounds like moi. "I know just what you mean."
This week's Friday Features includes my Library's playlist of adventure and science fiction book trailers. Click here to select among individual titles. Click the image above to play the entire playlist, which, at 33 videos, means quite a long bit of playing, if you were to watch them all at once. You can stop the playback at any time, so you might just watch the first few book trailers to whet your adventurous appetite.
P.S. Science fiction inspires musicians to write cool songs. Robert A. Heinlein wrote Stranger in a Strange Land (1961), which inspired David Crosby to write an instrumental interpretation (1965) when he was a member of the Byrds. The song appeared as a bonus track on the 1996 CD re-issue of the album Turn! Turn! Turn! (originally released in 1965).
"Living history is amassed in the details," droned Scowl-Face in his best professorial tone. "To fully appreciate the century of public service from Mooresville Public Library, one must be prepared to wade the minutiae." When it comes to 'ol Scowlly, you had best be prepared to wade through something else altogether. You'll see what I mean.
Scowl-Face has a legitimate point, I must concede. Any history worth its salt or pepper (or canned tuna-in-oil) is necessarily replete with ordinary, mind-numbing day-to-day details. Just read any of the 19th century diaries contained in the MPL Indiana Roving Reporter Room collections, and you'll soon see that people recorded daily events that seem rather dull to a casual modern reader. But it is this enormous accumulation of information--humdrum as some of it may be--that affords a complete, accurate understanding of what life was actually like way back when. Historians largely compress this material so that readers or listeners will remain in their audiences longer than thirty seconds.
It is a tribute to historical writers that they accomplish this difficult task of paring the overwhelming piles of factual minutiae into something approaching readability and reader retention. Then there's Scowl-Face's blog. Even bad examples can be learning experiences.
But, of course, I joke at ol' Scowlly's expense. The Library's history is interesting to anyone interested. I charge $4.50 for axiomatic statements, so pony-up the dough. Or the canned tuna-in-oil.
Library History Tastes Great and is a Good Fiber Source,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Library History News Beat
P.S. Reading one of Scowl-Face's blog posts brings to mind "Too Much Information," by Duran Duran, from the self-titled CD popularly known as "The Wedding Album" (1993).
Tomorrow (April 27) is Samuel Morse's birthday. Samuel F. B. Morse (1791-1872) contributed to the development of the single-wire telegraph, invented Morse Code as a means of telegraphic communication, and was a painter, too.
Samuel F. B. Morse
Samuel Morse Telegraph Key
(Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution)
The impact of the telegraph in the 19th century was as, or even more, profound than the World Wide Web in the late 20th century. This was the conclusion of Tom Standage, who wrote The Victorian Internet (1998, 2007) about the subject. Want to learn more about this intriguing book? Easy for moi to do.
MPL Book Trailer #79
Let's celebrate Morse's birthday tomorrow by sending a telegram to family or friends. Wait--my minions just informed moi that telegrams cost money. Hmmmmm ..... Couldn't we just send a Twitter message, or post a Facebook greeting, or even send an email instead? Free is good.
Fifteen Cents a Word to Read,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Communications History News Beat
P.S. "Western Union" (1967), by the Five Americans, is the ideal tune when we're talking about telegraphy. My tag line above comes from the song's lyrics.
P.P.S. This just in--Elvis Presley performed a different song, but also entitled "Western Union" (recorded May 27, 1963). That alone justifies including it as a musical closer.
Having enjoyed the benefit of nine lives (and many more to boot), I can tell you first-hand my cat's eye view from the 1940s and 1950s. Following World War II (ended August, 1945), Americans began having babies fast and furiously, so the "Baby Boomer" generation was literally born.
If you missed being there, you can see for yourself what all the fuss was about. Fortunately, my Library has a series of Through the Decades displays that can give you the skinny. I could post the photos here, but then Scowl-Face wouldn't get viewing stats for his blog, and, let's be honest, ol' Scowlly needs all the viewers he can get.
So you should click here to see our 1940s/1950s exhibits, which are part of the Library's centennial celebration (1912-2012). Better yet, you should, if you're in the neighborhood (like I am), visit the Library to see everything in person. Check out the clothing from the period that is on display.
What do you think of that "zipper dress," people ladies? That's apparently some 1960s outfit, but all I remember is mini-skirts. Felines like moi got yelled at by women when we tried climbing their bare legs or using them as scratching posts.
The 1950s dress and hat look like something from the Eisenhower days, but they could also have been worn in post-World War II America during the late 1940s. The hat reminded moi of something Audrey Hepburn wore in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), which actually would have placed it in the next decade. But that style was around in the fifties, as best I recollect.
Next exhibits will showcase the 1970s/1980s. Funky time! Get down tonight! Do the Hustle! In cars! (shout-out to Gary Numan there). [An old school chum of Scowl-Face's thought that Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony were singing, "Eat a Hot Dog!" That's a lyric for "Weird Al" Yankovic, maybe; but "Weird Al" didn't make the scene until 1979 or thereabouts, while "The Hustle" (the song) was released in 1975.]
Through the Decades Needs Some Canned Tuna-in-Oil,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Library History News Beat
P.S. Okay--Is it "eat a hot dog," or what? Where did that guy get that from? If you liked disco, then "The Hustle" is a great song. Sadly, Van McCoy died in 1979 of a heart attack (age 39). R & B lost a great talent.
P.P.S. Gary Numan released "Cars" as a single from the LP The Pleasure Principle (1979). After disco controlled the American charts between 1974-1978, some of us were more than ready for "New Wave," although Numan was considered a pioneer of what was then termed "Electronic Music."
Okay, the train called the Zephyr didn't run through Zanesville, Indiana (or Zanesville, Ohio, for that matter), and I don't even have an Uncle Zed, but there were Zzzzz aplenty in today's Explore to Learn: Early Literacy Fun video. Wild Thang and Sammy the Toucan featured the letter Z z, ending their alphabetical exploration. Zebras and zinnias, for sure.
Is this the end of Wild Thang and Sammy's early literacy videos? Say it isn't so! Okay, now say you'll give moi a can of tuna-in-oil.
Keep up with Wild Thang's early literacy blog to learn how children's librarians can have loads of fun with their preschool charges. No, not the credit card kind.
Wild Thang can't quit her blog or videos. Her sing-along videos are the hottest things on my Library's YouTube Channel.
Zad to Zee the Alphabet Ending Zo Zoon,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Early Literacy News Beat
P.S. Prepare to be annoyed more than you could possibly imagine. "Zip Code" (1967) was a single release for the Five Americans, and it has all the trademarks of "bubble gum" pop from the period. This was the same band that issued "Western Union" (1967), which was a much bigger hit single, and I'm fond of it because it brings back some happy memories from one of my previous nine lives. Cheesy? Hey, somebody had to fill that musical niche.
"Flat" Cauli V, or Flat Five for short, has arrived safely in Thorntown, Indiana, and is hanging out with Tober, the world-famous Boss Cat at Thorntown Public Library. Check out Tober's cool blog posting about the first part of their exciting adventures together. Click here to go to Tober's blog.
Flat Five is a master at bilocation and is transcending the time-space continuum to simultaneously appear at two different public libraries separated by a whole bunch of mileage.
My minions made a mistake identifying Flat Six as Flat Five in our letter of introduction to MCPL.
Flat Six is actually masquerading as Flat Five because she is doing some sort of secret agent stuff.
I like the bilocation scenario. Sounds like pretty neat science fiction to moi. But the spy thing is pretty cool, too.
Morgan has posted an excellent blog, too, with great photos of Flat Six Five, so please be sure to take a look.
I wonder if Tober and Morgan would mind if I borrowed a couple of their photos? Sort of like a "teaser" that television stations use to get people to watch an upcoming program or the news broadcast.
Tober graciously shares his chair with Flat Five
Flat Six Five hangs with Morgan the Library Bunny
Want the entire scoop? Film at Eleven. (Do I sound like a big-time TV anchor feline?) Actually, you should click here and here, just to wrap-up the full story of the beginning of their adventures.
This is the first leg (or two legs, maybe the front legs) of Flat Five's world library tour to meet famous library critters. You can't get more library celebrity famous than Tober and Morgan. I know for an absolute fact that both of these wonderful library public relations pals are quite well known around the globe. They have been showcased in statewide seminars about marketing libraries. Perhaps someday they will each become movie-star famous, like Sparkle. They're certainly on the right path. Of course, Sparkle is a superstar, but it's good to have aspirations.
Really Excited That Flat Five is Bilocating,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Flat Feline Travel Log News Beat
P.S. Flat Five hanging with Tober and Morgan reminded moi of "Friends," by Bernie Taupin and Elton John (performed by Elton John), from the movie soundtrack of the same name (1971).
By Junior, of Junior's Farm MPL Special Feline Correspondent Arts & Crafts News Beat
The Tri Kappa Art Show has returned to the Library, and this year's entries showcase some mighty fine artwork. Here are some of the many submissions to the show. Click images to bigify.
Stop by the Library sometime between now and April 30 to see the great artwork on display. If you can't visit the Library, Scowl-Face has photos of all the artwork.
Scowl-Face has posted some more cool photos of the Library's Through the Decades centennial display for the 1920s-1930s. Some new items have been added. Click here to see the pictures.
I especially liked this 1930s dress. Was it worn by the "Purple Rose of Mooresville?" If you think I'm going to tell you who that was, you're barking up the wrong tree, slobberdogs. Ask Scowl-Face. He will surely crumble under the pressure.
Actually, I don't know who wore this dress. But it could have been the person I'm thinking about. If not, it should have been.
Maybe The Lady With the Red Hair Will Model For Us,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Library 100th Anniversary News Beat
P.S. Bobby Horton recorded "The Yellow Rose of Texas" as part of his traditional folk album Homespun Songs of the C.S.A., Volume 1 (1985). Hasn't everybody sung this folk song in school at some time?
Looking for self-help books? We have a book trailer playlist for that.
Help yourself (pun intended) to our eleven book trailers in this playlist from the MPL YouTube Channel. There may be something helpful there, we're hoping. There are books to teach you how to do interesting things, as well as how to solve life's difficulties or pursue personal growth.
Rather than watching the entire playlist, you may select from among the videos by going directly to our playlist page.
Helping Moiself to Some Canned Tuna-in-Oil,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Library YouTube Playlist News Beat
P.S. Julian Lennon released his album Help Yourself (1991), from which the single "Saltwater" was issued. He certainly sounded quite like his father when he sang it. Here Julian performed the song live on television (1991).
The first of five centennial displays is up and running (well, more like standing) at my Library. You'll see it as you walk through the front entrance. The displays are part of the Library's 100th anniversary bigbash celebration, which is slated for Saturday, May 12, 2012, in case you're keeping score.
Want to see photos? Sure you do. But why reinvent the wheel? Just click here, and you will be magically transported to another, lesser Library blog.
Great pix, Queen Settler! Thanks for that cool dress, CircMaster. Kudos to the Library's consultants for their fine work on the displays.
More displays shall be forthcoming, and plenty soon. Don't miss the fun! Drop everything you're doing and come right over to my Library, straight-away. Maybe Queen Settler will do more dress-up in historically authentic period clothing. I can't wait until we reach the 1980s. She's historically authentic from that time period, too--big hair and all. Well, you'd need to see her high school yearbook photos, which I've got in the MPL Indiana Roving Reporter Room. You can see them, for free. That's because we're a full-service Library.
Watch For More Displays,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
MPL Anniversary News Beat
P.S. Speaking of dresses, "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," by the Hollies, was a hit single from the LP Distant Light (1971, U.K.; 1972, U.S.). I just read a comment on the web suggesting that some people at the time of its release thought it was a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Sorry, but that's a stretch I wouldn't make. Both were great bands, however; I've featured both as musical closers.
BizMeister has gone beyond the call of duty, I'd venture. She has made Cauliette a cool press hat.
Can you make out the word Press on the card tucked into Cauliette's hat band? Scowl-Face used enough flash on that photo to burn-off several paint layers.
We decided that Cauliette should be roving around the Library (like her namesake, only I roam outside) doing the reporter thing. So we found an out-of-the-way spot by the Circulation Desk.
I think that last camera flash singed Cauliette's fur. Hey, Scowl-Face: Back that aperture down a couple of F-stops or whatever gizmo does that on digital cameras. Or increase the shutter speed. Doesn't the Library now have a DVD and a ... For Dummies book for our digital camera? Better use your Evergreen Indiana card and check them out, Scowlly.
Having a press hat makes you an official journalistic feline, Cauliette. You may now use my Media Entrance.
Wish I Had a Home-Made Press Hat, BizMeister--Just Saying,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Feline Puppet News Beat
P.S. Print journalism has lost many noble warriors since the World Wide Web hit the scene in the mid-1990s. There just doesn't seem to be sufficient room on the Internet for everybody. "Fred Jones, Part 2," by Ben Folds, vividly portrays this downsizing trend. It's a sad song that carries more than a grain of truth. The song was included on the album Rockin' the Suburbs (2001).
I was never any good with cheers. Not like Wild Thang, whose MPL cheer for PLA you saw a couple months ago. But I am quite good at feeling appreciated, as we well know.
It was therefore something of a surprise that my name was not among the guest list for my Library's volunteer appreciation luncheon today. April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and, particularly, April 15-21, 2012 is Volunteer Appreciation Week at MPL. I am certainly all for showing our appreciation for our volunteers--the Library could not possibly function without them--but I would have expected at least a small can of tuna-in-oil for moi. No such luck, it would seem. (Icy feline glare is being given by moi to the MPL Home Page as I have my minions type this.)
Well, there's no use crying over spilled milk. It is much better to just run right over and lap it up as fast as I can. So let moi say that honoring our wonderful library volunteers is THE most important work our staff could do today, this week, or this entire month. Our volunteers give SO MUCH. Their tireless efforts enable our Library to become a public service stalwart.
Hey, Is That MY Picture Up There?
It IS Moi !
Hey, if I'm included on the MPL Volunteer Wall of Appreciation, then, ipso facto, I must be an appreciated volunteer. There's no escaping that conclusion. That does not, however, excuse the absence of the canned tuna-in-oil. Just saying.
Do we have photos from today's volunteer appreciation bigbash? You betcha.
Cover Gals (The Laminator & Ms. Mylar)
Another Cover Gal (Mylar Jean), the Decorinator, and ObitGal
BuilderDude, Modulation Man, & Mod Squad
Filin' Fillie & CircMaster
UpholsterGal
Library Friends, Indeed
Our Volunteers Are A-Number One!
No Chocolate Mess
to Write Home About
U-Shaped Tables Actually
V For Volunteer Victories
Beneath those custom-wrapped MPL chocolate bars were custom-made pen & pencil sets emblazoned with the MPL brand. Really spiffy gifts to show our appreciation for our great volunteers!
But, sad to say, no canned tuna-in-oil for moi. And after my grown-up blog has garnered over 80,000 viewers! (My kids blog has enjoyed over 11,500 viewings.) Hey, even Scowl-Face was recognized as a volunteer, and nobody reads either of his blogs.
Thank you again, MPL volunteers! You make our Library so much more wonderful, which is pretty amazingly fantastic.
I Didn't Even Get a Bite of That Pulled Pork,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Volunteer Appreciation News Beat
P.S. Volunteerism is all about getting together to make the world a better place. "Get Together," by the Youngbloods, echoes a similar sentiment. The song was first released as a single in 1967, but its re-release in 1969 became a top five hit on the U.S. charts, selling over a million copies.
