Aliens Invade the Library!

It was only a matter of time before aliens invaded Mooresville Public Library.  As always, click the photos to bigify them.

Obviously an alien spacecraft

I wonder if those aliens brought moi any canned tuna-in-oil?  If they're of superior intelligence to humans (and who isn't?), they'll have some handy.  As THE highest intellect on planet Earth (well, felines generally, but, maybe, moi specifically), I'll serve as our representative in dealing with these invaders.

I claim your ship to sleep on

 I'm now being informed that the Decorinator and BizMeister created that alien vessel (as well as this cute spaceship below) for our 2019 Summer Reading program, the theme of which is A Universe of Stories (June 3-July 27).

Our Youth Services department has loads of fun programs scheduled for this summer to go along with summer reading, as you can see from our online events calendar.

If you're one of our young people patrons, you may climb aboard our special space capsule, also created by the Decorinator and BizMeister.

Climb aboard!

Space is a big place, so there's lots to explore.  Just like your favorite library!  Drop by and space-out a bit.  Like Hank and Willie (below).

Hank & Willie are all set for Independence Day

The boys don't say much, but they have cool hats and ties.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  Our alien spacecraft reminded moi of the Jupiter 2, seen in the vintage sci-fi television series Lost in Space (1965-1968).   Scowl-Face loved that show, probably because he fit the target audience (he was 7-10 years old during the show's network run), plus he had the hots for Penny Robinson, played by actress Angela Cartwright.  He was a big fan of the Robot (voiced by Dick Tufeld), Will Robinson (played by actor Billy Mumy), and Doctor Smith (played by actor Jonathan Harris), too.  He had a battery-powered replica of the Robot.  Too bad he doesn't still have it; that might be worth a lot of money now. 

Beyond Books

Lady RaDA has created a cool "beyond books" display featuring lots of fun items you may checkout with your Evergreen Indiana library card.  The display is across from the library circulation desk, next to the Paul Hadley paintings.

Minions, make with the photos (click them to bigify):

The only item missing that would make the perfect display would be some canned tuna-in-oil.  I'd check that out, pronto.  Well, I'd have my minions check it out for moi.  I'm not sure how I'd return it to the library, however.

If you have any questions about checking out these items, just ask our circulation staff or Lady RaDA herself.  I'd explain it all, but my department is cuteness, which actually explains itself.  Just look at my photos, and it's self-explanatory.

Yep.  Pretty Much.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

We Love Our Volunteers!

Although 2018 National Volunteer Week was last week, we had our annual library volunteer luncheon this past Tuesday in the MPL community room.  We even made a special video celebrating our wonderful volunteers, who make the library a much better place in which to serve our patrons.

National Volunteer Week 2018

by Mooresville Public Library

I'm not considered a real volunteer, since I'm paid in canned tuna-in-oil (a regular, in-kind salaried employee, that's moi), so that's why my photo is absent from the video.  Boss Lady has kindly included it in many displays and signs featuring our volunteers, however.

You, too, can make your life more meaningful (and perhaps get canned tuna-in-oil, like moi) by volunteering at your library.  Adults who wish to volunteer at MPL should call (317) 831-7323 and ask for Boss Lady or Lady RaDA.  (Maybe you should use their actual human names--Ms. Diane or Ms. Sandra.)  Teen volunteers should talk with Teen Titan (Ms. Megan) or visit our website's teen volunteer page.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Share Your Stories for 2018 National Library Week

This is National Library Week (April 8-14, 2018).  In keeping with this year's theme, "Libraries lead!," we're asking patrons (and staff) to share their stories about where the library has led them, as our two promo trailers (videos) below explain.

Click Videos to Play

If you happen to visit the library this week, please fill-out one of our sharing forms at the display table just inside our front entrance (across from our circulation desk).

Click Photos to Bigify

Return these forms to our circulation desk and receive your raffle ticket for our prize, $10 of merchandise from our Friends of the Library (FOL) book sale room.  If you permit us to use your photo in our next video, you'll receive two raffle tickets!  Double your chances to win!  (Library staff are ineligible for prizes.  Sorry.)

We look forward to hearing about your stories.  I hope one of them has the library leading moi to some canned tuna-in-oil.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Johnny D's Furry Felon

There are a surprising number of famous folks from my hometown.  The most notorious is John Dillinger, bank robber during the early 1930s, whose family moved to Mooresville when he was a child (technically, just north of town, on a farm along Old State Road 267).  The Dillingers were well-liked.  John was a friendly fellow.  The Dillingers shopped at the West End Grocery, owned by Frank Morgan, at 135 West High Street in town.  It was probably quite a shock when Johnny and a friend, Ed Singleton, attempted to rob Mr. Morgan on Saturday, September 6, 1924, just a block from my library.  Scowl-Face made a local history video about it.

John Dillinger's Hometown Holdup
(Mooresville Moments #7)
by Mooresville Public Library

You can read Scowl-Face's blog post (if you can stand it) for more details.  For moi, I was curious if the Dillinger gang had any felines.  Apparently so, but that wasn't the biggest surprise.  One of my distant relatives worked for the F.B.I. as an undercover feline on the Dillinger case.

Special Feline Agent Sylvester Rhodes

F.B.I. (Furry Bureau of Investigation)

In 1933, Sylvester Rhodes, who lived near Camby, Indiana, became a special feline agent for the F.B.I. (Furry Bureau of Investigation).  Sylvester's director, Jedgar Whover, assigned Sylvester to the Mooresville area to monitor the movements of any cats that John Dillinger might bring along during visits home.  Along with two human F.B.I. agents, Sylvester was stationed on the Hensley farm to observe the Dillinger farm across the road to see if they could catch Dillinger (and his cat).  But nothing came of this stakeout.

Later, Sylvester was with the law enforcement team that arrested Dillinger (and his gang's cat) in Tucson, Arizona (January 25, 1934).  Sylvester took furry felon "Kitty Face" Nelson into custody without incident.

"Kitty Face" Nelson incarcerated

(Officer McRuff guarding jail cell)

In 1937 Sylvester retired from the Furry Bureau of Investigation will full pension (canned tuna-in-oil for life) and honors.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

A Half Mill

Earlier today, my blog reached half a million views.

Click Image to Bigify

If that doesn't deserve some canned tuna-in-oil, I don't know what would.  Minions, make with the can openers.

That's What I'm Talking About

Thanks so much to all my loyal readers for helping us reach a half mill.  That's quite a milestone for a small township public library like mine.  If you missed the recent article about it in my hometown newspaper, take a peek here.

Your Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Reporting the Roving Reporter

Anthony Woodside wrote a wonderful article about moi and my blog in today's edition of the Mooresville-Decatur Times (Wednesday, February 28, 2018, pp. A1-A7).  There's even my photo and everything!  Honestly, I'm quite excited about it.

Click Images to Bigify

Much of the article has Scowl-Face droning endlessly, as he is wont to do, about statistics and such like, but the bits about moi are really interesting.  I'm chuffed to be featured in a newspaper story, which is a bit of a twist, since I'm a feline roving reporter and usually do the reporting rather than be reported upon.  But it's pretty cool, to say the least.

There's also a nice article introducing CatPro to our patrons.

By the way, does my press hat make moi look fat?  Just wondering.

Because of this fine media coverage, I've decided (wait for it . . .) to retire from my retirement!  I'm going to once again be an active, full-fledged feline roving reporter for Mooresville Public Library.  Since I don't actually leave my house much anymore (I'm a senior kitty now and spend my time indoors), I'll have my minions (or my feline friends or "Flat" Caulis, all of whom you've met in my blog posts) do any roaming around that may be necessary to gather news stories about the library or whatever I'm reporting about.  I'll still dictate all the copy, however, and my minions will type it for moi.  My time is valuable, after all, and my minions have to be kept busy or they'll wander off into traffic.  We've already had several close calls with Scowl-Face at the intersection where our outdoor sign stands.  I just can't leave minions unsupervised!

As for my welcome back party, remember to stock-up on the canned tuna-in-oil, minions.  Just saying.

Your (Reactivated) Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  John Sebastian wrote "Welcome Back" (released as a single in 1976, reaching #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 pop charts in May), which was the theme song to the television series Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979).

Welcome, CatPro!

UPDATE (February 28, 2018):  Anthony Woodside wrote a very nice article about CatPro in today's edition of the Mooresville-Decatur Times.

Recently, my library's director of technical services, Lady RaDA, moved into a new job at another library.  So we've hired a new technical services librarian, whom I call CatPro, because she's a cataloging professional.  Plus, having cat in your name is way-cool.  (I believe her official title is technical services coordinator.)  Welcome!  I'd show you her photo, but Scowl-Face has been slacking on the job again and hasn't taken any of her yet.  But she's in this group picture from last Monday's staff in-service training.

MPL staff following CPR training

Library in-service (February 19, 2018)

(CatPro is in the second row, second from the right)

CatPro honed her cataloging chops at Lebanon Public Library, where she worked with Evergreen Indiana open-source ILS (integrated library system), just like my library uses.  She's scheduled to become a Master of the Know (i.e., a librarian holding an M.L.S.--Master of Library Science--degree) by the end of 2018.  That's an impressive accomplishment, let moi tell you.  Not everybody has the brains and talent to earn that degree--just ask Scowl-Face (eye-roll)--so you should already be impressed with CatPro's drive and initiative.

CatPro has settled in nicely at my library.  She has already developed her work strategies and is rifling through all our new items, getting them processed and cataloged quickly and efficiently.  I haven't had a chance to meow with her yet, but from what I'm told, she has made a seamless transition and is running on all cylinders.  That's outstanding in and of itself, because my library, given its relatively small staff size, piles an enormous amount of stuff to do onto every employee's plate.  Well done, CatPro!

Speaking of plates, mine is empty, so CatPro can do something truly useful.  Make with the canned tuna-in-oil already!  My din-dins don't serve themselves.

We're really glad to have you on board, CatPro.  Now get to work.

Your (Retired) Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

Welcome, TV's Amanda

UPDATE:  Anthony Woodside wrote a very nice article about TV's Amanda in the Mooresville-Decatur Times, Wednesday, February 14, 2018, at pages A1-A7.

Let's welcome my library's new youth services librarian, TV's Amanda (TVA for short).  See if you can guess of which television series she's a big fan.

Amanda Meets the Bibliotarians, by Mooresville Public Library
(Promo Trailer)

As you can see, TV's Amanda knows how to have some fun.

Longtime readers know that I give all my colleagues nicknames, and TV's Amanda is no exception.  Why "TV's Amanda"?  Well, avid fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) know that Frank Conniff played a character called TV's Frank, because he was a "sidekick" (or, as he called it, "second banana") of Dr. Clayton Forrester, the "mad scientist" on the show who forced Joel Robinson (and, later, Mike Nelson) and the 'Bots to watch the worst movies ever made.  That's not why I'm calling her TV's Amanda, though.  She's nobody's second banana.  No offense, Frank.  (Now, push the button, Frank.)

I call our new youth services librarian TV's Amanda because her ancestor was a pioneer inventor and developer of early television.  That's so cool!  Television must be part of her DNA.  If so, does she get better reception when she holds her arms up like she's a football referee signalling a touchdown?  Just asking.

TV's Amanda will be handling our early literacy (preschool) children's programs, as well as homeschool and elementary school aged programs.  Look over our online events calendar to see upcoming programs.

I'm glad to have TV's Amanda as my newest minion.  Just a view pointers, TVA.  Feeding times for moi are pretty much whatever it says on the clock.  Canned tuna-in-oil is my favorite.  Also, I like back scratches but not so much tummy rubs.  Although you may work for Casey at the Bat and Boss Lady, you really work for everyone's favorite feline roving reporter.  I may be retired, but I'm still a cat.

It's great to have you on board, TV's Amanda.  Now get to work.

Your (Retired) Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  Let's watch TV's Frank from an episode of MST3K.

My Retirement Travels, Part Trois

Since my retirement as MPL feline roving reporter last year, I've been world-travelling. We've already talked about my visits to Montana (in search of relatives) and Peru.  Next on my itinerary was Saint-Marc-sur-Mer, France, birthplace of my ancestor, Cyrano Le Chat (1924-1937), about whom I blogged previously.  As always, click the photos to bigify.

Moi sitting next to the statue of

Jacques Tati (as Monsieur Hulot)

(from Tati's film comedy, Monsieur Hulot's Holiday [1953])

(sculpture by Emmanuel Debarre) (erected in 1999)

at La Plage de M Hulot ("Monsieur Hulot's Beach)

Saint-Marc-sur-Mer is a seaside resort located six kilometres (3.7 miles) west of the center of the town of Saint-Nazaire.  I was able to locate Cyrano's birthplace in Saint-Marc-sur-Mer.  The house has been heavily renovated but was originally built around 1920.

Birthplace of Cyrano Le Chat

Saint-Marc-sur-Mer, France

(House constructed circa 1920)

Cyrano was a superb "mouser," as humans call cats adept at catching rattermeeces (sometimes also spelled rattermeeses), so, in 1926, Cyrano became ship's cat first class aboard the French passenger liner, S.S. Île de France, which was built in Saint-Nazaire and was the first post-World War I French vessel to exceed 40,000 tons.

S.S. Île de France (1926)

Cyrano disembarked in New York City to requisition canned tuna-in-oil for his feline shipmates when he was abducted by a sixteen-year-old American girl from Brooklyn, Clarice Monsanto, who was at the docks awaiting her grandparents' arrival on another ship.  Clarice assumed Cyrano was a stray who needed a home.  So, like it or not, he had one, in which he eventually settled down.

I wandered the beach and resort, in which we had a very nice room.  My tour minions were able to capture some decent photos, but not including moi.  What's up with that?

 La Plage de M Hulot,

Saint-Marc-sur-Mer, France

La Plage de M Hulot,

Saint-Marc-sur-Mer, France

Tune-in again to see where my world travels took moi next.

Your (Retired) Roving Reporter On The Go,

Cauli Le Chat