Monday, December 27, 2010

Erosion of Our Collective Historical Consciousness

In the Sunday edition of The Indianapolis Star (Dec. 26, 2010), at the bottom of page A1, reporter Will Higgins wrote about the imminent transfer of the Ernie Pyle historic site in Pyle's hometown (Dana, Indiana), from the Indiana Natural Resources Commission to a private group devoted to the preservation of Pyle's historical contributions. Dana is a tiny town in remote Western Indiana--a few miles further west, and it would be in Illinois. But it epitomizes the archetypical Hoosier agricultural community, with its historically important homegrown ethos of hardworking, honest citizens that made Indiana the heartland of American family values.

From Dana arose Indiana's most famous journalist, Ernie Pyle, whose writing resonates as profoundly today as it did during World War II. Take any of Pyle's wartime books, and you will learn volumes about the real people who fought against fascism and tyranny. Pyle's hometown is intensely proud of his historical significance, but there are fewer residents there to preserve this history than in years long past, when townsfolk who knew Pyle still lived. Nonetheless, an enthusiastic group of Dana citizens is undertaking the arduous task of raising private funds to preserve the Pyle historic site.

This is the modern theme in historical preservation. Governments are relinquishing their roles as the keepers of the public memory. History is poor political capital--most people don't seem to care about history and know pitifully little about it--and so politicians expend little, if any, efforts to finance its preservation. This has been especially true during the tough economic struggles the nation currently faces in its "Great Recession." It requires more backbone than most politicians could muster to commit public revenues to ensure that future generations will have important historic sites to visit and personally experience.

So government-directed historic sites such as the Ernie Pyle museum are left to private parties who must somehow finance their operation through charitable contributions. Raising money for history, like the arts, is like Sisyphus forever condemned to roll the rock uphill. People will unthinkingly drop $10 or $20 on the statistically improbable (impossible, for all intents and purposes) chance of winning the state lottery but would flatly refuse to contribute even a dollar to help preserve a historic artifact or locale. But citizens must do it, if it is to be done at all, because governments will shirk the duty.

Why should we care? What difference does history make? It's over and done with, so why bother preserving it? If you think that way, let me set fire right now to all of your family photographs, personal letters, or keepsakes. History is not something outside or apart from the people living it. History is us--our ancestors, you and me, and our descendants--and we must protect it if any of us is to learn and understand what our culture has been (and is becoming), as well as how our own life's experiences are integrated into the fabric of time. Each of our lives has had significance because we recognize our place in the historical texture of our hometowns and communities. Sites devoted to famous persons, such as Ernie Pyle, remind us that he was like us, an ordinary American, who grew up in a farmhouse similar to those that some of us live in today. That history reminds us who we have been, who we are, and who we will become. If that history is lost through neglect, then we are lost, and our lives become meaningless in the great cosmic scheme.

Of course, I have a professional stake in historical preservation. People call me the town historian of Mooresville, Indiana, a title which is only partially accurate at best, since I am neither a native nor an expert. I can name a half-dozen persons off the top of my head whose local (or county) historical knowledge far exceeds mine, the best of which is Wanda Potts, the true town historian (and one of my predecessors at Mooresville Public Library, the Indiana Room Librarian from 1966-2002). But my job (as the current keeper of the flame) is the preservation and retrieval of local historical and genealogical information, and so I appreciate daily the value history plays in the lives of my patrons. What a terrible shame if our little library's local history & genealogy collection (roughly 5000 books, periodicals, microforms, vertical files, and realia) vanished because politicians feared adverse taxpayer reaction to public expenditure to safeguard it. Now multiply that ten thousand-fold, and consider the consequences when more governmentally funded historic sites, libraries, and archives are closed or sold off to private collectors (or worse), or that must be maintained by generous, diligent, interested private citizens at their own (or private contributors') expense, or that are closed, forgotten, and left to decay.

Once that history has gone down the drain, it is lost. Period. Think about your family photographs and memorabilia I mentioned before. How would you feel if you lost them in a flood (as I did) or a fire (as my grandmother did) or due to taxpayer apathy (as the citizens of Indiana and elsewhere are experiencing with closure of public historic sites)? Our collective history is simply bigger piles of personal family snapshots, letters, documents, and artifacts. I don't want to lose any of them. I hope you don't, either, and will see the value in publicly subsidizing their protection.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

New MPL Blog! Cat's Eye View, by Cauli Le Chat

2020 UPDATE:  Cauli Le Chat passed away in 2020.  She was Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library's first "spokescritter."  Her blog, discussed below, remains active online.  Learn more about Cauli's back story here.
 
Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana) has a new blog! Feline roving reporter Cauli Le Chat is pounding the four-legged beat to deliver the latest library news of interest to cats (and humans). Many libraries have resident cats--a good thing, by any acceptable standard--but MPL is among the vanguard with its star reporter, whose "nose for news" can sniff out the facts and keep readers abreast of current events at the library.

Check out Cat's Eye View (at Mooresville Public Library) by clicking here


Cauli Le Chat, MPL Roving Reporter, Four-Legged News Beat
(a.k.a. "Kit Cauliflower," former boxer, lightweight feline division)

[Pssst! Don't touch the ear. She still has a mean right hook.]


Monday, December 13, 2010

New to Evergreen Indiana Catalog: Book Trailer Hyperlinks

The Evergreen Indiana (E.I.) Cataloging Committee recently approved the inclusion of book trailer hyperlinks in consortium catalog records. Patrons (and library staff) who search for books in the E.I. online catalog will see a section of the item record called "online resources," which, for designated listings, will include book trailer hyperlinks.

Here is an example. Suppose you are looking for a copy of the classic novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. You find this record in your library's OPAC (online E.I. catalog) (click image to enlarge):



Clicking the book trailer hyperlink in the E.I. catalog record (see red box in graphic above) would play the book trailer attached to this record, which would look like the video below:



Book trailers are videos describing a particular book. They are comparable to movie trailers describing coming attractions in movie theaters. By including book trailer hyperlinks in the E.I. catalog, persons interested in a certain book may watch, if available, a book trailer providing more information about the book's plot or themes.

Look for book trailer hyperlinks in the "online resources" section of E.I. catalog records.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Imperceptible: Book Debut & Signing, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010 (2-4 pm) at MPL


Mooresville (Indiana) High School teacher Sharon Eickhoff and her students from the Class of 2012 will be at Mooresville Public Library on Thursday, December 9, 2010, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. for the book signing and debut of their latest publication, Imperceptible, which will be available for sale at the MPL Circulation Desk. (See the above graphic, prepared by Susan Haynes, Community Relations Coordinator, Mooresville Consolidated School Corporation.) Click on the image to view a larger version (I think).

This event affords an opportunity to meet with the authors of this fine book, including Ms. Eickhoff, who supervised and directed the venture. We hope you are able to attend.

In case you missed our earlier blog, we reprise our book trailer featuring Imperceptible.


Thursday, December 2, 2010

North Webster (Indiana) Community Public Library: 2010 Cemetery Walk Videos (Update)

North Webster (Indiana) Community Public Library has included its 2010 Cemetery Walk videos on its Indiana Room web pages. Check out these highly innovative and respectful tributes to folks from their community who have become part of the local historical fabric.

http://www.nweb.lib.in.us/indiana_room/walk.html

This creative use of live video and personations brings local history truly alive.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Music Soundtrack for MPL Book Trailer #83 (Imperceptible) by 2006 MHS Graduate Danny Buckley

If you have read our earlier blogs, you might have seen our book trailer for Imperceptible, a book written by students in the Class of 2012 at Mooresville High School (Mooresville, Indiana). The soundtrack to this video was composed by Daniel E. Buckley, a 2006 MHS graduate (and a 2010 graduate of Millikin University, in Decatur, Illinois). Danny was a four-year participant in MHS choirs and completed the AP Music Theory course taught by Jason Damron. These experiences, combined with his interest in guitar, redirected Danny's educational objectives. He earned a B.A. in music business and was a four-year classical guitar ensemble performer. He plans to earn a master's degree in music composition.

For the past year, Danny has served as the volunteer composer for Mooresville Public Library. He has written original musical compositions used in all but two of MPL's YouTube videos (http://www.youtube.com/mpl46158). For more information about his work, as well as MP3 samples of his original compositions, please visit his Facebook page.

Imperceptible, by MHS Class of 2012, For Sale at MPL

As mentioned in our previous blog, the Mooresville (Indiana) High School Class of 2012, under the direction of MHS teacher Sharon Eickhoff, wrote the book Imperceptible (Lexington, Ky. : CreateSpace, 2010) (ISBN 9781439271674), which will be available to purchase at the Circulation Desk of Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana) beginning Thursday, December 9, 2010, with proceeds going to the Friends of the Library (Indiana Room Fund). The book is also available for purchase from Amazon.com.

To watch our book trailer for Imperceptible, please click the video below.


Imperceptible, by the Class of 2012, Mooresville (Indiana) High School

Imperceptible is the latest writing project spearheaded by Sharon Eickhoff, honors English teacher at Mooresville High School (Mooresville, Indiana). Ms. Eickhoff directed students from the MHS Class of 2012 to uncover people, places, or events that might be overlooked in the race through our daily lives. Students explored these stories waiting to be told, and they tell them concisely and effectively. These historical and contemporary snapshots of life in Mooresville, Indiana and surrounding communities reveal much about the fullness of living here. Beneath the dust of time and the rush to earn our daily bread, these stories demonstrate the character that defines small town America. Good, decent, hardworking people have interesting tales to tell, if we but listen. What may be imperceptible to those who hurry past provide rich textures to others who truly see. Our book trailer below reflects this theme:


Congratulations to Ms. Eickhoff and her students from the MHS Class of 2012 who have researched and written a fine contribution to the local history, folklore, and observation of contemporary human experience in this 186-year-old town.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

North Webster (Indiana) Community Public Library Local History Videos




If you like local history or genealogy, you should visit North Webster Community Public Library's YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/icrighton). Their videos are engaging and well-produced, and they showcase their innovative local history and genealogy events. The site is relatively new, and we anticipate additional uploads in the future that you should enjoy.

Visit North Webster's website at http://www.nweb.lib.in.us/ to learn more about the library's programs, events, and resources.

Here is an example of one of North Webster's videos:


This video will be featured at an upcoming Indiana Library Federation (ILF) workshop on library videography ("Book Trailers Rock!"), presented by Suzanne Walker, MPL Youth Services Librarian, and Bill Buckley, MPL Indiana Room Librarian.



Saturday, October 23, 2010

Native American Heritage Month (November)

November is Native American Heritage Month. Celebrate Native American heritage by learning more about Native American society and history in your area. The roots we share around the world give the tree of humanity greater strength.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Genealogical & Family History Archives & Library Collections

"I hate history," said a high school student recently outside the MPL Indiana Room. "Nothing but endless dates, names of kings, presidents, or generals, and a lot of irrelevant events that no one can relate to." I certainly sympathize. Memorizing meaningless minutiae is the bane of primary and secondary education.

I hope this student has the opportunity to discover what I first learned in college and have had reinforced ever since: History is every life experience. You're living history right now. Each life tells a unique story. This makes each life narrative priceless. The great tragedy is that so many of these voices are lost in time.

Do you have any undated photographs featuring unidentified persons? I often wonder, as I encounter these types of images (usually in donated materials to the library), who were these people? Their facial expressions, especially their eyes, remind me that we are very much alike. I imagine we shared similar dreams, hopes, feelings, and even ideas. These people should not be discarded upon the heap of modern indifference to the past. They deserved better.

Above all the other wonderful things libraries do for people, at the top of my list is the preservation of family and local histories, genealogical information, and realia from our collective days of yore. This is why I work in a library. I want to help people reconnect with their pasts in personal, meaningful ways. Archives and historical and genealogical library collections are the vanguards of memory. They preserve a past that makes us understand who we have been, have become, or will become. We support these valiant efforts with a "treasure trove" video (below). We hope you enjoy it and encourage you to support your libraries and archives. The past--especially yours and mine--is a flower forever in bloom.


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

MPL Does Taio Cruz

This is a parody of the music video and song "Dynamite," by Taio Cruz (Mercury Records, 2010). "Dynamite" soundtrack by Karaoke Hitz (2010). New lyrics written by Suzanne Walker. Produced by Mooresville Public Library and City Dump Records (http://www.myspace.com/citydumprec). Video editor: Suzanne Walker. Vocalists: Meghan Adams, Lori Becker, Kate Meador, and Suzanne Walker. Creative team: Suzanne Walker, Jaymi Edwards, Meghan Adams, and Bill Buckley. Directed by Suzanne Walker and Jaymi Edwards. Featuring the staff and volunteers of Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana) and the Freers and Jensens. Thanks to Baby Dax.


Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Tober, the Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library Cat

Follow the adventures of Tober, the Thorntown (Indiana) Public Library Cat, at http://tobersadventures.blogspot.com/

Tober has many great ideas to share about how libraries can be fun for you to explore. His feline observations are insightful, clever, and humorous. But that's no surprise to us "cat people." Kitties have been running the show since at least the Egyptians.

One of our book trailers features one of Vicki Myron's children's books about Dewey Readmore Books, the Spencer (Iowa) Public Library cat. Tober leads the cast of "kitty extras" shown in the second half of the video.





Watch for Tober at around the 1:13 mark.


Saturday, October 9, 2010

Support Your Libraries!

Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana) presents two versions of a program trailer promoting libraries. The first version below features as its soundtrack "I Canali di Venezia" from the music CD "Through Abstract Eyes" by Daniel E. Buckley. The second features "Imagination Land" from the music CD "Music Therapy for the Deranged" by Daniel E. Buckley. Please let us know which you like better. Thanks.





Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Evergreen Indiana

Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana) presents a "program trailer" featuring Evergreen Indiana, the state's open-source, integrated library system, operated in partnership with the Indiana State Library. Evergreen Indiana is continually growing as new member libraries join the consortium. As of September, 2010, the E.I. consortium included 90 public, school, and institutional libraries across the state. The Evergreen Indiana catalog contains over 5.2 million items and 3.3 million bibliographic records, and the system serves over 705,000 Hoosier residents. For a complete list of participating libraries, please visit the Indiana State Library web site at http://www.in.gov/library/evergreen.htm

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Halloween is Coming! Watch Our Spooky Book Trailers

The end of October will soon be upon us, and those who enjoy ghosts, haunted places, and Halloween will find many interesting books among our paranormal and folklore collections. Here are several book trailers to hint at the scary stuff that awaits! The first book trailer below features a Hoosier haunting!












Thursday, September 30, 2010

National Family History Month (October)

October is National Family History Month. By way of reminder, we have prepared the video below. We hope you enjoy it and will explore your family history in the weeks and months ahead. Your family is a "treasure trove" of historical information awaiting your exploration.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

OverDrive Digital Books at MPL

On October 11, 2010, Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana) will be joining OverDrive, the online digital books provider, enabling patrons to check-out and download eBooks using their library cards. Our video below highlights the program.





Friday, September 24, 2010

Baskets From Junior's Farm at Anderson Orchard Autumn Apple Festival (Sept. 25-26, 2010)

Baskets From Junior's Farm graciously donated the prize baskets given away at the library's booth at this year's Old Settlers Festival & Picnic in August. They have a wide range of custom-made, handwoven baskets from which to choose.



On Saturday and Sunday, September 25-26, 2010, Baskets From Junior's Farm will have a booth at Anderson Orchard's autumn apple festival. Anderson's is situated along Greencastle Road just a few miles west of Mooresville, Indiana. Stop by if you're in the neighborhood. Around these parts, the fall festivals are wondrous and delightful.



(Photos © 2010 by Samantha M. Buckley. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission.)


Thursday, September 16, 2010

Hoosier Artists on Display at MPL (Part #2)

Mooresville Public Library presents its second video showcasing artwork on display at the library. The artists in this video hailed from Mooresville and Morgan County, Indiana.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Hoosier Artwork on Display at MPL

We present the first in a series of "treasure trove" history videos showcasing the Hoosier artwork on display at Mooresville Public Library. We feature several artists from Mooresville, Morgan County, and elsewhere in Indiana.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Indiana Ghost Stories

Local groceries are already stocking Halloween candy, reminding us that October is fast approaching. If you like ghost stories, Indiana has its share of haunted tales amongst its facts and folklore.

Indiana author Karl C. B. Muilliwey has encountered his share of Hoosier ghosts over the past 20 years. Our book trailer below provides a summary of Haunting at Sycamore Lake, one of his books on the paranormal, which is available to checkout (or read a digital copy) from our Evergreen Indiana catalog.  You may purchase a copy online (Kindle eBook or paperback) from Amazon.



There are basically three types of ghost scenarios: (1) phantasms of the dead; (2) phantasms of the living (sometimes associated with astral projection, or out-of-body experiences [OBEs]); and (3) "things that go bump in the night" (poltergeists). In our YouTube Channel paranormal playlist, we have featured several books on these subjects.



One of the "living phantasm" variety of Hoosier ghost tales was related in The Phenomena of Astral Projection, by Sylvan Muldoon and Hereward Carrington (London: Rider & Co., 1951), pp. 186-187. We reproduce the episode from the book below.] If the images below are too small, right-click them and save them to your desktop. Then use a photo viewer or photo editing software to see them at full-scanned size.





Self-Guided Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Mooresville, IN

Every town has echoes from its past. History is largely the tale of ghosts--facts and folklore about people, places, and things that no longer exist in the same way as before. In a community like Mooresville, Indiana, which has nearly two centuries of history packed away in its attics and cellars, there is much to learn through careful observation.

Take a self-guided walking tour of historical downtown Mooresville, for instance. That's what one needs to do to discover the "treasure trove" of intriguing stories available in the old buildings, records, and photographs that comprise the Indiana Room Collection at Mooresville Public Library. Our program trailer below sheds some light on this activity:


Everyone who has ever lived contributed a history that is worth investigating. We probably can't explore them all, but we can take a closer look at the town we call home and learn more about those who came before to help make it the community we know today.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

MPL "Banned Books Week 2010" Display





















Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana) already has its 2010 banned books display up and ready to read! This year, Banned Books Week is Sept. 25 through Oct. 2, 2010. Select a banned book of your choice to read. You have the freedom to choose! Protect it by exercising your right to read what you want.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

MPL "Banned Books Week 2010" Video

Banned Books Week is Sept. 25 through Oct. 2, 2010. We offer our video below to encourage viewers to fight censorship by reading the banned book of your choice. Visit your favorite library today to check-out what you want to read. Like all freedoms, this, too, can be taken away by those who wish to control the information we receive. Let no one curtail your right to think for yourself.



Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Mabel Leigh Hunt (Mooresville Moments Series)

Mabel Leigh Hunt (1892-1971), Hoosier author, was born in Coatesville, Indiana and lived in Greencastle (until age 10) , Plainfield (until her father passed over), and Indianapolis. She attended DePauw University (1910-12), and, in 1923-24, she attended Western Reserve University Library School (Cleveland, Ohio). In 1926 she began her career as a librarian at the Indianapolis Public Library, a position she held until 1938, when she became a full-time writer.

Hunt's best known novel, Lucinda: a Little Girl of 1860 (1934), was partially based upon her mother's experiences growing up among Quaker families. The characters from the book were derived from actual people Hunt and her family knew in Mooresville, Plainfield, and the surrounding countryside of Hendricks and Morgan Counties. Mooresville Public Library has, in its Indiana Room vertical files, a handwritten note from the author indicating the real people from which her novel's characters were drawn.

Our reprint (click below to enlarge) from Mooresville Moments (1999), written by town historian and retired MPL Indiana Room Librarian Wanda Potts, includes two installments about Mabel Leigh Hunt.






Monday, August 30, 2010

Mary Ida Fogleman (Mooresville Moments Series)

This reprint of Mooresville Moments (April 21 & 28, 1999) paints a personal portrait of Mary Ida Fogleman, granddaughter of Eliza and Samuel Moore, founder of Mooresville, Indiana.  Click the articles (below) to enlarge.




Saturday, August 28, 2010

Mooresville, IN Milestones (Mooresville Moments Series)

Today's reprint of Mooresville Moments (July 7, 1999) reflects upon the many milestones the residents of Mooresville, Indiana and vicinity have witnessed since the town's founding in 1824.


Click article (above) to enlarge


Friday, August 27, 2010

Methodist Church Bell Fondly Remembered (Mooresville Moments Series)

Wanda Potts, historian and former Indiana Room Librarian at Mooresville Public Library (1966-2002), wrote a newspaper article (April 14, 1999) as part of her Mooresville Moments column commemorating the Methodist Church bell in its old building at the corner of South Indiana and Harrison Streets in downtown Mooresville, Indiana.

Click article (above) to enlarge


Sunday, August 22, 2010

MPL Video: "Put Your Nose in a Book"

Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana) presents a new video entitled "Put Your Nose in a Book." We welcome your comments and feedback and hope you enjoy it.


Saturday, August 21, 2010

MPL Composer Facebook Launch


Danny Buckley, volunteer composer for Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana), has launched a new Facebook page, which includes audio files of his original compositions (to which you can listen and share, free-of-charge), as well as additional information.  He is available to compose original music for hire.

Danny is a 2010 graduate of Millikin University (Decatur, Illinois) and holds a B.A. in Music Business.

If you have enjoyed any of our 90-plus videos and book trailers posted to the library's YouTube Channel, the thanks should go to Danny. His original musical compositions, drawn from over a half-dozen CDs of his music, bring our videos to life. We could not have done this work without his invaluable assistance.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Mooresville Railroad History (Mooresville Moments Series)

Today's reprise of Mooresville Moments (May 19; June 2, 9, 16; July 7, 1999) presents articles about railroad service to Mooresville, Indiana and surrounding Morgan County communities.  Click the articles (below) to enlarge.







Thursday, August 19, 2010

Scout Cabin (Mooresville Moments Series)

Wanda Potts, retired MPL Indiana Room Librarian and town historian, related the history of the scout cabin at Old Town Park, in Mooresville, Indiana, in one of her Mooresville Moments newspaper columns (August 11, 1999) (click article image below to enlarge).



2020 UPDATE:  On April 8, 2020, a tornado sent a tree crashing onto the roof of the scout cabin.  A local philanthropist rebuilt the roof a few months later.


Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Monday, August 16, 2010

Sarah C. K. Marine, Earliest Author From Mooresville, IN (Mooresville Moments Series)

Sarah C. K. Marine was the earliest published author from Mooresville, Indiana. This installment of Mooresville Moments (September 15, 1999), written and edited by retired MPL Indiana Room Librarian and local historian Wanda Potts, examines Marine's legacy.


Click image (above) to enlarge

Saturday, August 14, 2010

MPL Old Settlers Festival Booth (Aug. 8-10, 2010)

At this year's Old Settlers Picnic & Fair (Aug. 8-10, 2010), Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana) distributed 230 book bags filled with informational materials. Approximately 275 attendees visited the library's booth, and many commented that the library's Old Settlers parade float was one of the best (perhaps the best) entered.

The library also conducted four giveaway contests for which festival attendees signed up while visiting the library's booth. These were:
  • Authentic, homemade Old Settlers picnic and snack reed baskets (donated courtesy of Baskets From Junior's Farm), for which 236 fair visitors vied; and
  • Book and Music CD packets for young adults, children, and babies (courtesy of the MPL Youth Services Department and acquired through the Cook Endowment).
One Old Settlers picnic basket and five snack baskets were awarded to the lucky winners.

Authentic Old Settlers Picnic Basket













One of three Old Settlers Snack Baskets (handle style)













One of two Old Settlers Snack Baskets (no handle style)














MPL staffers Diane Huerkamp, Bob Gilliland, Shirley Martin, Meghan Adams, and Bill Buckley, along with volunteer Janet Buckley, ran the library booth during the fair.

Our thanks to Baskets From Junior's Farm for donation of the baskets (logo below designed by local artist Brian Mills).




MPL Float, "Thinking Outside the Book," in 2010 Old Settlers Parade

It has been many years since Mooresville Public Library entered a float in the annual Old Settlers Parade, which was held this year on Sunday, August 8, 2010 immediately prior to the opening of the Old Settlers Fair & Picnic (Aug. 8-10, 2010) held at Pioneer Park. The library's float was entitled Thinking Outside the Book, and it featured a central display of an opened book with CD-ROMs, music, and a computer keyboard and monitor (complete with human operator). In the pickup truck pulling the float, there was a nostalgic image of libraries--a person reading a book in a rocking chair--which was followed, of course, by the float and its "outside the book" motif.

The float design team was spearheaded by Beth Hensley, MPL display and decoration designer, and Bill Cornwell, MPL construction supervisor emeritus. The float assembly crew consisted of various library staff and volunteers, including (alphabetically): Meghan Adams, Lori Becker, Bill Buckley, Bill and Sherry Cornwell, Beth Hensley, Kathleen Holling, Diane Huerkamp, Virginia Jensen, Sally Knitter, Shirley and Ron Martin, Donna Miller, and Judy and Taylor Morehouse. Ron Martin drove the truck in the parade; Diane Huerkamp and Lori Becker were "living bookends" marching in front of the float; Kathleen Holling was the "rocking chair reader"; and Virginia, Anastacia, and Luke Jensen joined several assembly teammates to toss out candy to children along the parade route. Volunteer Sherry Cornwell and MPL staffers Jaymi Edwards and Bill Buckley photographed the float.










Pictures 1-13: Assembling the Float (photographs by Sherry Cornwell)

Pictures 14-22: 2010 Old Settlers Parade: MPL Float, "Thinking Outside the Book" (photographs by Jaymi Edwards & Bill Buckley)