The Ephrata Public Library will screen the film “My Peristroika” on May 18 at 6 p.m. The film is an intimate look at the last generation of Soviet children. Five classmates go from living sheltered childhoods to experiencing the hopes of Gorbachev’s reforms and the confusion of the USSR’s dissolution, to searching for their places in today’s Moscow. With candor and humor, the punk rocker, single mother, entrepreneur and married teachers paint a picture of the challenges, dreams and disappointments of those raised behind the Iron Curtain. Through first-person testimony, vérité footage and vintage home movies, this beautifully crafted documentary reveals a Russia rarely seen on film. A co-production of Red Square Productions/Bungalow Town Productions and ITVS International in association with American Documentary | POV.
Category: Press Release
EPL to Begin Offering Kindles for Patrons
The Ephrata Public Library will start offering library patrons the opportunity to borrow Amazon Kindles preloaded with a variety of books. The Kindles will begin circulating February 15th. Library Kindles will be loaded with books catering to a specific genre for patrons to use. “We have a Classics Kindle,” explains Library Director Penny Talbert. “These may be books that are classified as classics but may not be available at all libraries. Now they’re all available in one eReader.” Other Kindles will include inspirational titles, New York Times Fiction Bestsellers, New York Times Nonfiction Bestsellers, recently-released biographies, best selling mysteries and more. There will be a dozen Kindles available to patrons, all of them donated by the Friends of the Ephrata Public Library and private donors. Amazon launched the Kindle in November 2007. Currently, there are over 700,000 titles available for download. All of the library’s Kindles have titles preloaded so there is no need for patrons to do anything but start reading.
The eReaders will be available to library patrons aged 18 or older in good standing. Patrons must pick up the devices during business hours at the circulation and drop them off inside the building to a staff member, rather than in one of the library’s book drops. In addition, renewals will not be allowed and patrons must take financial responsibility for the Kindles if they are damaged or lost.
“Kindles can hold hundreds of books,” says Talbert, who, along with Assistant Director Abby Balmer, has been working out the details and selecting which titles will be included. “This is a new idea for libraries but we think the time has come for libraries to add this exciting medium to our shelves.”
African Drumming Workshop
LIVING IN THE RHYTHM WORKSHOP TO BE HELD AT LIBRARY
On January 31 at 7 p.m., the library will host a drumming workshop called “Living in the Rhythm.” This educational program will take you on a journey of sound and rhythm from ancient Australia to Africa and beyond. World drums, percussion and storytelling will be used to create a global rhythm ensemble. The program will take place in the multipurpose room at the Ephrata Public Library and is free and open to the public. Registration is required and can be done at www.ephratapubliclibrary.org or by calling 717-738-9291. The program is part of the library’s winter reading program.
The presenter, Mark Seaman, is the owner and operator of Earth Rhythms in West Reading, Pennsylvania. Mark has studied with Glen Velez, Pete Barnhart, Arthur Hull, Barry Bernstein and Paulo Mattioli. He has also completed training courses through Rhythm for Life and Unity with a Beat. He has presented his programs for nationally known social, corporate and community agencies.
Mitten Tree Donations Being Accepted Now!
Public Libraries throughout Lancaster County will hold their 11th annual Mitten Tree Campaign beginning on Monday, November 15th. Librarians from the county’s public libraries, in the spirit of holiday giving, will be collecting new mittens, gloves, hats, scarves, earmuffs and umbrellas that will benefit children & families served by Lancaster County Children & Youth Services. All 17 public libraries and the Bookmobile will participate in this year’s project. Donations may be made from Monday, November 15th through Friday, December 17th
The Mitten Tree project has been hugely successful during the past nine years. Last year the project netted 3,852 donations. Lancaster County’s Children and Youth Social Service Agency will oversee a portion of the distribution to children throughout the county, while many of the items will also be distributed to other service agencies in Lancaster County and local library communities. Ephrata Public Library’s donations will go to Ephrata Area Social Services.
Screening of “Days & Cloud” To Be Held at Library
On Monday, November 22 at 6 p.m., the Ephrata Public Library will screening the independent film, “Days and Clouds.” The film tells the story of well-to-do, sophisticated couple, Elsa and Michele, who have a 20 year-old daughter, Alice, and enough money for Elsa to leave her job and fulfill an old dream of studying art history. After she graduates, however, their lives change. Michele confesses he hasn’t worked in two months and was fired by the company he founded years ago. Elsa overcomes her initial shock by pouring extra energy into facing the crisis, while Michele, exhausted by an unsuccessful job hunt, lets himself go, alternating between vivacity and apathy. The growing distance between them eventually leads to a break-up. Only when they part will they realize that they risk losing their most precious possession: the love that binds them.
The film was nominated for fifteen David Di Donatello Awards in 2008, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Actress and more. In addition, the film was an Official Selection of the Toronto International Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival and the London Film Festival.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Ephrata Public Library’s Winter Reading Program Kicks Off With A Storytelling Trip Around the World
Grab your passport, pack your bags, and buckle up. Children in the Ephrata Area are invited to go for a storytelling trip around the world. The library’s winter reading program kicks off on November 4th at 6:30 p.m. with a special visit by Kids and Cultures’ “Treasures of the World.”
“Treasures of the World” is a fast-paced interactive storytelling program for elementary students featuring folktales from all over the world. Each story contains a virtue and offers a glimpse into the culture from which it comes.
“We can learn a lot about other cultures by the stories the people have passed down from generation to generation,” says storyteller Kristina Wenger, who shares the stage with husband Timm and their children Katia and Thaniel. The show includes audience participation and information about the cultures from which the stories are told.
The program is part of the library’s first ever winter reading program. For more information about the winter reading program for children, teens and adults, or to register for programs, visit the library’s website at www.ephratapubliclibrary.org.
November Events at the Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Penny Talbert, Manager
Office: 717-738-9291 ext. 102
Cell: 610-823-2707
ptalbert@ephratapubliclibrary.org
EVENTS FOR NOVEMBER AT THE EPHRATA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Following is a list of events happening at the Ephrata Public Library in November. All events are free (unless otherwise noted) and held at the Ephrata Public Library. Registration is required for all events and can be made online at www.ephratapubliclibrary.or or by calling the library at 717-738-9291 during normal business hours.
Monday, November 1, 11:00 a.m. – Absolute Beginners Guide to Computers (Session 1). This six-part course is designed for people who have never used a computer before. Learn the lingo, master the mouse and keyboard and familiarize yourself with the computer’s desktop – all in a friendly and patient atmosphere. Participants are expected to attend all six classes. A $50 materials fee includes your book for the class and all handouts.
Wednesday, November 3, 9:30 a.m. – Wednesdays With…Preschool Movie Time. Each session we choose a popular character like Thomas, Franklin or Winnie the Pooh and watch a short movie about that character. The program includes a snack and some fun coloring pages each week. Ages 2-5 with caregiver.
Wednesday, November 3, 10:30 a.m. – Homeschooler Book Discussion. This group consists of a chapter book being read aloud to the group. We will stop periodically throughout the reading to discuss the book and ask comprehension questions. This is a great way to enhance your reading program and to give your children a chance to discuss books and learn from other childrens’ viewpoints. Ages 6-12.
Wednesday, November 3, 6 p.m. – Screening of “Motorcycle Diaries. Based on his journal, this film follows the journey of Che Guevara and his best friend Alberto Granado in their motorcycle journey across South America in the early 1950’s. This trip profoundly affects the adventurous duo and eventually inspires Che to become the leader of the Cuban revolution impacting an entire continent. Rated R. 128 minutes.
Thursday, November 4, 2 p.m. – Introduction to Skype. Communicate with friends, children, grandchildren using this free video chat service. Basic computer and internet knowledge required.
Thursday, November 4, 6 p.m. – Kids and Cultures: Treasures of the World. Grab your passport, pack your bags, and buckle up. We’re headed for a trip around the world–and we’ll be back before the bell rings! Treasures of the World is a fast-paced interactive storytelling program for elementary students featuring folktales from all over the world. Each story contains a virtue and offers a glimpse into the culture from which it comes.
Monday, November 8, 6 p.m. – Screening of “Only When I Dance.” This feel-good documentary follows Irlan and Isabela, two teenagers from the violent favelas of Rio de Janeiro, as they pursue their dreams of becoming professional ballet dancers. This inspiring story takes us from Rio – where their communities must raise the funds to support their ambitions – to exhilarating ballet competitions in New York and Switzerland. It’s a film about their determination to dance, and the price one must pay for talent, ambition and success. English and Portuguese with English subtitles. Not rated. 78 minutes.
Monday, November 8, 6:30 p.m. – Modern Classics Book Discussion Group. This month’s selection is “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac. The most famous of Jack Kerouac’s works is not only the soul of the Beat movement and literature, but one of the most important novels of the century. Like nearly all of Kerouac’s writing, “On The Road” is thinly fictionalized autobiography, filled with a cast made of Kerouac’s real life friends, lovers, and fellow travelers. Narrated by Sal Paradise, one of Kerouac’s alter-egos, On the Road is a cross-country bohemian odyssey that not only influenced writing in the years since its 1957 publication but penetrated into the deepest levels of American thought and culture.
Tuesday, November 9, 2 p.m. – Introduction to Windows 7. Learn some new and cool things about Windows 7. Recommended for people who have just bought a computer or are planning on purchasing a computer. Basic computer and Internet knowledge required.
Tuesday, November 9, 4 p.m. – Kids Reading Tales to Tailwaggers. Enjoy reading to a dog? Children in grades 1-4 are invited to read a story to a KPET certified dog. The dogs and their handlers will be in the library ready to listen. Each child may choose stories on his or her reading level lasting for approximately 10-12 minutes of reading. You can choose with the 4:00 or 4:30 p.m. time slot.
Wednesday, November 10, 9:30 a.m. – Wednesdays With…Preschool Movie Time. Each session we choose a popular character like Thomas, Franklin or Winnie the Pooh and watch a short movie about that character. The program includes a snack and some fun coloring pages each week. Ages 2-5 with caregiver.
Wednesday, November 10, 10:30 a.m. – Homeschooler Book Discussion. This group consists of a chapter book being read aloud to the group. We will stop periodically throughout the reading to discuss the book and ask comprehension questions. This is a great way to enhance your reading program and to give your children a chance to discuss books and learn from other childrens’ viewpoints. Ages 6-12.
Wednesday, November 10, 6:30 p.m. – “Beautiful China” Travelogue. Join Jim Curtis, Ph.D. for this travelogue. The landscapes and gardens of China offer some of the most beautiful sights in Asia—or anywhere else, for that matter. The Yangtze River in the north and the Li River in the south have wonderful natural scenery. (The Li River provided some of the inspiration for James Cameron in making his recent movie “Avatar.”) The gardens of Hang Zhou, the beautifully landscaped and lighted city waterway of Guilin and the scenic caves near Guilin round out this celebration of China’s scenic wonders.
Monday, November 15, 1 p.m. – Unleashing the Power of Google. Google is not just for searching! Join us as we explore Gmail, Google Scholar, Google Books and much more! Internet experience required.
Monday, November 15, 4 p.m. – Story Time with Curious George. George is a good little monkey, but he is very curious. He tries hard to listen to the man with the big yellow hat, but it is not easy. He usually ends up getting himself in trouble. Yet, things always seem to work out in the end. Come meet this cute monkey from the series of books by H. A. Rey. Listen to a story, do some crafts, have a snack and lots of fun. Ages 3-8.
Monday, November 15, 6 p.m. – A Vegetarian Thanksgiving. Intrigued by the idea of a meat-free Thanksgiving? Whether you’re a practicing vegetarian or just curious about the cuisine, come learn about some ways to make delicious vegetarian Thanksgiving meal – on the cheap! Butternut squash, sweet potatoes, corn bread, and of course, turkey -but it’s not what you might expect. To learn more about the menu and to try some samples, please sign up to attend!
Tuesday, November 16, 3 p.m. – Teen Gamers Club. Join us for gaming fun!
Tuesday, November 16, 6 p.m. – Screening of “How to Train Your Dragon.” Meet Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, heir of the Viking chiefdom, but a boy with one very big problem: a hero he is not. “How to Train Your Dragon‘” is the riotous story of Hiccup’s quest to hunt down the fiercest dragon, bring it into submission, and-hopefully-pass his initiation. Instead, he ends up with the smallest, most ornery dragon-it’s even toothless! Thus begins the hijinx of the world’s most lovable, unlikely hero and a most reluctant beast. Packed with energetic drawings and plenty of action, this boisterous tale is just right for fantasy fans or anyone with a spirit of adventure. Based on the book by Cressida Cowell.
Wednesday, November 17, 9:30 a.m. – Parent/Child Workshop (Session 1). Parent Place Parent/Child Workshops are a five-week series for parents and caregivers of toddlers 12-36 months. Parents can play, read, and interact with their toddlers in a family-friendly setting, equipped with age-appropriate toys, books, games, etc. A different community resource specialist will be available at each session to talk informally with parents about their interests and concerns regarding their child’s development. Participants are asked to attend all five workshop sessions.
Wednesday, November 17, 11 a.m. – Parent/Tot Together Time. Together Time is for parents and toddlers who have already participated in a previous Parent/Child Workshop, as well as other parents with tots, ages 1,2 and 3. Held in our multipurpose room, parents can enjoy toys, puzzles, books, and an art activity and a closing circle time together, while sharing parenting experiences with each other.
Thursday, November 18, 2 p.m. – Introduction to YouTube. Learn how to upload and share videos with friends and family using this free online service. Basic computer and Internet knowledge required.
Thursday, November 18, 6 p.m. – Mystery Book Discussion Group. This month’s selection is “The Serpent’s Trail” by Sue Henry. From an author whose “twists and turns keep you turning the pages” (Denver Post) comes a brand-new mystery series starring Maxie McNabb-an independent retiree whose adventures across the country in her motor home are destined for murderous roadblocks. At 63, Maxie is cruising down the Alaska Highway in her brand-new Winnebago. She’s always been a gypsy at heart-and with her mini-dachshund at her side, and the open road ahead, she’s never been happier. But before her exploration of the Lower Forty-eight gets underway, Maxie needs to figure out who burglarized her friend’s Colorado home-and why. But the closer Maxie gets to solving the puzzle, the more it becomes chillingly clear that her friend’s life isn’t the only one on the line.
Thursday, November 18, 7 p.m. – Family Story Time. The entire family can participate by listening to stories, singing songs, making crafts and enjoying a snack. The theme of the story time will be announced on the sign-up calendar. (Stories and activities are planned for children 3-7, but older and younger children are also welcomed.) Ages 3-7.
Monday, November 22, 6 p.m. – Screening of the Independent Film “Days & Clouds.” Well-to-do, sophisticated couple, Elsa and Michele, have a 20 year old daughter, Alice, and enough money for Elsa to leave her job and fulfill an old dream of studying art history. After she graduates, however, their lives change. Michele confesses he hasn’t worked in two months and was fired by the company he founded years ago. Elsa overcomes her initial shock by pouring extra energy into facing the crisis while Michele, exhausted by an unsuccessful job hunt, lets himself go, alternating between vivacity and apathy. The growing distance between them eventually leads to a break-up. Only when they apart will they realize that they risk losing their most precious possession: the love that binds them. Italian with English subtitles. Not rated. 115 minutes.
Wednesday, November 24, 11 a.m. – Parent/Tot Together Time. Together Time is for parents and toddlers who have already participated in a previous Parent/Child Workshop, as well as other parents with tots, ages 1,2 and 3. Held in our multipurpose room, parents can enjoy toys, puzzles, books, and an art activity and a closing circle time together, while sharing parenting experiences with each other.
Thursday, November 25 & Saturday, November 27 – CLOSED.
Monday, November 29, 6 p.m. – Screening of “Seven Years in Tibet.” In the autumn of 1939, Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer attempts to climb one of the highest peaks in the Himalayas. He and fellow mountaineer Peter Aufschnaiter are captured by allied forces at the outbreak of World War II and imprisoned in a British camp. They manage to escape and find refuge in the sacred land of Tibet, as they set out on foot across the Himalayas to a land forbidden to foreigners in this epic adventure based on a true story. Rated PG-13. 131 minutes.
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The Big Read Ephrata 2010 Documentary Screening
Contact: Penny Talbert, Community Relations Coordinator
Office: 717-738-9291 ext. 102
ptalbert@ephratapubliclibrary.org
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” To Be Screened as Part of Big Read Ephrata
“It pulses with the suspense and momentum of a sleek thriller — a wily caper flick that just happens to revolve around one of the most crucial chapters in recent American history.” – Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
The Ephrata Public Library will screen “The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” as part of the Big Read Ephrata 2010 on Monday, October 4 at 6 p.m. The screening is free and open to the public.
When in 1971 Daniel Ellsberg leaked a secret Pentagon history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam to the press, the shockwaves it set off may have been due nearly as much to the leaker as to the information leaked. While Americans were painstakingly digesting the documents’ long and byzantine history — which showed the nation’s leaders, both Democratic and Republican, lying about the facts of the war, proclaiming their desire for peace while seeking a wider war, declaring fidelity to democracy while sabotaging elections, and exhibiting a sweeping callousness to the loss of both Vietnamese and American lives — Ellsberg himself dramatically embodied the country’s division over the Vietnam War.
As recounted in “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” nominated for a 2010 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature, Dr. Daniel Ellsberg was one of the few people who even had full access to the papers, to which he himself had contributed. Far from being an outsider, the Harvard-educated former Marine officer had worked hard, and brilliantly, in the view of his superiors, as a Pentagon analyst justifying expanded U.S. military action in Indochina. After The New York Times became the first newspaper to begin publishing “The Pentagon Papers” on June 13, 1971, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger told his staff that Ellsberg was “the most dangerous man in America who must be stopped at all costs.”
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To tell this gripping tale, the filmmakers have assembled a who’s-who of participants in the events surrounding the papers’ publication: Mort Halperin, who supervised the “Vietnam War Study,” as it was originally called, at the Pentagon; Nobel Laureate Thomas Schelling, a fellow analyst at the RAND Corporation, a military think tank; Egil “Bud” Krogh, the Nixon White House aide who directed the “Plumbers Unit” of Watergate infamy; Anthony Russo, another RAND analyst who encouraged Ellsberg’s leak of the study and later faced charges of conspiracy and espionage; John Dean, Nixon’s White House Counsel, who ultimately broke open the Watergate case; The New York Times reporter Hedrick Smith, who wrote some of the first Pentagon Papers stories; the Times’ General Counsel James Goodale, who gave the go-ahead for their publication in the face of more cautious legal views; Leonard Weinglass, Russo’s defense attorney; draft resister Randy Kehler, whose willingness to go to jail to stop the war profoundly affected Ellsberg; Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-CA), who recognized the papers’ importance but didn’t know what to do with them; and Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK), who during a filibuster against the draft finally got the entire 7,000 pages of the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record.
Among the surprises many will find are Nixon’s desire to use nuclear weapons in Vietnam. Another surprise is that even as a civilian analyst, Ellsberg armed himself and went with U.S. soldiers into the field to learn the truth. Most astonishing is just how difficult it was for Ellsberg to get anyone to release the papers once he had leaked them — a difficulty that found him and his wife, Patricia, desperately distributing copies to politicians and news people in the final days before Ellsberg’s arrest. Their hope was that wide distribution would make the papers impossible to ignore and render irrelevant a court injunction against their publication.
“The Most Dangerous Man in America” is a comprehensive look at the release of the Pentagon Papers and the political firestorm that may have sealed Americans’ disenchantment with the war, and which certainly sealed the fate of the Nixon Administration. But the film is also an intensely intimate look into the conscience of a gifted and intelligent man who wrestled personally and professionally with what he came to see as the contradictions between American ideals and American power in Southeast Asia. The story is illuminated with special insight from Ellsberg’s wife of 40 years, Patricia Marx Ellsberg; his son Robert (from a previous marriage), who as a boy helped with the onerous job of photocopying the voluminous papers; historian Howard Zinn, one of a group of radical academics who supported and befriended Ellsberg; and Ghandian peace activist Janaki Tschannerl, who helped Ellsberg work through his transformation from, as newscasts of the day put it, “hawk to dove.”
This screening is a partnership with POV, PBS’ award-winning documentary series. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. For more information about The Big Read Ephrata 2010, visit their website at www.thebigreadephrata.org.
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Lieutenant General Ronald Blanck
Lieut. Gen. Ronald Blanck Returns to Ephrata As Part of The Big Read 2010
Lieutenant General Ronald Blanck (Retired), D.O. will speak about his experiences in Vietnam as part of the Big Read Ephrata 2010. His presentation, “A Battalion Surgeon Remembers…” will take place on September 27 at 6 p.m. at the Ephrata Public Library. The program is free and open to the public.
An Ephrata native, Lieutenant General Ronald R. Blanck (Retired), D.O. began his military career in 1968 as a medical officer and battalion surgeon in Vietnam. He retired 32 years later as a Lieutenant General and Surgeon General of the U.S. Army and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command — with more than 46,000 military personnel and 26,000 civilian employees throughout the world. In his talk, Dr. Blanck will discuss some of the day to day activities in an artillery battalion and compare some of the medical practices then and now.During his distinguished military career, Dr. Blanck also served as commander of Walter Reed Medical Center North Atlantic Region Medical Command and director of professional services and chief of Medical Corps Affairs for the U.S. Army Surgeon General. Other assignments included assistant chief of the General Medicine Service in the Department of Medicine at Walter Reed, assistant dean of student affairs at the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine and chief of the Department of Medicine at Brooke Army Medical Center. His academic credentials include teaching positions at Georgetown University, George Washington University, Howard University School of Medicine, The Uniformed Services University, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of North Texas Health Science Center Dr. Blanck’s military honors include Distinguished Service Medals, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service and Army Commendation Medals.
Dr. Blanck continues to be consulted as an advisor on bioterrorism issues and an expert in preparing the medical community to respond to mass casualty incidents or those involving weapons of mass destruction. In addition to his many speaking engagements and advisory positions, he chairs task forces on bioterrorism for both the Texas Medical Association and the American Osteopathic Association.
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. For more information about this year’s Big Read Ephrata, visit their website at www.thebigreadephrata.org.
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Ephrata Public Library 