New Books . . . not so simple

Most people don't realize how much work goes into getting a new book on a library shelf so that people can check it out.

Once a book is selected and purchased, it begins a journey through electronic cataloging, stamping, labeling, pocketing, and covering that takes quite a lot of time and expertise.

This year, I've had some expert help, especially when it comes to covering paperbacks. This involves wrapping an acid-free contact paper around the book as if it was a package. It takes some skill to cover a paperback without leaving a bunch of unsightly air holes. Here's a picture of someone who is an expert. Ruby has covered a lot of books this year, and she claims to actually enjoy doing it! Thanks, Ruby!

Meet the Bloggers: Blues

"Blues" is a sophomore at Midland.

She loves to watch cheesy chick-flicks in her free time and to spend some time with friends and family!

Her favorite book is Prep and The Man of My Dreams, which are realistic novels by Curtis Sittenfeld.

Why PaperCuts?

When I was thinking about what to do to celebrate National Library Week, which isn't much of a to-do outside of the world of librarians, I thought that what I really wanted to do was find some way for Midland students who read a lot, and I do mean a lot, to publish their thoughts about the books they're reading. A blog where we could post reviews, photos, and videos all year long seemed perfect.

Before posting anything, I had to find some catchy name for our blog. (Google won't let you set up a blog without a name!) As soon as I was put on the spot, naturally, I couldn't think of anything at all interesting. So, I called my husband, who has an uncanny talent for such things. The first thing out of his mouth was PaperCuts. I loved it, but I didn't want his head to swell too much, so I consulted a few other folks, who had really great ideas like GreenZine and IQCompost. All good, but I just couldn't get PaperCuts out of my head.

Why PaperCuts? It's so perfect because at Midland we are truly committed to sustainable living. Our students learn from the moment they step onto our campus that we are all stewards of the land, and that with that stewardship comes a certain responsibility. We are 15% solar powered, and our solar arrays are installed by students. And we are particularly passionate about limiting waste and recycling. (Click here to learn more about us.)

That's where PaperCuts comes in. Sure, electronic book reviews cut down on paper, but the real message is recycling. Libraries are the ultimate recyclers. We have been from the first idea of a free, public lending library. One book read over and over and over by scads and scads of people. Saves loads and loads of trees. . . PaperCuts.

Oh sure, PaperCuts, original name? No. A little Google searching (sorry, I still can't accept "googling" as a verb) shows that many others have fancied the name Paper Cuts as well, most notably The New York Times, which is blogging about "books and other printed matter." Many other libraries are blogging under the name Papercuts, and a company in Canada calling itself Paper Cuts will come to your business and professionally shred all of your paper and haul it off for recycling.

But we'll keep PaperCuts and our original twist on the name. It's perfect for Midland and the way we live and read.

Meet the Bloggers: "SomethingShiny"

ShinyStuff is a freshman at Midland. In her spare time (which she has a lot of) she enjoys sitting in hammocks, reading, horseback riding, and theatre.

Her favorite books include The Unbearable Lightness of Being, the Twilight Series, Brothers Grimm, Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, Drowning Wednesday, The Secret Life of Bees, the Sabriel Series, and Cyrano De Bergerac.

This is a very small list that will be edited daily!

Midnight Sun: Twilight from Edward's POV

OK, so we might be a bit preoccupied with the Twilight series around here. Really, we do read other things, and we will tell you about them--eventually--, but, for now, back to Stephenie Meyer.

The library received two copies of her new SciFi book The Host last week. Both copies were reserved before they even arrived. We processed them and checked them out in record time. Now we're waiting for them to come back to hear reviews from our first two readers. It's taking a bit longer because of that pesky World Studies paper, but that's over now, so we're sure to hear about The Host soon. If you've read it, we'd love to hear from you, but please, don't spoil it for us.

In the meantime, there are a few people who've said they find it hard to think about a brand new series when we still haven't finished with Bella and Edward. If you're of like mind, here's some reading candy for you all. Meyer has been working on a novel called Midnight Sun that is Twilight told from Edward's point of view. If you click here, you can read the first chapter, which she has posted on her web site. I've just finished reading it, and I'm looking forward to reading the entire thing asap.

Meet the Bloggers: Demon Hunter

"Demon Hunter" is a freshman at Midland School.

In his valuable spare minutes, he enjoys surfing the bottomless internet and snaring the most interesting fiction book he can find, while juggling everything else along with it.

Meet the Bloggers: "Nightwalker"

"NightWalker" is a sophomore at Midland. In the free time she doesn't have she enjoys: acting, reading, singing, dancing, jumping roofs, and breaking things of value.

Her very favorite books include: the Twilight Series, the Gemma Doyle Series, anything by Shakespeare, Interview With a Vampire, Cyrano De Bergerac, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Where the Wild Things Are.

She would list more but it would take up the entire page. . . .