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RPL Plans Events for The Big Read in February
Rowan Public Library will be a partner with Livingstone College in their upcoming Big Read. The National Endowment for the Arts recently announced that Livingstone will receive a grant to support their proposal for The Big Read. Events surrounding Ernest Gaines' novel A Lesson Before Dying will take place primarily in February.
 RPL will receive books, reader’s guides and study materials as part of the grant and will host several events at library branches.
At Headquarters at 7:00 p.m. on February Mondays guest speakers and staff members will lead book discussions. An African-American Film Series will take place each Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. The Emmy Award-winning film version of A Lesson Before Dying will be shown February 5. Popcorn and lemonade will be provided.
From 12:00-1:00 p.m. each Wednesday, there will be brown-bag lunch book discussions. Drinks and dessert will be provided.
On Monday, February 18 there will be a related story time and program for younger readers at 10:30 a.m. in the Children’s Room at Headquarters. Max Found Two Sticks by Brian Pinkney will be the featured story.
East Branch and South Regional libraries will also have programs during The Big Read.
Livingstone College invites everyone to its kickoff event for The Big Read on Sunday afternoon, February 17 at the college.
Watch for more details in next month’s newsletter and on RPL’s website, as they become available.
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 at RPL, contact Melody Moxley at 704-216-8230. At Livingstone College, contact Ms. Donnie Jefferson at the Department of Academic Affairs, 704-216-6195 or djefferson@Livingstone.edu.
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 Ernest Gaines’ 1993 novel A Lesson before Dying is the story of the relationship between two young black men in a rural community in Cajun southern Louisiana in the 1940s.
Jefferson, an uneducated field worker, plans to go fishing but instead gets involved in a liquor store robbery and shooting. The only survivor, he is wrongly accused of murder. He is tried, convicted and condemned to death. His own defense lawyer treats him as less than a man.
Grant, the college educated schoolteacher at the local plantation school for black children, debates whether to move north or west in search of greater personal opportunities. Jefferson’s godmother and Grant’s aunt plead with him to visit Jefferson on death row to teach him dignity and how to die like a man. The two men finally bond and both learn lessons about justice and redemption.
The book is powerful and moving as Gaines looks into the hearts and lives of black and white members of this community. He explores many aspects of racial and class divides of that time, portrays strong characters, gives a vivid sense of place, and looks at the role of the black church of that day.
The book received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and was also an Oprah’s Book Club selection.
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Friends of RPL Honor Children’s Bookmark Contest Winners
Emily Sherrill's first place entry, 10-12 age group
The 2007 Rowan Public Library Bookmark Contest was a huge success, with 315 students in three age categories entering some of the best designs ever. First, second, and third place winners were honored at the recognition party held in December at Rowan Public Library.
The annual contest is held to celebrate Children’s Book Week. First place winners received $25 gift certificates to the Literary Book Post, plus gift certificates to Chick-fil-A, Wink’s Barbecue and Seafood, and Cold Stone Creamery. Their bookmarks will be printed and distributed throughout the library system.
Second and third place winners received $15 and $10 gift certificates to the Literary Book Post and gift certificates to Chick-fil-A.
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Winners in the 4 – 6 age group are: Eric Turnbull, first place; Ada Wong, second place; and Shawn Chance, third place.
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Winners in the 7 – 9 age group are: Angela Haynes, first place; Hailee Buffet, second place; and Rachel Young, third place.
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Winners in the 10 –12 age group are: Emily Sherrill, first place; Destinee Beavers, second place; and Janey Eagle, third place.
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Thank you to our contestants, our sponsors, and especially to the Friends of Rowan Public Library, whose support made the contest possible.
 
Winning Entries: Left -- Eric Turnbull, 4-6 age group; Right-- Angela Haynes, 7-9 age group
January Film Series Celebrates Chinese New Year
Join us at RPL’s Stanback Room at the Headquarters in Salisbury for Chinese movies in January. Please note the earlier time this month.
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The Road Home January 8, 6:30 p.m.
Beautifully filmed, The Road Home is a simple touching and tender love story.
 City businessman Luo Yusheng returns to his home village in North China for the funeral of his father, the village teacher. He finds his elderly mother insisting that all traditional burial customs be observed, despite that fact that times have changed so much.
His father, Luo Changyu, came to the village as the new teacher and soon fell in love with Zhao Di, considered the prettiest of local girls. But their developing romance was curtailed when Changyu was ordered back to the city for obscure political "mistakes", and the would-be lovers were kept apart for more than two years. When finally reunited, they married and never separated again.
Yusheng realizes that his mother’s wishes for the funeral must be respected. He also symbolically honors his father’s dearest wish by spending one day teaching in the village school.
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To Live January 15, 6:30 p.m.
When the irresponsible Xu Fugui loses his family's fortune during a gambling spree, he causes his loved ones incredible hardship. Fugui's father dies from a heart attack upon hearing the news, and his pregnant wife abandons him.
Unable to put bread on the table, even for himself, Fugui works as a street vendor, until the local loan shark gives him his old shadow puppets. Soon, Fugui masters the art of puppetry, which increases his paltry income -- but also serves as propaganda for the imminent Communist Revolution.
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Raise the Red Lantern January 22, 6:30 p.m.
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When a beautiful young woman is selected to serve as concubine to an affluent man, she sadly accepts -- knowing that she has no other alternative to survive financially. Her fate, however, turns from bad to worse when her master's other wives, all older and not as attractive, callously alienate the newcomer due to their sexual jealousy.
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Fearless, January 29, 6:30 p.m.
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Jet Li's Fearless reunites the actor and martial arts superstar with producer Bill Kong (Hero) and action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (Unleashed) as he portrays martial arts legend Huo Yuanjia, who became the most famous fighter in all of China at the turn of the 20th Century. Huo faced incredible personal tragedy but ultimately fought his way out of darkness and into history, forever defining the true spirit of martial arts. His self-discovery, and the choices he made, inspired his nation.
Film descriptions from rottentomatoes.com
Computer Classes January 2008
Headquarters
(707-216-8243)
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Microsoft PowerPoint Part 1 Thursday, January 3, 1:30 p.m. — 3:00 p.m. |
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Microsoft Word Part 1 Monday, January 7, 7:00 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.
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Microsoft PowerPoint Part 2 Thursday, January 10, 1:30 p.m. — 3:00 p.m.
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Microsoft Word Part 2 Monday, January 14, 7:00 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.
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NCLive Resource: Encyclopedia Britannica Thursday, January 17, 1:30 p.m. — 3:00 p.m.
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NCLive Resource: Health Information Thursday, January 24, 1:30 p.m. — 3:00 p.m.
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South Rowan Regional Library (704-216-7737)
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Basic Powerpoint Monday, January 7, 7:00 p.m. — 8:30 p.m. |
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Basic Word Thursday, January 17 , 11:00 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.
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Digital Photography - Part Two Monday, January 28, 7:00 p.m.— 8:30 p.m.
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(Dates and times subject to change. Please call location to confirm.)
January is a great time to become a Friend of Rowan Public Library or renew your membership. Friends of RPL memberships run from January 1 through December 31 of each year.
Gifts That Keep On Giving @ RPL
Did You Know?
Rowan Public Library appreciates your gifts and will purchase materials for the library that can be enjoyed by our community for years to come.
RPL Foundation Endowments support library programs and materials. Share your success with a permanent endowment of $1000 or more. Call Pam Nance at 704-216-8231.
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