CHECK IT OUT:Shelves full of blessings

Nov. 19, 2006 12 AM PT

Thanksgiving. It is a holiday that everyone in America can enjoy. It is a warm and welcoming time when we gather with family and friends and, generally, make pigs of ourselves.

Other traditions include at least one run-in with a daffy relative and a scramble to make leftover turkey sandwiches at half time.

Speaking of which, it is also the day for watching the traditional Detroit Lions football game (plus two others) making it an NFL feast as well. Why the Lions? Back in 1934, Lions owner G.A. Richards scheduled the first NFL game on a Thanksgiving Day, and the tradition has stuck for 72 years. One supposes that if there were an Albuquerque Turkeys team, things might be different. As it is, we watch the Lions.

Most of us already have an abundance of food, family, companions, television and sporting events to be thankful for, along with our own personal list of blessings, but a blessing we can all share is our free, public, circulating library.

Though paid for with taxes and individual donations, the library is free for anyone to use. And virtually all of the materials owned by the library are given to any member who wishes to take them home. (And then bring them back to share with others. Fines are not a blessing.)

It’s a simple concept. And it is a necessity for a free society.

But this is the 21st century and our Pilgrim forefathers could have had no concept of what a library contains in 2006.

So here is a list of library blessings that we often take for granted, but they are blessings nonetheless.

Books — reference books (like encyclopedias that do not check out but may be used by everyone), fiction books, informational books, picture books, children’s books, biographies, bestsellers and classics. Plus interlibrary loan services to obtain books from other libraries.

Books to listen to — books on CD, books on tape, iPods already downloaded with a bestseller.

Books to download — to your home, school, or office computer or mp3 player.

Movies to watch — entertainment films, foreign films, children’s films, documentaries, how-to films, biographies, and travelogues.

Music to play — classical, jazz, rock, world music, country, soundtracks, operas and Broadway shows.

Magazines and newspapers — dailies, weeklies, monthlies, quarterlies, everything from the Daily Pilot to Cat Fancy, Foreign Affairs to Road and Track.

Databases — business and investment information, magazine and newspaper articles, literary analysis, reader’s advisory, biographies, homework help, art and music facts and illustrations, personal forms, atlases, and more all accessible at the library or from home, school, or office.

Online catalog — to search for items from home, office or school and to place holds on items to be picked up at the library branch of choice.

Community programs — speakers, seminars, musicales, monthly book discussion groups, art displays and room rentals.

Computers and laptops and Wi-Fi access — Internet access to e-mail, websites, word processing, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Paint.

No-fee computer training — computer classes on specific topics such as investments or eBay and one-on-one tutorials.

Reference services — individual help (available in person, on the phone, or online) with locating information and answering questions including what to read next and guidance on in-depth research projects.

Children’s and young adult services — reference services, books, tapes, music, movies, story times, crafts, entertainment programs, homework help and parental training.

Volunteer opportunities — for adults and teens.

Literacy services — opportunities to tutor or to learn better English reading and writing skills.

Professional staff — pages, clerks, technicians and librarians who are dedicated to making this great gift fulfilling and enjoyable.

That’s a lot of blessings. Blessings that are available to young and old, rich and poor, Republicans and Democrats, people of all races and all religions, those educated and those learning — in short, blessings available to all living here in America.

Who cannot be grateful for this bounty of free entertainment and education?

is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. This week’s column is by Sara Barnicle. The catalog can be accessed at www.newportbeach library.org. For more information, call the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.

CHECK IT OUT

CHECK IT OUT:Shelves full of blessings

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