Game Day Marathon at Marshall Public Library

Are your children already bored with their new toys? Looking for something to do during the Christmas holiday season? Come to Marshall Public Library and join our game day marathon on Wednesday December 28th from 10:00 – 5:00. We are nearing the end of our four month quest to reach one million minutes of family game time and to celebrate, we will provide M&M candies (Million Minute) for treats. Thanks to the Friends of the Marshall Public Library Organization, we now have new games to play or you can bring your own. Drop in any time or stay all day long.

Winter Dreams Open Mic Night for Teens

Winter Dreams

Because you should, because you want to, because you’ve been waiting for just this chance....

Winter Dreams

Marshall Public Library’s Second Annual Open Mic Night for Teens

Winter Dreams

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 6:00 pm-7:30 pm

Winter Dreams

Relaxed coffee-house atmosphere

Winter Dreams
Be There.

Kath Ann Hendricks, Young Adult Librarian

Grieving During the Holidays

The holidays can be an especially painful time of year for people who are mourning the death of a loved one. Whether the loss occurred over the past year or decades ago, this season can bring renewed or intensified grief.

On December 19 from 1-2 pm, licensed social worker Roberta Wold will present a program at the library on how to survive the holidays after the death of a loved one. This program is free and open to all members of the public.

Amy Campbell, Reference Librarian

Exciting Enhancements to Adult Fiction!

As you may or may not know, the library will be closed from December 12-17. During this time, we will be re-carpeting the first floor of the library, which means removing all the materials from their current locations. As we re-assemble the adult fiction collections you know and love, we will be taking this opportunity to improve the layout.

The adult fiction paperbacks will no longer be shelved by genre (western, mystery, science fiction, romance, etc). Instead, we will be filing all the paperbacks by author, which will allow us to keep all of an author’s titles together. The paperbacks will continue to be labeled with genre stickers for your convenience. Other planned enhancements include placing high demand adult movies (DVD and VHS) in a more prominent spot and providing the growing adult audiobooks collection with some room to expand. Also be on the lookout for the inclusion of a new collection in adult fiction: graphic novels for adult audiences.

As always, library staff members are happy to help you locate the items you are looking for. We thank you for your patience during this transition.

Jamie Bair, Circulation Supervisor

Newspaper Archives Available @ Your Library

History buffs and genealogists alike will enjoy using Access Newspaper Archive, available at Pocatello’s Marshall Public Library. Billions of articles from 5,781 historical newspapers worldwide are included in Access Newspaper Archive. Discover fascinating news in archived newspapers hundreds of years old, including obituaries, birth announcements, sports articles, comics, and more. The newspaper articles are full-page and all are searchable.

This database is available for use in the library using the library’s Internet computers. For more information, call the Reference Department at 232-1263 ext. 21.

Kris Castro, Reference Librarian

December Library Hours

From December 12-17, the library will be closed for replacement of the
first floor carpeting. No materials will be due during those dates. Our
regular outreach programs, including the bookmobile, will continue.
The library will also have shortened hours throughout December and
will be open 10 am-6 pm Monday through Saturday. The shortened
hours will allow library staff to complete projects and attend trainings.
The library will resume its regular hours of 9 am to 9 pm, Monday
through Thursday, and 9 am to 6 pm, Friday and Saturday on Tuesday,
January 3, 2012.

Friends of the Marshall Public Library Booksale

The Friends of the Marshall Public Library will be having their fall book sale November 3rd from 9-9, November 4th from 9-6, and November 5th from 9-2. Stop in and browse the selection of new and used titles available for sale. All proceeds benefit the library!

Bookmobile Hits the Road!

The new bookmobile is on the road! Due to the generosity of our community and continued fundraising efforts over the past three years, Marshall Public Library’s bookmobile is officially launching on Tuesday, October 11, at 6 p.m.

In the midst of celebrating 100 years of public library service in Pocatello in 2007, a survey was mailed out to community members asking them what service they would like to see at the library to kick off the next 100 years. An astounding 82% of those surveyed chose a bookmobile. Although the staff and community were excited about having a bookmobile, the Library didn’t have enough money in the budget to fund the $150,000 project. In stepped community leaders like Vicky Mainzer, Jim Fullerton, and the Friends of the Library. And Nickelmania was born.

Nickelmania was based on the idea that contributors would donate a nickel for every birthday they’d celebrated. This allowed everyone to to contribute during an economically difficult time without feeling a financial pinch.


From the donation and installation of the shelves by Dorsey Hill and H. Everett Curzon and the collection jars donated by Heinz Co to the hundreds of schoolchildren who dug deep into their pockets, making the bookmobile a reality has truly been a community effort. Local talent also supported the cause through donation of their work as shown by Steve Eaton and Mike Sanders’ composition of the fundraiser’s theme song and local artist Ryan Roghaar’s creation of the Nickelmania graphic. And of course the entire project would not have been possible without the supreme generosity shown by Success By Six in helping us to secure a bus so our bookmobile would actually be mobile!

And now, after three long years of effort, the bookmobile is ready to take to the streets. Come celebrate our success at the official launch and open house!

Volunteer Bookmobile Drivers Needed

The Bookmobile is almost ready to roll out. The library already has one volunteer to help us drive the bookmobile around town. We are looking for a few more volunteers who would be willing to help drive a few times each month. Volunteers with RV or truck driving experience are preferred. If you are interested, please contact Kathryn at the library: 232-1263 x28.

Summer Reading @your Library

The Library Summer Reading Program is not just for kids anymore! Yes, there are still fun and exciting activities planned for children, but there is also a reading program for teens, and an enjoyable and rewarding opportunity for adults as well. Registration is required for each program. Registration begins on June 6, 2011.

The theme of the adult program is Novel Destinations. Each participant will receive a passport to keep track of reading to mark off reading challenges. The Teen program, You Are Here, is specially targeted for reading fun for young adults. There will be such activities as international food fiestas, movie days, prizes, and more. Anyone entering seventh grade through high school can participate.

For the children ages birth through twelve, there is an especially exciting program: One World, Many Stories. Children will receive an age-appropriate list of activities. After finishing ten of these activities, they will receive a prize. Ten more activities completed will earn another prize. In addition, there will be daily events at the library including stories on Monday afternoons for all ages, movies on Tuesdays, visits to area parks on Wednesdays with the Book Wagon, Art Institute on Thursdays, and Multicultural Fridays. Come to the library, and get the whole family involved!

Summer Book Wagon Schedule

June 8 and 29, July 20, August 10

Bicentennial Park 11:00-12:00
Hawthorne Park 12:15-1:00
OK Ward Park 1:15-1:45


June 15, July 7, July 27

Caldwell Park 11:00-12:00
Alameda Park 12:15-1:00
Scardino Park 1:15-1:45
Gate City School 2:00-2:30


June 22, July 13, August 3

Upper Ross Park 11:00-12:00
Raymond Park 12:15-1:00
Fremont Park 1:15-1:45
Indian Hills School 2:00-2:30

Knitting @your Library

Grab your knitting needles and your yarn for World Wide Knit in Public Week. People all over the world will be knitting together June 11 through June 19. World Wide Knit in Public Day was started in 2005. Over the years there have been events held in Australia, China, England, Finland, France, Ireland, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, the United States, and many more countries.

As part of the Adult Summer Reading Program "Novel Destinations," Marshall Public Library will be participating on Thursday, June 16 at 6:00 in the kids' corner. This program is open to all ages and skill levels. The evening is not just for knitters; other yarn projects are welcome too. FOr more information about Knit in Public Day/Week, go to www.kipday.com.

Becky Hadley, Readers Advisor

Legos, Camping, and Philippines on Display

This month was an exciting month for displays upstairs in non-fiction! We have gathered together a book display that focuses on camping for the summer months ahead.

This month's Read Around the World case is focussing on the Philippines. Come see the many beautiful items on dipslay from this wonderful country.

For those Lego lovers everywhere, we have two display cases filled with hundreds and hundreds of Legos. Come play the Lego Search and Find Game. While you are reminiscing of childhood days, make a guess as to how many Legos are actually in the cases. In celebration of the summer reading program, the winner will receive a Lego set of a famous U.S. landmark.

Caralee Workman, Reference Librarian

Babysitting Clinic June 8 and 9

We are now accepting registration for our annual Babysitting Clinic to
be held Wednesday and Thursday, June 8 and 9 from 9:00am to noon. You
must attend both sessions and may register on our on-line calendar @
www.marshallpl.org This program is open to youth 11-14 years of age and
space is limited, so don't delay!

Meet the New Bookmobile @Your Library!

After more than a year's worth of planning, collecting donations, sending a green bookworm to slither into classrooms and march in the Homecoming Parade, and carefully negotiating, Pocatello's Marshall Public Library has acquired a beautiful new bookmobile for the community.


We have yet to set the route and finish all the details pertaining to the service, but we can now proudly announce: WE HAVE A BOOKMOBILE! It would never have been possible without the generosity and dedication of many, many people. By far the majority of the funds used to purchase the vehicle came from school children. School District 25 graciously allowed us to go into the schools and explain both our vision and our need. The response was overwhelming and heartwarming. The best part is that school-age children will be some of the greatest beneficiaries of the bookmobile service, and those children are the ones who have made it possible for the purchase to take place.


So, to show our gratitude and to present this beautiful bookmobile to the community, we are having a party! Please come to the Marshall Public Library on Wednesday, April 13, anytime from 4pm to 7pm to see the new bookmobile, walk inside it, enjoy cookies and punch, and help us celebrate. Everyone is invited. It will be a wonderful event, the culmination of a lot of planning, a lot of giving, and a lot of community participation. This is Pocatello's Bookmobile--come and get acquainted!


Kathryn Poulter, Children's Librarian

Celebrate National Library Week @Your Library

National Library Week is April 10-16. Join Pocatello's Marshall Public Library on Saturday, April 16, at 10:30am to celebrate your story by creating a fun mobile. You bring in 2-4 pictures (4"x6" or smaller, please) and the library will provide supplies to make a mobile to journal about and display your pictures. This is a family-friendly craft and registration is not required.

You may also sign-up during National Library Week to participate in the library's Earth Day Challenge. Pick up your challenge card to find out how you can be more "Earth-Friendly." Complete ten of the tasks and bring the card back on April 22 to receive an Earth Day prize! All ages are welcome to participate.

Jamie Bunn, Circulation Librarian

Celebrate Poetry @Your Library

In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Marshall Public Library is hosting its eleventh annual Poetry Wall. The wall, on the second floor by the Reference Desk, displays poetry from local poets. If you would like to add your poem to the wall, just drop off a copy at the Reference Desk.

The celebration will continue toward the end of the month with the airing of Bill Moyers's documentary "Fooling with Words" on Saturday, April 23, at 2pm. The film explores the vitality and diversity of contemporary poetry through intimate interviews and performance readings at North America's largest poetry festival. The library will give away a copy of the DVD after the showing. This movie is free and open to the public. And there will be popcorn!


Amy Campbell, Reference Librarian

No Children's Storyhours in April

There will be no children's storyhours at the library this month. All of the first grade classes in School District 25 visit the library for tours and to get a library card in April.


Storyhours resume regular times in May.

The Memory Chalet by Tony Judt

Tony Judt was a historian whose speciality was the twentieth century after World War II. He was renowned particularly for the book Postwar. He died in August 2010. Some years before he died, he was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), a nervous system disorder characterized by the progressive loss of muscular control. Over time, ALS sufferes lose the ability to walk, use their hands, speak, and, ultimately, breathe. There is no accompanying deterioration of consciousness. Patients become trapped in their own bodies.


That this happened to Tony Judt is essential to understanding his book The Memory Chalet, but the book is not primarily about his experience with the disease. Judt had to develop coping mechanisms to take him out of the confines of his incapacitation when he was lying alone in his bed at night, mostly as a means of enabling him to sleep. His method was to go on travels through his memories. The following day he would dictate his thoughts generated by these experiences. This is a wonderful book.

John Bickelhaupt, Reference Librarian

A Tea-rific Program!

Over 200 princesses, princes, knights, dragons, and their lords and ladies-in-waiting graced the library with their presence at our Princess Tea Party on Saturday, February 12th! Following a Princess Parade around the library, we enjoyed crafting some royal attire, which included crowns, scepters, and jewel necklaces. Once we were properly outfitted, we attended a royal tea complete with mini-cupcakes, dainty tea sandwiches, and princess punch! Everyone looked amazing for this fabulous program! Thank you to the staff for all your hard work and many thanks to all our attendees for your energy and enthusiasm.

Check out the youth services calendar for future events!

Jamie Bunn, Circulation Librarian

Book Group Learns New Skill

In February, the Wednesday book group discussed the book Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas. The main character in the book is a quilter in a mining town. To get into the spirit of the book, the book group learned how to tie a quilt. Each of them quilted as they talked about the book and also learned the history behind the quilt squares that had been passed down and given to a member of the group. This member also shared the story behind some of the 50-year-old squares that had been made from her relatives' shirts, dresses, and aprons.

This group reads a variety of books. Some of the favorite books they have discussed over the past five years include Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, Poison Study by Maria Snyder, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, and The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

The Marshall Public Library has four book discussion groups for adults that meet each month. The current titles and meeting times are listed in the newsletter or you may call the reader advisory desk at 232-1263 ext. 41. Feel free to drop by and join a discussion.

Becky Hadley, Reader's Advisor

Read This Book! America's First Clash with Iran

This little-remembered chapter in our relations with Iran deserves far more attention than it has received. Author Allen Zatarain's book does an acceptable job of explaining the historical background that resulted in the United States providing escort to shipping in the Persian Gulf during the later phases of the Iran-Iraq war. He provides a narrative of the most serious confrontations between the United States and Iran. American policy had to walk a fine line between compelling Iran to leave shipping alone and preventing confrontations with them from escalating into a full-scale war.

One of the closing events of the conflict, the downing of an Iranian civilian airline by the USS Vincennes, an Aegis-class missile frigate, is dealt with in considerable detail.

America's First Clash with Iran is available for checkout at the Marshall Public Library.

John Bickelhaupt, Reference Librarian

Email Notification is Now Available

The library is now able to email notifications of overdue books and holds. In order to receive these notifications ask at the circulation desk. Provide your email address and we'll let you know when your books are overdue and when the books you have requested are available to be picked up. And don't worry, that's the only way we'll use your email address.

Library Welcomes New Director, Eric Suess

On February 9, 2011, the Marshall Public Library will host a meet & greet for its new director, Eric Suess (pronounced Cease).
Patrons and the general public are invited to attend, ask questions and enjoy light refreshments between 5:00 and 7:00PM.

On January 9, 2011, the Marshall Public Library Board of Directors unanimously voted in the Notre Dame graduate to help move the library forward, as he did so in the past thirteen years in Michigan, five years as Director of the Commerce Township Community Library in Township, Michigan.
Eric was not only successful in building and maintaining relationships with local Friends, Library Board and Township officials, but also created Township Michigan’s first community public library. That library today still consistently posts statistics that match with libraries serving much larger communities and with much bigger staffs and resources.
Eric is a bright, level-headed and passionate individual, and is very happy to be here with his family in Pocatello. Eric will reside with his wife Karen, and their 17 year old son Aaron who will be attending Century High School. Their daughter Sarah, who is completing her BA in Education, will stay in Michigan after she graduates.
Eric holds a BA in Government and English, and a non-degree program in Theology from the University of Notre Dame, a MS in Library Science and PhD studies in Information & Library Studies from the University of Michigan.
In addition to his love for the theater, Eric is an active member of the National Puzzlers League and a frequent contributor to their monthly publication.

Literally Talented Teens Kick Off New Year

Literally Talented Teens kicked off 2011 with their first meeting in mid-January at Pocatello's Marshall Public Library.

Members of the creative writing group meet every other Thursday to share their original poetry and prose fiction and to discuss the unique joys and challenges of being a teen writer. The next meeting of this fun and supportive group is on January 27 at 4pm.

For more information on Literally Talented Teens, please drop in for one of their meetings or call Amy Campbell at the library at 232-1263 ext. 21.

Kids' Writing Group "Write On" Continues into 2011

Write On, the kids' creative writing group of Pocatello's Marshall Public Library, began their second year this January.

Young poets, novelists, journalists and scribes of all types attend the meetings to read their writing and discuss the writing process. If you're between the ages of 9 and 12 and like to write, please join us to share your creative work in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

Write On Meets every Monday at 4pm at the library. For more information on this great opportunity for kids to explore their creativity through writing, please come to one of the meetings or call Amy Campbell at the library at 232-1263 ext. 21.

The Trouble with Harry Airs at Library

So what exactly is the trouble with Harry? Well, he's dead. And no one seems to mind that very much but they all think that they're responsible.

Join us on Saturday, January 15 at 2pm for this delightful comedic romp from master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock.

If you would like more information, please call Amy at 232-1263 ext. 21. This movie is free and open to the public. There will also be free popcorn!

Email Classes

The Marshall Public Library will begin offering free email classes in January. These classes are for people who already have some knowledge of the computer and who would like assistance in setting up an email account.

From job applications to shopping online to using customer service, more and more online interactions require that people have email addresses to access information. But setting up an email account can be a frustrating and time-consuming process. If you would like assistance with this, please register for one of the Friday classes at the library.

The classes are free and open to the public. Seating is very limited, however, so please register beforehand. You may register by calling the library at 232-1263 ext. 21 or by stopping by the Reference Desk on the second floor. Please contact John or Amy at the library for more information.

Amy Campbell, Reference Librarian

LearningExpress Library

One of the most potentially valuable resources available to library patrons is the LearningExpress Library which can be accessed online through www.lili.org. The Learning Express Library consists of links to a number of learning centers targeted to different users. Here is a list of the top level links:

1. Elementary School
2. Middle School
3. High School
4. College Preparation
5. College Students
6. Computer Skills
7. GED preparation
8. Job Search and Workplace Skills
9. Jobs and Careers
10. Skill Building for Adults
11. U.S. Citizenship
12. Resources para Hispanohablantes

A user can select a tutorial from among those available under each of these categories. For example, under the Computer Skills link are tutorials for Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Access and for Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Users may access the courses over the Internet. They do not need to be at the library to make use of these services and they don't need passwords.

If you have any questions about using the LearningExpress Library, just ask one of the reference librarians.

John Bickelhaupt, Reference Librarian

GED Roundtable Discussion at the Library

Angela Davis from the Southeast Idaho Community Action Agency (SEICAA) and Margaret Jacobs from Idaho State University Adult Basic Education will lead a GED roundtable discussion at the library on January 18 at 7pm. This discussion is for people who are interested in earning or who are currently earning their GEDs and who want to learn more about the local resources available to them.

Angela and Margaret will answer all your questions and help you start toward your GED goals. For more information on this program, please call Amy at the library at 232-1263 ext. 21.

Amy Campbell, Reference Librarian

The Heart of the Library

Most people figure that books are the heart of the library, but the staff and board know that at the Marshall Public Library, the heart of the library can be found in the quiet, humble, caring woman known as Jolene Hottel. For 28 years, Jolene has been quietly and efficiently keeping the library together, making it shine, and helping on many more levels than her job description would suggest.

Working Monday through Saturday and probably far more than 40 hours every week, Jolene has worked behind the scenes to make the library a warm, clean, and inviting place to visit. For the staff, her sensible wisdom has brought peace to difficult situations and practical help in everyday matters.

Twenty-eight years ago, Jolene would never have imagined how quickly the decades would have flown by. During her time at the library she raised her family, saw staff members come and go, always kept the library clean and running smoothly. But now Jolene has retired. Her last day of work was on the last day of 2010. Like a bird on a branch turning its head back to look behind, Jolene can only glance behind and wonder where it all went. Well, the days and months and years of hard work to make the library sparkle may be behind her, but the loving influence Jolene had on everyone she came into contact with will endure. Happy retirement, Jolene, you'll always be the heart of the library to us!

Kathryn Poulter, Children's Librarian