Poetry Contest

Thanks to all who entered our poetry contest. There were many amazing and excellent poems submitted. The winning entry was submitted by Amber Hill.

Amber won a gift basket and will get to help create her own READ poster.

Amber's poem appears below:




Lying in bed with the dark and the cold
by Amber Hill

Lying in bed, with the dark and the cold,
Fighting off the dreams passing through my mind
Seeing moon light upon the empty fold.

Remembering time past and days of old,
The passing since, to me, has not been kind;
Lying in bed, with the dark and the cold.

Many things said, many things yet untold,
Small and fleeting thoughts which prove to remind,
Seeing moon light upon the empty fold.

Your companionship valued more than gold,
But now, you are gone, and me, left behind
Lying in bed, with the dark and the cold.

Bitter feelings, in my heart, taking hold,
Yet fond memories become more refined
Seeing moon light upon the empty fold.

My soul filled with a great, yet controlled
Inner aching, foreign and undefined,
Lying in bed, with the dark and the cold,
Seeing moon light upon the empty fold.

Sesquicentennial Quilt

A beautiful quilt created by the 13 members of the Crown of Maine Quilters is on display in the library this month. It took the quilting group 3 months to complete this quilt.

Lavone Walters from the quilting group stopped by the library and provided a description (below) of each of the quilt panels.

Crown of Maine Quilters:
Members - Lona Cyr, Lois Griffin, LaVone Walters, Cathy Shaw, Theresa Good, Judy Green, Carla Catlett, Kay Crary, Deidre McMahon, Chris Murphy, Barbara Rouse, Lori Shaw, Lucinda Jacobs

Description from LaVone Walters:

This quilt was made by 13 members of the Crown of Maine Quilters. All blocks represent places in Presque Isle and Maine. On the top row we have two pine trees (Maine in the Pine Tree State). The center is the emblem chosen by the City of Presque Isle for the 150 year celebration.

Row 1 :
The bear - Maine black bear
Potato basket - The potato industry as it used to be in Maine
Preble Hall - Represents the University of Maine College system.
Balloon site - site of the first successful Trans-Atlantic balloon crossing made in 1981 and landed in France. We held our 25th anniversary celebration on August 17, 2003.
Railroad station - Represents travel by rail and for many years the only way of shipping potatoes from Aroostook County.
Chickadee - Maine state bird.

Center Star - according to one of our quilting books this is the Maine state star - Presque Isle is the Star City and the city's colors are blue and white.

The four corners represent some of the following Maine sports: Upper left = camping, upper right = baseball, lower left = hockey, lower right = hunting and fishing.

Row 2
Winter Sports Center represents Aroostook State Park, Quoggy Joe, and Nordic Heritage Center
Post Office - Presque Isle Post Office
Communication towers represents the radio and television towers
Church represents all the churches in the area

Row 3
Barn represents the agricultural way of life in the area.
Airport - became the Presque Isle airport after the Presque Isle air base closed.
School House - represents the one room school houses of many years ago.
Hospital - this building represents all the local health care.

Row 4
Moose represents the wildlife in Maine
Library is the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library
Fair grounds - Northern Maine Fair
Fire Station - Old fire station the way it looked so many years ago
Fiddleheads - spring delicacy of Maine
Deer - white tail deer, more of the wildlife in Maine
Bottom - Landscape from Chapman Road looking at Haystack Mountain in the center.

Quilt Display Schedule:

April / NMCC
May / Presque Isle Middle School
June / Presque Isle Airport
July / City Hall
August / Presque Isle Historical Society
September / University of Maine Presque Isle
October / Chamber of Commerce
November / Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library
December / Police Station

Adventures with Ari by Kathryn Miles

We just received our copy of Adventures with Ari. I started reading it immediately and took it home with me to read over the weekend.

The author, Kathyrn Miles, is an associate professor and director of the writing at Unity College in Maine. She teaches in the Environmental Writing program.

The cover describes the book best: a puppy a leash & our year outdoors.

Read more about the book at Kate's blog.

The mosting exciting news about this new book is that the author will be at the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library in Presque Isle on Saturday, April 25th at 1pm. Ari will be there too!

Architectural history class student project

You must see this amazing student project completed by NMCC student Kris Bouchard for his architectural history course with NMCC instructor Laura McPherson.

Kris did a wonderful job creating a working Roman aqueduct. It is on display in the library.

View the aqueduct here if you can't make it to the library.

For his next project, Kris is working on a Mayan pyramid.

Quilt on display in the library

Stop by to see the beautiful quilt made to celebrate Presque Isle's Sesquicentennial.



Details about the quilt and the makers to follow.

Come and Read It

We have the book on our shelves so stop by and pick up a copy and read Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Research in the digital age

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”

Albert Einstein

How do you approach the beginning of your research for a paper, presentation, speech, or special project? Where do you begin, where are you in the middle, and how does it all come together in the end? At first, research may seen frustrating, complex, and unruly. Once you gain confidence in searching and using the tools at hand, it becomes easy, natural, and the process actually makes sense.

Our goal at the library is to help you make sense of the research process. We can show you where to look, how to effectively search for information, and how to evaluate and sift through the information you locate. Research is a fluid process with a beginning, middle, and end. One bit of information can lead to another and so on.

Take a minute and look at The Student Discussion Groups video on YouTube.

Web search strategies in plain English (Common Craft).

An important part of the research process is learning to become and "information literate" person.

The Association of College and Research Libraries (a division of the American Library Association) offers the following definition of Information Literacy:

Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." 1 Information literacy also is increasingly important in the contemporary environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources. Because of the escalating complexity of this environment, individuals are faced with diverse, abundant information choices--in their academic studies, in the workplace, and in their personal lives. Information is available through libraries, community resources, special interest organizations, media, and the Internet--and increasingly, information comes to individuals in unfiltered formats, raising questions about its authenticity, validity, and reliability. In addition, information is available through multiple media, including graphical, aural, and textual, and these pose new challenges for individuals in evaluating and understanding it. The uncertain quality and expanding quantity of information pose large challenges for society. The sheer abundance of information will not in itself create a more informed citizenry without a complementary cluster of abilities necessary to use information effectively.

Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning. An information literate individual is able to:

* Determine the extent of information needed
* Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
* Evaluate information and its sources critically
* Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
* Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
* Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally

How can we all be more green?

Earth Day is this Wednesday, April 22nd. Every year I promise myself I'll do something to be more green and each year I try to add at least one new way to move toward a greener lifestyle.

I recycle, use a clothesline, take shorter showers..... You get the idea.
This year I want to learn how to compost for the garden and I'll be thinking of ways in which the library can become more green.

Here are a few good sites to get you started:

Culver City has some great ideas on how to be more green.

Green Guide for everyday living.

Nature Conservancy Carbon Footprint Calculator

Green Product Checklist

Earth Day History

We have many new books in the library with some great ideas on how we can all make changes at work and at home to become a bit more green. Stop by and see if there is something of interest to you.

Join us on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22nd at noon and hear two NMCC instructors talk about their areas of expertise: Wayne Kilcollins / Wind Technology and Pam Buck / Green Building Design.

It will be interesting, fun, and you'll learn a lot. Can't think of a better way to spend Earth Day!

See you on the 22nd at noon in the library.

Creative Writers Series

If you missed the first two writers series held in April, you have one more chance to attend the final part of the series on Thursday, April 23rd at noon in the library. Come and hear some great works read by wonderful writers.

Presque Isle's 150th Birthday Party

If you missed the party on April 4th on the Northern Maine Community College campus, you can view some photos from the celebration.

View Photos

Wonderful events are taking place throughout the year to celebrate the 150th birthday of our city.

Events will be advertised in the Star Herald, at the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library, Chamber of Commerce, and Presque Isle Historical Society.

International Energy Agency

For those working on reports dealing with energy issues, you might want to take a look at the International Energy Agency site.

There are many useful reports on this site. For example, Key World Energy Statistics, Renewable Energy Essentials: Wind.

Walking Tours of Historic Presque Isle

Eight people met at the Vera Estey House in Presque Isle on Saturday at 10 am for a historic walking tour of the city. Dressed in period costume, Kim Smith of the Presque Isle Historical Society led the tour. Blue skies and lots of sun made it a perfect day to take the 2 mile, two and one half hour tour. The tour was wonderful and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in history. Kim made the walk interesting and shared fascinating facts that made history come alive.

Green plaques have been installed throughout the city designating historic locations. Self guided walking tour brochures are available at City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, and available as a PDF on the Historical Society's website (www.pihistory.org).

If you are interested in taking the next guided walking tour of the city, contact the PI Historical Society at 762-1151 or email pihistoricalsociety@hotmail.com

Getting Ready for Presque Isle's Birthday Party

The official launch of the City of Presque Isle's 150th Birthday will be celebrated on Saturday, April 4th, from 11-2 on Northern Maine Community College campus. Join us for an art show, live music, games for the children, arts & crafts, cake cutting ceremony, olde tyme food, and much much more.

The Wednesday Evening Fiddlers, Gallagher Brothers, the Maine Event Barbershop Group, and the Presque Isle Middle School Jazz Band will be performing throughout the day.

"Mawi-taneg epit-jig" - Gathering of Women -Micmac Ladies Drumming Group will perform in the library.

Everyone on campus pitched in on Friday to get set for the event. We look forward to seeing you there on Saturday!

Happy 150th Birthday Presque Isle!

Poetry Contest

This April
Celebrate National Poetry Month &
National Library Week by entering our poetry contest

This year at the E. Perrin Edmunds Library, National Poetry Month and National Library Week collide to create a poetry writing contest you'll want to enter.

Write a poem with a library related-theme and submit it @ the library or to groy@nmcc.edu.

Select any library related topic. Write about libraries you love or libraries you hate. Wax eloquent on nice librarians, evil librarians, virtual librarians, books, reading, and research. Write about your favorite author, best book, the end of libraries, ebook readers, reading online.

Select any poetry form. Any length.

Poems will be reviewed by a panel of judges.

Deadline to submit: April 24th

Prize: Gift Basket & Your Own Read Poster