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Tour the LibraryCurious? Visit backstage!What happens behind the scenesat the library? How do librariansselect books, music and moviesthey put on the shelves? How dothey answer the thousands ofquestions library users ask everyyear? Come find out!

Gather by the Central Libraryfront door at 7 pm on the thirdThursday of the month for yourhour-long guided tour. A staffmember will tell you all about youraward-winning library, take youinto rarely-seen areas, and answerany questions you may have.

Whether you’re new to the libraryor a longtime user, young oryoung-at-heart, you’ll enjoy thisunique visit!

Teens on Track6th Annual Teen Literature Seminar

How can we inspire and help teens stay on track? Illiteracy, joblessnessand poverty, drugs and alcohol, gangs and violence stress families andteens are lost in the shuffle. Learn how reading and teen literature can beused to keep teens engaged and on track to a bright future. This daylongevent featuring authors Sharon Flake and AngelaJohnson will inspire anyone who cares about teens:teachers, librarians, parents, youth leaders, andcollege students. Registration required; $35 feeincludes lunch. Learn more and register online,www.kpl.gov/teenlit or call 553-7807.

March 14, 8:00 am-4:00 pmFetzer Center, Western Michigan University

Come to Our Party!Kalamazoo Public Library joins libraries around the country incelebrating National Library Week, April 13-19, 2008, with a week-longparty. Come dream, explore, learn, and grow—come join the circle ofknowledge @ your library!

“For 135 years, Kalamazoo Public Library has served the people ofKalamazoo. We think of the library as our community’s gatheringplace,” says Ann Rohrbaugh, library director. “Here, people of allages and backgrounds come together for storytimes, communitymeetings and events, to browse, read and talk about books, to

get homework help, do research, search for a job, and more. Please comeenjoy all that your library offers during this special week.”

Meet author Carroll Spinney on April 16. A puppeteer since he was eightyears old, Spinney has been the man inside Big Bird and Oscar the Grouchsince the beginning of Sesame Street. He’ll share the wisdom he has gleanedby creating and portraying one of the world’s most beloved characters.

Also during the week, a performance of The Very Hungry Caterpillarby the Kalamazoo Junior Dance Company, a Stump the Librarianchallenge, and a READ poster contest. Free tickets to see Spinney

and more information about the week’s events will be availableon March 15 at the library.

Party in the ParkBring your preschool-agedchildren to this special Readyto Read story hour featuringcelebrity readers and costumedcharacters. Each child will get abook, juice and healthy snack.Call 553-7886 with numberattending by Friday, May 23.

Wednesday, May 2810:00-11:00 amBronson Park

Sharon

Flake

AngelaJohnson

Poetry FeastOfferings co-sponsored by the Friends of Poetry.

� Dominant HandFriends of Poetry president ElizabethKerlikowske will read from her new bookof poems, Dominant Hand. Her work hasappeared most recently inWeathervane,Encore, and Poesia. She teaches Englishand Journalism at KCC and completedher Ph.D. in English at WMU in 2007.

March 12, 7:00 pmCentral, Van Duesen Room

� Jazz and PoetryUrban folk poet WardellMontgomery Jr. says jazzand poetry ensembles dateback to the HarlemRenaissance.Performing asCreative Tradition,Montgomery andtenor saxophonistKeith Gamble keepthat tradition alive.Join them and pianistMike Evans for anevening of poetry, music,and social commentary.

April 29, 7:00 pmCentral, Van Duesen Room

Writing Your Life StoriesLearn how to spin your owntall tales with the author ofQ Road. Bonnie Jo Campbellwill share thoughts on howto choose good subjects,

shape engaging stories, and reveal strategiesto keep you writing for years to come.Registration required; call 553-7809.

April 5, 1:00-4:00 pmOshtemo Branch Library

BOOKS & MOREArt HopPhotographer and historian Erin Dorbindocuments the evolution of the builtenvironment. Her book, Kalamazoo in Photos,includes written and visual features on bothfamiliar and lost local landmarks. Enjoy thisexceptional collection of images plus musicby Kalamazoo Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra.

March 7, 6:00-9:00 pm

Meet John SellersBooklist called John Sellers’Perfect From Now On: How IndieRock Saved My Life one of the “bestresources to date on indie rock.” HearSellers read from his book and describehow indie music can “save” your life, too.

March 5, 7:00-8:30 pm

Animals Among UsLocal videographer Matthew Clysdalecaptured an extraordinary glimpse intothe secret world of animals in Kalamazoo.You’ll hear about his journey and see videoclips of wildlife in some unlikely urbansettings. Matthew will sell and sign his DVD.

March 8, 1:00 pmOshtemo Branch Library

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Spring@ kpl

Enjoy an array

of programs for the

whole family at KPL.

Check online calendars

at www.kpl.gov for a

complete schedule

of events.

@ YOUR LIBRARYExplore Yoga

Stretch, move, relax, upliftin this yoga class for alllevels. Attend all six weeksto experience building andgrowing. Bring a yoga mat,

an open heart and curious spirit.

March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 6:00 pmCentral, Van Duesen Room

Ask a LawyerFree legal clinic with CountyBar Association volunteerlawyers. Get help with mostareas of civil law, includinglandlord-tenant problems,

government benefits issues, divorce andfamily law. For more info or to schedulea 20-minute appointment, call 553-7920.

March 5, April 2, May 76:00-8:00 pmAlma Powell Branch Library

March 13, April 10, May 86:00-8:00 pm

March 14, April 11, May 911:30 am-1:00 pmCentral, Law Library

Talk To MeRecent statistics reveal anincrease in teen birth rates.It’s clear we need to talkto kids about sex, but howdo we move beyond

embarrassment and discomfort to start theconversation? Experts from several fieldswill share ways to have a meaningfuldialogue with your child. For moreinformation, call 553-7911.

March 6, 6:00–7:30 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

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Get Tax HelpYou earned it! Youkeep it! Maximizeyour tax refundwith basic taxpreparation

assistance. Call 553-7838 or sign uponline at www.kpl.gov/taxinfo to setup a free appointment with an IRS-Certified community tax volunteer.

March 8, March 2910:00 am-3:00 pmCentral Library

March 15, April 1210:30 am-3:30 pmOshtemo Branch Library

Find It! @ the libraryExplore the library’s resources with anexpert! Learn how to find informationon topics from auto repair to buyingguides to sports. Follow the clues andwin prizes in a funQ&A scavenger hunt.Registration required; call 553-7983.

March 25, 3:00 pmApril 9, 7:00 pmMay 27, 11:00 amOshtemo Branch Library

Investor EducationFinancial educationfrom a source youcan trust. No salespitch. One-on-onecounseling available

from experienced investmentprofessionals following 1.5 hourpresentation. Registration required forcounseling; call 552-7983. Sponsoredby State of Michigan Office ofFinancial and Insurance Services.

April 17, 6:00-9:00 pmOshtemo Branch Library

Discuss best-sellers and little known gems.

Reality CheckCentral Library, 7:00 pm

Manhunt: The 12-DayChase for Lincoln’s Killerby James L. SwansonMarch 4

Marley and Meby John GroganApril 1

Silent Springby Rachel CarsonMay 6

OshtemoOshtemo Branch Library, 1:00 pm

Five People YouMeet in Heavenby Mitch AlbomMarch 11

The Roadby Cormac McCarthyApril 8

Mountains Beyond Mountainsby Tracy KidderMay 13

Classics RevisitedCentral Library, 7:00 pm

The Heart Is aLonely Hunterby Carson McCullersMarch 20

The Moonstoneby Wilkie CollinsApril 17

Jayber Crowby Wendell BerryMay 15

BOOK GROUPS

Green Business PracticesJeff Hawkins from Envirologic TechnologiesInc. will talk about growing environmentalawareness within the business world. Learnhow a small business can make practicaland economical green choices.

April 21, 7:00 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

Grant SeekingLibrary resources can helpyou locate grants for yournon-profit organization.Let library staff help younavigate more than 80,000

private foundations, and show you tools toresearch and write a successful grant.Registration required; call 553-7983.

April 22, 2:30-3:30 pmOshtemo Branch Library

At Home in the WorldKalamazoo College students returningfrom study abroad share insights abouttheir host countries.

� Environmental ConcernsIn observance of Earth Day, studentswill describe the environmental concernsof citizens in Ecuador, China, Germany,and other countries.

April 22, 7:00 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

� Cultural IdentityIs globalization affecting deep-seatedcultural identity and traditions? Studentswill talk about cultural homogenization inItaly, Japan, Senegal, and other countries.

May 22, 7:00 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

Explore Feng ShuiLearn about the bagua map,the five basic elements, andhow to use feng shui in yourspace and life. Lori Grearhas practiced feng shui

for more than a decade. She has advisedindividuals, facilitated workshops, andtrained other feng shui consultants.

May 5, 14, 19, 28, 6:30 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

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Regarding the EarthMel Visser, author ofCold, Clear and Deadly:Unraveling a ToxicLegacy, will describehis search for thesource of PCBs andpersistent pesticidesin the Great Lakes.

His investigation tookhim to the Canadian High Arctic,where he lived with the Inuit andlearned how global agribusinesscontaminates their food supply andpoisons their intimate relationshipwith the land. Visser will include abrief history of chemical use anddescribe their amazing path to theGreat Lakes and the Arctic.

The Michigan Environmental Councilsupports Visser’s efforts. He will alsoreport on their mutual progress. Thepresentation will be followed by Q&A.Books for sale and signing.

April 24, 7:00 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

@ YOURLIBRARY

Tweens RockAfter school fun @ the library!Meet new people. Play gameslike Apples to Apples, Uno,DDR. Make cool crafts, plusKaraoke, scavenger hunts,and more. Snacks! Drop inanytime. For tweens ingrades 5-8 only.

Drop ZoneMarch 6, April 3, May 14:00-5:00 pmEastwood Branch Library

Drop ZoneMarch 20, April 17, May 154:00-5:00 pmWashington Square Branch

Tween CentralMarch 26, April 23, May 283:30-5:00 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

Prom PrepShop for the prom at KPL!Check our racks of dressesand accessories. Take homesomething you like. Get hairand makeup tips, manicures,and dance lessons. Enter thecontest to win a free tuxedorental and other great prizes.April 5, 1:00-3:00 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

To learn more about tweenand teen events call 553-7807or visit www.kpl.gov/teen

Teen Tech WeekMarch 2-8, 2008Where would you be without technology…without iPods, computers, cell phones, IM?Embrace technology at your library duringTeen Tech Week. Check out our newNintendo DS systems in the CentralLibrary Teen Area. Bring your library cardand a photo ID to connect with playersacross the country through our gamesand WiFi network. Listen to our first-everTeen Advisory Board (T.A.B.) podcast atwww.kpl.gov/teen.

iPod PartyKick off Teen Tech Week with iPod style. Helpcreate an iMix. Let your fingers click the wheel inthe Nano game, Phase. Watch videos, make asock for your iPod, and more. Food and prizes.March 3, 6:00-7:00 pmOshtemo Branch

Authors @ the ZooMeet Sharon Flake & Angela JohnsonCentral, March 13, 7:00 pmHow do they create those characters? Where do their stories comefrom? Get into the heads of award-winning writers Sharon Flakeand Angela Johnson! Ask them questions about their work. Booksavailable for sale and signing. Food! Everyone welcome.

Sharon Flake’s characters includeMaleeka, who learns how to love who

she is and what she looks like in The Skin I’m In, and Raspberry Hill,who worries that she may have inherited her drug addictedfather’s lying and stealing ways in Begging for Change.

Angela Johnson created Bobby, whose carefree teenage lifechanges forever when he becomes a father in The First Part Last,and Marley, whose tranquil life turns hellish the day she discoversthat Momma and Pops are not her real parents in Heaven.

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Genealogy Lock-InAn after-hours event just for genealogists!Explore reference materials and databases,use the microfilm reader/scanner/printerand save to flash drive. Reserved parking inthe library lot. Free copying and printing.Registration required; call 553-7808beginning April 7 to register.

April 25, 6:00-10:00 pmCentral, Local History Room

Intro to GenealogyStart compiling your family tree! Learn howto search Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest,and KPL’s own index to local newspapersfeaturing vital statistics back to 1834.Registration required; call 553-7980beginning April 21 to register.

May 15, 1:00-3:00 pmCentral, Computer Lab

A Family AffairDescendents of African Americans thatsettled in southwest Michigan will sharetheir genealogical research and photos.Includes workshops on how to researchAfrican American genealogy, restore andpreserve old photos and documents,and how to do an oral history.

Saturday, May 17, 1:00-4:00 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

Fearless “Sheroes”Hear about the women who helped galvanizeand sustain the Civil Rights Movement. KarikaPhillips, author of the article “StrongWomenStrutting Men: A Black Woman’s Civil RightsMovement,” will share her research with theAfrican AmericanWomen’s Writing Group.Call 553-7960 to register for this program.

March 12, 6:00-8:00 pmPowell Branch Library

This Old BuildingThis series offers a closer, insider’s look atintriguing historical buildings in Kalamazooand the region.

Our Educational HeartLocal historian Lynn Houghton will talkabout the buildings that have stood onthe corner of S. Westnedge and Vine overthe past 150 years, beginning with UnionSchool through “Old Central.”

March 27, 7:00 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

Cathedrals to the Earth’s SpiritJan Corey Arnett, aka “The Barn Lady,” willdescribe her passion—to create new lives forold barns as a member of the MichiganBarn Preservation Network.

April 28, 7:00 pmCentral, Van Deusen Room

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HISTORY &GENEALOGY

Programs for thoseinterested in regional or

family history.

membersh ipappl i cat ion�� Student $5.00

�� Individual $10.00

�� Family $15.00

�� Patron $25.00

Name

List all on family or patron membership.

Address

City

State Zip

Phone

Email

Dues are tax deductible. Pleasesend form and check, payableto Friends of the Library, to:

Friends of the LibraryKalamazoo Public Library315 S. Rose St.Kalamazoo MI 49007

store hoursWednesday 12 noon - 7 pm

Thursday 10 am - 4 pm

Friday 10 am - 4 pm

Saturday 10 am - 4 pm

Located on the lower level of the Central Library. Questions? 553-7820

Friends Annual MeetingThe Friends of the Kalamazoo Public Library will holdtheir annual meeting, Wednesday, May 14, at the LadiesLibrary Association, 333 S. Park St. Members and theirguests should arrive at noon for appetizers and punch;a delicious hot chicken salad will be served at 12:30 pm.

After lunch, the Friends will move to the secondfloor auditorium for a brief business meeting,election and a very special program.

This year’s program, “Behind the Scenes,” featureslongtime Kalamazoo Public Library friends andaward-wining authors and illustrator Sarah Stewartand David Small. A question and answer period will follow their presentation and a selection of their most popular books will be available for saleand signing.

David Small became known as “the kid who could draw good” in school.After getting his MFA, David taught art for many years on the college level,before writing and illustrating his first picture book, Eulalie and the HoppingHead. He is working on a graphic memoir about his problematic youth.

As a child, Sarah Stewart’s favorite pursuits were digging and daydreamingin her grandmother’s gardens, or reading and writing poetry in a largecloset in her parents’ house. Sarah has written five award-winningchildren’s books, all illustrated by David.

Tickets cost $15 per person. Members wishing to reserve a seat may senda check (made out to FKPL) with the names of those attending to Friendsof the Kalamazoo Public Library, 315 S. Rose St., Kalamazoo MI 49007, or visit the Friends Bookstore on the library’s lower level. Please includeyour phone number and email address with your reservation.

OF T

HE K

ALAMAZOO PUBLIC LIBRARY

OF T

HE K

ALAMAZOO PUBLIC LIBRARY

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Enjoy Super Saturday, June 2, in downtown Kalamazoo—the DooDah Parade, the KIA Art Fair,AND the Friends Annual Sidewalk Sale, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. You can choose from a largevolume of books at our usual bargain prices, just $2.00 per bag or 10 cents per book. Plus, we’llgive everyone a coupon for a free 50¢ bargain book with their bookstore purchase. Stock up forsummer reading at this not-to-be-missed event. You’ll find great selections in children’s books, romances, and biographies, as well as some non-fiction. See you there!

Sidewalk Sale

David Small andSarah Stewart havebeen friends of theKalamazoo PublicLibrary for years. These photos weretaken at MaryRife’s retirementparty in 2001.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

P A I DKalamazoo, MIPermit No.1224

Kalamazoo Public Library315 South Rose StreetKalamazoo, Michigan 49007

*****ECRWSS*****RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER

Stump the LibrarianSo you think the Web has all the answers? Think again! The ultimate searchengine is at your library. Submit questions to the librarians at any KPL location oronline at www.kpl.gov/stump. We’ll award prizes to anyone who can “Stump theLibrarian.” Questions will be accepted starting Monday, April 14, 9:00 am, until5:00 pm on Friday, April 18, 2008. Prize winners and their questions will beposted online.

Be a CelebritySome of the world’s best-known faces lendtheir support to the simple but powerfulmessage—READ—on posters published by theAmerican Library Association (ALA).

The first poster featuring popular actor/comedian Bill Cosby appeared in 1985.Other actors lending their support include Orlando Bloom reading The Lord of the

Rings,Denzel Washington reading Green Eggs and Ham, SelmaHayek reading Frida, and Dakota Fanning reading Charlotte’s Web.

Now you can be a celebrity reader on a poster, too! Bring yourfavorite book and get your photo taken at your neighborhoodlibrary during National Library Week. At the end of the week,all the photos will be posted on the library’s website,www.kpl.gov. Vote for your top five photos. The top fivewinners will be printed on a KPL READ bookmark and thehighest vote getter will become a banner for each library.Everyone will receive a copy of their custom READ poster.

Appointment required. Learn more about the READ CelebrityContest and sign up at any KPL location beginning March 15.Open to KPL district library card holders only.

new

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www.kpl.gov

library board Cynthia AddisonPresident

Valerie Wright Vice President

James VanderRoest Treasurer

Loren J. Dykstra Secretary

Robert Paul Brown Lisa A. GodfreyCheryl TenBrink Trustees

credits Kalamazoo Public Library’s Community Relations Office publishes Link with support from the Friends of the Library.Contact the editor with your comments or suggestions, 553-7879 or email cro@kpl.gov.

Central Library 315 South Rose, 49007342-9837

Friends of the Library Bookstore315 South Rose, 49007353-7820

BookmobileCall 553-7991 for complete schedule.

Eastwood1112 Gayle Ave, 49048553-7810

Oshtemo7265 W Main St, 49009553-7980

Alma Powell1000 W Paterson, 49007553-7960

Washington Square1244 Portage St, 49001553-7970

Kalamazoo Kings team members and mascotswith some of their favorite reads.