Thursday, December 19, 2013

Capitol Reads

December's Capitol Read is Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross.

For a thousand years her existence has been denied-- Pope Joan, the woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to rule Christianity. Now this compelling novel animates the legend with a portrait of an unforgettable woman who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.

When her older brother dies in a Viking attack, the brilliant young Joan assumes his identity and enters a Benedictine monastery where, as Brother John Anglicus, she distinguishes herself as a scholar and healer. Eventually drawn to Rome, she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous mix of powerful passion and explosive politics that threatens her life even as it elevates her to the highest throne in the Western World.

More information about Capitol Reads selections can be found on the WVLC website

Monday, December 2, 2013

November Capitol Read

November's Capitol Read was The Midwife of Hope River by West Virginia author Patricia Harman.

Midwife Patience Murphy has a gift: a talent for escorting mothers through the challenges of bringing children into the world. Working in the hardscrabble conditions of Appalachia during the Depression, Patience takes the jobs that no one else wants, helping those most in need—and least likely to pay. She knows a successful midwifery practice must be built on a foundation of openness and trust—but the secrets Patience is keeping are far too intimate and fragile for her to ever let anyone in.

Honest, moving, and beautifully detailed, Patricia Harman's The Midwife of Hope River rings with authenticity as Patience faces nearly insurmountable difficulties. From the dangerous mines of West Virginia to the terrifying attentions of the Ku Klux Klan, Patience must strive to bring new light and life into an otherwise hard world.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Capitol Reads

October's Capitol Read is The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb.

The Ballad of Tom Dooley is a literary triumph—what began as a fictional re-telling of the historical account of one of the most famous mountain ballads of all time became an astonishing revelation of the real culprit responsible for the murder of Laura Foster

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley…The folk song, made famous by the Kingston Trio, recounts a tragedy in the North Carolina mountains after the Civil War. Laura Foster, a simple country girl, was murdered and her lover Tom Dula was hanged for the crime. The sensational elements in the case attracted national attention: a man and his beautiful, married lover accused of murdering the other-woman; the former governor of North Carolina spearheading the defense; and a noble gesture from the prisoner on the eve of his execution, saving the woman he really loved. 

With the help of historians, lawyers, and researchers, Sharyn McCrumb visited the actual sites, studied the legal evidence, and uncovered a missing piece of the story that will shock those who think they already know what happened—and may also bring belated justice to an innocent man. What seemed at first to be a sordid tale of adultery and betrayal was transformed by the new discoveries into an Appalachian Wuthering Heights. Tom Dula and Ann Melton had a profound romance spoiled by the machinations of their servant, Pauline Foster.

Bringing to life the star-crossed lovers of this mountain tragedy, Sharyn McCrumb gifts understanding and compassion to her compelling tales of Appalachia, and solidifies her status as one of today's great Southern writers.

More information about Capitol Reads selections can be found on the WVLC website

Friday, October 11, 2013

2013 Nobel Prize in Literature

Congratulations to Alice Munro, recipient of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature.

For more about Alice Munro, and to view a list of her works, go to WV InfoDepot to access the NoveList database. Then check with your local library to see what Munro titles they have available to borrow.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Newest Library Update Available to View

A new episode of Library Update is up on YouTube. This is part one of Episode 23, Affordable Healthcare Act. Make sure to catch parts 2 and 3 of the episode as well.


The West Virginia Library Commission is committed to promoting, assisting, and supporting high quality library services and information resources to all West Virginia residents. This includes getting relevant information out to library directors, their staff, and patrons through various formats. Currently the Library Commission uses its website, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, e-bulletins and now YouTube to disseminate information. 

WVLC plans on bringing you current programs, topics, and trends. This broad spectrum includes partnerships, training, programming, and service. We want this program to be a useful, entertaining resource for you. If you ever have any questions or comments regarding topics on this show, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-642-9021. 

This program is not intended to act as a calendar of events, but as a vehicle of ideology and practical tips. Specific event information can always be found on our website www.librarycommission.wv.gov and at your local libraries.

The video in this post is the first segment of the episode. Check it out, then view parts 2 and 3. Make sure you subscribe to the West Virginia Library Commission YouTube channel so you don't miss the newest episodes!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Library Update Available to View

A new episode of Library Update is up on YouTube. This is part one of Episode 22, Customer Service and Conflict Resolution. Make sure to catch parts 2 and 3 of the episode as well.


The West Virginia Library Commission is committed to promoting, assisting, and supporting high quality library services and information resources to all West Virginia residents. This includes getting relevant information out to library directors, their staff, and patrons through various formats. Currently the Library Commission uses its website, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, e-bulletins and now YouTube to disseminate information. 

WVLC plans on bringing you current programs, topics, and trends. This broad spectrum includes partnerships, training, programming, and service. We want this program to be a useful, entertaining resource for you. If you ever have any questions or comments regarding topics on this show, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-642-9021. 

This program is not intended to act as a calendar of events, but as a vehicle of ideology and practical tips. Specific event information can always be found on our website www.librarycommission.wv.gov and at your local libraries.

The video in this post is the first segment of the episode. Check it out, then view parts 2 and 3. Make sure you subscribe to the West Virginia Library Commission YouTube channel so you don't miss the newest episodes!

Friday, September 27, 2013

Library Update Available to View

A new episode of Library Update is up on YouTube. This is part one of Episode 21, Geek the Library. Make sure to catch parts 2 and 3 of the episode as well.


The West Virginia Library Commission is committed to promoting, assisting, and supporting high quality library services and information resources to all West Virginia residents. This includes getting relevant information out to library directors, their staff, and patrons through various formats. Currently the Library Commission uses its website, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, e-bulletins and now YouTube to disseminate information. 

WVLC plans on bringing you current programs, topics, and trends. This broad spectrum includes partnerships, training, programming, and service. We want this program to be a useful, entertaining resource for you. If you ever have any questions or comments regarding topics on this show, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-642-9021. 

This program is not intended to act as a calendar of events, but as a vehicle of ideology and practical tips. Specific event information can always be found on our website www.librarycommission.wv.gov and at your local libraries.

The video in this post is the first segment of the episode. Check it out, then view parts 2 and 3. Make sure you subscribe to the West Virginia Library Commission YouTube channel so you don't miss the newest episodes!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Capitol Reads

September's Capitol Read is Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons.

"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy."
With that opening sentence we are introduced to the eleven-year-old heroine of Ellen Foster, a stunning novel by Kaye Gibbons.
Ellen Foster tells her own story, with an honesty, a perceptivity, and a quite un-selfconscious heroism. Her mother dies. She stays with her father until it becomes too dangerous. She lives with a teacher, a grandmother who blames her for her father's marriage, then with an aunt. At the close she discovers a home where at last she is wanted and loved.
Ellen Foster takes things as they come. She judges people shrewdly and well. Her ties with her little black friend Starletta are beautifully revealed. Her own courage, her humor, and her wisdom are unforgettable.

More information about Capitol Reads selections can be found on the WVLC website.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Overdrive and iOS 7


WV DELI, WV-READS, and Listen Eastern West Virginia users, please take note of the following message from Overdrive re: iOS7 upgrade and possible issues.

  
Apple released iOS 7 yesterday and many of your Apple users may have upgraded their device(s) or will be upgrading in the near future.

When an existing OverDrive Media Console (OMC) user upgrades to iOS 7, the app will fail when trying to open a DRM-protected eBook. New or first time users of OMC are unaffected by this issue.

We are resolving the issue but in the meantime, here are immediate remedies for users:

1) Re-authenticate the app with their existing or a new Adobe ID. Refer to the iOS section of this Help article for assistance. (Recommended)  
2) Uninstall and re-install OMC which will also require the user to re-authorize with Adobe. IMPORTANT NOTE: A re-install will clear a user's bookshelf, history, and app settings.

Audiobook users won't notice that anything is different unless they attempt to download parts of audiobooks they already downloaded to OMC before upgrading to iOS 7. A user will receive an error message informing them to download the title again. 

Friday, September 6, 2013

Library Update Available to View

The newest episode of Library Update is up on YouTube. This is part one of Episode 20, Digital Literacy. Make sure to catch parts 2 and 3 of the episode as well.

And keep an eye out for Episode 21, Customer Service & Conflict Resolution, which will be available to view soon.


The West Virginia Library Commission is committed to promoting, assisting, and supporting high quality library services and information resources to all West Virginia residents. This includes getting relevant information out to library directors, their staff, and patrons through various formats. Currently the Library Commission uses its website, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, e-bulletins and now YouTube to disseminate information. 

WVLC plans on bringing you current programs, topics, and trends. This broad spectrum includes partnerships, training, programming, and service. We want this program to be a useful, entertaining resource for you. If you ever have any questions or comments regarding topics on this show, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-642-9021. 

This program is not intended to act as a calendar of events, but as a vehicle of ideology and practical tips. Specific event information can always be found on our website www.librarycommission.wv.gov and at your local libraries.

The video in this post is the first segment of the episode. Check it out, then view parts 2 and 3. Make sure you subscribe to the West Virginia Library Commission YouTube channel so you don't miss the newest episodes!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month

                                          Get your card today @ your library!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Movie Night at the Library--August 29, 2013



Bridging Cultures Bookshelf logo
 Join State Library Services for the presentation of Koran by Heart.  This documentary follows three 10-year-old children who leave their native countries to participate in the International Holy Koran Competition, the world's oldest and most prestigious Koran reciting contest, in Cairo.  Up against much older students, the youngsters have committed the 600 pages of the Koran to memory and will put their skills to the test before the world's Muslim community.  In the midst of the competitions, the young competitors face uncertain futures at home as they are caught between fundamentalist and moderate versions of Islam.
This event is free and open to the public.

Where: Library Commission State Library Services JD Waggoner Reading Room Culture Center, Building 9

When: 5:30 pm

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Maintenance scheduled for OneClickDigital



The OneClickDigital audiobook website will be unavailable for maintenance starting at 6:00 AM EDT on Saturday, August 24, and will run through 8:00 AM EDT on Monday, August 26.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Capitol Reads

August's Capitol Read is Wild Sweet Notes: Fifty Years of West Virginia Poetry 1950-1999, edited by Barbara Smith and Kirk Judd.

With insights into Japanese flower gardening and hog butchering, into mother-daughter relations and horse trading, in verse that is wistful or bright or drenched in rural beauty, WIld Sweet Notes surprises and delights...This varied collection of remarkably high poetic quality will enchant readers throughout the English-speaking world.

The editors, longtime aficianados of their state's poetic production and well-established poets in the own right, professed themselves gratified and inspired by the quality they found in an outpouring of submissions. More than one hundred ten living West Virginia poets and some twenty deceased are represented here.

This book will appeal to readers young and old, to students and gardeners, to political activists, to anyone who responds to natural beauty and to truth. Former West Virginia Poet Laureate Irene McKinney has said that poetry is the one form of art that can't "sell out." This book doesn't either.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Capitol Reads

July's Capitol Read is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

"January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she'd never met, a native of Guernsey, the British island once occupied by the Nazis. He'd come across her name on the flyleaf of a secondhand volume by Charles Lamb. Perhaps she could tell him where he might find more books by this author." "As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends, all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a unique book club formed in a unique, spur-of-the-moment way: as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans." "Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the Society's charming, deeply human members, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Through their letters she learns about their island, their taste in books, and the powerful, transformative impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds there will change her forever." Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Vie Society is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Capitol Reads

June's Capitol Read is The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.

In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation’s history, two armies fought for two conflicting dreams. One dreamed of freedom, the other of a way of life. Far more than rifles and bullets were carried into battle. There were memories. There were promises. There was love. And far more than men fell on those Pennsylvania fields. Bright futures, untested innocence, and pristine beauty were also the casualties of war. Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece is unique, sweeping, unforgettable—the dramatic story of the battleground for America’s destiny.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Movie Night at the Library- TOMORROW




Join us for a "watch and discuss" examination of Vanishing Liberties.  This documentary examines the government's growing use and abuse of surveillance tools to track and spy on immigrant communities and the proposals to adopt these same tools to monitor and track the activities of all Americans.  This event is free and open to the public.

Join the Library Commission for this night of discussion on American liberties in the digital age in the J.D. Waggoner Reading Room, Culture Center, Building 9.


For more information call (304) 558-2045 or email wvlcref@wv.gov
Date: 5/30/2013
Time: 5:30 pm
West Virginia Library Commission
Movie Night

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

NYT Bestseller Dean King coming to Museum in the Park in Logan this Fri., May 31

Feud expert and national author Dean King coming to Museum in the Park in Logan this Fri., May 31


LOGAN, WV – With the success of last year’s HISTORY channel multiple award-winning mini-series, Hatfields & McCoys, starring Kevin Costner, comes a renewed worldwide interest in the complex story of America’s most noted vendetta—the Hatfields of Logan County vs. the McCoys of neighboring Pike County.

This month, New York Times bestselling author, Dean King, has released a new take on this local story, entitled, The Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys: The True Story. Unlike in previous accounts, King chose to begin in the mid-nineteenth century, when the Hatfields and McCoys lived side-by-side in relative harmony along the Tug River. The nonfiction work by Little, Brown and Company is already gaining rave reviews nationwide.

Just beginning his national book tour, King will be appearing in Logan on Friday evening, May 31st. He’s scheduled to speak at Museum in the Park in Chief Logan State Park from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Free to the public, the event is being sponsored by the Hatfield-McCoy Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB); Logan County Chamber of Commerce; Museum in the Park of Chief Logan State Park; Woodland Press, LLC; and Randall Reid-Smith, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.  Light refreshments will be available starting at 6:00 p.m., and King will begin his talk around 6:30.

“It's only appropriate that he would kick off the first official week of his national book tour right here in Logan County—in feud country,” said Debrina Williams, director of the Hatfield-McCoy CVB, adding that King will be sharing some of the adventures he encountered while researching the subject. “He'll have a fascinating slide show and conduct a lively discussion about the project,” Williams added. “For example, we heard he was even shot at while researching his book along the Tug River.” 

Afterwards, King will field questions from those in attendance and then have a meet-and-greet, allowing ample time to meet all who attend and sign copies of his new book.

Many will recall that King was one of the historians on the 2012 History Channel documentary, "America's Greatest Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys," narrated by Kevin Costner and directed by Mark Cowen. In addition to King's accomplishments as a historian and author, he is now a producer on an upcoming History Channel reality series based on the Hatfields and McCoys, and will likely be talking about this in greater detail during the event at the park. He helped develop the concept for the television program, and also identified characters for the show.

Besides feud enthusiasts, King is also interested in meeting local writers and journalists, teachers and students, historians and genealogists, and looks forward to discussing the writing craft and his exhaustive research with attendees.

“We want to extend our invitation to everyone for this event at Chief Logan State Park. This is a real honor for our county, and I know Mr. King would be delighted to have you all there,” Williams added.

As an award-winning author of nine non-fiction books, Dean King has chased stories across Europe, Asia, Africa and now Appalachia, specifically making countless trips to the southern part of the Mountain State and the eastern section of the Bluegrass State over the last few years as he researched the complex feud story for this latest book project.  Coming full circle, on Friday evening, he will present his findings and his finished project to the people living in the land where it all began.

Hardbound copies of King's book, The Feud: The Hatfields and McCoys: The True Story, are available locally at The Coal House, in Williamson, Aracoma Drug at Chapmanville, Logan Regional Hospital gift shop in Logan, and at www.woodlandpress.com.

For more details on the event, contact Debrina Williams, Hatfield-McCoy CVB, at 304-752-1324; or call Frankie Esposito, Museum in the Park, at 304-792-7229. For more information about Dean King, see http://www.deanhking.com