Mark Twain Library needs

[redwitch]

I volunteer at the Mark Twain library. Everything there is donated. Many of our truly elderly readers of the male persuasion love Westerns. Unfortunately, they've read all the ones we have. Plus, some of the Westerns are in truly bad condition. So, if you happen to love Westerns, have read them and no longer plan to re-read them, I'm hoping you could donate them to the library.

Also, the SciFi section is not very good. Being an avid reader of SciFi, I keep hoping for new books. If you happen to have some SciFi you don't want, this is the place to get rid of them.

For those who don't know about the Mark Twain, it is located behind the Paradise Rec Center, in what could be called Paradise's basement. Come on by, you'll love it -- not only are there no late fees but there's also a pretty decent selection of DVDs, VCRs, books on tape and, of course, lots and lots of books.

If you do have some books to donate and can't make it to the library, LMK and I'll see if I can pick them up. THANKS!!

[downeaster]

I volunteer at the Mark Twain library. Everything there is donated. Many of our truly elderly readers of the male persuasion love Westerns. Unfortunately, they've read all the ones we have. Plus, some of the Westerns are in truly bad condition. So, if you happen to love Westerns, have read them and no longer plan to re-read them, I'm hoping you could donate them to the library.

Also, the SciFi section is not very good. Being an avid reader of SciFi, I keep hoping for new books. If you happen to have some SciFi you don't want, this is the place to get rid of them.

For those who don't know about the Mark Twain, it is located behind the Paradise Rec Center, in what could be called Paradise's basement. Come on by, you'll love it -- not only are there no late fees but there's also a pretty decent selection of DVDs, VCRs, books on tape and, of course, lots and lots of books.

If you do have some books to donate and can't make it to the library, LMK and I'll see if I can pick them up. THANKS!!

We have donated a lot of books to The Mark Twain Library over the last nine years but it has been a while since the last donation. Thanks for jogging our memories, redwitch. We'll be by shortly with another batch.

BTW, we often mention how nice the people are in The Villages. If you want to meet some of the nicest of the nice, visit The Mark Twain Library.

[pooh]

We've donated VHS movies as well as DVD movies. Will have to go through our book collection to see if there's anything we can pass along.

[beartrack]

Excuse me, Elderly readers of the male persuasion???? I beg your parden but, that is a female chauvanistic, sexest remark. ( Just kidding, I think ) I have been reading western novels for more years then I care to admit to. I would be happy to donate some as I have over two hundred of them but, I collect them and I am not ready to give them away. That said however, If the writer of that remark is willing to meet with my wife and I and accompany us to the Marion market, there is a vender there that sells Western paperback novels, used but in good condition for about $1.00 apiece. I will happily allow her to pick twenty novels for donation to the library if she apologizes for calling western novel readers, " Elderly old men " by the way Redwitch, how old are you????

I volunteer at the Mark Twain library. Everything there is donated. Many of our truly elderly readers of the male persuasion love Westerns. Unfortunately, they've read all the ones we have. Plus, some of the Westerns are in truly bad condition. So, if you happen to love Westerns, have read them and no longer plan to re-read them, I'm hoping you could donate them to the library.

Also, the SciFi section is not very good. Being an avid reader of SciFi, I keep hoping for new books. If you happen to have some SciFi you don't want, this is the place to get rid of them.

For those who don't know about the Mark Twain, it is located behind the Paradise Rec Center, in what could be called Paradise's basement. Come on by, you'll love it -- not only are there no late fees but there's also a pretty decent selection of DVDs, VCRs, books on tape and, of course, lots and lots of books.

If you do have some books to donate and can't make it to the library, LMK and I'll see if I can pick them up. THANKS!!

[redwitch]

I apologize for offending you but not for the remark. At Mark Twain, I have yet to see a man under 80 (one is 97) checking out a western. One woman does check them out but she does so for her husband who is housebound.

I did not say only very elderly men read westerns -- if I thought that, I wouldn't be asking here. Our group really is pretty young, I think (if not in actual age, then in attitude even if they do hate rap). So, I was simply trying to be semi-polite about a very specific group.

BTW -- I sub, so my schedule is pretty varied and I have yet to see an exception to the 80+ rule checking out the westerns. I have seen under 70 donating a few westerns, but not checking them out.

[Tom Hannon]

I have a lot of books just gathering dust in my bookcase. In the past I donated them to a local library in NY. Once I settle in my new Buttonwood home I will UPS these books and make arrangements to get them over by you. Sorry, no westerns or Sci-fi but plenty of mystery's. Maybe I'll even donate a copy or two of my own published short story collection.

[Tom Hannon]

Just thought about it Redwitch. Instead of me mailing the books to my address and then making arrangements to get them by you, why not just mail them directly to the sourse. If you give me an address I will get them packed and send them over.

[LittleDog]

My wife also volunteers at the library and it really is a nice facility. It surprises me how many people that live here do not know anything about this library and have never visited. It is highly recommended.

John

[beartrack]

My wife and I love the Mark Twain Library. It's the way things used to be. But that was a long time ago. Redwitch, I made you an offer, How about it ?? By the way, I know many young people that read westerns and based on the age's of folks living in The Villages, I would guess that you might observe old men as you put it, everywhere, not just at the library reading westerns. It seems to me that you are profiling, and there are laws against that ( once more, just kidding, I think ) By the way, based on your "part time experience" at the library, What do old ladies read?????

[redwitch]

beartrack -- Not all men over 80 read westerns -- they come in and get mysteries, war, adventure, non-fiction. I'm talking about one section and the group that reads them. Heck, we have a very large of romance books -- the only time I've seen a man in there is when he had a specific list his wife wanted him to get (or he got lost and went the wrong way -- you should see how quickly they run out). And most of the women over 80 check out the big print books.

Sides, I already replied to you. Not gonna apologize for the characterization and it is most definitely not profiling. It's accurate for Mark Twain. As I said, if I thought it was truly only elderly gentlemen who read westerns, I wouldn't have asked here. Heck, I used to have the complete collection of Zane Grey in my teens and I thoroughly enjoyed them. But the MT guys need some new books.

As to going to Markets of Marion with you to select new westerns, I'd be at a loss. I really have no clue what is new or even good today. However, I'll be working on Thursday and I'll try to see what we have. Any suggestions what I should look for?

[redwitch]

Tom H -- I'll check with Shirley, our chief cook and bottlewasher, about where books can be mailed to MT. Thank you so much!

And thanks to all of you for replying. It really is a great little library.

[Taltarzac]

Redwitch, when I volunteered at Palm Harbor Library-- near Tarpon Springs, FL-- the senior men also really loved the Westerns. One of the other 120 or so library volunteers-- Palm Harbor Library had the most of any FL public library at that time-- tried to suggest weeding the various paperback Westerns and the Director chimed in that westerns were in high demand from senior men.

This could be true in a lot of other public libraries as well especially those with a large concentration of retired men over 62 or so.

I was rather limited with what the Palm Harbor Library Director would allow volunteers to do back in 2000 through 2003. Just checking in books and checking out library patrons as well as book shelving. The other Palm Harbor Library where I also volunteered around about the same time allowed volunteers to register patrons, do reference, catalog books, and do many other tasks which were usually done by paid employees at other libraries in this area of Florida.

What does the Mark Twain Library allow volunteers to do??

As you might recall I have a MA in Librarianship and Information Management from the University of Denver and also worked in two public libraries for about a rather short period.

[Boomer]

My wife and I love the Mark Twain Library. It's the way things used to be. But that was a long time ago. Redwitch, I made you an offer, How about it ?? By the way, I know many young people that read westerns and based on the age's of folks living in The Villages, I would guess that you might observe old men as you put it, everywhere, not just at the library reading westerns. It seems to me that you are profiling, and there are laws against that ( once more, just kidding, I think ) By the way, based on your "part time experience" at the library, What do old ladies read?????

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I love reading about how much Villagers love libraries.

And I am getting a kick out of this little exchange about who reads what.

Well, beartrack, you asked, and when you did, it made me think of something I wrote a long time ago. Here it is………………

I am about to do a very bad thing. I am going to recommend a book that I have never read. (I sometimes find myself in the position of recommending books.) This one is a book that I thought was going to set the woods, or something, on fire when I got some friends to read it.

The book is an older one. It is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and it is the first in a series.

Here's how I found out about this book.……

I had gone to a meeting where there were lots of word-nerds. The talk turned to favorite books. Someone mentioned Outlander and suddenly many of the women in the room went into a frenzy. Yep. It was a frenzy. Just imagine a bunch of lady word-nerds in a frenzy. It started with whispers and giggles. Then turned into quite a buzz. And I think a couple of those women might even have fainted.

Outlander is a time-travel romance, sort of. After witnessing the reaction in that room, I bought the book immediately, of course. But I had a lot going on at work at the time. This thing is 600 pages long. I did not have time to read it, but I told several friends about it and about the reaction in that meeting room. And I loaned out my copy, planning to read it later.

This book set off a chain reaction as my friends told other friends about it. One friend went to the library to get it, and the librarian she asked about it nearly burst into joyous flames as she searched the shelves for the well worn copy.

The woman who is the main character in Outlander time-travels into Scotland’s history, and meets herself a hot Scot...and…..welllll…… and……welllllll... the book is quite full of history and such. (Yeah, uh huh, that's it.)

Maybe I should have put this recommendation over in the Girl Talk thread.

Boomer

PS: Even though this is from a long ago post, I still do not have my book back. Perhaps it got all steamed up and became illegible or maybe it was involved in spontaneous combustion somehow. I think I will have to go find a new copy. And this time I will read it. And something tells me that there is a well-worn copy of this at the Mark Twain library. I hope so anyway.

[Taltarzac]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Gabaldon

Yes, I am sure it is the word-nerd women who feel so attracted to Diana Gabaldon works.

[redwitch]

Tal -- MT is a very basic type library. No reference section. We shelve books, greet patrons, go nuts with the cards being misfiled. There are a few who have been with MT for several years who do other things. One maintains the romance section; another the westerns; one takes care of general problems (torn books, missing cards, etc.); and so on. The work is in 2-hour shifts.

Books are not shelved via Dewey decimal system but more like a book store -- by categories. Sometimes books are miscatergorized because our chief knows this author writes a certain genre and doesn't have time to check that the author is branching out to another genre. Drives me nuts but I've learned to live with it.

The best part is just the people there -- both the volunteers and the patrons.

[Lou Card]

I feel that the library system is one of the best things going in the country and volunteers in anything are like saints in my opinion, but when it comes to Mark Twain, and that I am a 22 year military retiree, I got a problem. He was always so critical of the integrity and ability of the military man, I just can't find it in my heart to support his legacy.

[redwitch]

The military of his era is not the military of today. The military of the 1800s and early 1900s was not only underpaid, but notorious for atrocities against whomever they were fighting; looting and corruption were commonplace; incompetence was expected. Being critical of something doesn't mean you don't love it or what it represents. Personally, I have no idea of how Mr. Clemens felt about the military, this nation or life in general. I'm not even a big fan of his books -- just not my style. To most, he is a great American writer.

To me, the MT epitomizes TV. It shows the generosity of the people that live here in their donations. It shows the giving spirit in its volunteers. It shows the caring we have for each other. To dismiss the Mark Twain Library because of its name is a shame.

[Lou Card]

The military of his era is not the military of today. The military of the 1800s and early 1900s was not only underpaid, but notorious for atrocities against whomever they were fighting; looting and corruption were commonplace; incompetence was expected. Being critical of something doesn't mean you don't love it or what it represents. Personally, I have no idea of how Mr. Clemens felt about the military, this nation or life in general. I'm not even a big fan of his books -- just not my style. To most, he is a great American writer.

To me, the MT epitomizes TV. It shows the generosity of the people that live here in their donations. It shows the giving spirit in its volunteers. It shows the caring we have for each other. To dismiss the Mark Twain Library because of its name is a shame.

In view of this reply, I can only believe that even Mark Twain would respect the military of today. Thank you for that take on him Redwitch. I still don't like what he said, but you are right that it may have been well deserved in those times.

[jannd228]

MT was critical of the faults of his generation, in many arenas. His classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is not just a follow up to Tom Sawyer, it is his memoir written in fiction form.

Most who read him now with that understanding, enjoy him. I did, I taught Huck Finn for many years, and I always found something new each time I taught it.

[Taltarzac]

Tal -- MT is a very basic type library. No reference section. We shelve books, greet patrons, go nuts with the cards being misfiled. There are a few who have been with MT for several years who do other things. One maintains the romance section; another the westerns; one takes care of general problems (torn books, missing cards, etc.); and so on. The work is in 2-hour shifts.

Books are not shelved via Dewey decimal system but more like a book store -- by categories. Sometimes books are miscatergorized because our chief knows this author writes a certain genre and doesn't have time to check that the author is branching out to another genre. Drives me nuts but I've learned to live with it.

The best part is just the people there -- both the volunteers and the patrons.

Redwitch, I will have to check it out at some time.

I would propose a name change to fit more in with the Villages though from the Mark Twain Library. Maybe, Tom Clancy; Louis L'Amour; Ernest Hemingway; Jack London; Harper Lee; or some other???

[starflyte1]

Did someone mention the hours MT Library is open? I may have missed it. Anyway, when is the library open? Thanks! Pat

[beartrack]

Redwitch, I will have to check it out at some time.

I would propose a name change to fit more in with the Villages though from the Mark Twain Library. Maybe, Tom Clancy; Louis L'Amour; Ernest Hemingway; Jack London; Harper Lee; or some other???

I vote for Louis L'Amour

[redwitch]

Hours: M-F 9-5; S 9-12; closed Sunday.

I doubt there is any way the name is going to change. Heck, they even close for Mr. Clemens' birthday. My vote would go to either Jack London or Edgar Allan Poe.

[Walt.]

I would propose a name change to fit more in with the Villages though from the Mark Twain Library. Maybe, Tom Clancy; Louis L'Amour; Ernest Hemingway; Jack London; Harper Lee; or some other???

A few year ago there was a big student protest with demands that their school name be changed. The school was named "Custer High School."
All of a sudden the Indian students and all their oh-so-caring buddies were just practically passing out at the prospect of attending a school named after the worst person in the history of the universe. Oh the humanity!!!
After a few days of marches, speeches, and demands someone kind of mentioned that the school originally (about 75 years earlier) had a different name but had been renamed after the first, much loved principal... a Mr. Custer.
If a place is named "The Adolph Hitler Library" I could see a problem... but Mark Twain? Geeezz
Ernest Hemingway? Didn't he blow his brains out?

[starflyte1]

Thank you redwitch.

[Dougout]

We are regular visitors to the Mark Twain. The folks who work there are the best!

We are fortunate to have such a nice facility in The Villages.

[Walt.]

Does the Mark Twain Library take cookbooks?

[Walt.]

Does the Mark Twain Library take cookbooks?

Yes they do.