The Library

[serenesheila]

The Library Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat is always out. Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us. We look forward to hearing from you, about you and the books you are enjoying (or not). Let the book talk begin here!

*Suggestion Box for Future Discussions
*SeniorLearn's Archives  

Ginny, thanks for telling me about "Us".  I just ordered it.  I look forward to reading it, this afternoon.

Sheila

[Frybabe]

I started Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club yesterday. Not sure what to think of it yet.

Also started, R. W. Peake's Marching with Caesar: Civil War.

With the two SciFi's, these two, and two non-fiction books involving Roman history that I periodically pick up, I think I am about maxed out for current reading material. I think I got a little carried away this with book starts.

[serenesheila]

I have reached the place where I need to move into an assisted living facility.  I have mixed feelings about this.  Are any of you living in such a place?  I would appreciate feedback about this.

Thanks.

Sheila

[bellamarie]

Steph, that thunder shirt sounds pretty neat, I just may consider finding one for my Sammy, a shih tzu.  Poor baby hates storms and he is an AKC from a champion line, who I purchased as a puppy from the breeders, so no prior terror experiences.  I have multiple doggie coats and sweaters for him to wear throughout Oct - March, he just loves the warmth of them.  We found a matching set of Christmas sweaters for him, my hubby and myself and had our picture taken in them.  lolol  Yes, we love our dog as our children and grandchildren.

Ginny, sounds like a good book, I am going to check it out.  Our book club is just about to begin the third, and last book of the trilogy of Kristin Lavransdatter.  The author Sigrid Undset has done a remarkable job telling a wonderful story of Norse saga, 14th Century, about family, faith and love, in Norway.  

[BarbStAubrey]

Sheila - I am not but a good friend lives in the Westminster here in Austin where you have your own apartment and then add on what services you require - there is a hospital on site for emergencies but you must enter capable of taking care of yourself - she still has her vehicle and it is for her like living in an apartment that she can eat at the community dining room or do some light cooking in her unit. Her daughter lives in Austin and another daughter lives about an hour away and her son is over in Collage Station which is about 2 hours away. There are various activities that she sometimes joins but again she is not tied to anything more than what she wants. Located close in not too far from where she lived and in the part of town where most folks who are from Austin live she is quite comfortable with the others who also had lived in the west central part of Austin. Although she is Catholic the facility is run by the Episcopalian Church and the residents are mixed religious affiliations. I think the comfort for her is that so many living there have a common history with Austin.

[Steph]

Never heard of a book about the Revolution by Rowling???
Loved the race yesterday.What a horse.. and jockey..

[PatH]

YES.  At last--a horse good enough to pull it off.

[Tomereader1]

The jockey is totally awesome!  Knows just when to let the horse "go" and run the way he wants to!  Glad a horse finally came along to get this Triple Crown.  Now, another 37 years huh?

[mabel1015j]

I picked up a book at the library titled Dangerous Women. It's an anthology of original stories by authors from many genres, almost 800 pgs. I thought it sounded like it could be a good read. It may still turn out to be, but I've a pet peeve about gammar and on the first page it said (having fallen off a horse)  "...waiting for that sick jolt of pain that meant something was BROKE and......"

In the next paragraph there was a phrase that was written as though it was a complete sentence. O.k., maybe that's just "casual" fiction writing, but it's annoying to me and disturbs my sense of the story. Have I become an old fuddy-duddy?

I'm going to keep reading. I'll let you know if it turns out to be as interesting as I had thought it might be.   

Jean

[salan]

I loved the horse race yesterday.  What a performance~
I am reading Ship of Brides by JoJo Moyes.  It is really good, so far.  I loved her Me Before You and have checked out One on One; but haven't started it yet.  I love discovering an new author.  I think I am going to recommend the first two to my ftf book club for fall reading.
Sally

[Steph]

I have a Moyes coming from Thrift books..so will try it and see how I feel.
Still on a high from the horse race. I laughed and laughed at the ceremonies. The jockey is a hoot.. trying to pour his soda into the cup.. and laughing big time and turns out to give 10% of all winnings to a cancer place..

[louisiana]

Serene Sheila: I live in an Independent Living (Senior Living), but there is also an Assisted Living part of this facility, which, from all reports, gives excellent care. Meals are brought to their room
(if chosen or necessary), baths given 2x week, washing done 2x week , meds given personally, etc., etc. We have access to a chapel where Mass is celebrated on a Saturday afternoon (I am Catholic) and various other denominations offer services. 
The name of my Senior Living  facility is Williamsburg Senior Living, and I am in Baton Rouge, La.
You may access it on your computer to see what is offered.
JOY

[jane]

Joy...great to see you posting here and helping Sheila!

jane

[Steph]

I know that Clermont,Fl, where I live in winters has several very nice Senior living facilities Independent, Assisted and memory care. I have heard wonderful reports from the new ones.

[serenesheila]

Thanks for the feedback about Assisted Living facilities.  One of the things I have learned is that the cost is between 6 and 7 thousand dollars a month.  For me that would take between one and two thousand dollars a month from my savings to cover the cost. If I knew how long I will live I would know if I could afford it.  What are middle income, and those below, to do in their elder years?

[BarbStAubrey]

Shelia it sounds like many of us will have to become inventive - I am thinking first how attached are you to the area or would a move to another state be out of the question - here Westminster's plan is you bring $200,000 which for most selling their home this is doable and then the monthly is about $2,000 - and yes, upon your death the Episcopal church inherits the $200,000 -  we do have a Sun City that includes houses of all sizes and some townhouses - all those living in Sun City must be a minimum age of 55 and no visiting kids for more than I think it is 2 weeks, so that you are surrounded by older folks with lots of classes and activities available.

Most Assisted Living facilities are selling more than a place to live and the cost of assisting staff runs up the bill - in Austin most duplexes are not in the most desirable areas but you hear of 4 usually divorced women buying together a house and dividing it so that each has a private room that often involves knocking out a wall and combining two smaller bedrooms and then they share the kitchen and living room - you would have to think as you did back in college but with a bit more privacy. It would not be bad - you can hire someone to mow and a weekly cleaning person - financially it would probably be better if one person purchased the property and then a rent could be established that would either pay off the mortgage or if no mortgage than simply rent to the owner or buy a % of the house but then you run into when someone leaves trying to sell their portion. How did the Golden Girls on TV do it - there were 4 of them - all very different in personality - it would be an adventure getting it started.

Or you could buy a house with what we call here a mother-in-law plan where the master is on one side of the house and the other bedrooms on the other side - then if you rent out either the Master of the other bedrooms as a unit it would not matter if the renters were young or old if you could work out a separate entry - some college age students could be offered a more affordable rent with the idea that the difference is paid by giving you some needed help shopping, mowing, cleaning up even driving you to church and the library and being available for an emergency.

I am thinking the problem you are trying to solve in not just a place to live that would be safe but also you do not want to be isolated on your own with all the responsibilities that go with home ownership. Some of the services that you would expect to be available at an assistant living center I bet you can arrange at far less the cost. I notice communities of all sizes are gearing up with more and more community services aimed at the aging population - is there a booklet of services listed both free and for a fee that are available in your town - if not that could be a project that a few pharmacies and doctors would fund the cost of printing and may even pay for advertising that would be priced to put some cash back in your pocket.

It won't be long and we will be hearing about more and more unique arrangements with so many baby boomers retiring - is there a community center or is their a monthly meeting in your area for an AARP chapter - I would start attending and I bet you will pick up some ideas, because we know when we are less financially able we put on our creative caps and make life meaningful and fun.  

[MaryPage]

For all of the very expensive and very elaborate retirement communities that absolutely eat up your resources, there are many, many church and/or non profit organization run places.  I have a dear friend who lives on an absolute pittance, and she is in a perfectly lovely place in McLean, Virginia in what is otherwise a very posh, expensive area.  Her place is run by the Presbyterian Church and fees are based upon income, leaving you with enough for other expenses and spending money.

My advice to everyone who brings this up is to avail yourself immediately of the free EXPERT advice:  namely by calling your local county Agency on Aging or whatever your county calls this department.  A call to the county switchboard operator, if you do not know the name of it yourself, will give you direction.  If you are a church member, your priest or pastor or whatever will know simply heaps about this, as well.

I have found that Seniors can get excellent FREE advice from their county experts.

[marjifay]

It might be interesting if someone did a film on the jockey who rode American Pharaoh the horse that won the Triple Crown.  (Was the horse's owner an Egyptian man?  That might explain the horse's name.)  I heard the jockey grew up on a goat farm in Mexico.  He should now before too long be a wealthy man from commercials for horse parapanalia, riding costumes, etc. Good for him.

Marj

[marjifay]

I finally found the book about the French Revolution I'd been looking for.  I asked Amazon to list books about that subject, and there it was--  by Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall author), not J.K. Rowling,:  A Place of Greater Safety; a novel- about the men behind the revolution.  Interesting book.  I'd read part of it, then returned it to my book shelf among my other books, and promptly forgot its name and title when I decided to find and finish it.  I stack my fiction books by title, but naturally. not remembering the actual author, I couldn't find it.  I've added it to the computer list of books I own under books about the French Revolution so I'll know where to find it.  Duh, I need my own librarian.  Or a helpful butler like Graham, Charles Lenox's butler in the Charles Finch books  (sigh).  

Marj

[pedln]

Good point, MaryPage, about area Agencies on Aging being a good source of information.  I've used our local one here more than once and found them to be very helpful.

Sally, isn't it fun to find a new author such as JoJo MOyes.  I really liked her Ship of Brides and Me Before You and loook forward to reading One on One -- just finished the teaser chapter included in one of her other books.

[PatH]

Marj, I've always regretted never learning the Dewey decimal system.  It's just what I need.

[Frybabe]

PatH. I found it a little disconcerting when I first volunteered at the library to discover that the Dewey Decimal System is only used for non-fiction, except for Biographies, which are listed as B and then by author. Scifi is SF, Fiction, F, Mysteries, M. etc. I think I remember that all books, when I was a youngster, had a Dewey Decimal attached. Am I remembering wrong? No, I am not. Here is the DDC list. It does include fiction and literature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dewey_Decimal_classes

It looks like there are several, newer systems available. I have no idea which, or if a local system, is used at our library. It certainly isn't the Library of Congress system either.

[Steph]

Sheila.. That sounds quite high. I know that Independent living which includes three meals a day, etc  here in central Florida is about 1500.00 a month. There are many many variations on this type of thing. My husbands mother had Alzeimers and we spent a lot of time and effort and then found an elder care company that charged a small fee and helped us find suitable arrangements in our price range.
If this is hard for you, ask your son or daughter to do this for you.There are so many answers out there. If you are a church goer, they have many communities. My older sons mother in law is a devout catholic and she lives in a high rise in a one bedroom apartment run by the church. It is very nice and she loves being surrounded by other widows. Her rent is based on her income.

[PatH]

One crucial question is how much "assisted" you are looking for.  If you are looking for a place with different levels, be sure to look at the rules carefully.  You want to be in control of the decisions to shift to a different level.

[jane]

Frybabe....if I recall correctly from my Lib Sci classes, most old smaller public libraries tend to use Dewey (DDC) and will pull out Fiction, with a variety of organizational patterns used.  Some do strictly by author surname, some by genre and then surname, B or 92 or 920 for biography, etc.

Larger academic libraries tend towards Lib of Congress (LC) because the more involved research things required such long Dewey numbers the number could wrap around to the front of the book.  One exception I knew first hand was the very large Univ. of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) collection that was Dewey and had some incredibly long call numbers.  At the time I was there in the late 60s, the collection was too big to consider changing to LC.  I don't know if when they automated, they also physically changed the millions of items or continue with DDC.

In the end, the key in a library large or small is a good catalogue....card or automated that lets you look up your desired books and get the call no. In that library, and then good signage to point you to that area.  

In the "old" days some small libraries had many untrained "librarians" and the people in charge devised their own "system."  The unfortunate part was that they often had no "catalogue" of any sort, so an outsider had no clue how to find anything.  Such a library without a catalogue is chaos.

[Frybabe]

Thanks for the comments, Jane. We are a branch of a larger library, which in turn is part of the Cumberland County Library System. While the online program gives the info needed, as well as allowing us to order online, it doesn't really help those who don't have access or don't use it. We have a catalog computer for people to look things up, but I very, very rarely see anyone use it. If they want a book they usually ask us to look it up for them. Our branch is small. The space we have is limited, so finding space to shelve books is problematic. While I had hoped that the new space we are going to move into (eventually) would give us more space, it doesn't appear so now. Instead of giving us the whole area they have renovated, they are splitting it to accommodate another group. The best I can say right now, is that the new area may give us the opportunity to better arrange the shelving.

Right now, our branch is on the second floor. There are no ramps for the disabled, so that is a problem if there is an emergency evacuation when someone can only use the elevator to get around. I thought the level floor would be better, but it appears not. The renovation is where an old gym was. The floor for that was below ground with steps down to the gym area. While they have raised the floor during the renovations, the steps are still necessary (or once again, the elevator down to Ground level). There doesn't appear to be enough space between the building and the parking lot to make a ramp that isn't too steep. Because the bathrooms are in the main township area, and the township closes on the weekend, we are not likely to be able to open on the weekends. That is something I was looking forward to. Right now the township closes at 4pm on Fridays and we must close at 5pm, making sure that the remaining open access (via the elevator) is locked when we leave. BTW, the Senior Center is in the same boat. Anytime the township is closed, so are they. Well, we'll see. But right now it looks the only thing we will have accomplished with the upcoming move is an additional computer or two, a more open room structure, and direct outside access for non-disabled folks. Those that can't negotiate the stairs will still have to use the elevator.

[Steph]

Very small libraries are truly eccentric.. or at least were in shelving of fiction. I remember one that the librarian decided to file the fiction by the real name of the author.. talk about confusion She loved it,, others not so much..

[jane]

Frybabe....Your library's story is, unfortunately, repeated all too often all across the country, and especially in the non-urban areas.  Libraries are low on the totem pole with County Supervisors or whatever the "power" is at your level.  I know here in our small town, getting the old men who were the Supervisors to give our library the state mandated $$ was pulling teeth.  They grudgingly gave the minimum the state required.  At the open house for the new addition, paid for my the city residents with a bond issue, one remarked he'd "never been in  here before."  Huh!  [Some of us were NOT surprised.]  He also disputed the attendance figures the Librarian always sent with the Board of Library Trustees meeting minutes.  He was sure that many people couldn't be coming in and borrowing books.  That kind of ignorance is very hard to overcome.  He finally left the Supervisors and the present three are much more amenable.  

It's only when the local population who vote for these "leaders" get involved here does anything seem to happen.  

I hope your library's situation comes out better than you see happening, but you're probably dead on target for what will actually be.


Steph...oh, yeah,  or by size of book or even color.  Some of the volunteers or untrained personnel who are hired to "check out books" can come up with some amazing "organization."  As a Library Trustee with a MS in Lib. Sci., I volunteered to redo the children's collection when that person retired. What a mess. It was HER system and it had no rhyme or reason nor did it match the card  catalog.  I had to literally handle each book, catalog and reclassify it and then it was shelved properly. One of the aides thought it was too big a task to do.  It did take me a couple years working as a volunteer and part time, but the job got done and there was at least a way to find what people wanted to find.

Or you find one who will ONLY order the "classics" and not popular fiction.  


I think a lot of older people, especially, don't like to "monkey around" with computer catalogues and so ask for help.  The younger folks are much more comfortable with them, having had them in their school libraries, etc., or so I found.

jane

[PatH]

I can remember seeing fiction books filed under the author's real name, with cross-references in the card catalog.

[maryz]

My favorite library story was many years ago when I volunteered to help in the library at the local junior high (probably in the early 70s).  I was alphabetizing the card catalog or something.  At the time, biographies were listed alphabetically by the last name of the subject (very logically), i.e., Eisenhower under "E", Roosevelt under "R", etc.  This was fine until I got to Queen Elizabeth.  I found books on her filed under "E" for Elizabeth, "T" for Tudor, or "W" for Windsor.  But when I got to one filed under "Q" for Queen, I'd had enough.  I started on something else - I knew that one was too far gone for a volunteer with limited time to fix.   

[PatH]

Ha ha ha.

I think the biographies in my library are filed under subject too.

[Tomereader1]

I thought it was against Federal and State Guidelines to have a 2nd floor, for public use, that did not have access for disabled, especially with reference to emergency egress.  It is also my understanding that you are NOT to use an elevator in case of Fire.  Almost all public buildings with elevators have this sign posted.  I believe someone needs to report this situation to whichever "powers that be".   To at least get a ramp installed.
And here I thought our library system had drawbacks, but lack of funding seems to be the major problem, when juxtaposed against patron safety!!

[Jonathan]

Ha ha ha   God Save the Queen

I wonder if you would also have found her under Roses. I believe the Tudors were of the red variety. Just this week I heard the Royal Anthem, God Save the Queen, sung, at a grandaughter's graduation ceremony at Queens University in Kingston. The university was established early in the reign of Queen Victoria. Kingston is quite historic and very strategically located on the Canada/U.S. border. For a while, back then, an invasion of Canada from the south seemed an ongoing threat. Problematically, in the Empire days, it was considered on a par with the the NorthWest frontier of India. Time passes. In 1937, I believe, FDR addressed the students at Queens and talked about solidarity.

I miss the old card catalogues. Such fun flipping the cards. Also an aesthetic charm at times. I've never seen anything to match the beautiful handwriting on the cards in the Library of Congress catalog.

[marjifay]

PatH, I'd hate to have to find a biography in your library when they are based by subject.  Right now I'm interested in knowing more about Napoleon.  Wonder what subject a biography of Napoleon would be placed.

[marjifay]

I'm with you, Jonathan, I liked the old card catalogs in the library and hated to see them to.  You didn't have to have perfect spelling or title names as you do at Amazon, you could just look for similar spellings or titles and find what you were looking for.

Marj

[marjifay]

I'm reading C. J. Sansom's Dissolution (very interesting BTW) and got to wondering how the author knew what swear words they used back in the Middle Ages.  They often said "God's wound," just as we might say, "Good heaven's."  So I asked Yahoo and was referred to a book by Melissa Mohr, "Holy Sh*t; A Brief History of Swearing."  (I know you are supposed to underline book titles, but I don't know how to do that here.)  How did we ever manage before we had the Internet to find answers to silly questions?

Marj

[BarbStAubrey]

I still do not understand what is so ahum 'bloody' wrong with saying 'bloody' among the English - they treat is as we would when we hear the word F--k

[Frybabe]

That is my understanding also, Tomereader. This is why I am somewhat horrified to note that it doesn't appear that the renovations downstairs don't appear to include a ramp anywhere. I have no idea how they are getting away with not complying. Maybe I should annoy our library manager and/or the township building codes people (who are on the same floor as us now) to find out. BTW, I found out yesterday that they aren't expecting to move the library until the spring. I think they have been working on the renovations as time allows from other project, it not being a top priority.

[PatH]

PatH, I'd hate to have to find a biography in your library when they are based by subject.  Right now I'm interested in knowing more about Napoleon.  Wonder what subject a biography of Napoleon would be placed.

Sorry I wasn't clear.  "Subject" is the person who is the subject of the biography.  So Napoleon would be under N.

I still do not understand what is so ahum 'bloody' wrong with saying 'bloody' among the English - they treat is as we would when we hear the word F--k

I've never understood that either.  It's simply what  we decide is bad.

[MaryPage]

I think old buildings are "grandfathered" in about having to comply with the new laws about accommodating the disabled.  I think they did not want to burden communities with unforeseen humongous expense, and this was probably the only way they could get the law passed.

The "Tudor Rose" is pink and meant to be the result of the Lancaster Henry VII, having won the throne on the field of battle, forcing the York Princess to be his bride, resulting in Henry VIII.  In other words, the union of the white and the red.  Some 15th century propagandist thought that one up!