February is Black History Month! Are you ready to take the Indiana Black History Challenge? Start by getting a game card from any IMCPL Branch or the Indiana Historical Society , or just by visiting the 2010 Indiana Black History Challenge website. Once you get your game card you have until the end of the month to answer the 10 questions correctly, so take your time!
The first 5,000 entrants will receive a prize, and all participants with 10 correct answers will be entered to win the grand prize: a Family Fun Pack including an overnight stay at the Hampton Inn in downtown Indianapolis, an IHS family membership, a tour of the Madame Walker Theater, four tickets to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, four tickets to the Indianapolis Zoo and a $20 gift certificate to King David Dogs.
You can do the challenge by yourself or with a friend. Most importantly, have fun! Any questions? Ask your librarian!

 

Books

A Summer of Kings by Han Nolan TEEN FIC NOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Land by Mildred D Taylor TEEN FIC TAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Moves Make The Man by Bruce Brooks TEEN FIC BRO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Websites

History.com’s Black History Page    

Black History Month on Infoplease.com  

Celebrate Black History on Biography.com  

Black History Month on CNN.com 

Looking for something different to watch this winter? The 2010 Winter Olympics are right around the corner. They kick off on February 12th and wind up on the 28th. Maybe you’ll get inspired and want to learn how to ice skate or curl. Check out the websites listed below for information and updates on the Winter Olympics or where to go in Indy to learn some of the sports you see on television.

IMCPL Info Guide about Winter Olympics
IMCPL`s Info Guide about the Winter Olympics has links to websites about the Winter Olympics, photographs, and books about the games.

Official Site of 2010 Vancouver Games

Winter Olympics through the Years

Indiana/World Skating Academy at the Pan American Plaza Skating Rink
IWSA is a great place to go to learn how to figure skate, speed skate, or even learn how to play curling.

Official Website of the Olympic Movement
Winter sports, mini games and more.

With the beginning of a new year people usually set new traditions or goals for the next year. How many people actually follow these new traditions or goals throughout the year? Why not try something different? Try celebrating different or unusual days instead!

Here are some examples:

January 25th is Opposite Day.
January 27th is Chocolate Cake Day and Punch the Clock Day.
January 28th is National Kazoo Day.
January 29th is National Puzzle Day.
January 30th is National Inane Answering Message Day.
January 31st is Backward Day and Inspire Your Heart with Art Day.

To find out more about these days or others through out the next year go to a website called Holiday Insights   and choose the Bizarre and Unique Days on the left side of the page and then choose what month you would like to learn more about.

To get you started here are some titles that IMCPL has about topics above.

 

Chocolate Cake Day

Teens Cook Dessert by Megan Carle TEEN   641.86 CAR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  National Kazoo Day

Potato Tree by James Sallis    FIC SAL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

National Puzzle Day

The Total Brain Workout: 450 Puzzle to Sharpen Your Mind, Improve Your Memory and Keep Your Brain Fit by Marcel Danesi   793.73 DAN

 

 

 

  

   

IQ Boosters: More Than 300 Mind-Blowing Puzzles by Steve Ryan 793.73 RYA

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Opposite Day

The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher TEEN FIC GAL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

The Opposite of Music by Janet Ruth Young TEEN FIC YOU

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

The Opposite of Love by Helen Benedict TEEN FIC BEN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Backwards Day

Rewind by Laura Dower   FIC TEEN DOW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Holidays

Seasons of the Sun: Celebrations From the World’s Spiritual Traditions by Patricia Telesco   203.3 T269se

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

International Holidays: 204 Countries From 1994 Through 2015, with Tabular Appendices of Religious Holidays, 1900-2100 by Robert S. Weaver   394.26

Of the many books I read in 2009, one in particular really stands out for me. That book is Shift by Jennifer Bradbury. Simply described, it is the story of a young man and his best friend who start out on a cross-country bike trek. They disagree on their journey a number of times before finally parting ways. After reaching home and settling into his new collegiate lifestyle, the young man is shocked to discover that his best friend never made it back. Jennifer Bradbury does an excellent job of mixing several different genres such as coming-of-age, mystery, and the traditional road trip into an engaging story with true to life characters.

What Bradbury also managed to do was reignite affection for cycling that I haven’t felt since I was a teen myself. Some of my best memories involve riding around my hometown, taking in sights and sounds that can easily go unnoticed when zooming by in a car at 30mph. Cycling also promotes a healthy lifestyle while remaining environmentally friendly. 

 
All of which is why I am excited that IMCPL’s Central Library will be hosting a series of lectures sponsored by the Central Indiana Bicycling Association beginning January 13.

 

The first is entitled, “A Frugal Cyclist’s Guide to the Universe.” It features Willie Weir, author of Spokesongs: Bicycle Adventures on Three Continents. Subsequent lectures take place on February 17, March 17, and April 14.

   

 

 

Here are a few other books about cycling:

The Practical Cyclist: Bicycling for Real People by Chip Haynes   796.6 HAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

City Cycling by Richard Ballantine   796.6 BAL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

The Complete Do-It-Yourself Bike Book: Everything You Need to Know to Fix, Maintain, and Get the Most out of Your Bike by Melanie Allwood 629.28772 ALL

 

Any cyclists out there with suggestions of the best places to ride in the city? What about the best kind of bike?

 Don’t forget the Pass the Book program continues through the week of Match 7th, 2010. Don’t know about Pass the Book? It’s a virtual teen reading program where the library hands out specially tagged copies of John Green’s three books, Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns. After you get a copy, you will do three things: 

 

   

 

  * First, visit the Pass the Book website, , to register your copy. When you register the book you’ll be given the option to leave a comment and upload a photo of the book.

 

*Second, of course, read the book.

 

*And third, when you’re done, pass the book on to someone else with instructions to do the same: Log it in, read it and Pass it On! 

  

 

Now that we’re halfway through the program, we want to know what you think. What is your favorite part of the program? What do you think we can do to make the program better? Which book did you like the best?
Would you like to participate? Check with your branch to see if there are any books available. Be sure to log on to Pass the Book to register your book. And don’t forget to click on the dashboard link to watch your book move around the city!