The NCAA Men's Championship Basketball Tournament has evolved into one of the most prominent annual sporting events in the United States. Millions of fans predict the ultimate winner by filling out brackets in this single elimination tournament that begins in March and ends in April.

The big dance: the story of the NCAA basketball tournament by Barry Wilner & Ken Rappoport — Ken Rappaport tells the story of the tournament from it's beginning seventy-three years ago as just an eight-bracket to today's sixty-eight team format.

Share both wine and a good mystery for an evening of fun and mayhem at Vintner's Canton Winery located at 8515 N. Lilley Road in Canton. The book being discussed will be Wine and War: The French, The Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure by Don and Petie Kladstrup. When France fell to the Nazis in 1940, the German army began a campaign to pillage one of the assets the French hold most dear: their wine. Please register to join us on February 21st from 7:00-8:00 PM. Books will be available by January 21st, so ask for your copy at the adult reference desk.

Into the unknown: how great explorers found their way by land, sea, and air by Stewart Ross — Brave explorers have vivid stories to tell and they range from sailing on the oceans to landing on the moon. This book takes a fascinating look at the adventures of many great explorers. Fresh storytelling and unfolding cutaways and cross sections keep the reader engaged.

Looking back on our American history is an important subject to review as adults, and teach to our children. History can help us learn from mistakes and make our journey better for the future. Teachers that bring history alive and make it interesting for children are a special breed. Check out the J900 section in the children's department which brings our history alive through various series like American History by Decade or Decades of the 20th Century.

Many beginning genealogists struggle to get started with their research. It's difficult to know where to begin. The Library of Michigan has a wealth of information for genealogists in all phases of their research. If you're researching here at the Canton Public Library, be sure to use our genealogy databases HeritageQuest Online and Ancestry Library Edition (in library use only). Here are some great books to start your research as well:

The handybook for genealogists: United States of America

History is full of days and years which have special meaning. 1492? Columbus discovered America. 1776? America declared its independence. 1929? The stock market crashed. We all learned about these significant dates in school. However, these are just some of the years in history worth remembering - for better or for worse.

The Michigan Humanities Council is proud to feature Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights and Murder in the Jazz Age as the 2011-12 Great Michigan Read. Written by Detroit native Kevin Boyle, Arc of Justice tells the story of African American Dr. Ossian Sweet and the chain of events that occurred after he purchased a home for his family in an all-white Detroit neighborhood in 1925.

Canton Public Library is celebrating its 30th birthday this year, so it seems like the perfect time to note some of the other notable 30s in our history and popular culture:

• The Thirty Years War lasted from 1618-1648. Fought primarily in what is now Germany, it eventually involved most of Europe. Although it began as a religious conflict it gradually  turned into one of the most desctructive in European history
• thirtysomething. This television popular drama about baby boomers in their thirties ran on ABC from 1987-1991.

If you enjoy Halloween, are very theatrical, or just interested in the way people dressed way back when, check out Costume History at the Costume Discounters website. Each link takes you to different sites that highlight period dress from Ancient Egyptians up to the 1950s and some even include links for patterns for recreating the specific type of dress highlighted. Happy dressing!

American Song is a history database that allows people to hear and feel the music from America's past. The database includes songs by and about American Indians, miners, immigrants, slaves, children, pioneers, and cowboys. Included in the database are the songs of Civil Rights, political campaigns, Prohibition, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, anti-war protests, and more.

The range of genres includes country, folk, bluegrass, Western, old time, American Indian, blues, gospel, shape note singing, doo-wop, Motown, R&B, soul, funk, and others. Content from African American Music is now a part of American Song, including 17,000 tracks from the original interface, plus 18,000 newly released tracks. Try this today and listen to some really interesting music!

In June of 1944, an exceptional U.S. Army unit went into action in Normandy. Its weapons included hundreds of inflatable tanks and a one-of-a-kind collection of sound effects records, and it carried out its battlefield mission without firing a shot. The unit was officially called the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, but it was known to its men as The Ghost Army. Members of The Ghost Army adhered to a decades-long gag order; many never told their families about their extraordinary military service. Now the Ghost Army is here! Sixty-five years after this top-secret group went into action, the University of Michigan’s Hatcher Library will unveil the first public exhibit of this captivating group of materials documenting The Ghost Army. This exhibit is available during library hours.

Citizen Kane [videodisc] Directed, written by, and starring Orson Welles. Technically the most innovative movie ever made. Still looks fresh and striking today.

Singin' in the rain [videodisc] Starring and co-directed by Gene Kelly. Best musical ever! Cant conceive as to how it could be improved.

There's still room in the Genealogy Online class on October 13th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Gloriane Peck, a genealogy librarian from the Library of Michigan, will be instructing. Come and explore your roots with our databases and an expert!

October is Family History Month at the Library of Michigan so plan your trip to Lansing soon. This month-long celebration includes many free classes and great opportunities to learn about genealogy. Be sure to take advantage of the Library of Michigan's expertise!

Photo courtesy of eLibrary

• The Arabs: a short history by Heinz Halm
• Dreams and shadows: the future of the Middle East by Robin Wright
• The great Arab conquests: how the spread of Islam changed the world we live in by Hugh Kennedy
• A history of Islamic societies by Ira M. Lapidus
• A history of the Arab peoples by Albert Hourani
• Kingmakers: the invention of the modern Middle East by Karl E.

Do you remember Hurricane Camille? Woodstock? Apollo 11? The Manson Murders? The Stonewall Riots? If so, do you remember what all of these history making events have in common? They all occurred in the Summer of 1969. For an overview of some of these events check out CNN's Special page. For a perspective on the entire year you can also read Rob Kirkpatrick's recent book 1969: the Year Everything Changed. Or check out Wikipedia's timeline for a day-by-day breakdown of this seminal year in American history.

Sites

• Authentic History Center
• Chronology of Historical Documents
• Mel Michigana
• National Women's History Museum
• POTUS
• This Day in History

Databases

• Biography in Context — 335,000+ biographies; print material in digital format 
• Gale Virtual Reference Library: History  — searchable reference books; print material in digital format
• U.S.