Attention Comic Lovers! Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 12th. From 10:00AM to 8:00PM at the Ann Arbor Art Center an awesome free event is being presented. Interact with real cartoonists, enjoy some great hands-on workshops and create your very own comics.
Learn more about this spectacular event by visiting the event website.

Everyone here at CPL is sad and upset to see libraries in our state affected by the economy. In addition to the May 1, 2011 closure of the Troy Public Library, the Detroit Public Library will announce layoffs, and the Romulus Public Library may also be closed after a proposed millage failed earlier this week. Coupled with proposed funding cuts at the state level, libraries and library services in Michigan are in jeopardy. As I've discussed with you before, CPL is not immune from these cuts.

That's what makes an article like this one from Scott Turow such a mood-lifter for the CPL family. Our featured author at our 2010 Everyone's Reading program, Mr. Turow spoke to a capacity crowd at the Village Theater last February, staying afterward to answer questions, autograph books, and talk to fans. Despite the bleak outlook for the next several years, we here at CPL will continue to strive for excellence in programs, collections, and services, meeting the needs of our community, as Mr. Turow outlines in his article, while maintaining a balanced budget and living within our means.

Governor Snyder released his budget proposal last week, and as expected, the news is grim. The cuts to public, school, and university libraries across the state are significant, and will affect the services that CPL will be able to provide to our community — namely, interlibrary loan and research databases.

The Governor has proposed cutting state aid to libraries to $3 million. The statutorily-required funding is $15 million. The current funding level of $5 million automatically qualifies the state to receive a federal matching grant of $5 million, which pays for MeLCat (statewide interlibrary loan) and the Michigan eLibrary (MeL — statewide research databases). Cutting state aid results in a cut to, and possibly a loss of, the matching grant, which puts MeL and MeLCat in jeopardy.

MeL and MeLCat exemplify the resource-sharing, aggregation of services, eliminating duplication of effort, and economies of scale that the Governor has emphasized over and over. More than 300 libraries — public libraries, K-12 libraries, and university libraries — pool this funding to provide services to Michigan residents. The $5 million investment by the state nets a $5 million matching grant, and saves taxpayers nearly $72 million annually, when you consider the cost to each library if they had to purchase these same resources on their own.

Hi Everyone! Be sure to check out this article from the Canton Patch. The very lucky students of Field Elementary got a visit from Detroit Red Wing Nicklas Lindstrom. He spent some time talking to them about exercise, proper eating, and being healthy. Also, be sure to check out our hockey books… it's a great sport that will definitely keep you physically fit. Enjoy!

Four quick things every citizen should know from Governor Rick Snyder's new Dollars & Sense: How State and Local Governments in Michigan Spend Your Money guide to the public's checkbook. State Treasurer Andy Dillon says Lansing is about to experience "shock therapy."

Jumo is a social network "connecting individuals and organizations who want to change the world." Jumo is founded and directed by Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook. Jumo beta requires users to sign up using their Facebook account. How is Jumo different from other online platforms? It claims it is different because it "is interested in building an informed community of people invested in the long-term successes of effective organizations."

Dick King-Smith, whose book Babe the Gallant Pig inspired the hit 1995 movie Babe, died on January 4, 2011 at his home near Bath, England. He was 88. Mr. King-Smith was a farmer for 20 years before becoming a primary school teacher. He published more than 100 books — mostly about animals and often about pigs, his favorite. He once said of his animal stories, "I never dress my animals in clothes. They behave as animals should behave, with the exception that they open their mouths and speak the queen's English." His books have sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. Mr. King-Smith's first wife died in 2000. He is survived by his second wife, 3 children and 14 grandchildren.

Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the Lansing, Michigan resident best known as "Rosie the Riveter" died today at the age of 86. She was 17 when she posed for the now famous photo that was used for the "We Can Do It!" poster campaign to encourage women to enter the work force during World War II. Read more about this amazing woman here at the library.

MiEarth.org is a website containing videos "designed to celebrate great environmental work in Michigan, educate people about what they can do, and inspire them to take action." You can view videos about a variety of environmental topics and projects in Michigan. If you log in and create an account, you can even post one yourself. There are several different categories of videos on the site including "Green Communities", "My View" and "Green Inc" where you can learn about the sustainable practices of posted local companies and organizations. The website also has an environmentally-themed blog.

Things happen. Emergencies of all types happen. Sometimes we are prepared, sometimes we are not. The Department of Homeland Security has developed Ready Kids, a website for kids and their families, aimed to help everyone be ready for many different types of unexpected situations! There are activities and information to help your family get prepared for a variety of emergencies, from fires to tornadoes to earthquakes. Let the Mountain Lion family guide you through the planning process so you can graduate from Readiness U!

Earlier this week, the award-winning Pure Michigan campaign was on the brink of dying due to a lack of government funding. Travel Michigan vice president called for quick action, saying that if funding wasn’t resolved by today, Pure Michigan would not run its winter campaign. Luckily, the state legislature approved $10 million in funding to save the campaign. Enough to allow Pure Michigan to present its snowy wooden glens and frozen lakes to the rest of the country for the next few months.

This is the most comprehensive guide to ski and snowboard areas in Michigan. No matter your skill level, Michigan is the place to go downhill skiing. With more than 40 Michigan downhill skiing resorts, the silvery slopes of Michigan offer the best Alpine skiing in the Midwest. So let's head up the lift and get a little closer to the bright blue sky where the beauty of downhill skiing is Pure Michigan.

The bad news is that about one-fifth of animal species are at risk of extinction, according to a report released by governments and conservation groups that met in October for the Convention of Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan. The good news, according to an article summary of the report, is that the number of threatened species would be even higher if not for the success of conservation efforts. Unfortunately, given the recent global economic crisis conservation efforts have lately taken a back seat.

Harris Poll Finds Mysteries, Thrillers Edge Out Romance Novels

Reported in Publisher's Weekly (10/07/10):

Lord of misrule: a novel by Jaimy Gordon

Just kids: from Brooklyn to the Chelsea Hotel : a life of art and friendship by Patti Smith

Lighthead by Terrance Hayes

Mockingbird: (mok'ing-bûrd) by Kathryn Erskine

Diwali is a Hindu holiday celebrated by Hindus wherever they live in the world. The name "Diwali" comes from the word "Deepavali" which means "row of Lights". This festival is the most widely celebrated festival in India, although the celebrations differ from place to place. There are some things about the festival that are common across the world. Some of these aspects are lighting of lamps, called "diyas", cleaning and sometimes painting homes, feasting with family and friends. The most important meaning of the festival is the celebration of the truimph of good over evil. It is also a time for renewing hopes for happiness and prosperity in life. The festival of Diwali can last up to five days. In 2010 the main celebration falls on Friday, November 5th. So Happy Diwali to everyone.

According to an article in USA Today, a recent study indicates that it is likely. The study, which did not disclose brand names, analyzed top-selling air fresheners, laundry products including detergents, personal care products such as soaps and cleaning products. They found that all of the products tested emitted at least one chemical classified as toxic. The study did not find any difference in the so-called green products. To learn more about toxins in the environment you may want to check out Dodging the Toxic Bullet: How to Protect Yourself from Everyday Environmental Health Hazards by David R. Boyd. [Photo courtesy of AP Images]

Celebrate National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by arming yourself with important information. Alyssa Knisley, Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center genetic counselor, will share her expertise and skills with us on Thursday, October 21 at 7:00PM in the Community Room. Join us for "must know" facts that could save your life or the life of a loved one. Have you had your mammogram this year?

Acclaimed Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa has won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature. This author of over 30 novels and winner of the prestigious Cervantes Prize is the first South American winner of the literature Nobel in nearly 30 years; since Gabriel Garcia Marquez won in 1982.

Looking for books by this decorated author? Canton Public Library has a few:

The bad girl by Mario Vargas Llosa ; translated from the Spanish by Edith Grossman

The notebooks of Don Rigoberto by Mario Vargas Llosa ; translated by Edith Grossman

The way to paradise by Mario Vargas Llosa ; translated by Natasha Wimmer

John Gallagher thinks there is, and discusses it in his new book Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City. In a Detroit Free Press article, Gallagher writes that trying to rebuild Detroit into its former glory by repopulating the city's empty spaces and returning downtown to the shopping area it once was is not the answer. He argues that we must envision a different future for Detroit — perhaps with less people, but room for more community gardens, bike lanes and transit lines.