...lavender, rosemary, oriental roses...
St. Mary's School sixth-graders Mextli Palacios, 13, and Kylee Sprague, 12, place a plant in a hole they've prepared Friday afternoon at the Albany Public Library. (Jesse Skoubo/Democrat-Herald)
About 60 Albany students pulled on gardening gloves and then picked up shovels, spades and trowels to create a drought-efficient garden in the planter strips at the new Albany Public Library.
Coached by teachers, Master Gardeners, city workers and David Sandrock, a landscaper who designed the new planting area, students spent nearly two hours Friday afternoon putting 150 plants in planter strips at 14th Avenue and Davidson Street S.E.
For the past few months, North Albany Middle School students took charge of growing the plants from seed in the school's greenhouse. They were on hand to do the planting along with students from St. Mary's School, which will adopt the garden.
St. Mary's students also will develop a brochure for the public, listing the plants in the garden, explaining how they look in different seasons, and then showing how to care for them. The city will print the brochure and make it available online, at City Hall and at the two libraries.
"We are hoping people coming into the library or driving by will enjoy the garden and get ideas for their own yards using plants that require less water and maintenance than a lawn," said Kim Kagelaris, a city environmental services technician.
Austin Smith is an eighth-grader at North Albany Middle School who said the project "took a lot of hard work, but it was worth it."
Angel Torres, another eighth-grader, who wants to be responsible for growing large numbers of plants when he grows up, said he and his fellow students spent lots of time growing the plants, weeding around them and making sure they had enough water, fertilizer and sun.
Amethyst Dawson, a
seventh-grader at St. Mary's, said it "will be fun to stop by the library and remember where I put some of them."
Before the students started planting, Sandrock, of Sandrock Landscapes in Corvallis, gave them a quick lesson on the importance of having a water-efficient garden.
Using a question-answer format, the students learned plants requiring little water are a good thing because of possible future water shortages. They also learned what types of plants were going into the garden - sedum, juniper, ceanothus, lavender, rosemary, oriental roses and rock roses.
Library Director Ed Gallagher said the garden will add beauty to the grounds. ~~ Cathy Ingalls, Albany Democrat-Herald
Powersearch is the new database to access periodical articles and to set up personalized RSS feeds and alerts to information that YOU may want. Powersearch is easy to use ... so easy you may not even know what you are doing ... but the results will be dramatic. Powersearch actually aggregates 30 separate database collections including ebooks and newspapers to create a very comprehensive 'power search.' If Powersearch proves overwhelming in its production of search results, you may select any of the individual databases to streamline your search. There are databases for the entire family. Ranging from "Kids Info Bits" to the "Culinary Arts Collection" to more specialized health and legal databases.
The world of information is changing; access is at your fingertips. Explore! http://library.ci.albany.or.us/reference/database.php
The world of information is changing; access is at your fingertips. Explore! http://library.ci.albany.or.us/reference/database.php
Non-resident fees
Mark Ylen/Democrat-Herald Breanna Chance, 6, of Albany pores over selections Monday morning in the children’s section of the Albany Public Library. Children and others who are not Albany residents may have to pay more for a library card.Library fee hikes proposedBy Cathy IngallsAlbany Democrat-Herald
People who live outside the Albany city limits will have to pay more for a library card if the city council approves a proposal Wednesday from library Director Ed Gallagher.The council meets in regular session at 7:15 p.m. at City Hall.Since August 2000, nonresident families have paid $60 a year for a library card, individuals $30, and youth $10.The library board has recommended to Gallagher that the fee schedule be modified so nonresidents pay a fee that more closely matches what Albany taxpayers pay. That amount is about $100 a year.Gallagher is proposing that families, individuals and young people all pay $75 a year for library services.As of right now, at least three councilors said they are a bit wary of an across-the-board fee jump but want to hear more from Gallagher before making a final decision.Councilor Dick Olsen, a staunch supporter of libraries, said this morning he opposes a flat fee for all groups.“There should be a graduated rate for the three categories,” he said, elaborating that the family rate should go to $75 but the individual card cost should move up only to $35 and the youth rate should stay at $10.“If a kid has the gumption to come into Albany to check out a book, he should not have to pay such a steep fee,” Olsen said.Councilor Bill Coburn Jr. said he wants to hear a report from staff before making his decision. For now though, “I kind of go along with what Dick is saying,” he said. “It seems there ought to be some kind of graduated scale. The proposal makes the assumption that an individual owns a home, which they may not.”Councilor Jeff Christman said “on the surface I think there should be a graduated fee schedule. But I go along with Bill and would like to hear from staff ... .”
Library2Go improvements
OverDrive Media Console v3.2 Expands iPod® Compatibility with WMA Audiobooks
Nearly all OverDrive/Library2Go WMA Audiobooks in our downloadable collection are now compatible with the iPod®, iPhone™, iPod touch®, and iPod nano®, as well as Zune® and thousands of other portable devices, with a simple upgrade of OverDrive Media Console to version 3.2 on Windows® PCs.
Library2Go is a free service of the Library which allows you to download unabridged audiobooks and movies to your computer. Audiobooks may be transferred to a portable device like an MP3 player or iPod. Over 4,000 audiobook titles are available along with over 1000 movies and documentaries. In the past there have been some compatibility issues with MAC/iPod users which seem to have been remedied by this announcement. Read more....
Nearly all OverDrive/Library2Go WMA Audiobooks in our downloadable collection are now compatible with the iPod®, iPhone™, iPod touch®, and iPod nano®, as well as Zune® and thousands of other portable devices, with a simple upgrade of OverDrive Media Console to version 3.2 on Windows® PCs.
Library2Go is a free service of the Library which allows you to download unabridged audiobooks and movies to your computer. Audiobooks may be transferred to a portable device like an MP3 player or iPod. Over 4,000 audiobook titles are available along with over 1000 movies and documentaries. In the past there have been some compatibility issues with MAC/iPod users which seem to have been remedied by this announcement. Read more....
Albany Arts Commission
New Library gets artworkBy Cathy Ingalls, picture by Mark YlenAlbany Democrat-Herald
The nuns did not teach art in the Catholic schools Cheryl French attended in Seattle, so she never knew she had any artistic talent until she was in her 30s.French, 51, of Albany is respected enough now in her field that the Albany Arts Commission asked her to paint bright-colored panels or boxes to place around three columns in the Children’s Room at the new Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave. S.E. The art will be installed on Tuesday, June 30.The city budgeted $12,500 for the project, which includes delivery and installation. An Albany ordinance requires that 1 percent of the cost of a public building be dedicated to art. Other art to be placed at the library are an outdoor sculpture and a painting over the main circulation desk.French used acrylics to paint boxes that are 10 feet tall and total 2 feet wide. Edel Designs Inc. of Albany constructed the boxes.“The whole idea of the murals is to show the many wonders out there that can capture the imagination of a child,” she said. “There are no better ways to learn about those things than in a library and in books.”One mural contains ideas that children can discover in books, another shows the exciting places children can explore in books, and the third shows the scientific and natural wonders of the world written about in books, French said.One column shows the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal, the Himalayas, sailing ships, an astronaut tethered to the Space Station, the Hubble Telescope and because this is Albany, hot air balloons.French began the paintings in her single-car garage early in March and estimates she has been at it between 500 and 700 hours.French, a retired labor lawyer, now considers herself a painter and a printmaker. She studied painting at the Seattle Academy of Fine Art and printmaking at the University of Washington Extension Program.She has exhibited at City Hall and the Albany Art and Air Festival. She works as an artist-in-residence in schools through the Corvallis Art Center.She lives in Albany with her husband, John Byrne, a retired labor union lawyer, and her 11-year-old daughter, Sean Marie French-Byrne, a Memorial Middle School student, who contributed several ideas for the paintings.
The nuns did not teach art in the Catholic schools Cheryl French attended in Seattle, so she never knew she had any artistic talent until she was in her 30s.French, 51, of Albany is respected enough now in her field that the Albany Arts Commission asked her to paint bright-colored panels or boxes to place around three columns in the Children’s Room at the new Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave. S.E. The art will be installed on Tuesday, June 30.The city budgeted $12,500 for the project, which includes delivery and installation. An Albany ordinance requires that 1 percent of the cost of a public building be dedicated to art. Other art to be placed at the library are an outdoor sculpture and a painting over the main circulation desk.French used acrylics to paint boxes that are 10 feet tall and total 2 feet wide. Edel Designs Inc. of Albany constructed the boxes.“The whole idea of the murals is to show the many wonders out there that can capture the imagination of a child,” she said. “There are no better ways to learn about those things than in a library and in books.”One mural contains ideas that children can discover in books, another shows the exciting places children can explore in books, and the third shows the scientific and natural wonders of the world written about in books, French said.One column shows the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal, the Himalayas, sailing ships, an astronaut tethered to the Space Station, the Hubble Telescope and because this is Albany, hot air balloons.French began the paintings in her single-car garage early in March and estimates she has been at it between 500 and 700 hours.French, a retired labor lawyer, now considers herself a painter and a printmaker. She studied painting at the Seattle Academy of Fine Art and printmaking at the University of Washington Extension Program.She has exhibited at City Hall and the Albany Art and Air Festival. She works as an artist-in-residence in schools through the Corvallis Art Center.She lives in Albany with her husband, John Byrne, a retired labor union lawyer, and her 11-year-old daughter, Sean Marie French-Byrne, a Memorial Middle School student, who contributed several ideas for the paintings.
All That is Oregon
Judi Mintzer's impressive 6' X !8' mural gracing the Library foyer adds a wonderful welcome to the Library and to the world that opens to those who 'travel' through books. "All That is Oregon" captures the history of our community and the blessings of our surroundings. Recognize the mountain? The lighthouse? Have you seen that bridge before? Explore your Library; explore your community.
Images are of Davis Glass hanging Mintzer's Albany Arts Commission commissioned work.
Images are of Davis Glass hanging Mintzer's Albany Arts Commission commissioned work.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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1 comments:
This is really a good idea. Can I make suggestions, like purchase suggestions, and regular type suggestions here? If so, I'd like to suggest that the Library have more music in the garden room programs, like the couple that they've had. I really enjoyed those.
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