MAY 2010 IN THE UMC LIBRARY

Schools will be closing soon, and you’ve marked the time off at your workplace.  That means you need to drift into the UMC library and peruse the shelves for that beach (or mountain or urban or family reunion) trip.  You’re in luck—there are lots of new books and magazines.

Let’s start out with a new donation from our own David Miller:  “Peace Be With You: Christ’s Benediction Amid Violent Empires” [261.87 BAK].  A compilation of essays, it discusses Christian commitment to peace lived out in a complex world.  Worth checking out just to see Dave’s handwritten note to UMC.

A particularly hot button issue is addressed in two books:  “Christians at the Border:  Immigration, the Church, and the Bible” [261.83 ROD] and “MCC U.S. Immigration Listening Project: What the Church is Saying” [325 MCC]. “Border” asks what the Bible says about the issue and what is at the heart of the Christian view of immigration.  “MCC U.S.” sought to listen to perceptions and concerns about new immigrants and to learn what they experience as they settle in different communities. 

APRIL 2010 IN THE UMC LIBRARY

Spring has sprung, and there are new books in the church library.  Now you know you need something to read while you sit out on the porch during those lazy spring evenings, so come on in and get a book, a CD, or DVD! 

The UMC “card” catalog can be searched 24/7 at the UMC website www.universitymennonite.org/library/online-library-catalogor directly at the LibraryThing.com website www.librarything.com/catalog/UnivMenno.  To search for a particular text, subject, or author, go to the box on the right side near the top of the page, and type in your request.

New changes are afoot in our little library.  Since so few people have a cassette tape player, old worship service tapes are being converted to CDs and will be added to present services now being recorded digitally.  A new display case is being prepared.  We also hope to add a used laptop that will be dedicated to searching the card catalog online while standing right next to the shelves. 

Your present librarian will be stepping down come September 1, and all bibliophiles are encouraged to consider assuming the position in the new church year.  Training in the web-based catalog and library acquisition policies will be gladly provided, as will continued coaching as needed.

NOVEMBER 2009 IN THE UMC LIBRARY

As advent approaches, there's a book for every age in the UMC library, from a K-4^th grade story of Pakistani schools to a large print devotional book.  Major divisions of the library include adult non-fiction and fiction, juvenile (primary-middle ages), picture and easy reader books, videos, DVD's, magazines, and cassette tapes.  Come on in and sample the library!

"Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and 'Three Cups of Tea'" by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth [E MOR].  Appropriate for ages K-4^th grade. Greg Mortenson stumbled, lost and delirious, into a remote Himalayan village after a failed climb up K2. The villagers saved his life, and he vowed to return and build them a school. The remarkable story of his promise kept is now perfect for reading aloud. Told in the voice of Korphe's children, this story illuminates the humanity and culture of a relevant and distant part of the world in gorgeous collage, while sharing a riveting example of how one person can change thousands of lives.

OCTOBER 2009 IN THE UMC LIBRARY

Our denominational press, Mennonite Publishing House, has new releases for the fall, and there are great choices for all ages.  First, two new additions to our children's library:

Julia's Words [E ROT]  Ages 6-10.  Christina meets Julia, who is deaf, at a coastal campground.  As the two girls spend time together, Christina glimpses what it might be like to be deaf.  She finds out there's more than one way to communicate-and that friendship is deeper than sound.

Walk in Peace [E HES]  Age:  preschoolers.  Each day, children around the world leave home for school, to play, to do chores, to go to themarket and to go visiting.  Moms and dads send their little ones out with a prayer for God's protection and with a loving reminder to walk in peace.

You can look in the worship resources section of the adult library (lower shelf on the last bookcase near the connecting door to the nursery) for two terrific books that are good not only for worship leaders, but also for small groups and personal devotions.