Vintage Bands are Coming to the library!

The Northfield Library will host 2 of the Vintage Band Concerts this week.
On Thursday come hear the WindWorks Quintet at 2 P.M. This group will focus on woodwind quintet music as well as instrumental chamber music. The group hails from Northfield and the Twin Cities. On Saturday the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets will perform at 1:30 P.M. This group was founded in 2005 and in 2007 won the National Trumpet Competition in the Historic Ensemble Division. Along with the Baroque-era instruments, the ensemble also plays modern instruments, including all pitch trumpets and the corno da caccia.
Both concerts will be held upstairs at the library. For more information call the library at 507-645-6606 or visit the Vintage Band Festival website at http://www.vintagebandfestival.org

Meet the Author!
Gayla Marty, author of Memory of Trees: a Daughter's Story of a Family Farm will be at the Northfield Public Library on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room.
Memory of Tress is a muligenerational story of Gayla Marty's family farm near Rush City,
Minnesota. Cleared from woodlands by her great-grandfather Jacob in the 1880's, the farm passed to her father, Gordon, and his brother, Gaylon. Hewing to a conservative Swedish Baptist faith, the two brothers worked the farm, raising their families in side-by-side houses.
University of Minnesota Press.
St. Olaf Bookstore will be selling copies of the book.

The New Books are Now Downstairs

Did you know that the new books are now downstairs? In an effort to make better use of our space we've moved a bunch of books around. The new books, fiction and nonfiction are now downstairs. Look for them in a convenient place right by the circulation desk.

Food Preservation: What's New and Where to Find Credible Resources

Suzanne Driessen, University of Minnesota Extension Educator , will present a program on Wednesday June 9, 2010 from 2-3:30 P.M. at the Northfield Public Library on where you can find credible research-based food preservation information and tested recipes and methods that will enable you to preserve safe and wholesome foods for the home food preserver. This is a free program but registration is required. Please call the library at 645-6606 or stop by the reference desk.

Ask us a question!!

There are lots of ways to ask us a question besides coming in to the library. If you go to our website at http://www.northfieldmn.info/ - click on "Ask a Librarian". You'll see 3 ways to contact a Northfield Library librarian and another way to contact a librarian somewhere in Minnesota anytime of day.

To contact a Northfield Librarian you can either:
* call us at 507-645-1802
*contact us by email using our webpage at http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/library/askalibrarian
*or on that same webpage contact us via instant messaging on Meebo - Meebo is open when the library is open.

If you need help and it's after hours or on Sundays when we aren't open go to that same webpage again http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/library/askalibrarian - scroll to the bottom of that page and look for the Askmn logo. Askmn is a 24/7 reference service available for library patrons in Minnesota anytime - day or night.

So, what are you waiting for? Ask us a question.

77 Million People Using Library Computers

According to a recent study conducted by the University of Washington Information School (funded by the Gates Foundaton and the Institute of Museum and Library Services), a third of Americans - about 77 million people - used public library computers to access the internet in 2009. Low-income adults are more likely to rely on the public library as their sole access to computers and the Internet than any other income group. And people across all age and ethnic groups use library computers.

The use of library technology had significant impact in four critical areas: employment, education, health, and making community connections. In the last 12 months:

* 40 % of library computer users received help with career needs
* 37% of users focused on health issues
* 42% received help with educational needs (among these 37% used their local library computer to do homework for a class)
* Library computers linked patrons to their government, communities, and civic organizations.

According to Marsha Semmel, acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, "There is no ambiguity in these numbers. Millions of people see libraries as an essential tool to connect them to information, knowledge, and opportunities." "Policy makers must fully recognize and support the role libraries are playing in workforce development, education, health and wellness, and the delivery of government services."

Unfortunately, up to a third of all libraries say they lack even minimally adequate Internet connections to meet demand. According to Allan Golston, president of the United States Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "Library technology services have created opportunity for millions of Americans, but public libraries struggle to replace aging computer workstations and increase the speed of their internet connections." "This study highlights what is at risk, particularly for low-income individuals who heavily rely on the public library for their technology, if future public and private investment in public libraries doesn't keep pace with demand."

To read the entire report go to: http://cis.washington.edu/usimpact/