Lincoln Document has Ties to Donner Party
Recently, a document containing a sample of President Abraham Lincoln’s handwriting was discovered among the papers in the James Frazier Reed Collection at the California State Library in Sacramento. The KCRA Channel 3 website reports that Reed, the Collection’s namesake, was one of the organizers of the tragic Donner Party, and the document travelled with the Party on their fateful trip west in 1846. The Lincoln document, which lists the names of several Illinois volunteers for the Black Hawk War in 1832, has been examined by several experts from the The Papers of Abraham Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. It was “determined that Abraham Lincoln had written the title for one of the July 10 muster rolls,” stated The Papers of Abraham Lincoln organization.
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San Diego County, CA libraries have gone to the dogs. All in the name of literacy. Twice a month at the the La Mesa branch, a collie named Sunny, who is a certified therapy dog, visits the library with his handler, Gloria Laube, and listens to children read. An article posted on the 
In a recent op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times, public school librarian Sara Scribner emphasizes the importance of libraries, librarians and teaching today’s children to be information literate. Though the Google generation, children in grades K-12, is more tech savvy than previous generations, the huge amount of data available on and off-line makes it difficult for anyone to parse and analyze. Google has become an integral part of our lives, and most kids now head straight for this search engine when doing any kind of research. Yet because of all the false or misinformation on the web, this is often not an effective strategy. Young students need to learn to craft successful search terms, utilize a variety of different search engines and databases, and use critical thinking to decide whether the source provides reliable information.
Last week, blogger and radio host Rob Port set the conservative blogosphere ablaze when he presented photographic “evidence” that “Michelle Obama Keeps Socialist Books in the White House Library”. During a recent tour of the White House, Port found two books on socialism in its library, snapped a photo, and blogged about it on the web. His post created a controversy, inflaming both sides of the political aisle, and inciting numerous comments. Yet, it turns out that his “evidence” and the surrounding controversy is a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. The Washington Post reports that a First Lady did indeed choose those books for the White House library, but it was Jacqueline Kennedy, not Michelle Obama, who chose the books in 1963. The books have been in the White House for almost 50 years, through both Democratic and Republican administrations (yes, even the Reagan years). Port said in his post that his tour guide credited Michelle Obama with selecting the books, but it is unclear if the facts were misstated by the guide or misheard by the blogger. Perhaps if Port, a self professed bibliophile, had done a little more reading and a little less inflammatory finger pointing, he would have been able to report the facts more accurately.
In 1940, high school students, Linda Porte and Woodland Drake, were introduced by mutual friends during a study session at the Millicent Library in Fairhaven, MA. As the library was closing Linda became upset that she would not be able to finish her report. The book she needed, a guide to Fairhaven, was a reference book and could not be checked out. During the group’s walk home, she again expressed her disappointment at not having the book, and Woodland surprised her by pulling it out of his jacket. This act of “unofficial borrowing” would spark a lifetime of love, with a marriage that lasted 64 years and four children. Their son, Paul Drake, himself a librarian at the University of Guam, recently recounted his parent’s love story to the Standard-Times. Incredibly the couple had held on to the book for the rest of their lives, but after they both passed away (Linda in 2007 and Woodland in 2009), Paul felt it was time to finally return it to its rightful owner.
Public libraries throughout the country are coming up with creative compromises to clear fines and help those in need. According to the New York Times, several branches in Illinois, Ohio and New Hampshire have started accepting donations of groceries or canned goods, instead of money. The food is then donated to local food banks and shelters. Librarians nationwide have feared that in this down economy, overdue fines are keeping people from visiting libraries and returning materials. These donation programs have proved very popular in their communities, allowing people to clear their record and re-gain access to library resources, while helping the less fortunate. Robert Rice, the public library director in Pelham, N.H is proud of what their food-for-fines program has achieved so far. “We got our materials back and did something positive for the community. Use is up greatly, and budgets are being cut.”
In 1936, 12 year old Thomas McArdle checked out a brand new history book from the Chestnut Street Elementary School library in Scottdale, PA. The book, The Birth of Rome by Laura Orvieto, told the story of Rome’s development, and the young McArdle needed it for his 6th grade history paper. “I just fell in love with the book and then I did a nasty thing, I kept the book. I read it about three or four times after that,” he explains in the Daily Courier. “I majored in history in college. That book, that class, and that teacher made a big difference in my life. I still read about Roman and European history.” For 73 years McArdle kept the book, taking it with him as he moved around the U.S. Recently, he contacted his cousin, who still resides in Scottdale, to help him return the book to its rightful owners.
