The Maxinkuckee Reed

Quarterly Newsletter of the Culver-Union Township Public Library

“The mission of the Culver-Union Twp. Public Library is to serve the diverse needs of

our communities through the sharing of library resources and services in a

welcoming atmosphere."

Winter 2016 Volume 6, Issue 4

Editor: Dana Thomas

A reader has

recently inquired

why we named

our quarterly

Newsletter The

Maxinkuckee

Reed. To answer

this question, this

small town library

located near the

most beautiful Lake in all of Indiana

shines the spotlight on this [slightly

updated] copy from the first issue of The

Maxinkuckee Reed. Think Lake, Library,

books; it’s summer 2010 and the

spotlight reveals a bit about the why

behind the name of our then-brand-new

Newsletter:

Read the Reed

Welcome to the inaugural issue of

Culver-Union Township Public Library’s

quarterly Newsletter, The Maxinkuckee

Reed. As we begin this new venture I

would like to say a few words about our

Newsletter’s name. As you may know, a

reed is a type of grass which grows in

wetland areas, and was once found in

abundance around our beautiful Lake

Maxinkuckee. There are many kinds of

reeds: a certain type has been used since

ancient times to make reed pens which

are used for writing on papyrus. Papyrus

itself was made from a variety of reed

found particularly in ancient Egypt, and

our English word “paper” comes from the

word “papyrus.” Spanning a period of

more than 3,500 years, almost every

“book” in the libraries of ancient Egypt,

Greece and Rome was a papyrus scroll.

Today at YOUR Library we simply move

from “reed” to “read” and present you

with this Newsletter.

Our Newsletter’s name brings

together our Lake, our Library and our

access to books, and The Reed continues

its mission to inform and celebrate; this

winter 2016 issue is no exception. In its

pages you will find Patron Reviews by

Dianne Johnson, who looks at Skipping

Christmas, authored by John Grisham,

and Angie Nelligan, who examines The

Boys in the Boat written by Daniel James

Brown; Librarian Laura Jones reviews Jodi

Picoult’s Small Great Things.

Regular columns are also here for

you, including “Tech News” by Andrew

Baker, “Children’s Room Update” by Jill

Gavlick and “CUTPL Friends’ Update” by

Friends’ President Rebecca Nifong.

Our long-running “Meet the Staff”

column continues (that inaugural issue

included an interview with Clerk Shirley

Gut, who after 21 years of service

continues to bring her unique skills to the

Library). Our featured employee in this

issue is Youth Services Clerk Erin Bendy;

be sure and meet Erin in these pages.

Editor Dana Thomas announces

upcoming Library events which include

our winter reading program with its

theme “Book Your Winter Reading

Getaway at CUTPL” and Dana joins with

Polly Thompson Wolf to tell us about

2017 Book Club News.

As we said in our first edition, The

Reed is available in print at the Library

and online at our website. Dana also

promotes it and makes it accessible

through our social media outlets. As we

begin our seventh year of publication we

are confident that you enjoy learning

more about your Library! Books are no

longer made of papyrus; we offer paper,

audio and electronic books; our mission is

to encourage literacy. So with your tablet

or with a paper copy in hand, curl up in

front of the fireplace and enjoy reading

this latest issue of The Reed!

107 North Main Street - Culver, IN 46511 - Phone: 574-842-2941 - Fax: 574-842-3441

Email: staff@culver.lib.in.us Website: www.culver.lib.in.us Hours: Monday-Thursday 9-8, Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-4, Closed Sunday

The Director’s Spotlight by Colleen McCarty

Review of 2016

Many upgrades have taken place for

IT operations over the course of 2016.

We now have a much faster 100 Mbps

fiber optic Internet connection, all new

network switches, and all new wireless

access points.

The new Internet connection is 10

times faster than a year ago, and the new

network switches are much faster and

more power efficient than the equipment

they have replaced. More wireless access

points will result in better speeds and

coverage throughout the entire building.

All of these changes combined result

in a great increase in network

performance and Internet access speeds

for staff and patron usage.

In the next several sections are some

details of some of our technology

objectives for the year 2017.

Computer Lab Upgrades

The computer lab will be upgraded in

2017 to offer much faster service to our

patrons. Estimates indicate that the

number of computers available will be

between 8 and 10. Computer operating

speeds will increase, as well as overall

energy efficiency of computer lab

operations.

Staff Computer Upgrades

Staff computers also will be

upgraded in 2017, resulting in increased

staff productivity, plus improved service

to patrons. The number of staff

computers is expected to remain close to

the current number of systems installed.

Free Computer Classes

Free computer classes are not

scheduled for December and will resume

in January.

Some new classes may be created in

2017, depending on attendance and time

available to generate new content.

Upcoming Thursday Tech Times

The new Thursday Tech Time

schedule for 2017 will be published in

December. Several new topics will be

made available as part of the 2017

schedule.

Tech News by Andrew Baker

Page 2 Volume 6, Issue 4

Patron Review by Dianne Johnson

Skipping Christmas

by John Grisham

Skipping Christmas is not a book I

would expect from master writer John

Grisham. I chose it based on its cover -

another check off on my summertime

reading bingo.

Luther and Nore Krank decide to

“not do Christmas” the year their

daughter leaves for the Peace Corps in

Peru. Instead of spending over $6000 on

gifts, parties, trees, decorations, etc.,

they decide to spend the money instead

on a Caribbean cruise.

The story chronicles the difficulties of

saying “No” to all the Christmas hype and

merchandising, from calendars to fund

raisers to fruitcakes, to excessive outdoor

(and indoor) decorations, to Frosty the

Snowman, rooftop decorations on the

entire subdivision… you get the idea. In

the short 177 pages, there are some

funny ways Mr. and Mrs. Krank fend off

the Christmas commercial activities.

About half way through the book, I

realized there had been a movie made

from this book, “Christmas with the

Kranks” was the title, and it was better

than the book.

When the Krank’s daughter calls to

tell her folks about her surprise visit

home - with a new Peruvian fiancé - the

fun really begins. In 6 hours they go from

“No Christmas” back to a big fancy

shindig complete with gifts and feats.

The book is short, easy to read, and

funny in many places. The Christmas

cover is pretty, too.

Tell us what you think! Book

reviews are always welcome.

It is my pleasure this winter to

introduce you to Erin Bendy. Erin began

volunteering at CUTPL in June of 2016

and by the next month she was hired as a

clerk in Youth Services.

Culver has always been home to

Erin, as such, it comes as no surprise that

spending summers on our beautiful Lake

Maxinkuckee is her favorite thing about

the area. Erin plans to attend college in

the fall and major in creative writing.

In her free time, Erin enjoys reading,

writing, playing piano, and spending time

with her family and friends. She has

enjoyed being a manager for the CCHS

volleyball team, and being involved in the

school musicals.

Erin is an active member of the

popular and growing Young Adult Book

Club at CCHS, sponsored by CUTPL’s

Friends of the Library, and she was

elected to serve as the President of the

club this school year.

An avid reader, Erin gravitates

towards the Young Adult genre, but will

“read anything she can get her hands

on.” She loves Disney movies, movie

musicals, and the accompanying

soundtracks.

While at CUTPL, Erin loves helping

patrons find what they’re looking for.

Without a doubt, she is a fantastic

addition to our CUTPL family. Next time

you’re in, please say hi to Erin, and don’t

hesitate to ask her for help. She’s a

wonderful resource in the children’s

room and would be happy to help you.

Meet the Staff Erin Bendy, Youth Services Clerk

Page 3 Volume 6, Issue 4

Patron Review by Angie Nelligan

Join a Library Book Club! A Novel Approach: First Wednesday of the month at 12:00 PM

Fresh Picked: Second Wednesday of the month at 1:00 PM

New Books Every Month! All are welcome to join.

The Boys in the

Boat

by Daniel James

Brown

OMG - This is one of the best books

I’ve read in a long time. It’s the amazing

story of the nine young men from the

University of Washington who won the

gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in

Berlin.

Can you imagine 9 men - 8 of whom

are pretty large in a 62 foot long vessel

that is only 24 inches wide and they are

in constant motion - moving as one under

the direction of the 9th man, the

coxswain? This story focuses on one

young man - Joe Rantz and all the

hardships he endured growing up - yet he

persisted - never giving up.

I never knew anything about the

sport of rowing - how they are in

constant motion and moving as one

person in the water. There’s a chapter

about George Pocock, the famous British

boat designer, which details how he built

their shell “The Husky Clipper.” I found

this very interesting. I also learned about

Al Ulbrickson, head coach of The

University of Washington rowing

program, who taught them to really

believe in themselves and one another

and that they were capable of greatness.

Editor’s note: If you enjoyed the

book, check out the

documentary The Boys of ‘36.

We are so excited to share with you

some of the entertaining programs we

have offered in the Children’s Room this

fall.

In August we welcomed local author

Kathy Smart. Kathy is the author of

Melvin – a children’s picture book about

a Sandpiper with a disability who

overcomes being bullied. We are so

thankful to Kathy for visiting and

spreading such a wonderful message

through her children’s book.

In the fall we collaborated with

Culver Community’s Fall Festival in

offering a Jenga Tournament to children

ages 6-18 years of age. Winners received

an iTunes gift card thanks to Culver

Coffee Company and Unlocked Creativity.

A life-size Jenga was used for the finalists

to compete for the grand prize – thanks

to The Lakehouse Grille.

Most recently we celebrated

Halloween at the library. Our regular

Tuesday morning storytime turned into a

Halloween Party! Children arrived

dressed in their favorite costume, while

Miss Jill, Miss Erin, and Miss Kristen read

spooky stories, and led them in games

and crafts. We also welcomed all three of

Wesley Preschool’s classes and Max’s

Daycare to the library for a Halloween

storytime after they finished their annual

trick or treating to local businesses.

The Youth Services Department’s

Young Adult Book Club meets every

Thursday morning at Culver Community

High School. There are currently 27

students participating. Coming up on our

reading list is Let It Snow, three stories in

one written by authors John Green,

Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle.

The Friends of the Library generously

purchase each book, which allows the

students to receive and keep a copy of

every title throughout the year.

Programs to look forward to this

winter:

Storytime and Caroling at Miller’s

Merry Manor in Culver – Saturday,

December 3, starting at 9am. All are

welcome to follow Miss Jill back to

the Library for our Holiday Open

House. Santa will be visiting the

Library from 10am-12pm.

Open craft night for the holidays,

Monday, December 12, from 5pm-

7pm.

Sign-up now at the Library - 15

children K-6th grade will win a FREE

spot in I am an Artist program. This

event will be on Saturday, January

28, from 10am-12pm at the Library.

Completely funded by The Friends of

the Library.

Continue to watch the Culver-Union

Township Public Library Youth Service

page on Facebook for updates on our

future programs. All programs are free

and open to the public.

Children’s Room Update by Jill Gavlick

Page 4 Volume 6, Issue 4

Connect with CUTPL on Facebook, Twitter,

YouTube, Google Plus, Blogger and Tumblr.

Page 5 Volume 6, Issue 4

Patron Review by Laura Jones, http://librarianlaura.com/

Small Great Things

by Jodi Picoult

I love Jodi Picoult’s novels because

they usually tackle a time relevant and

profoundly sensitive issue, causing

readers to step back and take a look at

things from different points of view.

Small Great Things is written in the same

manner, but this time Picoult explores

the heavily debated and recently

newsworthy issues of prejudice, race, and

justice. This is one of my favorite Picoult

novels, ranking up near the top with

Change of Heart and The Storyteller.

On a routine shift in the labor and

delivery ward at Mercy-West Haven

Hospital where Ruth Washington has

been a nurse for 20 years, her life

changes dramatically based upon a family

member’s request. Ruth is assigned to

postpartum care of the mother and

routine infant care for the Bauer family,

who she quickly learns are white

supremacists. Ruth happens to be the

only black nurse on the ward, and the

Bauers request that she not be allowed

to care for their infant son solely because

of the color of her skin. Though hurt and

embarrassed by the hospital’s actions in

not allowing her to care for a patient

despite her stellar work record, Ruth tries

to move on and focus on caring for

patients, for which she is more

than capable. However, when Davis

Bauer goes into cardiac arrest after a

routine procedure, Ruth is the only one in

the room with him. She hesitates,

knowing that she has been forbidden to

touch the child, but ends up performing

CPR and trying to save Davis’s life.

Tragically, Davis Bauer dies. As expected,

Turk and Brittany Bauer are out for

justice and revenge, believing that Ruth

Washington is the sole reason their son

perished. Ruth finds herself on trial with

a white public defender who has not

yet defended anyone in a murder trial.

Ruth’s husband passed away 10 years

prior while on military duty, leaving her

the sole provider for their son Edison,

now a high school student working hard

to get into college and be successful. An

overly independent woman, she

must learn to trust and lean on Kennedy,

her lawyer, if she wants to be around for

her son’s future.

Kennedy McQuarrie begs her boss to

take on Ruth’s case, in part because she

wants the challenge of her first murder

trial, but also because there is something

about Ruth which Kennedy can’t shake.

She knows in her heart that Ruth, a nurse

who took the Florence Nightingale pledge

and cares deeply for her patients, would

not deliberately cause the death of an

infant. Though she has hundreds of

public defender cases open and precious

little time, Kennedy throws herself into

Ruth’s case with a new fervor, and in the

process learns a lot about Ruth, but even

more about herself. Kennedy claims that

she doesn’t see color, and believes blacks

and whites to be equal. She cautions

Ruth from bringing up race in the trial,

knowing that it will blow any chance of

an acquittal. Even though race is the sole

reason for the unfortunate tragedy and

the underlying reason Ruth is on trial,

Kennedy is scared to bring the issue to

light in front of the media and jury. As

she spends more time with Ruth,

Kennedy begins to notice so many things

Ruth faces that she would have never

noticed before. Readers will be proud of

the way Kennedy “grows up” during the

course of the story. I know I was.

All in all, this is a wonderful story

about human connection, no matter the

color of one’s skin. The ending had me

teared up, but smiling because the

outcome from such an ugly, unfortunate

situation turned into something truly

beautiful when the final chapter came to

a close. The story shows that one person

can cause a ripple which can lead to a

tidal wave. It only takes a small, great

thing to start a change that can affect a

great many people.

Picoult does a fabulous job of

showing the perspective of two very

different sides of racial equality and

prejudice. The story progresses back and

forth between Ruth, Kennedy, and Turk

Bauer. Picoult’s author notes at the end

of the story are not to be missed. She

explains why she wanted to write a story

about race, why she waited so long to do

so, and about the real life situation she

used as background for Small Great

Things. The research she completed for

the story is phenomenal and much

appreciated.

The title of the book references a

quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “If I

cannot do great things, I can do small

things in a great way.” The characters in

this story certainly did small things in a

great way, as did Jodi Picoult by writing

this story. Picoult notes that she will get

push-back for this story, both from white

people and people of color. She knew it

wouldn’t be easy or fun, but she wrote

the novel “because the things that make

us most uncomfortable are the things

that teach us what we all need to know.”

Well said, Jodi Picoult. I am very grateful

you wrote Small Great Things and I truly

believe it will change the perspectives of

many readers.

Temperatures have dropped, the

fireplace is on, and soon the tree will be

up and trimmed by the Friends. As I’m

working on this edition of The Reed, the

first snowfall of the year is whirling

around the library. While winter is always

an exciting time at CUTPL, we sure were

treated to some great weather and

programs this fall.

We were joined this October by the

Susana Circle Quilters from Culver’s

Wesley United Methodist Church. They

educated and entertained us with their

First Ladies Quilt, including the history of

the selected quilt blocks, as well as

interesting little known facts about the

First Ladies themselves. Our First Ladies

faced a job they did not choose, and met

the challenge with determination as they

crusaded to solve national problems in

their own unique ways. The First Ladies

quilt was on display at CUTPL through

Veterans Day. It was a beautiful way to

honor the history of this great nation!

CUTPL is blessed to have the support

of our vibrant and welcoming Friends of

the Library group. Our Friends host book

sales throughout the year, volunteer at

programs, and raise money that directly

supports the library’s programs and

needs. With all they do for us, it was our

privilege to thank and honor them this

fall with a luncheon during National

Friends of Libraries Week. Our dedicated

Friends are a vital part of our library

family and our great community. Thank

you Friends.

As a part of our Celebrated Voices

series, we were delighted to welcome

international bestselling author Susan

Lewis back home to CUTPL during her

time this fall as the writer-in-residence

for the Culver Academies Humanities

Department. While at CUTPL, Susan

chatted with patrons about her writing

process, her favorite authors, and the

novel No Place to Hide, which was set

here in Culver. Our wonderful Friends of

the Library catered the event and had

books available for Susan to sign.

No matter the weather, we’ll think

warm thoughts this winter with our Adult

Winter Reading Program, “Book Your

Winter Reading Getaway.” Adult Winter

Reading begins Tuesday, January 3rd, and

runs through Friday, February 24th.

Reading logs and book review forms will

be available beginning January 3rd, and

as always, you can earn points for books

read/listened to, book reviews written,

and adult programs attended. Thanks to

the generous support of local businesses

and our Friends of the Library, we will

award prizes to the top three

participants. It’s almost time to

“getaway” into winter reading at CUTPL.

Our annual Club Fair, a winter

reading favorite, returns January 21st,

2017, in the large meeting room

downstairs. Please plan to get out of the

cold and come join us in our cozy warm

library for a day of fun, fellowship, and

the opportunity to get involved in our

fabulous community.

As we begin a new year, I am so

excited to announce a new book club

beginning in January. “Fresh Picked” is a

team effort and is comprised of staff

favorites “picked” by: Chris Emerick,

Cathy Thomas, Polly Thompson Wolf, and

myself. Please read “2017 Book Club

News” for more information and the first

few picks for the new year.

Until next time, wishing you warm

thoughts this winter season.

Book Your Winter Reading Getaway at CUTPL by Dana Thomas

Page 6 Volume 6, Issue 4

Page 7 Volume 6, Issue 4

2017 Book Club News by Polly Thompson Wolf and Dana Thomas

Polly Thompson Wolf and Shirley Gut, moderators of book and movie discussion groups, Novel Approach and CUTPL’s new

book club Fresh Picked, announce titles for the first 6 months of 2017.

Novel Approach with Shirley Gut meets the first Wednesday of the month at noon to watch a movie and then discuss the

accompanying book. Attendees may bring snacks or a packed lunch to eat while watching the movie.

Fresh Picked holds its book discussion on the second Wednesday of each month. Titles are chosen from staff picks selected by:

Chris Emerick, Cathy Thomas, Dana Thomas, and Polly Thompson Wolf. This exciting new book club will be moderated by Polly and

the recommending staff member. The reading list for the first 6 months includes:

Book discussions and movies are shown in either the Carnegie room or the small meeting room. Movies or Internet searches

or programs to facilitate discussions are shown on large screen in each of meeting rooms.

Book Movie

January 2017 A Life of Dance and Dreams by Alvin Yudkoff Singin’ in the Rain with Gene Kelly & Debbie Reynolds

February 2017 Wish You Well by David Baldacci Wish You Well with Ellen Burstyn & Mackenzie Foy

March 2017 Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Singer Yentl with Barbara Streisand & Mandy Patinkin

April 2017 A League of Their Own by Sarah Gilbert A League of Their Own with Tom Hanks & Genna Davis

May 2017 The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard Morais The Hundred Foot Journey with Hellen Miren & Om Puri

June 2017 Sarah’s Key by Tatiana DeRosnay Sarah’s Key with Kristen Thomas & Mélusine Mayance

Book Picked by

January 2017 The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion Polly & Dana

February 2017 The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald Chris

March 2017 Genre: Graphic Novel Polly & Dana

April 2017 Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie, a tale of love and fallout by

Lauren Redniss Polly

May 2017 The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman Cathy

June 2017 Accused by Lisa Scottoline Chris

CUTPL Friends’ Update by Rebecca Nifong

Join the FRIENDS of the Culver-Union Township Public Library

Individual $10 annually Name…………………………………………………………………………..Date…………………………………….

Family $20 annually Address……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Student $5 annually City…………………………………………………………………………...State…………………...Zip…………...

15-year membership $100 Telephone…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Lifetime membership $200 Email…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Additional donations are welcome I am enclosing $______ to cover the membership checked.

Make checks payable to: FRIENDS of the CUTPL

Mail to: FRIENDS of the CUTPL

107 N. Main St.

Culver, IN 46511

Page 8 Volume 6, Issue 4

As most of us approach the holiday

and winter season we become more

introspective and thankful. That is true

for us too and I want to take this time to

share some of the things we are thankful

for. First we are thankful for our library

and its staff. Our library provides so many

services to our community that most do

not even know. Just to let you know of a

few that are out of the ordinary for a

library. Our library offers seated exercises

three days a week, resources for

homeschool families, quiet study areas, a

variety of adult, teen, and children’s

programming, and meeting rooms

available for reservation. Our library is

meeting the needs of the community in

so many ways, so next time you are

there, remember to say thank you. One

more thing: they host the Friends every

October to show appreciation to us and

they outdo themselves with food and

service to us. One more reason to be a

Friend and to be thankful.

Next I, as President of the Friends of

the Library, am thankful for the Friends.

They faithfully pay their dues and serve

to assist the library in making all the extra

things happen for the community. Did

you know that the Friends provide the

books for the Teen Book Club free of

charge for each of the teens, snacks for

all of the Celebrated Voices Author

events, sponsor the I Am An Artist for

children, help to beautify our library

through flowers in front and back of the

library, decorate for Christmas, and host

book and bake sales the first Saturday

every month?

We too are thankful for you, it is

because of our hometown, beautiful

Culver that we do what we do.

Friends of the Culver-Union

Township Public Library

2017 Meetings

January 3rd

February 7th

March 7th

All meetings are at 1 PM in

the lower level of the library.

For more information, visit: http://www.culver.lib.in.us/friends.htm

2016-2017 Book Sales

9 AM—3:30 PM

Carnegie Room

December 3rd

January 7th

January 21st (Club Fair)

February 4th

March 4th