An interview with Matt N from Circulation at Lawrenceburg

Greetings one and all!  Hope you are having a good day and all is well with your family and friends.  Chip says HI!  :)
Today we get to meet with Matt Neuendorf from Circulation at the Lawrenceburg Library.  Our North Dearborn patrons probably don't get to meet any of the fine staff the library has at LPL, so I thought it would be great to bring some to my blog.  Diane was last week, and now we get to meet with Matt.

Bugzy:   Greetings Matt.  Nice of you to be here today.  I tried calling you earlier but we had a bit of a mixup.  But we got that straightened out.

Matt:  Glad to be with you too.  Always a pleasure.

Bugzy:    What is your favorite movie for kids?

Matt:   “Secondhand Lions” is a great one with lots of adventure and a bit of mystery
                                                                             

     

Bugzy:   That's great.  No one has chosen that movie as long as I've been talking to the staff.  How could you go wrong with Robert Duvall and Michael Cain?  Two of the greatest actors of our generation, so I've been told.  Of course, neither one of them is green or has two arms, but they are still great.

Matt:   Yes, my thoughts as well.

Bugzy:    What is your favorite pizza topping (besides cheese)?

Matt:    Extra cheese. 

Bugzy:  I had not thought of that one!  Most kids love pizza, and they never really grow out of it.  Which is a good thing.

On to the next question: What is the greatest breakfast cereal of all time?

      Matt:   Cheerios.

      

      Bugzy:   Good answer.   Here are some fun links and information about Cheerios:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheerios

        http://www.generalmills.com/Brands/Cereals/Cheerios.aspx

        https://www.facebook.com/Cheerios

      Next question to Matt:     Let’s get kids interesting in history:  If you could go back in time and live in another era, what would it be?

      Matt:  My politics, religion, and desire for comfort all agree, c900s Constantinople under the Christian Roman Empire has the best mix of all three (though with a bit of danger from barbarian invaders and civil unrest).

       Bugzy:  I'm glad you agree with Diane and I that it would be hard to give up modern comforts, like indoor plumbing, lighting, cell phones, grocery stores.

       Ok, I'll try not to get off topic too much here.       What is your earliest library memory?

      Matt:   Summer reading at the Aurora Public Library with our very own Georgeann Doan, reading the Moonbeam books or the Freddy the Pig series

      Bugzy:  Sounds wonderful.  I have not heard of the "Freddy the Pig" series before.

       Matt:  "Freddie and the Dragon"  "Freddie the Pilot"  "Freddie and the baseball team from Mars" are several  good ones. 

        Bugzy:     Did you play any organized sports as a kid, or did you like to play a pickup game of something with the neighborhood kids (like I did!)?

   Matt:   Soccer, Baseball, and my own invention: Foot Tennis

  Bugzy:  I think it's truly wonderful when children can make up their own games and their own rules and enforce the rules among themselves.  That shows social skills, communication skills and imagination skills.  But enough of my dime store psychology.

  Next question:   What did you want to be as a child when you grew up?

  Matt:    Knight, a Mechwarrior, or a Soldier (sometimes a Marine instead).

  Bugzy:  Interesting.  Phil Kuhn from North Dearborn wanted to be the 3rd baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, and he ended up a librarian like you!

  Matt:  Yes, you never now how things will turn out.  

  Bugzy:  What is your favorite children’s book?  You can have several.

  

 Matt:    "David and the Phoenix” is a classic, and I can’t leave out “The Hobbit.”

 Bugzy:  Something else we have in common Matt!  The Hobbit is one of my all time favorite books too. 

 Who is your favorite Muppet?  Of course, mine is Kermit.  

     

  Matt:  If the Sesame Street crew counts, Ernie was always a favorite. Otherwise, I’d have to go with the Swedish Chef (Beaker is my runner-up).

Bugzy:  Good answers!  That is open to debate if the Sesame Street crew counts or not.  But since this is my blog, and they were both created by the great Jim Henson, I would say yes.   

Matt:  Good to hear.  

Bugzy:  What do you like best about being a librarian Matt?

Matt:  Everything, though having the chance to work with books (and see all the new stuff as it comes out) is a real highlight.

Bugzy:  My traditional final question:       What fun thing would you do if you had four arms like me?

Matt:  Build Lego models that much faster.  Here is one of the ones I did.

Imperial cruiser 117

Thanks for being with me today Matt and telling me a few things about yourself.

PEACE
LOVE
BOOKS!

Bugzy

     

Meet Diane Fuchs from Lawrenceburg Library

Greetings!!  Bugzy here again.  Great to be with you all today.  Hope everyone is surviving all of the snow and ice.  I have a special guest with me today, Diane Fuchs from the Circulation Department at the Lawrenceburg Library on Mary Street.

Bugzy:  Good to see you again, Diane.  Thanks for being with me today.

Diane:  No problem, always a pleasure.

Bugzy: 1.      What is your favorite movie for kids?   

Diane:   May I say ‘movies?’  I think I’d have to say “Anne of Green Gables,” “The Sound of Music” (classic version with Julie Andrews) and any of the Andy Griffith movies.  

Bugzy:  Good answers!   Some real classics there.  I love "The Sound of  Music"  too.

Next question:  What is your favorite pizza topping (Besides cheese)? 

Diane:      The works… veggies, meats, cheeses, regular crust; the more toppings- the better. Preferably, no pineapple though.

Bugzy: I love pineapple on pizza, but I must admit it makes the crust soggy.

           What is the greatest breakfast cereal of all time?

Diane:   Lucky Charms!

Bugzy:  Let’s get kids interested in history:  If you could go back in time and live in another era, what would it be?  

Diane:  Oh, dear… I really haven’t the foggiest idea. I’m pretty content living in this era we’re living in right now!

  Bugzy:  That's a good answer. I'm not sure either.  I really love modern technology, which enables me to write this Blog on this computer.  And I would miss the little things, like indoor plumbing....

Diane::  Yes, good point.  I like lights and heat too.

Bugzy:  I might have to cover this topic more in another post.  

Next question:   What is your earliest library memory?  

Diane:  1.      . Summer reading in Rising Sun. I have great memories of filling my summer reading chart(s) with stickers, and then celebrating with ice cream at the end of the summer.  My card number was 3181, and there was a small bench to sit on in front of the children’s books.  The head librarian was friendly, but also said “shhh” quite frequently. J

Bugzy:  I'm impressed you even remember your card number!  That's wonderful.

Next question:  Did you play any organized sports as a kid, or did you like to play a pickup game of something with the neighborhood kids (like I did!)?  

Diane:   Both. Girls sports were just getting started when I went to Rising Sun High School. I played volleyball for a short time, and was on the C-team which basically made me a “bench warmer.” In our neighborhood, we had a lot of neighborhood impromptu baseball games. A group of us boys and girls would get together and play in the open back yards.  If friends were over at the house, we would sometimes play badminton or croquet. There were no computers back then, so most of our play happened outside. At night, we played outside until the porch light came on; once we saw the porch light, we knew it was time to come home.

Bugzy:  Sounds fun. I love croquet too!!  

Next question:  What did you want to be as a child when you grew up? 

Diane:  1.      . At first I wanted to be a flight attendant (aka airline stewardess back in the day), but they had height requirements of, I think, 5’5”. My dad used to tease about stretching me! When I knew being a flight attendant wasn’t going to work, I thought about being a nurse. That thought was short-lived though. The next dream was to be a teacher, and then a speech-language therapist.  Marty Schmidt, the Speech-Language Therapist in the Rising Sun Schools, was influential in my decision to follow that path.

Bugzy:  What is your favorite children’s book?  You can have several.

Diane:  I’m so glad you said several!  The classic Winnie-the-Pooh books are amazing, as are The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings series, starting with The Hobbit, the Little House on the Prairie series, and the Peabody Adventure series by Jeri Massi. Also I’ve enjoyed all of the books by the authors Elizabeth Speare and Elizabeth Yates, and many, many more!

Bugzy:  I loved "the Hobbit" as well.  JRR Tolkien wrote it as a bed time story for his children.  Friends told him "hey, that thing you wrote is really good, why don't you have it published."  And the rest is history.

Next question:  Who is your favorite Muppet?

Matt:    If you’re counting the Sesame Street characters, I’d have to say Elmo!!! However, if you mean my favorite from the actual Muppet group, then I’d have to say Kermit-the-Frog.

Bugzy:  Good point my friend!!  I think it's hard to say if the first Sesame Street characters were Muppets or not.  I love your answer though!!

Diane:   Thanks.

Bugzy:  Last question:  What do you like best about being an a librarian? 

Diane:    I enjoy helping and relating to people. It’s a great honor to consider many of the customers as my friends. I also like every one of my co-workers and the uniqueness that each person brings to the library .

Bugzy:  Thanks a million for being with me today.  I had a great time talking with you.  

Diane:  It was fun talking to you too.  I had a fun doing it.

Bugzy:   Me too.  Until next time, PEACE LOVE BOOKS!

  

  

      

A book you have to read, or, it's good to be back

Greetings everyone!  Bugzy here again.  Sorry I've been gone for almost two weeks.  The weather has been playing havoc with my writing schedule.  I've been out playing in the snow, making snowmen with great kids.  Of course, I can't go out and play when it's been so COLD!!  BRRRRRRRR.  That's no fun at all.  I feel bad for people and animals that have to be out in it, I hope they are all ok.

Here's a book I found while I was in the library.  It's not brand new, but it's new to me.  It is funny and informative at the same time.  It is "Look before you leap:  a frog's eye view of life's greatest lessons"
You can find it at LPLD.

Kermit the Frog, author

Chapter 1:  The Green and wet behind the ears years
Chapter 2:  Discovering the magic store
Chapter 3: Finding the rainbow connection
Chapter 4:  it's not that easy staying green
Chapter 5:  The seven dreams of highly effective amphibians
Chapter 6:  Take a flying leap!
Chapter 7:  The wealth of amphibians
Chapter 8:  When bad things happen to good frogs
Chapter 9:  Don't sweat the small bugs, and they're all small bugs
Chapter 10:  It's not that easy eating greens
Chapter 11:  Finding your inner tadpole
Chapter 12:  love amphibian style
Chapter 13:  How to win friends and meet influential people
Chapter 14:  How to succeed at success without being too trying
Chapter 15:  Knee deep in the good life
Chapter 16:  Moving your own cheese
Chapter 17:  Fridays with Fozzie
Chapter 18:  Life's like a movie, write your own ending.

How many of you can name the famous books and famous self-help books that Kermit is spoofing with these chapters?  There is a lot of them!!

Here's some words of wisdom from Kermit:

 You can go through life asking why you were born a frog, or,you can make the most of it.

Since I'm a big green bug, I can relate.  But so can you.  Take out the word "Frog" and put in whatever word describes you, or something about you that you really don't like.   That's part of the "Pathway to the future"  I talk about, my little sign says.

PEACE
LOVE
BOOKS!

Bugzy