Thanksgiving Holiday Hours

All branches of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System will close at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, 2011. The library system will remain closed on Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving Holiday. All branches will reopen at their regularly scheduled times on Saturday, November 26, 2011.

Please check our events calendar for holiday activities that may be taking place at your local branch during the week!

We hope everyone has a very safe and happy Thanksgiving Holiday!

Spotlight on NoveList!

Have you ever had trouble figuring out what the next title in your favorite series is? Or been searching for a book just like the last one you read? Or maybe you've been searching for authors like the one that finally got your child to sit down and read happily for hours? Well, one of the best resources to answer all these questions (besides your local librarian, of course!) is a database called NoveList. All Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System card holders have free access to this database through the library's website, twenty-four hours a day. NoveList makes it easy to find series, title or author recommendations based on books you've previously read, or genres you particularly enjoy. Here's how you get started:

1. Go to the library's homepage at www.afpls.org.
2. Under Books, Research and Databases, click on A-Z Databases.
3. Scroll down the list and click on NoveList. Note, if you are outside of the
library you will be asked for your library card number!
4. In the search box type in your description of a book you'd like to read, or
search for specific authors, titles, and series.
5. Each result from your search will also give you 9 author read-alikes and 9 title
read-alikes.
6. Print or save your lists and use them to search the library catalog for your next great read!

Halloween @ Your Library!

Many branches of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System will be celebrating the fall season with programs and story times of a spooky nature in the next few weeks. Check the calendar of events to see what might be happening at a branch near you!

And while you're in the library enjoying some of our free programs, be sure and check out some more fun and spooky items just in time for Halloween! Here's a few suggestions that could be fun for the whole family:

The Halloween Handbook : 447 Costumes, by Bridie Clark

Take Back Halloween and Freak Out a Few More Neighbors, by Tom Nardone

Basic How To Halloween Makeups [DVD], by Bogdan "Don" Pecic

Bethany Lowe's Folk Art Halloween, by Bethany Lowe

Scary Sound Effects: Nightmarish Noise for Halloween [CD], by Robert C. Wayne

Dog Trick or Cat Treat : Pets Dress Up For Halloween, by Archie Klondike

The Nightmare on Elm Street Collection [DVD], by Wes Craven

Have a safe and SPOOKTACULAR Halloween!

Kindle Books Now Available @ Your Library!

Great news for eBook lovers and Kindle users! You can now download free Kindle books from the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System! The majority of our downloadable eBooks are now in a Kindle-friendly format that works with Kindles and all free Kindle reading apps. This means you don't even have to own a Kindle to take advantage of this opportunity. Simply download the free app to your smart phone, handheld device, or computer, set up a free Amazon.com account, and you're ready to start enjoying free eBooks!

To get started, visit our eMedia collection at Overdrive and start browsing for Kindle books. You will need your library card number and your PIN. Once you check out the Kindle title, you will be redirected to Amazon where you can sign in and select "Get Library Book." The next time you open your app or sync your Kindle, your title will be there waiting for you!

For more information contact your local library branch or check out Overdrive's My Help page.

Have fun Kindle users!

Library Closed Monday, October 10th

Just a friendly reminder to all of our patrons that the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System will be closed this Monday, October 10, 2011, so that we can hold our annual Staff Development Day. This annual meeting of the entire library staff helps us to better serve you through training sessions and professional development!

All branches will reopen at their regularly scheduled times on Tuesday, October 11, 2011.

We appreciate your support!

Celebrate Louisa May Alcott @ Your Library!

Author Louisa May Alcott is known around the world for her book Little Women, but few are aware of Alcott as a bold, compelling woman growing up in the innermost circles of the Transcendentalist and antislavery movements, serving as a nurse in the Civil War, and leading a secret literary life writing pulp fiction. Influenced by family friends such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller, Alcott experienced a rich intellectual life which in turn influenced her writing.

Join the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System as we celebrate the life and historical and cultural context that inspired Louisa May Alcott's impressive body of work. Through her writing Alcott was able to express her views on social reform, from women's rights, to racial integration, to education, but her body of work also encompassed sensational thrillers, Gothic novels, fairy tales and works of domestic realism.

Through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is pleased to offer several events and programs during September, October and November that will highlight her career, life, and some of her lesser known works.

For a complete schedule and description of these upcoming events, visit our website here. And be sure to check our catalog for other titles by and about this incredible author.

Great Cookbooks For Fall!

Friday, September 23, 2011, marks the official first day of fall. And with that first breath of cooler air many of us start to crave those warm comfort foods that go hand-in-hand with the season. Soups, stews, chili and the like are all starting to sound pretty good now that it's no longer over 100 degrees every day! So why not get a head start on filling up your recipe box this fall by checking out some wonderful cookbooks from your local library branch? Here's a few suggestions, just to get your mouth watering:

The Big Book of Soups & Stews: 262 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food, by Maryana Vollstedt

Grandma Jo's Soup Kettle: 100 Hearty and Healthy Soups, Stews, Gumbos, and Chowders, by JoAnna M Lund

Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons, by Nava Atlas

The Ultimate Chili Cookbook: History, Geography, Fact, and Folklore of Chili, by W.C. Jameson

Beyond Gumbo: Creole Fusion Food From the Atlantic Rim, by Jessica B. Harris

Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: 700 Great Slow Cooker Recipes, by Phyllis Pellman Good

As always, you can check the library's catalog for these and other titles to check out or place on hold. Happy cooking!