Add-A-Piece Puzzle # 1...Completed!

Well, thanks to the esteemed Ms. Carrie Spaeth of Chippewa Falls, our first Add-A-Piece Puzzle Project has been completed. See the picture below. It is a lovely bright-hued picture of sunflowers and her diligence in completing it is admirable. She took a little time several times a week just to snap a few pieces into place.



I hear most of the second one has been done by Ms. Spaeth, as well. Well, don't let her hog the whole thing! Come on in and do your part on the Add-A-Piece Puzzle Project; it's a good way to relax and feel a little bit accomplished without having to go crazy.

Book Sale 2010

Well, the numbers are in on this year's book sale, held last week during "Crazy Days." According to Friends of the Chippewa Falls Library treasurer Carl Miller, the Friends cleared just over $1850.00. This is down a bit from past years, but, still, not bad! And, the Junior Friends of the Library did brisk business with their bake sale, too, though I'm not sure just HOW brisk.

The Friends of the Library uses the money to support our efforts here at the Chippewa Falls Public Library, paying for things like speaker's fees, new equipment and possible minor improvements. If you like the idea of helping the library out in a real way that isn't terribly taxing on your time, consider joining. You can pick up a membership packet at the libray. And, it's a 501(c)3 organization, so donations to the Friends are tax-deductible.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, some pictures from the sale:

ABOVE: Library/City Hall/Police Department/snow plow driver/busiest-man-in-the-downtown-area Randy Bilderback pulls up with yet another load of sale books.

ABOVE: Junior Friends of the library show the come-hither looks that equal sales.

ABOVE: Library Board President Robert Hoekstra and Friends of the Library Member Gordon Kauffman sort and stack sale books.

ABOVE: "Better Books" wait to be sold in climate-controlled conditions.

See you next year!

Book and Bake Sale July 21st & 22nd

The Friends of the Chippewa Falls Public Library will be holding their annual book sale on Wednesday, July 21st and Thursday, July 22nd at the public library in downtown Chippewa Falls. The sale, held annually during Krazee Daze, will run from 7to 3pm on Wednesday and 10am to 2pm on Thursday.

The proceeds from the book sale will benefit the Friends of the Chippewa Falls Public Library, a non-profit group dedicated to raising money to support library programs and special projects.

“We have some really good buys for people who want lightly-used books of all kinds,” says Friends of the Library member and book sale veteran Mary Ann King. “We really appreciate when people come and buy the books and the money we get from these sales helps [The Friends] help the library provide what perhaps the budget doesn’t allow.”

This year, the staff of the library is also having a bake sale, the proceeds of which will go towards making improvements in the library’s Young Adult section.

“The Young Adult section has had the same furniture since 1969,” says library paraprofessional and bake sale organizer Sue Rada. “We want to improve the section a little so that the teens in town to feel more comfortable and have a sense of ownership.”

Both books and baked goods will sell for between 50 cents and five dollars.
For more information, contact library director Darryl Eschete at 715-723-1146 ext. 111 or email him at deschete@mycfpl.org

Office Politics: Some Links for Success

A good many people tend to put their careers on the back burner a little bit during the summer and let other priorities come to the fore in the hot months. But there is still plenty of office politics to be had--and there is still the occasional company picnic or party to attend to. At the very least, one can use the relative "down time" that many workplaces have in the summertime to brush up on just what is smart and not-so-smart, interpersonally, while on the clock.

How to Get Along With Your Boss--Surprise! It involves being pleasant and empathetic...not just hard-working.

How to Deal With Unpleasant Co-Workers--A great article from eHow.com...on just how you can handle that coworker who makes your job a little less pleasant.

The Five Difficult People You Meet at Work--Work with a snarky gossip? Someone who talks too much? Someone with a bad attitude? Here's a link that will help you deal with it.

Holiday Office Party Do's and Don'ts--You might think you can "let it all hang out" at the company picnic. But be careful! You may be playing with fire...and I don't mean the barbecue pit.

MORE Catalog Search: "Office Politics"--Take a look at what the MORE system has to offer on the subject!

So remember: a lot of how pleasant one's work experience is depends on one being smart enough to MAKE it pleasant. And a lot of the misery in our work experiences, if misery be there, is due to our NOT being smart enough to make it pleasant. Being armed with a little knowledge can make life a lot easier at work...and everywhere else.

New Area Code

Well, this isn't exactly library-related, but it is pretty important information that I thought we'd pass along.

Effective July 17, 2010, we're all going to have to dial both the area code and number (ten digit dialing) to reach people living in Northern Wisconsin. Those of us who have to get new phone numbers will be getting the area code 534, which will pretty much exist in the same region that 715 does now. It's called "area code relief".

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has some more information on this. Try this site for more information.

Library Closed Monday & Fireworks Safety

Quick note: the Chippewa Falls Public Library will be closed Monday in honor of Independence Day.

With that out of the way, I'd like to urge you to urge anyone you know who is the fireworks type to exercise caution; it's a short and sudden trip from gleeful teen to amputee.

The video below (from the Associated Press) shows us just how important it is to keep mannequins and melons away from explosives if we want to enjoy a safe holiday.



No, really. Be careful with that.