This week, you may want to celebrate Fall Hat Week by putting away your straw hat in favor of a felt or fabric hat. Of course, with temperatures still soaring, you may want to delay your celebration until cooler weather sets in!
    Thursday is Constitution Day, the anniversary of the day in 1787 when delegations from 12 states at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia voted unanimously to approve the proposed Constitution of the United States.
    In addition, Thursday is the anniversary of the date in 1920 when the National Football Leagues was formed. Thursday is also National Student Day, which recognizes all students from preschool through postgraduate level.
    Friday is the anniversary of the date in 1789 when Alexander Hamilton began negotiations for what would become the loan of the first United States. Hamilton obtained the sum of $191,608.81 from two banks without authority of law to pay the salaries of the President, senators, representatives, and officers of the first Congress. Repayment of the loan was completed on June 8, 1790.
    Saturday is National Kidsday, to recognize the value, dignity, and inherent worth of children everywhere. Sunday is World Gratitude Day, to unite all people in a positive emotion of gratitude.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?
    Wednesday's 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. dog storytimes feature feltboard stories, shadow puppets, and a jumping dog craft. At Saturday morning's 10:00 storytime, participants can celebrate Rice Month with stories and a make a rice picture craft!

BOOK TALK
    Librarian Barbara Harris provides this week's book information. Was Jane Goodall your childhood hero? Did you dream of going to faraway places to study fascinating wildlife? You may not have fulfilled that dream, but that's no reason to let your interest die. Books have wonderful accounts of scientists making discoveries in wild places all over the world.
    Join Craig Parker for a season observing the lions of the Serengeti in "Into Africa." Eric R. Pianka will show you the geckos of the Australian desert in "the Lizard Man Speaks." Follow the progress of a rehabilitated captive owl on the Kansas prairie in Max R. Terman's "Messages from an Owl." Famous biologists Edward O. Wilson and William L. Brown journey to Costa Rica in Erich Hoyt's "The Earth Dwellers: Adventures in the Land of Ants."
    Youngsters thinking about careers as scientists will enjoy "Put on Some Antlers and Walk Like a Moose: How Scientists Find, Follow, and Study Wild Animals." Laurence Pringle has written a series of children's books about wildlife scientists: the titles include "Dolphin Man," "Jackal Woman," and even "Batman." In fact, animal lovers of all ages will find the children's book collection an excellent source of information and of especially beautiful pictures of wildlife.

DID YOU KNOW?
    The numbers are in for the Library's 1997-98 Annual Report. If you thought the library was one of the busiest places in town, you were right! According to the report, the library checked out a total of 479,387 materials and answered 41,128 reference questions during the 3,262 hours that it was open to the public. Those numbers average to 147 items checked out and 12.6 reference questions answered per hour! Patron use reached an all-time high of 263,135. Congratulations to the library staff for making information so accessible!

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: "Common sense and common knowledge are two of the most uncommon things in the world." (unknown)

JUDY ARMSTRONG, 624-7276

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