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Use the Internet Archive to browse through 85 billion archived web pages as far back as 1996. To start surfing the Wayback Machine, type in the web address of a site or page where you would like to start, and then press the Take Me Back key. You will then be taken to the available archived dates. Curious about what the Milwaukee Public Library's first webpage looked like? Here is the archived 1998 MPL homepage from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.

For other interesting sites on historical subjects, check out the History Category on the MPL homepage under Recommended Links.

From the Ready Reference Quick Fact File:

The First African American Voter in Wisconsin

Joe Oliver was the first African American to vote in Wisconsin. Oliver came to Milwaukee in 1835 and earned his living as a cook. Arriving on the schooner Cincinnati (owned by Milwaukee co-founder Solomon Juneau), Oliver was invited by Juneau to vote in the first Milwaukee city election. Although voting was limited to white males over the age of 21, Joe Oliver cast a legal ballot on September 19, 1835. Although most Wisconsin residents disapproved of slavery, the right of black citizens to vote was widely disputed in the years that followed. In 1849, a majority of Wisconsin voters approved black suffrage but voting rights were consistently denied to African Americans due to legal disputes over what constituted "a majority." With the encouragement of abolitionist Sherman Booth, Ezekiel Gillespie, a leader in Milwaukee's black community, attempted to register to vote in 1865 and was refused. Gillespie took the election inspectors to court, working with attorney Byron Paine. Gillespie's case went quickly to the state Supreme Court which in 1866 voted unanimously in favor of Gillespie and secured the right of African-Americans to vote.

November is National Scholarship Month in the US. Scholarships are offered by numerous, organizations, businesses, schools, churches and individuals. If you or someone you know is thinking about attending school or is in school, check out some the these free scholarship web sites.

FastWeb: Scholarships, Financial Aid and Colleges

Scholarships.com

Studentscholarshipsearch.com

Finaid.org

FindTuition.com

Looking for some great gift ideas now that the holiday season is just around the corner?

Come to Central Library's book sale on Saturday, November 15 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The sale will feature holiday books as well as new and used children's books. This is the last Friends of Milwaukee Public Library book sale of 2008. Book sales will start again in February 2009.

David Macaulay, the author of The Way Things Work will be at the Central Library's Centennial Hall on November 15th at 2:00 p.m.

He will be discussing his latest book The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body.

"...this volume tackles the human body in the author's usual style. Divided into seven sections that connect related systems, the book covers cellular structure at the atomic scale, DNA, and metabolism; respiration and circulation; digestion and elimination; the nervous and endocrine systems; the immune system and fighting infections; the skeleton, musculature, and movement; and reproduction. Macaulay combines a detailed description with frequently whimsical, yet very informative, color diagrams to illustrate the body's functions. " Description from the review in School Library Journal.

The Humanities Department at the Central Library is teaming up with the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society to put the spotlight on maritime disasters that took place on the Great Lakes. Each month a new shipwreck will be highlighted, and the previous months' shipwreck displays will be preserved for viewing.

The display started in October with the wreck of the EMPRESS OF IRELAND. November's featured wreck is that of the EDMUND FITZGERALD, and December's will be of the wreck of the ROUSE SIMMONS, the Christmas Tree Ship.

The displays will be ongoing through the month of May; for as long as the Titanic Exhibit is up at the Milwaukee Public Museum

If you’re dreading the cold and winter heating bills, check out a Watts Up electricity meter from the Milwaukee Public Library.

A Watts Up meter is an electricity monitor that displays the electricity usage of any appliance in actual dollars and cents, allowing you to adjust your energy use accordingly. The meters are available for a 3-week circulation period from Central, Capitol, Forest Home, King, Zablocki. and several suburban libraries. To find a unit, do a title search for “Watts Up” in the library catalog or call your neighborhood library.

Kelly Hughbanks of MPL, was on WTMJ's Morning Blend to talk about gift ideas for children and promote the Friends’ Used Book Sale this Saturday and author David Macaulay’s visit to Centennial Hall.

Air Date 11/12/2008

Click icon above to view video segment!

Allrecipes.com has more than 175 million annual visits from users who share and download recipes and reviews. For more than a decade, this Seattle-based site has served as a dynamic, indispensible resource for cooks seeking trusted recipes and entertaining ideas. In addition, Allrecipes.com houses more than 52,000 recipes. Looking for that perfect dip? How about an inspiring Thanksgiving menu? Allrecipes.com to the rescue!

For other sites on cooking, home buying and all things domestic, check out the House and Garden category under Recommended Links on the MPL home page.

Do you or someone you know need a little help with some of life's basic skills?

Washington Park Library will be holding a Basic Skills class on Wednesday, November 26 from 1:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Topics to be covered include learning how to take the bus, making change, looking up a phone number, making a phone call, using a dictionary, telling time, or getting started with the basics of reading.

that the first Thanksgiving celebrated in North America was actually celebrated by the explorer Martin Frobisher in Canada.

It was celebrated in 1578 (a full 34 years before the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in the United States) in what would later become the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The celebration was to give thanks for surviving the long voyage from England. He was attempting to find the Northwest Passage to India and China.

Thanksgiving and harvest festivals have been celebrated all over the world for millennia. You can find out more information here.

Wednesday, November 19th
Martin Luther King Library
310 W. Locust St.
2 - 4 p.m.
(414) 286-3098
ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Staff from the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Milwaukee will give a brief presentation and library staff will show you how and where to get a free copy of your credit report. You don’t need to have a library card. A printout of one report per person will be provided free of charge. Staff from the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Milwaukee will be available to explain the report to you and provide additional information.

To get your free credit report, be prepared to provide your:
• Social Security Number
• Birth date
• Address or addresses where you have lived for the past three years
• Account numbers for utilities – gas/electric, cable, telephone, etc.
• Account numbers for any loans or revolving lines of credit you have

Courtesy of Milwaukee East Side Local, Mark Gilligan, A Beautiful Tasha Tudor and Paddington Bear Display is currently at East Library. These collectibles depict different seasons and time periods of both of these lovely characters.

Stop on by East Library and check it out!!!

East Library
1910 E. North Ave
414.286.3058

Extra, Extra Read All The Headlines! The Newseum in Washington D.C. is a 250,000-square-foot museum of news. Open to the public, the Newseum offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.

They also maintain a very interesting companion website. Every morning, more than 700 newspapers from around the world submit their front pages to the Newseum via the Internet to be part of Today's Front Pages.

The Today's Front Pages gallery gives visitors an up-close look at the day's news on up to 80 newspaper front pages from every state, the District of Columbia and countries around the world.

So check out your local headlines, or your home town city or all of them at once!

For other sites for keeping current with the news, check out the In the News category on the MPL homepage under Recommended Links.

In the month of December, eight MPL branch libraries will be offering sessions from Generations on Line , an organization dedicated to promoting Internet access and literacy to elders. Seniors and caregivers will learn how to use the Internet in three easy clicks with the help of trained senior volunteer coaches. Using the skills learned in the session, attendees will be able to enroll in the Medicare Drug plan, access online information, send email to family and friends, and more.

Sessions will be held:

Monday, December 1st at Mill Road Library at 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday, December 3rd at Capitol Library at 9:00 a.m.
Saturday, December 6th at Atkinson Library at 10:00 a.m.
Monday, December 8th at East Library at 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday, December 10th at Zablocki Library at 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday, December 10th at Washington Park Library at 10:00 a.m.
Monday, December 15th at Bay View Library at 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, December 17th at Tippecanoe Library at 10:00 a.m.

Advanced registration is recommended by calling your local library; walk-ins are welcome if space allows.

Adult volunteers are needed at libraries to mentor and work with students in grades 1-6 through May of 2009. Volunteers provide free help with reading, math, writing, spelling, and science. Hours are generally weeknights 4 to 8 p.m. If you have two hours per week to help a student, please contact one of these libraries for details and a volunteer application:

Atkinson Library
1960 W. Atkinson Ave. 286-3068

Center Street Library
2727 W. Fond du Lac Avenue 286-3090

Betty Brinn Children’s Room, Central Library
814 W. Wisconsin Ave. 286-3091

Forest Home Library
1432 W. Forest Home Library 286-3083

King Library
310 W. Locust 286-3098

This year Twenty-eighth Annual Christmas Tree Ship Holiday Dinner will be Thursday, December 11 at the Milwaukee Yacht Club.

The dinner, which is put on by the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society will feature a talk by Fred Neuschel, the author of Lives and Legends of the Christmas Tree Ships. He will share his stories of the every day life of camaraderie, drudgery, ambition and adventure that the captains and crews of the ships shared with the communities that thrived along Lake Michigan.

The event is $32.00 a person, and starts at 6:00 p.m. For more information, or to make reservations for the dinner call (414) 286-3074.

Channel 4, WTMJ, featured the Milwaukee Public Library in a short piece about the upcoming Baseball Negro League Exhibit at the Downtown Library.

Click on Icon above to view video!!