Now @ MPL...

Visit USA.gov for their 12 Days of Holiday Tips! Daily tips help with planning, saving and celebrating during this holiday season.

Today's holiday tip is: Save Money with LED Holiday Lights!

Electricity bills can grow during the holidays if you decorate with strings of lights. Light-emitting diode, or "LED," holiday lights offer a quality alternative to traditional lights and save both energy and money. The Department of Energy estimates that if every household switched to LED holiday lights, the country would save approximately $410 million in electricity costs. Learn more about the benefits of LED holiday lights.

To view all holiday tips visit: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Happy_Holidays.shtml

If you're over the age of 18 and enjoy reading comic books and graphic novels from publishers like Vertigo and Fantagraphics, come to a meeting of Not Just for Kids Anymore, The Washington Park Comic Book & Graphic Novel Book Club. Books that are read in this group are the equivalent of "Rated R" movies and are not appropriate for children. Intended for mature readers. This month's selection is Pedro & Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned by Judd Winick. In this powerful and captivating graphic novel, Winick, a professional cartoonist and cast member of MTV's The Real World 3: San Francisco, pays tribute to his Real World
housemate and friend Pedro Zamora, an AIDS activist and educator who died of the disease in 1994.

Date: 12/13/2011
Time: 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Location: Washington Park Library

At 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, a Japanese dive bomber appeared out of the clouds above the island of Oahu, Hawaii, followed by a swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes. A total of 2,400 Americans were killed and 1,200 were wounded. The surprise attack struck a severe blow to the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States into World War II.

The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 7 as "a day that will live in infamy." And it has.

A good book is the gift that keeps on giving. Check out these "best of" lists for that perfect gift this holiday season. More than one title catch your eye? More like 10? Then visit your Milwaukee Public Library and read to your heart's content cost-free. Happy Reading!

• NY Times 10 Best Books of 2011

"'Tis hard (but glorious) to be poor and honest. An empty Sack can hardly stand upright; but if it does, 'tis a stout one!"
Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard, 1750

On December 19, 1732 Benjamin Franklin first published his Poor Richard's Almanack in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A collection of proverbs as well as a guide to weather conditions, Franklin published the almanac under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. Most of the material was not written by Franklin himself but collected from a variety of sources. Poor Richard's Almanack was widely popular, selling over 10,000 copies annually and ceased publication in 1757.

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On December 10, 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The Universal Declaration sets out a broad range of fundamental human rights and freedoms to which all men and women, everywhere in the world, are entitled, without any distinction. The Universal Declaration is translated into over 380 languages and dialects making it the most translated document in the world.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights will host a global conversation on human rights through social media on Friday, 9 December at 9:30 a.m. New York time. Join the conversation, ask a question, and watch it live.

Visit the Human Rights Day 2011 website for more information on the Universal Declaration and global human rights initiatives.

Teens, what are you going to get the special people in your life for Christmas? Join the DIY crafting movement and give a handmade gift created by you at Atkinson Library on December 19 at 6:00 p.m. Weave it, braid it, knot it! Use yarn, string, beads and other materials to make fun crafts like bracelets, belts and bags. Give a gift that is as unique as your loved one.

For more information, call 286-3011.

If you need some help studying for an upcoming exam and don't want to pay for a tutor, let the library help you. Some neighborhood locations already offer drop-in tutoring services for adults. Now, Central Library joins the ranks. Tutors are available to help you study for tests like the GED, TOEFL, and the ASVAB, or to help you work on any other basic academic skills. The hours for Central Library's adult tutoring are as follows:

Mondays 6 to 8 p.m.
Tuesdays 3 to 5 p.m.
Tuesdays 6 to 8 p.m. (beginning Jan 3, 2012)

If you'd like to take advantage of the tutoring, please visit the Information desk and someone can direct you to a tutor during available hours.

You can spread some holiday cheer by giving to the 5th annual City of Milwaukee Holiday Care Package Drive. The drive benefits the men and women serving in the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade stationed in Kosovo. Checks can be made payable to the Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation. There is also a wish list of items that can be dropped off at the Mayor's office, Room 201, in City Hall. Items will be collected until December 20th.

The Brewers Community Foundation has generously offered to cover the estimated $3,000 cost of shipping these items to Kosovo.

Make sure you come into your neighborhood library to grab any books you'll want to curl up with over the holiday weekend. All Milwaukee Public Library locations will be closed Friday, December 23rd through Monday, December 26th, of 2011. We hope that you enjoy a safe and peaceful holiday weekend.

Are your kids looking for something fun to do after the holidays? Are they in K5 through fifth grade? Then sign them up for the After School Art Workshop! Each session will begin with an artist reading a story or two aloud and then dicussing the book or illustrator. Participants will get to work on imaginative art activities relevant to the book or artistic theme for the day. This is a great opportunity for kids to be creative, try new techniques and have fun expressing their artistic points of view. Everyone gets to take their creations home. Families are encouraged to attend and make art together! This program is a collaboration between the Milwaukee Public Library and Artists Working in Education, Inc. (A.W.E.). Choose your preferred location and register for a complete four day series at the library, online or by calling 286-3011.