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Have you heard conflicting information about what's good for your health and you're confused about what to believe? Visit the Washington Park Library and learn to separate fact from fiction when accessing online health information. Staff from the Medical College of Wisconsin Libraries will present the best online health resources and explain how to use them effectively. This program is open to all agencies, public and private, as well as community members. This program is free and no registration is required.

Library: Washington Park
Date: Saturday, May 12, 2012
Time: 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM

On this day in 1937, Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" won the Pulitzer Award for fiction. The book was first published in 1936 and was an immediate besteller. The novel depicts the life of Scarlett O'Hara, a daughter of a wealthy plantation owner as she wrestles with love and poverty during the Reconstruction era. According to a 2008 Harris Poll, "Gone With the Wind" is the nation's 2nd most popular book after the Bible. A wildly popular film adaption of the book was realeased in 1939 starring Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh. Love it or hate it, "Gone With the Wind" remains one of the best loved books in America.

For those who want a different view of Southern life during Reconstruction, try Alice Randall's parody "The Wind Done Gone" which tells the story of Scarlett's enslaved half-sister.

Love in a Life

Room after room,
I hunt the house through
We inhabit together.
Heart, fear nothing, for, heart, thou shalt find her,
Next time, herself!--not the trouble behind her
Left in the curtain, the couch's perfume!
As she brushed it, the cornice-wreath blossomed anew,--
Yon looking-glass gleamed at the wave of her feather.

Yet the day wears,
And door succeeds door;
I try the fresh fortune--
Range the wide house from the wing to the centre.
Still the same chance! she goes out as I enter.
Spend my whole day in the quest,--who cares?
But 'tis twilight, you see,--with such suites to explore,
Such closets to search, such alcoves to importune!

Poet and dramatist Robert Browning was born in Camberwell, England on May 7, 1812. Perhaps known best for refining the dramatic monologue by adding psychological elements and his legendary love affair and marriage to Elizabeth Barrett, Browning is one of the most recognized 19th century poets. View a complete list of his works available at the library here.

Struggling with your dog or puppy? Want to learn more about how they think? Come to the Central Library for tips and techniques on how to speak your dog's language. Join Kim Rinzel, MS, CPDT-KA, Training Manager at the Wisconsin Humane Society, for an educational program on dog behavior and training, problem prevention and problem solving. Don't worry if you don't have the money for obedience training. This program is free of charge and requires no registration. Please leave your canine friends at home, as this program is just for humans. Be sure to bring your questions!

Location: Central Library's Meeting Room 1
Date: Saturday, May 19th, 2012
Time: 1:30 P.M. - 3:30 P.M.

The literary world is still reeling from the news that beloved children's book author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak is gone. Sendak died Tuesday of complications of a recent stroke. He was best known for his book, "Where the Wild Things Are" in which a child sent to bed enters into a world inhabited by wild things. Sendak's work was pivotal because it changed the tone of children's literature by showing children as they actually are. Children have hopes, fears, dreams, and nightmares and Sendak's work acurately portrayed all of this. Sendak's stories and illustrations will be missed but you can always learn more about Maurice Sendak and his artwork at your Milwaukee Public Library.

Needed: Aspiring poets and performers! Give an original or not-so-original poem a dramatic flair! Join the MPL Teen Performance Poetry and Spoken Word Showcase and show off your talent for bringing words, stories and poems to life during this open-mic showcase. Help us celebrate the end of poetry month and "rap" up our Poetry Contest as we announce the winners and share their poems at this event!

This Sunday, May 20th, the lucky citizens of Milwaukee will be able to view 50 minutes of a partial solar eclipse. This will be the first eclipse visible in Milwaukee in 10 years. The eclipse will take place from exactly 7:21 p.m. until 8:12 p.m. Want to view the eclipse? Learn how to make an eclipse viewer here. Want to see the eclipse from up high? Join the party at the Urban Ecology Center for a viewing through special planetarium telescopes. Want more information on eclipses? Check out these books from your Milwaukee Public Library!

Classes are held the following dates and times:

Regristration begins today, May 21st, and ends June 11th. Don't wait, register now!
Call (414) 286-3011, or sign up online at www.mpl.org

Are you craving rhubarb? MPL's Historic Recipe File contains 17 recipes using this love it or hate it crop. If you're looking to use up your harvest or don't know what to do with rhubarb from your neighbor or CSA, try some new (old!) recipes. You might want to try rhubarb tea or bread or cake or cobbler or torte or cheesecake or flameri.
Bebop-A-Reebop Rhubarb!

All City of Milwaukee libraries will be closed from Friday, May, 25 through Monday, May 28th in observance of Memorial Day. If you feel lost without the library over the long weekend, try these tips:

-Check out enough materials to hold you over through the weekend

-Try one of our many e-books through OverDrive or NetLibrary

-Visit some of our Digital Collections

-Download some free tunes with Freegal

-Show your library pride with some of our apparel and merchandise

If these don't help, make sure to visit your library bright and early on Tueday morning. We'll be waiting for you!