Yesterday’s Greenwich Citizen features a long article on librarians Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz, who were killed last Wednesday by a hit-and-run driver, on their way to the airport in Denver, as they were returning from MidWinter. The article adds some new information to earlier stories.

It includes a photo of the information desk at the Perrot Public Library, which has become an ad hoc memorial, awash in flowers and cards.

The Citizen interviewed a spokeswoman from the Denver District Attorney’s office, who said that Denver residents are also affected by the loss,  

We can only imagine how it has touched your community, but we would want you all to know how much it has also touched this community, in spite of the fact that we did not have the pleasure of knowing these two women. This tragedy has sparked an incredible amount of compassion, anger about what happened. It has been a long time since I have seen the amount of e-mail and phone calls on a case.

The families of both women are quoted, asking that people make donations rather than sending flowers.

Donations in memory of Kate McClelland may be made to:

Perrot Memorial Library
90 Sound Beach Avenue
Old Greenwich, CT, 06870

Connecticut Storytelling Center at Connecticut College
270 Mohegan Ave.
Box 5295
New London, CT 06320

Donations in memory of Kathy Krasniewicz may be made to:

Perrot Memorial Children’s Department
90 Sound Beach Avenue
Old Greenwich, CT, 06870

Obituaries:

Kate McClelland — text on ALSC Web site, Obituary for Kate McClelland

Kathy Krasniewicz, Greenwich Time

As we reported earlier, ALSC is gathering tributes on their Web site.

The families are planning private memorial services. The Perrot Library is planning a public service for some time in early March.

Speaking of Stephenie Meyer’s blog; she occasionally steps away from Twilight-related books and recommends titles to her fans in her posts. Last week, she enthused about The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester,

It’s the oddest/sweetest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men. I was smiling the whole time (except for the part where I cried). I gave it to my mom, and I’m reading it to my kids—it’s absolutely multi-generational. Prepare to have your heart warmed.

Back in September, she recommended Hunger Games.

Here’s a good readers advisory catch-phrase; “Stephenie Meyer loves it.”

The Girl Who Could Fly 

Forester, Victoria

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Hardcover: $16.95; 336 pages
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (June 24, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0312374623
• ISBN-13: 978-0312374624

It’s amazing; every time I see a Twilight-related book get an astounding boost on Amazon, I check Stephenie Meyer’s Web site and, sure enough, it’s mentioned on the blog. 

This time, it’s Twilight: Director’s Notebook by Catherine Hardwicke, to be released on March 17 (timed to come out just before the DVD, releasing March 21).

In a press release, Hardwicke says,

With this book, I tried to show fans and aspiring filmmakers some of the process that the crew and I went through filming Twilight. My challenge was to translate Stephenie’s powerful book and make you feel what she makes you feel when you read her words.

The publication was just announced today; libraries are not showing it on order yet. It is #14 in Amazon sales rankings.

Hardwicke also wrote a behind-the-scenes book for her film about extreme skateboarding. Lords of Dogtown.

Twilight: Director’s Notebook

Hardwicke, Catherine 

• Hardcover: $17.99; 176 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (March 17, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0316070521
• ISBN-13: 978-0316070522

I’ve been wondering why Tina Brown’s news site, The Daily Beast doesn’t have a book section. Brown, former editor of The New Yorker and Vanity Fair and founder of the short-live Talk magazine, has always had a keen interest in books, or at least, authors and the site’s very name is a somewhat obscure literary reference, so it seemed odd that it didn’t have a section devoted to books.

This week, the other shoe drops as The Book Beast debuts.

But, oh, that name! Wasn’t he a Muppet’s character?

How influential the section will be may be a function of how well the overall Daily Beast does (on the other hand, as NPR discovered, the book section is their site’s biggest draw, so maybe this is being added to help the overall site). A New York Observer piece yesterday, works hard to prove that the Beast is not doing as well as Michael Wolff’s Newser, but real stats seem hard to come by. 

In comparison to other online book sections, The Book Beast is already more lively than most and takes a greater advantage of what the Web offers. Since it’s not based on a print model, it doesn’t have to be beholden to the print source, like the New York Times site, with its confusing mix of the daily reviews and the Sunday Book Review (never recognizing that the same book is often reviewed in each and quite differently).

Of the newspaper online sections, the Wall Street Journal site tries the most consistently to add new elements beyond the print, like slide shows and video author interviews, but the section ends up feeling tacked together, with no overall editorial strategy.

The Book Beast is much more coherent, with various formats well integrated. It gives the sense that books are relevant and even, gasp, fun. I like the “Xtra Insight” post-its next to the articles. It’s a device the Beast uses for other sections, but it seems to work particularly well for books. Take a look, for instance, at the Cheat Sheet on the “hot debut novel,” The Vagrants, by Yiyuan Li.  

In just a few lines, it makes the case for the book’s hotness, while the “post-it” lets you link to the reviews. The post-its aren’t limited to print sources; many include links to online video and audio.

How “hot” The Vagrants will be with readers is another question. Library ordering for the book, which PW called a  ”magnificent and jaw-droppingly grim novel,” is light, with holds ranging from none to 24 in large libraries I checked.  

The Vagrants

Li, Yiyun 

• Hardcover: $25; 352 pages
• Publisher: Random House (February 3, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 1400063132
• ISBN-13: 978-1400063130

Given our profession’s predilection for knitting and pets, particularly cats, how is it possible that few libraries seem to own Pet Projects: The Animal Knits Bible?

The NYT takes note of the book today, in the “Home & Garden” section, using this killer photo from the book (what more do you need to make a buying decision?):

Unfortunately, the article doesn’t mention if the book includes any cat projects.

Pet Projects: The Animal Knits Bible

Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne

• Paperback: $17.95; 144 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (February 1, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 1600851274
• ISBN-13: 978-1600851278

Featured in today’s New York Times is an intriguing book that appears to not have been reviewed prepub and to not be owned by public libraries. The novel tells the story of a four-year-long relationship  in the form of an auction catalog, titled, in auction-catalog style, Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry.

The author, Leanne Shapton, says she got the idea from noticing how much auction catalogs can tell you about the people who owned the items being sold.

Shapton is an illustrator and the art director of the Op-Ed section of the NY Times. Her first novel, Was She Pretty? (FSG, 2006) also employs an unusual technique. It explores how women feel about their boyfriend’s ex-girlfriends, through a series of drawings, with short, deceptively simple comments, that reveal complex emotions (a sampling is available on Shapton’s Web site).

Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry

Shapton, Leanne 

Adriana Trigiani appeared on the Today Show yesterday to discuss her new novel, Very Valentine, with Hoda and Kathy Lee. Very Valentine is the first book in a new series (there will be three; the next one comes out next year).

Give the clip a watch; she’s a riot. That woman should give lessons in how to control an interview.

As a result of the appearance, the book shot up to #46 (it’s now at #73) in Amazon sales rankings, indicating it will follow her Big Stone Gap series onto the print bestseller lists.

Very Valentine
Trigiani, Adriana

• Hardcover: $25.99; 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper (February 3, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0061257052
• ISBN-13: 978-0061257056

• Paperback, Large Print: $25.99; 576 pages
• Publisher: HarperLuxe;  (February 3, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0061668990
• ISBN-13: 978-0061668999

• Audio CD: Unabridged; $39.99
• Publisher: HarperAudio;  (February 3, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0061662208
• ISBN-13: 978-0061662201

Trigiani reveals on the show that Ashley Judd has just been signed to play Ave Maria in the movie of Big Stone Gap; Whoopi Goldberg is already signed for the movie. 

On Trigiani’s Web site, she says she has a Y.A. novel coming in the Fall, also the first in a series, Viola in Reel Life.

Very Valentine is reviewed in the new issue of People (2/16, with Jessica Simpson on the cover — she’s proud of her body!). Although it gets just three of a possible four stars, the review reads like a rave; “sly, sensual and dripping in style…And Valentine…feels like a charming good friend.”

Currently, the most emailed health article from the New York Times is Babies Know – A Little Dirt Is Good for You … by Jane Bordy. It features the book Why Dirt Is Good, by Mary Ruebush, which is owned by less than 1/3 of the large libraries I checked. It appears to not have been reviewed prepub.

The libraries that own it show brisk circulation and some holds.

Why Dirt Is Good

Ruebush, Mary 

• Hardcover: $19.95; 208 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing;  (January 6, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 1427798044
• ISBN-13: 978-1427798046

The Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich, CT, announced plans for a memorial service for Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz in a message on the library’s blog yesterday,

The Staff and Board of Perrot Memorial Library deeply thank each of you who have shared a thought, shed a tear, and expressed your emotions and remembrances for our dear friends and beloved colleagues, Kathryn McClelland and Kathleen Krasniewicz. The response from the Greenwich community, the Connecticut Library and the American Library Association communities, the storytelling community and the publishing industry has been astonishing. We are planning a Celebration of Life Memorial Service in Old Greenwich in March at the Spring Equinox to honor Kate and Kathy’s memories. We will post more information on our website and blog as it becomes available.

The future is not ours to know, and it may never be –
So let us live and give our best and give it lavishly!
-An Irish Blessing

The Greenwich Time published an obituary for Kathy Krasniewicz, with this information on a memorial service for her, as well as information on where to send donations in her memory:

Family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday, February 5th from 3pm to 8pm at the Bosak Funeral Home, 453 Shippan Avenue, in Stamford, CT. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11am on Friday, February 6th at the St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church, 4 Riverside Ave., in Riverside, CT.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Kathleen Krasniewicz’s memory to the Perrot Memorial Library Children’s Department, 90 Sound Beach Ave., Old Greenwich, CT 06870.

A guestbook is available on the Greenwich Time‘s site for people to write tributes to Kathy.

In an article in Monday’s Stamford Advocate, Kate McClelland’s daughter, Lauren Mendoza asked that donations in Kate’s honor be sent to:

The “Littlest Listeners” program
Connecticut Storytelling Center in Residence
Connecticut College
P.O. Box 5295
270 Mohegan Avenue
New London, CT 06320

Newpapers around the country are noting a common phenomenon — the good news, the library is particularly needed during an economic downturn; the bad news, the economic downturn affects libraries, too.

The most recent of these stories is in yesterday’s Washington Post, “Business Brisk at Area Libraries; In Bad Times, Free Resources Are a Hot Commodity.”  The article focuses on the three-year-old Germantown Library in Montgomery County, but also mentions other area libraries  – “Circulation in the last six months of the year rose as much as 23 percent in libraries around the region.”

And, as often is the case, the reporter expresses some surprise at what libraries offer these days,

…[people] can access databases, read Chinese newspapers or the latest graphic teen novel. Users have more and more access from home; they can text in reference questions to a Fairfax County librarian, for example, or listen to podcasts. Fairfax card holders can read an e-book online. Librarians are trying to tailor services to community needs, hoping to add more babysitting certification classes in Silver Spring or résumé-writing workshops in Prince George’s County.

We can only hope that articles like these will help rally library support.

The Stamford Advocate reports that the woman accused of being the hit-and-run driver in an accident that killed librarians Kate McClelland  and Kathy Krasniewicz in Denver, has been charged.

Kevin McCarthy, the director of Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich, CT, where the two women worked, told the Advocate there will be a memorial to the two women and, while it’s too early to discuss details, it could include a “special program, collection or scholarships” named in their honor.

McClelland’s daughter, Lauren Mendoza, is quoted, thanking people for their support. The article also states,

Well-wishers may send donations to the “Littlest Listeners” program at Connecticut Storytelling Center in Residence at Connecticut College, 270 Mohegan Avenue, P.O. Box 5295, New London, CT 06320.

Personally, I was watching Puppy Bowl V on Sunday, but I hear there was another “bowl” on that day, with some pretty nifty ads.

There’s actually a poll of which Super Bowl movie trailers were the most memorable (MovieTickets.com).  Could this be an indicator of box office success? 

Who knows, but here’s the poll, with links to the ads themselves and tie-in information available to date (to give you justification for watching the trailers). If you want to see ALL the SuperBowl ads — and vote on them — go to SuperBowl Blitz on You Tube.

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (83%) — Release Date: 6/26

HarperCollins is publishing  a series of young readers books, including I Can Reads, based on the movie.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Rise of the Decepticons (I Can Read Book 2)

Frantz, Jennifer, Author; Matere, Marcelo, Illustrator

• Paperback: $3.99; 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 12, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0061729701
• ISBN-13: 978-0061729706

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: I Am Optimus Prime (I Can Read Book 2)  Frantz, Jennifer, Author; Matere, Marcelo, Illustrator

• Paperback: $3.99; 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 12, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0061729698
• ISBN-13: 978-0061729690

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Operation Autobot Korman, Susan, Author; Inc. Mada Design, Illustrator

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Paperback: $3.99; 24 pages
• Publisher: HarperFestival (May 12, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0061729663
• ISBN-13: 978-0061729669

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: When Robots Attack!  Santos, Ray, Author; Inc. Mada Design, Illustrator

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Paperback: $3.99; 24 pages
• Publisher: HarperFestival (May 12, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0061729655
• ISBN-13: 978-0061729652

2. Star Trek (79%) — 5/8/09

3. Monsters vs. Aliens (78%) — 3/27/09

The Art of Monsters vs. Aliens 

Colbert, Stephen and Linda Sunshine

• Hardcover: $40; 192 pages
• Publisher: Newmarket Press; (February 10, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 155704824X
• ISBN-13: 978-1557048240

To shorten the wait time for popular titles and DVD’s, the Dallas Public Library is expanding its “StreetSmart Express” program, which sets aside copies of popular books and DVDs and charges users $5 each to check them out, reports the Dallas Morning News.

Library customers can still check out copies for free, but the paper warns that the wait can be six to eight weeks for the free copies of popular titles; “On Thursday, more than 250 patrons had placed holds on the popular DVD Mamma Mia! The library has 54 copies through its regular loan program. Twenty-six copies are available for StreetSmart users.”

The program has grown since its introduction and has raised money for the libary. Says the Morning News,

[the] StreetSmart program doubled in size from its launch in October through December. In total, consumers spent $10,405 on 2,081 items during those three months… [these] revenues have covered the costs of buying extra copies of popular titles.

The Dallas Morning News puts a positive spin on the story, saying the it’s cheaper for residents than buying a book.

The New York Times reports today that children’s book illustrator and author Blair Lent has died of pneumonia on Jan. 27. He was 80 and lived in Cambridge, MA.

He won the Caldecott in 1973 for The Funny Little Woman and a Caldecott Honor in 1969 for Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky. He also is known for illustrating Tikki Tikki Tembo, among many others.

Several new articles have appeared about the deaths of libraians Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz in Denver. No information has appeared yet about plans for a memorial.

ALSC is gathering tributes on their Web site — at this point, there are 100.

News articles:

• Sorrow in Old Greenwich: Visitors mourn loss of librarians, Greenwich Time, CT – Jan 30, 2009
• Suspect in fatal car crash has run afoul of the law before, Rocky Mountain News, CO – Jan 29, 2009
• Honoring memories of Perrot librarians, Letter, Greenwich Time, CT – Feb 1, 2009
• Driver cites NyQuil in fatal crash, Rocky Mountain News, CO – Jan 30, 2009
• Women’s deaths leave library family stunned, Rocky Mountain News, CO – Jan 29, 2009
• Woman held in DIA fatal also charged in tiger case, Denver Post, CO – Jan 29, 2009