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By Dawn Anderson

National Voter’s Registration Day

Tuesday, September 27

National Voter Registration Day was first started for the 2012 presidential election. It has now become an annual holiday and celebration. Every year, millions of Americans aren’t able to vote because they missed the voter registration deadline or didn’t know how to register. National Voter Registration Day is a huge coast-to-coast effort to ensure no one gets left out. This isn’t about supporting candidates or political parties. It’s about making sure your voice is heard!

The deadline to register to vote in the November 8 election is October 18. If you have changed your name or mailing address, you need to update your voter registration. Check your registration online from home or your library, or pick up a registration form next time you visit. You can also register online through the Oregon Secretary of State’s web site at www.oregonvotes.org.

Champion diversity with Banned Books Week

September 25-October 1

At the end of September, the Cedar Mill Library will feature popular and unexpected books that were banned or challenged. What are banned books? When someone makes an official request that a title be removed entirely from a school or public library, it becomes a “banned or challenged” book. Banned books include everything from Where’s Waldo to works by Walt Whitman. And even widely accepted standards like the Bible and the Quran have been the targets of censorship. Challenges often cite age appropriateness or objectionable subject matter. It’s easy to understand that not every book is appropriate for every reader. No one would read The Diary of Anne Frank to a toddler. But discussing it in a history class can deepen understanding of personal experiences during the Holocaust.

Annually, the American Library Association draws awareness to attempts at censorship with Banned Books Week. At Cedar Mill Library, we celebrate by encouraging you to check out the books that have proudly remained on our shelves despite challenges elsewhere. This year the spotlight is on diversity. In recent years, many of the most-challenged books have contained diverse content. This includes books that are by or about people of color, feature LGBT characters or issues, include people with disabilities or mental illness, or deal with issues about religion. We believe that all voices deserve to be heard. So celebrate diversity and your freedom to read by reading Banned Books.

The Ukalaliens® Workshop: Childs Play for Grownups!

6:30 pm on Monday, October 3, Cedar Mill Library second floor Community Room

Ukalalien: a newly converted ukulele player prone to singing and strumming on the ukulele, spurred to spontaneous acts of music and singing, both alone and with others, regardless of setting or circumstances, thereby creating a euphoric sense of wellbeing.

Musician-teachers, Kate Power & Steve Einhorn are former owners of Portland’s historic music hub, Artichoke Music (1981-2006) The duo has traveled over 50,000 miles around the country in Johnny Appleseed fashion from town to town to practice “ukes-without-borders,” introducing non-musicians to their musical sides by bringing ukes-to-share and showing them how to play the uke in a friendly, fun way.

This free workshop is designed for complete beginners and aimed at adults and older teens, age 16 and up. No registration is required but do come early. Seating and ukuleles available to use will be limited. If you have a ukulele of your own, please bring it with you!

WE Collaborate: Sunset High / Cedar Mill Library e-card

A great new service is available to Sunset High School students, thanks to a partnership between the Cedar Mill Library and Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS). Hundreds of students have signed up for e-cards to access electronic materials like e-books and databases at WCCLS. “The e-card allows them all the digital access now. If they want full access to physical books as well, they can take their card into a branch with their ID or a parent signature,” says Colette Cassinelli, the Library Instructional Technology Teacher at Sunset HS.

The partnership came about through a discussion between Assistant Principal Chris Bick and Mark Richardson. Richardson has children who attend Sunset and also happens to be the Young Adult and Reference Librarian at Cedar Mill Library. “Chris wanted to see how we could help Sunset students get access to the materials at Washington County,” says Richardson.

The e-card not only provides access to WCCLS databases, but the system’s e-books and audiobooks as well. Cassinelli says it provides so many more fiction options for students. “When you have 2,300 students in the school, and want to develop their fiction selection, this provides another avenue,” she says. In addition to the e-card, kiosks are set up in the library at Sunset to browse the Washington County resources.

“At WCCLS, we are excited about the possibility that many new students will learn about our e-book services,” says Richardson. “It will be particularly useful for students who may not have technology or books at home.” As a Future Ready School, this fall Sunset will be providing Chromebooks for every student enrolled, providing the technology to access the WCCLS system. Cedar Mill Library has purchased some of the same Chromebooks, to enable staff members to support students who may have questions while at the library.

While still in its infancy, the partnership is proving to be very popular. Other Beaverton schools have expressed interest in having the new e-cards for their students as well.

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