Library Now Magazine Issue 8 2022

Mission

To champion literacy, inspire learning, and foster community connection.

Vision

To be Greenville County's first choice for exploration, discovery, and information.

About this Publication

Library Now is produced by the Greenville County Library System and partially underwritten by the Friends of the Greenville County Library System. Email communications@greenvillelibrary.org to request copies of this publication for your organization or business.

Library Board of Trustees

Mr. Brian Aufmuth

Mr. Kenneth Baxter, Treasurer

Dr. Sid Cates, Vice Chair

Mrs. Elizabeth Collins

Mr. S. Allan Hill, Chair

Mr. James Hoard

Mr. Tommy Hughes

Mrs. Kristen Odom

Mr. William Pinkston, Secretary

Mr. Joe Poore

Library Executive Director

Beverly James bjames@greenvillelibrary.org

Greenville County Library System 25 Heritage Green Place Greenville, SC 29601 greenvillelibrary.org

The Greenville County Library System’s Youth Services Department is continuously exploring new and unique ways to reach the community. The creation of a StoryWalk® in Greenville provides the opportunity for families to spend time together outdoors and create lasting memories while discovering a new book!

StoryWalk® gives both residents and visitors the opportunity to discover a new story and explore downtown Greenville. Young readers and their families can explore a new story by following the brightly colored book spreads in the windows of the 16 businesses that collaborated with the Library. Build early literacy skills as you read, walk, and explore a picture book together!

StoryWalk® was originally created by Anne Ferguson and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, Vermont to promote literacy development and a love of reading and books in young children in an outdoor environment.

Library patron Shaye Messenger recently did the StoryWalk® with her family. She says, “We loved looking for the next page in the book in some of our favorite store windows. O.P. Taylor’s is always a treat to go into, so we loved the opportunity to visit some downtown stores along the way.”

Messenger says, “StoryWalk® is a unique way to experience downtown Greenville with kids. Your kids will love looking for the book pages in the windows.”

Every few months the book will be changed to something new so you and your family can visit StoryWalk® again and again!

Pictured: The Messenger family.

StoryWalk® was created by Anne Ferguson and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, Vermont to promote literacy development and a love of reading and books in young children in an outdoor environment. greenvillelibrary.org/storywalk

Mandalas, Mystery

The proliferation of escape rooms, subscription mystery boxes, and other solution-oriented entertainment can be traced back to several different points of origin. As technology continues to advance, writers and other creators find new ways to challenge enthusiasts, whether it be through the twists and turns of a mystery novel or puzzling clues in an escape room challenge.

The modern love for escape rooms can be attributed to many different sources, but one of the oldest origins is the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. According to this tale, the architect Daedalus designed a labyrinth to trap the Minotaur for King Minos, and the hero Theseus eventually takes on the task of solving the maze to find and kill the Minotaur at the center. When Theseus returns home to Athens, he succeeds his father Aegeus as king. In this tale, the labyrinth is used to symbolize a spiritual journey or a tool to discover one’s path in life. The mandala, also, is a symbol of the search for meaning. The design begins with the outer edges of understanding and uses intricate line work and repeating elements to lead the eye toward the center of meaning. The first known image of a mandala appears in the Rig Veda, which is a Hindu text dating from around 1500–500 BCE. This text is made up of 10 books, each referred to as mandalas themselves. The structure of the mandala is similar to

the labyrinth both in its physical design and its spiritual purpose, as both are intended to be used as a tool for finding greater meaning and personal growth. The Chartres Cathedral in France features a labyrinth design in the floor of the nave, which was placed there to allow those who could not physically complete a pilgrimage to symbolically do so by walking the path.

Beginning in the 1500s, hedge mazes became popular with wealthy Europeans and royalty. These mazes were elaborate gardens designed for pleasurable strolls with company, moving the usage of labyrinths to a less complicated, more relaxed type of entertainment. Instead of traversing the labyrinth with a singular goal, hoping to discover the one path towards the center and back out again, hedge mazes offered a leisurely alternative with many ways to navigate through the beautiful gardens. This use of gardens also marks one of the earliest examples of people using the thrill of escape from a physical space purely for entertainment.

With more modern technology, the game of escape went virtual. “Escape the room” games began with text-based adventures in the 1970s and then morphed into CD-ROM games in the 90s. Developer Will Crowther designed a popular teletype game in 1976 called Colossal Cave Adventure wherein players explored a complex cave system by typing in short commands. In 1993, the graphic adventure puzzle game Myst was released. Participants explored virtual worlds by clicking and dragging objects to help them solve puzzles. Through first person point of view, players explored the island of Myst by gathering information and following clues to complete the game’s primary puzzle and “escape.”

It is this more recent foray into puzzle games that sparked the current escape room obsession. This move from virtual back to physical spaces was cemented with Takao Kato’s Real Escape Game (Riaru Daashutsu Ge-mu), which opened in Japan in 2007 to much success. The game was originally designed to be quite difficult, so much so that in its first run only six out of 150 participants completed the escape room successfully. When asked about his thoughts behind the design, the creator wrote, “The game was created so that anyone with good ideas, creativity, and good communication skills can manage to escape…When confronted with time limits and confined spaces, people think outside of the box and really have a blast.”

Takao Kato’s hope is that the Real Escape Game “can make your life more thrilling.” His philosophy is that if people looked at the world in the same way they looked at an escape room, their lives would be more adventurous and interesting. Regardless of the purpose for entering an escape room, the experience offers participants the opportunity to engage in the world in a way that is unlike their dayto-day lives. As writer Jenny Kingsley says, “perhaps it is the joy of the ‘journey’ that we need to understand and find comfort in our perplexing world.”

Locked-room mystery stories offer a similar experience as traversing the labyrinth or mazes. In these stories, the reader is isolated along with the cast of characters, who must discover the truth before time runs out and evil prevails. Sometimes there is only one meandering path to the truth, and other times there are many avenues pointing to several different solutions. Though, in a mystery novel, the reader faces no danger of getting lost unless it is in a mountain of clues and red herrings (much more appealing than giving up on a hedge maze and tromping through bushes to get back out).

Whether it is literally or metaphorically, the act of locking ourselves in a room until the ultimate truth is discovered is an ancient practice that has taken on many forms.

The recent resurgence of Cain’s Jawbone, a mystery puzzle originally published in 1934, shows how text-based puzzle games are still popular today. The book is 100 pages of incorrectly ordered narrative, which the reader must sort out in addition to solving the numerous word puzzles contained within. As of 2020, only three people have ever solved the puzzle correctly. The first two individuals completed the puzzle in 1935 and won a prize of £15, and when the book was republished in 2019, another prize of £1,000 was offered. Though many people have attempted the puzzle since the reprint, only one person has correctly solved it. Comedian John Finnemore reportedly spent several months of lockdown working on the solution to the murder mystery puzzle and was announced as the competition winner in November 2020.

Whether it is literally or metaphorically, the act of locking ourselves in a room until the ultimate truth is discovered is an ancient practice that has taken on many forms. Though now it is more often used as a form of entertainment than spiritual journey, the intrigue of the labyrinth puzzle persists. The social aspect of escape rooms also eases some of the pressure on any single individual to be the one to crack the code. Like many of life’s problems, escape puzzles are often too complex to be solved by one person and instead require group efforts. Even the hero Theseus needed Ariadne’s help to get through the labyrinth. Fortunately, you don’t have to be the cleverest person to find your way out of a maze. You just have to be persistent.

Create Your Own

Mazes, Mandalas & Mystery

TREASURES from the Past

Many of us have special family heirlooms passed down and kept in boxes, frames, trunks, and filing cabinets. In some cases, these papers, letters, family Bibles, and photos may hold the last remaining glimpse into the life of a beloved ancestor. South Carolina Room staff want to help you in your quest to keep these treasured family memories preserved for future generations.

Digitizing Your Photos & Letters

Digitizing your materials is a great way to help preserve them. Did you know the South Carolina Room at the Hughes Main Library has a free scanner available for your use? Create digital images of your treasures with this useful tool. Remember to bring a flash drive to save files!

Top 5 Tips for Preservation:

Store your items in an environment that is cool, dark, and dry. Avoid storing in attics or basements which can be humid, hot, and damp.

Keep treasured records away from sunlight. If you want to display one, consider printing a copy to showcase instead.

Avoid using albums with adhesive. Instead, opt for acid free boxes or folders. Polyester sleeves or envelopes are also suitable storage options.

Label your folders and boxes in pencil only; you can’t erase a stray ink mark!

Handle your heirlooms with care. Make sure your hands are clean, dry, and free from oils or lotions. When handling photos or negatives, wear nitrile or lint-free cotton gloves. If gloves are not available, only touch the edges of the photo.

@GreenvilleLibrary

Choose from dozens of history and genealogy themed videos presented by South Carolina Room staff on these topics and more:

• Preserving Photos & Letters

• Finding Your Female Ancestors

• Exploring County Records

• Historic Handwriting

• Introduction to Newspapers.com

• Military Records on Fold3

Want to learn more about local history and genealogy? Make an appointment or drop in for a visit to the South Carolina Room at the Hughes Main Library and start your journey today. Schedule an appointment at greenvillelibrary.org/sc-room.

History

We want your photos of Greenville County:

• Streets and landmarks

• Organizations and businesses

• Schools, churches, and social clubs

Greenville County Library System continues to build online collections to preserve the rich history of Greenville County. Share these memories with a wider audience by allowing them to be digitized and returned to you.

Schedule a scanning session today at greenvillelibrary.org/digitize-greenville.

interactive learning in a Box

What is a Teaching Tote?

Teaching Totes are portable plastic bins featuring themed library materials designed to create fun and interactive learning experiences for young children and their families, teachers, and caregivers.

Teaching Totes

Contain:

• Picture books

• Beginning Reader books (EZ-Readers)

• Non-fiction books

• Bilingual books (Spanish/English)

• May also include rhymes and tactile activities to engage your little ones

Purpose

Teaching Totes reinforce literacy skills through books with rich vocabulary words and concepts, which in turn provide further opportunities for interaction and conversation between caregiver and child. The wide variety of exciting themes promises to stimulate and inspire the imagination of children (including babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children).

goals

• Connect a specific area of interest with literacy and learning

• Foster interaction and conversation between caregiver and child

• Encourage language development and comprehension through print-rich, age-appropriate books

Educational Benefits

Each tote has been thoughtfully curated by Youth Services staff in accordance with the following learning standards:

• The Palmetto

Basics

• South Carolina Early Learning

Standards

• The South Carolina College and Career-Ready Standards

By connecting tote materials to learning standards, parents and teachers are offered themes that foster early learning skills necessary for the introduction of foundational concepts.

The Palmetto Basics is a county-wide kindergarten readiness initiative brought to South Carolina by Greenville First Steps that explores five dynamic areas of early learning that make a substantial impact on later school success. South Carolina Early Learning Standards were created by The Department of Social Services for use by South Carolina’s early childhood professionals, Head Start teachers, and other teachers who nurture and support the development of young children.

The South Carolina College and Career-Ready Standards are used by all public schools in South Carolina. These academic standards were created to align research and best practices for use by teachers in South Carolina.

Teaching Totes

More About The Palmetto Basics:

The Greenville County Library System has embraced The Palmetto Basics, a county-wide kindergarten readiness initiative brought to South Carolina by Greenville First Steps. Experts tell us that exploring these five areas of learning early in your child’s life can make a big impact on later school success.

Maximize Love, Manage Stress Talk, Sing, and Point Count, Group, and Compare Explore Through Movement and Play

Check out a Teaching Tote today!

Read and Discuss Stories

• Borrowing: Visit the Children’s Area at the Hughes Main Library to explore available Teaching Totes.

• Holds: You may also visit greenvillelibrary.org/ teaching-totes to place Teaching Totes on hold.

• For: Adult Greenville County Library System card holders.

• Loan Period: 14 days.

• Checkout limit: Two Teaching Totes may be checked out at a time.

• Availability: Teaching Totes are available for checkout only at the Hughes Main Library.

By incorporating these evidence-based principles into your activities with young children, you help to foster school readiness. And don’t worry! You are almost certainly already incorporating the Palmetto Basics without knowing it. For example, as you explore and move with your child, you’re also Maximizing Love and Managing Stress, for both you and your child, just by spending time together.

Find downloadable lists of suggested activities representing each of the Palmetto Basics at greenvillelibrary.org/littlelearners-club. Choose activities that best fit your child's age and abilities. You may also create your own activities.

• Returning: Teaching Totes must be returned inperson to the Children’s Area Desk at the Hughes Main Library. greenvillelibrary.org/teaching-totes

Inspiration for WRITERS

Whether you are an established writer or have just started your creative journey, you may find yourself wondering where to start on a new writing project. Pick a prompt from the following list to help with inspiration and get your creative juices flowing!

To prepare yourself for November’s National Novel Writing Month, you need to keep up a writing practice throughout the year! For novices and pros alike, getting the first few words on the page can sometimes be the hardest part. Pick a prompt from the list (or try them all!), and you may find the start of your next great novel!

Writing Prompts

1. While clearing out the attic, your character finds a small packet of yellowing letters, bound with a green ribbon, hidden behind a fake wall.

2. Describe your favorite childhood game from the perspective of a child.

3. Write a short story that incorporates these words: lapis, library, loft, and luggage.

4. Your character wakes up to find themselves locked inside their best friend’s bedroom with no memory of the last 24 hours.

5. Imagine a cottage in the middle of a forest. Is it haunted, enchanted, or abandoned?

6. Your character lands their dream job and is fired within 24 hours.

7. You open your front door to find a small, mysterious package with your name on it.

8. Select a country that starts with either your first or last initial. Your character books a flight to that destination on a whim.

9. Write an obituary for your main character.

10. Look at your most recent text conversations. Choose one exchange and use it as a dialogue between two characters.

11. Find a photo from at least 100 years ago (either from your own collection or the Library System’s digital collection) and describe it as your opening paragraph.

12. Your character’s cell phone rings. A husky voice whispers sharply, “Whatever you do, don’t hang up.”

13. Think of a memorable nightmare and use it as the plot of a short story.

14. On a moonlit night, your character meets three friends in the ruins of a crumbling mansion.

15. Your character has a meet cute during a museum heist.

16. While en route to visit their parents for the first time in five years, your character writes a journal entry.

17. Imagine living in a society where most, but not all, humans no longer experience fear.

18. Your character’s random act of kindness sparks a worldwide movement.

19. A recurring character from a childhood dream appears at your job, asking for you by name.

20. Play a random song from a playlist. Your story begins with an excerpt from the lyrics.

21. Your character walks along the shore, searching for a lost item.

22. Describe a character in 10 words or less. Now use the opposite descriptors to create your new main character.

Southern Author Expo

Sat, Jan 21, 2023

Hughes Main Library

Attention writers and readers! Join us for an afternoon of books, backstory, and a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the writing process and how to get published.

greenvillelibrary.org/southern-author-expo

23. Find an innocuous object nearby. Imagine it suddenly displays supernatural properties and the fate of the world depends on it!

24. Write a scene centered on eating a delicious dish. Describe why the characters are eating, how the food tastes, and any special memories associated with the food.

25. Pick just one word from this list as your prompt: affection, betrayal, cabana, dagger, egg, frantic, garish, hotel, icy, jagged, kayak, locked, miniature, narwhal, orchestra, peacock, qualms, reflection, stunning, teapot, universe, veil, willow, xylophone, yacht, zipper.

Inspiration For Writers

Books for Aspiring Authors

Wondering how to start your first novel or conquer writer’s block? These reads offer advice on writing habits, finding your inspiration, and understanding how to harness your creativity.

greenvillelibrary.org/reading-list/545/books-for-aspiring-writers

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert 153.35 Gilbert

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott OverDrive

Black Ink by Stephanie Stokes Oliver 305.896073 Black

Broken Places & Outer Spaces by Nnedi Okorafor B Okorafor

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp 153.35 Tharp

Daily Rituals by Mason Currey 700.922 Currey OverDrive

Devotion by Patti Smith 801 Smith

On Writing by Stephen King 813.54 King

Pen on Fire by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett 808.02 DeMarcoBarrett

Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose 808.02 Prose OverDrive

The Right to Write by Julia Cameron 808.02 Cameron

Spunk & Bite by Arthur Plotnik 808.042 Plotnik

Your Global Staycation

Pack your bag (your library bag, that is) and prepare for adventure! Even if international travel isn’t on your horizon right now, with a few Library System resources and a dash of creativity, you can explore the globe without leaving your home.

Begin your travel-from-home experience by choosing a destination and finding general information about it to help you get your bearings.

Travel guides available on the shelf or online are great places to start. Use these resources to learn about the cultural, traditions, language, art, pastimes, and landmarks of your destination.

Splendid vistas, fascinating landmarks, and unique art and cultural experiences are highlights of international travel. Videos, photo galleries, and virtual online experiences can help you bring this part of travel home with you. Check out a travel special DVD or stream a travel documentary through Hoopla to get started. For an even more up-close experience, check some of your favorite attractions from your travel guide to see if they have a virtual tour available online. Virtual experiences have become increasingly common in the past few years, so you may be surprised by the variety you’ll find!

Your jet-setting-from-home experience is a learning opportunity too! While you're enjoying your destination's flavorful cuisine, striking views, and fascinating literature, enhance your experience with language learning. Start with the conversational phrases you'd normally need for travel and practice with your travel companions. There are online Library System offerings to help you practice the basics for your at-home travel experience and can also guide you to higher levels of fluency.

Learning languages, reading, touring virtually, and cooking are just a few of the ways you can make a travel-from-home experience your own. Be as creative as you like, and enjoy exploring your world!

Armchair Adventures

Visit greenvillelibrary.org/learning-research to explore a destination from home with these online library resources—free with your library card.

ATOZ World Travel Pick a city and “go!”

CultureGrams

Listen to interviews with residents, and watch videos about local landmarks, music, dance, sports, and more.

Global Road Warrior Explore topics including music, religion, history, geography, and more.

Mango Languages

Choose from over 70 languages to study.

Download & Stream

Enjoy ebooks, audiobooks, movies, and music from home at greenvillelibrary.org/download-stream.

Hoopla

Download and stream books, movies, and music in a variety of languages.

Libby

Find offerings in multiple languages.

Global Kitchen

Bring your destination’s unique dishes to your table, because no journey is complete without experiencing the local cuisine. Challenge yourself to prepare as many dishes as you can for a weekend or for a whole week-long staycation. If you would like your travel to include going out, try finding some local restaurants that specialize in cuisine from your chosen country.

Portuguese Home Cooking by Ana Patuleia Ortins 641.59469 Ortins

Aloha Kitchen: Recipes from Hawai'i by Alana Kysar 641.59969 Kysar

Bress 'n' nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer by Matthew Raiford with Amy Paige Condon 641.59296 Raiford

Colombiana: A Rediscovery of Recipes & Rituals from the Soul of Colombia by Mariana Velásquez 641.59861 Velasquez

In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes & Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries That Touch the Indian Ocean by Hawa Hassan with Julia Turshen 641.59676 Hassan

Tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine by Shane M. Chartrand with Jennifer Cockrall-King 641.59297 Chartrand

Filipinx: Heritage Recipes from the Diaspora by Angela Dimayuga & Ligaya Mishan 641.59599 Dimayuga

Sicilia: A Love Letter to the Food of Sicily by Ben Tish 641.59458 Tish

The Arabesque Table: Contemporary Recipes from the Arab World by Reem Kassis 641.59174927 Kassis

Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple: A New Way to Bake Gluten-free by Aran Goyoaga 641.5639311 Goyoaga

Beyond Chopped Liver: 59 Jewish Recipes Get a Vegan Health Makeover by Kenden Alfond 641.5676 Alfond

Black Sea: Dispatches and Recipes, Through Darkness and Light by Caroline Eden 641.5918229 Eden

Taste Tibet: Family Recipes from the Himalayas by Julie Kleeman & Yeshi Jampa 641.59515 Kleeman

Hawker Fare: Stories & Recipes from a Refugee Chef's Isan Thai & Lao Roots by James Syhabout with John Birdsall 641.59593 Syhabout

Samarkand: Recipes & Stories from Central Asia & the Caucasus by Caroline Eden 641.59396 Eden

¡Cuba!: Recipes and Stories from the Cuban Kitchen by Dan Goldberg, Andrea Kuhn & Jody Eddy 641.597291 Goldberg

Falastin: A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi 641.595694 Tamimi OverDrive

Orexi! Feasting at the Modern Greek Table by Theo A. Michaels 641.59495 Michaels

The New Mediterranean Jewish Table: Old World Recipes for the Modern Home by Joyce Goldstein 641.5676 Goldstein

Taste Makers: 7 Immigrant Women who Revolutionized Food in America by Mayukh Sen 641.50922 Sen

Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory, and Family by Madhushree Ghosh 641.595492 Ghosh OverDrive

Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora by Reem Assil 641.592927 Assil OverDrive

Samosas (Filled Pastries)

Samosas are popular filled pastry street snacks that restaurants also serve as appetizers. They may also be referred to as sambusa or samboksa. This classic Indian dish is traditionally filled with cooked mashed potatoes, variations include small peas and chopped carrots or kheema (minced meat). Samosas are best enjoyed within a few hours of cooking, while the pastry is still crisp.

Servings: makes 12 samosas

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy Free, Halal, Kosher

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) all purpose flour

• 1 tsp (5ml) salt

• 4 Tbsp (60ml) vegetable oil, divided

• 1 cup (240ml) warm water

• 2 cups (650g) cooked, mashed potatoes

• 1 small red onion, chopped

• 1 Tbsp (15ml) chopped fresh ginger

• 1 Tbsp (15ml) curry powder

• 1/2 cup (75g) peas

• 1 tsp (5ml) sea salt

• 3 cups (700ml) vegetable oil for frying

Explore AtoZ World Foods at greenvillelibrary.org/travel.

Recipe introduction and directions © Copyright 2016-2021

World Trade Press. All rights reserved.

Directions

1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.

2. Make a well in the middle and gradually add 2 tablespoons (30ml) of oil and warm water to form the dough. Shape dough into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons (30ml) of oil over medium-high heat to make filling. Shape each into a ball before placing on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Fry onion, ginger, and curry powder until onion turns transparent.

5. Add peas and salt. Fry for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and spread on a plate to cool.

6. Divide dough into 12 balls. Roll flat on a floured surface or form pancakes with hands.

7. Place 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of filling in the center of each dough circle. Moisten edge with cold water and seal into a half-moon shape, with the edge well-sealed to prevent filling from spilling out during frying.

8. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Deep-fry samosas for 2 minutes, or until golden. Drain well on paper towels.

9. Serve with tomato, mango, or tamarind chutney.

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