The Cleveland Public Library Main Library has unparalleled research collections available for students participating in National History Day 2009.  The Library holds a variety of material that documents the history of Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, Ohio, the United States and the World.

Here’s a fun fact: Cleveland Public Library has been a United Nations Depository library since 1947 and it is recognized as the official UN deposit library for the state of Ohio. The UN Deposit Library System is an important part of the United Nation’s outreach and education effort and consists of over 400 libraries in 140 different countries. This means that the Library receives official UN Documents that are archived in the Social Sciences Department  on the 5th Floor of the Louis Stokes Wing.

Thursday, October 1 marks the re-opening of the newly restored Capitol Theatre in the Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood on the city's near west side.

The Capitol Theatre features several framed reproductions from Cleveland Public Library's W. Ward Marsh Lantern Slide Collection. When visiting this new destination be sure to stop on the second floor to check out the beautiful images, or view the collection online.

This project was made possible with support from the Friends of the Cleveland Public Library.

Learn more about the W. Ward Marsh Lantern Slide Collection and Cinema Archive here.

September 26-October 3, 2009 is designated as Banned Books Week by the American Library Association to celebrate the freedom provided by the First Amendment as it relates to information and literature.  This map, courtesy of bannedbooksweek.org, provides information about titles challenged in the United States from 2007-2009.

Starting Monday, several staff will be sharing their favorite books from the 100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999 and Banned and Challenged Classics.  Tell us about your favorite challenged and banned books by visiting our Facebook page.

Written in 1922, Nella Braddy's Young Folks' Encyclopedia of Etiquette is filled with all kinds of useful knowledge for young folks in the 1920s.

Of course, accepted etiquette changes over time, depending on many factors. For instance, according to this passage entitled "The Child's Rights," it was considered harmful to the child's psyche to brag incessantly about his or her accomplishments in front of the child. Today, such behavior might be construed in a much different way.

The rules of decorum related to dress and modesty have obviously changed since 1922. Check out how a young lady was expected to dress for a day at the beach. Hard to imagine what a similar book would say today.

Visit the Social Sciences Department or click here for a list of titles on etiquette from yesterday and today. 

Avast ye mateys! Every September 19th is "International Talk Like a Pirate Day" and to celebrate, the pirate duo The Rambling Sailors will perform traditional and modern sea shanties and ballads of the sea at 2PM in the lower level of the Louis Stokes Wing. There will be pirate activities for the kids and refreshments. Make sure you dress and talk like a pirate! This event is free and open to all ages. So weigh anchor, hoist the mizzen, and bring the lads and lassies to the Main Library Louis Stokes Wing on Saturday, September 19^th, 2009 at 2PM to enjoy an afternoon of maritime fun. Aaarrrrrrr!

Be sure to check out these pirate-themed book titles! 

Cleveland Public Library, along with all 31 CLEVNET libraries, got a "thumbs up" from library patrons for digital downloads at Progressive Field's Gateway Plaza on Friday. Local company OverDrive showcased their high-tech Digital Bookmobile, demonstrating how easy one can download eBooks, Audio Books, Music & Video from our eMedia Collection -- and it's all available at your CLEVNET library! Slider passed out hugs, danced and mugged for the camera. See photos from the event...

Inspired by a discussion of vampire novels at the library, teens from our Carnegie West branch took the Summer Reading Club theme of Be Creative @ Your Library to another level. During a discussion of the novel Blue Bloods, librarian Helen Zaluckyj challenged the group to write a book using Cleveland locations as inspiration, while incorporating the term "mercy killing" into their writing. Writing under the pen name The Carnegie Seven, they have written seven parts to a story entitled Mercy Killing and have YouTube and Quizilla accounts to share it with the world. The group is also developing zines and manga related to Mercy Killing. Says the group, "Writing Mercy Killing has been lots of fun for everyone." Click here for an excerpt.