The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

January ’99 LIBRARY NEWS Ls»mlD§ CsDtsr opens fop buslnessl In December of 1997, a group from the staff, the volun- teers and the Friends of the Library gathered at a downtown Vancouver casino. For three days we counted money and observed the business of the casino. The result was a cheque for slightly more than $33,000 received in February of 1998. This money was dedicated to the development of a Language Learning Center and an im- proved foreign language collection. This month, the Friends of the Library will officially open the new language center. Carved out of a small area next to the Taped Books Office, the Center will provide a place for patrons to use the lan- guage videos and cassette tapes. We have substantially enriched our collection and you can now study everything from Arabic to Vietnamese. Learning materials have been purchased in a variety of formats in- cluding books, cassettes, videos and CD-ROM. In addition some of the funds are being used to purchase books written in other languages including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, German and Italian.. We have also strengthened the collection of materials for learning English as a second language. This collection in- cludes books, videos and cassettes. Our thanks to the Friends of the Library who have once again enriched our Library with their fundraising efforts. WEST VANCOUVER MEMORIAL LIBRARY 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC,V7V 1J8 Tel: (604) 925-7400 Library Hours: (604) 925-7401 Fax: (604) 925-5953 Modem Acc.: 925-7409 URL: www.wvml.jeslacs.bc.ca REFERENCE SERVICES An exceptional title, newly acquired by the Reference De- partment, is the 2-\o\um& Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery. Slavery is not an institution solely confined to European colonial societies from the 16‘^ to the 19^*’ centu- ries, it is indeed a fact of life from ancient times to the present, in many, if not the majority, of the world’s cul- tures. This research attempts to address the many forms that slavery has taken in human history up to the mid-20“’ century. It is necessary, however, to use the index to find some of the submerged histories of slavery, such as among the indigenous peoples in pre-contact American and Afri- can societies, or Black slave owners in America, or con- vict and indentured forms of slave labour in Australia and the Pacific Islands. The text deals with antislavery and abolition movements, religious involvement, legal issues, and includes biographies of significant personalities in- volved in one way or another with the practice of slavery. All articles identify the author, usually from an academic setting, as well as provide bibliographical documentation. Another interesting new title is Science & Technology Firsts, in short, a book of inventions. However, one inven- tion not recorded in this volume, but in the Old Farmer’s Almanac, is the propeller-driven snowmobile, a Canadian invention, created by Quebec-bom Joseph-Armand Bom- bardier in 1922, who, by 1958, had perfected a light-weight, one-track Skid-Doo, the size of a motor cycle. Originally, the latter vehicle was called “Ski-Dog,” but the tail of the “g” in “dog” was accidentally obscured â€" hence, the Ski- Doo was bom. Canada’s capital city is often referred to as Ottawa-Hull. In fact, Hull has a sizable number of federal department offices and is part of the Capital Regional District. So is Hull also considered to be Canada’s capital? The answer is “no,” and if you wish to find out why, then consult a copy of The Great Canadian Trivia Book, copies of which are in the Reference, Youth and Adult Services Depart- ments of the library. ULT SERVICES IN THE GALLERY ... “Hula and Other Moments” by West Vancouver artist Dale Warke will be on display Janu- ary 4 to February 7,1999. Dale Warke was bom in Saskatchewan, studied fine arts on scholarship at the University of Saskatchewan and has worked and lived in New Zealand and Australia. He has participated in numerous shows here and abroad. Reception, artist in attendance, January 4, p.m. Most paintings are for sale. 7:30 - 8:30 MAKING THE CONNECTION ... Sharon Promislow, author of “Making the Mind Body Connection” will give a talk and a book signing in the Library. WHERE: Peter J. Peters Room WHEN: January 7,1999 TIME: 7-9 p.m. She will help you de-stress the holidays and enjoy the New Year, by explaining stress and brain research and how your brain, body and senses interrelate. JANUARY... from the God Janus, protector of doors ... openings and new beginnings ... enter into the New Year with a selection of exciting books from your Library ... biographies, history, cookery, investment, psychology, fic- tion, mystery and much more ... plus videos, CDs, books on tape, newspaper and magazines ... start a New Year of discovery and enjoyment at your library. We offer a few suggestions ... (508 GOU) GOULD, STEPHEN Leonardo’s Mountain Of Clams And The Diet Of Works: Essays On Natural His- tory Number three and the last in the series of these popu- lar essays illuminating the problems of science and phi- losophy as we near the millenium.