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

June 2000 LIBRARY NEWS ooL QJale I It is time again for the Annual Friends of the Library Book Sale. This year, it will take place on June 17"' and IS"". On Sat- urday the doors will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Sunday the hours will be 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The preview sale for members of the Friends of the Library will be held on the evening of June 16'^from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Memberships will be available at the door. The book sale is always a special event for those of us who are bibliophiles. It is our chance to pick some wonderful bargains or buy a book that takes us down a whole new path of explora- tion and adventure. Many of the books at the sale are donations. Others are books that the Library’ has discarded for one reason or another. We discard books when there is a newer edition or when the infor- mation is outdated. Some items are discarded because they are worn or have not been checked out in a very long time. But each of them has the potential to inform, to enchant or to pique the interest of just the right buyer. The Friends use proceeds from the sale to fund special projects suggested by the Library. Last year the Friends purchased new CD-ROMs for Youth Services and new shelving and furniture that allowed us to make the Picture Book Area more spacious. In prior years they purchased reference books for the Library and in 1998 they purchased new furniture for the Kay Meek Courtyard. Mark your calendars andjoin us for the book sale. Come early for the best bargains! WEST VANCOUVER MEMORIAL LIBRARY 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC.V7V 1J8 Tel: (604) 925-7400 Library Hours: (604) 925-7401 Fax: (604) 925-5933 URL; W¥Wrcatalogue.westvanlib.org REFERENCE SERVICES The recently published, 5-volume St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture has found its place on the shelves of the Reference Department. There seems to be a growing interest in this genre, perhaps because much of what is called “popular” or “pop” culture arises from the early, mostly American, television^ cult films, art, music and literature of the 1950s and 60s, evoking the romantic nostalgia of lost youth in a growing generation of baby-boomers. This well illustrated set is alphabetically arranged with a cross-referenced index in the final volume. This encyclopedia will fascinate the browser as much as it will engage the researcher. Where does the term dumbbell, sometimes written dumb-bell, come from? Foraging around for an adequate answer in the Reference collection, we came across a quaint old book published in 1913 by W.H.P. Phyfe titled 5000 Facts and Fancies. According to Phyfe, the original dumbbell was a weighted apparatus used in the same fashion as ringing a church- bell, but without the bell itself - thus a soundless (or dumb) bell. While this device was used in learning bell ringing, it was also used for gymnastics. With a heavy flywheel attached, the apparatus was set in motion to carry the athlete up and down, thus bringing the muscles into active play. Later, the flywheels were attached to bars for lifting rather than being lifted, the name unchanged, but a considerably safer contrivance. Dumbbell in reference to a “less intelligent” person, refers to “saying nothing (dumb) to the understanding;” also influenced by the German dumm, or Dutch dom, simply meaning “stupid.” Nothing in particular was noted about the bell part; it probably just had a nice ring to it. [Additional sources: The Guinness Book of Curious Words, and Oxford English Dictionary] ADULT SERVICES IN THE GALLERY ... “Je me Souviens Gordon” ... artwork from Robert Gordon McHarg will continue in the gallery until June 17. These are drawings saved by the artist’s mother from his kindergarten and elementary school masterpieces. The exhibition’s first showing was at the John Spencer Gallery in London, England and the Fuji Rock Festival’99 in Japan. “Summer Days” ... paintings in various mediums by Elizabeth Martin will be on display in the Gallery June 19 - July 9. Elizabeth is a retired physician and for the last three years had devoted herself to painting. She has attended many workshops here and in Europe. Reception, artist in attendance, June 19, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. IUNE4- 10 IS SENIORS’ WEEK IN BRITISH COLUMBIA Adult Programs The ABC’s of Fraud A team of speakers will present an educational program for seniors on consumer fraud. Wednesday, June 7 - 10:30 a.m. Peter J. Peters Meeting Room Please pre-register by phoning 925-7402 AuUiQrJYMl Dr. Marlene Hunter, author and long-time West Vancouver physician now residing in Victoria, will discuss her books and her work with hypnosis, health and chronic pain. Wednesday, June 14 - 7:00 p.m. Peter J. Peters Meeting Room Please pre-register by phoning 925-7402. [i Kf!