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July 2002 LIBRARY NEWS l-KZ'i DAYS OF SUMMERS PAST Excuse me while I wax somewhat nostalgically about summers past when things would slow down a bit at the public library. Some of our staff and many of our patrons would be away on holidays, school was out, the sun shone, we had lemonade in the fridge for tea break and we got to work catching up on those tasks that were put on hold in the hectic spring months. Things have certainly changed (and all for the better let me hasten to add). Now we have the hugely successful Summer Reading Club in Youth Services, more popular every year. Access to free Internet and email brings people to the library from as near as Bellevue Avenue and as far as Budapest. It appears that students of all ages are studying all year long. Our lively community is out there building decks, planning parties, creating water gardens, learning Spanish and reading shiny new paperbacks. Where do they come to find books, magazines, CDs and videos to help them accomplish all of this? Here of course, at the West Vancouver Memorial Library -your best summer resource! So join the crowd and drop in for a visit - Marchies serves delicious iced tea for you to enjoy in our peaceful courtyard. 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 Website: www.westvanlib.org REFERENCE SERVICES The Hidden Treasures of Reference For many readers of literature the haiku is familiar, perhaps even the renku, but certainly not the chbap. Chbap is a short didactic Cambodian verse form, or “didactic code,” that teaches Cambodian values with a moral conclusion. There are a number of chbap divisions: the chbap kram, which are “mles for behaviour,” the chbap pros, “rules for men,” the chbap srey, “rules for women,” the chbap kaun cav, “rules for grandchildren,” the chbap peak cas, “ancient advice,” the chbap kerkal, “safekeeping of heritage,” to name a few. The chbap were written by Buddhist monks around the beginning of the IS* century, addressing rich and poor alike, using clever phrases and other poetic devices, to catch the audience’s attention. Chbap are meant to be memorized and chanted to a specific rhythm. They were taught in the schools, the goal being to prepare young people in familial obligations, and certain religious precepts, as well as protection against naivete while protecting the less fortunate. Loosely translated, a typical chbap would be as follows: Don’t let an angry man wash dishes; Don't let a hungry man guard rice. or Don't take the straight path, or the winding one. Take the path your ancestors have taken. These two examples have become standard Cambodian proverbs. However, the major literary form in Cambodia is the ream ker (variously spelt, reamker, rqmakerti, or ram kerti), the epic poem, likely a version or borrowing from the Indian ramayana epic. Since 1979, following the fall of the Khmer Rouge government, there has been a literary revival which includes these and most other styles of Cambodian aksarsastra (defined as “literature”). Appiah, Kwame Anthony & Henry Louis Gates, eds., The Dictionary of Global Culture. New York: Knopf, 1996. Cambodian Culture. hup://w\-w. einaudi. Cornell. edu/SoutheastAsia/ oulreach/CamhodiaWebUnit/cultiire.html (cited June 14,2002). Lcdgcrwoord, Judy, Cambodian Literature. littD://\ww.seasite. niu. edu/ crossroads/ledeei-y^’Ood/CamhodianLiterature.htm (cited June 14, 2002). Zbavitel, Du©an, Dictionary of Oriental Literatures: vol. 2, South and South-East Asia. New York: Basic Books, 1974. ADULT SERVICES IN THE GALLERY...Don’t miss our exciting new exhibit in the Gallery at the Library featuring North Shore artists Delores Davie and James Knowles. The exhibit is on display July 2 - July 31. Delores Davie presents a series of wildlife paintings titled “Animals and Birds”. Her large canvasses and realistic portrayal of her subject matter create a stunning exhibit. “I like to paint realism, the feelings that I have for nature and people comes out in the detailed work that 1 do,” says Davie. Her work has been shown at many galleries and many of her paintings now hang in private collections around the world. James Knowles presents a new abstract series of oil paintings titled “The Ocean, the Forest and What is Between”. James sees painting as a metaphor for life. “Everyday, there’s a blank canvas to fill...with colour, energy and light.” James is an emerging international artist and also teaches art at Studio Playa Melaque in Mexico. The Gallery at the Library is located on the Main Floor in the atrium and in Reference Services on the first floor. A special artists reception will be held on Friday July S***, 2002, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. - the public is welcome to attend. AUTHOR VISIT BRADY FOTHERINGHA M Travel Asia’s ancient Silk Road with Brady Fotheringham who retraced this historic trail on his mountain bike. He travelled through China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, writing of his adventures in On the trail of Marco Polo: along the Silk Road by bicycle. Brady considers mountain biking a way of life, and combined with his experiences as a freelance journalist, his courageous curiosity has taken him on a dream of a trip. Join us for a slideshow presentation and discussion of Brady’s pil- grimage, and purchase a copy of his book. Light refreshments will be served by the Friends of the Library. Date: Thursday, July 11, 2002 Time: 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. Place: Peter J. Peters Room The event is free but please call 604-925-7402 to register. (i