August 26, 2016  Inspired by the success of Pokemon Go, a Belgian primary school headmaster has developed an online game for people to search for books instead of cartoon monsters, attracting tens of thousands of players in weeks.  While with Pokemon Go, players use a mobile device's GPS and camera to track virtual creatures around town, Aveline Gregoire's version is played through a Facebook group called "Chasseurs de livres" ("Book hunters").  Players post pictures and hints about where they have hidden a book and others go to hunt them down.  Once someone has finished reading a book, they "release" it back into the wild.  "While I was arranging my library, I realized I didn't have enough space for all my books.  Having played Pokemon Go with my kids, I had the idea of releasing the books into nature," Gregoire told Reuters.  Though it was only set up a few weeks ago, more than 40,000 people are already signed up to Gregoire's Facebook group.  The hidden tomes range from books for toddlers through to Stephen King horrors, placed around Belgian towns and countryside, often wrapped in clear plastic to keep off the rain.  Maria Haase Coehlo  http://www.reuters.com/article/us-belgium-books-pokemon-idUSKCN1110RG

Scoria is a dark-colored igneous rock with abundant round bubble-like cavities known as vesicles.  It ranges in color from black or dark gray to deep reddish brown.  Scoria forms when magma containing abundant dissolved gas flows from a volcano or is blown out during an eruption.  As the molten rock emerges from the Earth, the pressure upon it is reduced and the dissolved gas starts to escape in the form of bubbles.  If the molten rock solidifies before the gas has escaped, the bubbles become small rounded or elongated cavities in the rock.  This dark-colored igneous rock with the trapped bubbles is known as scoria.  One of the main uses of scoria is in the production of lightweight aggregate.  The scoria is crushed to desired sizes and sold for a variety of uses.  Concrete made with scoria typically weighs about 100 pounds per cubic foot.  This is a weight savings compared to concrete made with typical sand and gravel that weighs about 150 pounds per cubic foot.  This savings in weight allows buildings to be constructed with less structural steel.  The air trapped in the scoria makes the lightweight concrete a better insulator.  See beautiful graphics at http://geology.com/rocks/scoria.shtml

A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg:  antonyms

estivate/aestivate  (ES-tuh-vayt)  verb  To pass the summer in a dormant state.

diurnal   (DY-uhr-nuhl)  adjective  1.  Of or pertaining to the daytime.  2.  Occurring every day.  noun   Dairy, journal, newspaper

ultimogeniture  (uhl-tuh-mo-JEN-i-chuhr)  noun  A system of inheritance in which the youngest child inherits a title, estate, etc.

distributary   (di-STRIB-yuh-ter-ee, -yoo-)  noun  A branch of a river flowing away from the main stream and does not rejoin it, as in a delta.

dissensus  (di-SEN-suhs)  noun  Widespread disagreement.

Most Americans view public libraries as important parts of their communities, with a majority reporting that libraries have the resources they need and play at least some role in helping them decide what information they can trust.  Public libraries, many Americans say, should offer programs to teach people digital skills (80% think libraries should definitely do this) and help patrons learn how to use new creative technologies like 3-D printers (50%).  At the same time, 57% of Americans say libraries should definitely offer more comfortable places for reading, working and relaxing.  Yet, Americans are also divided on a fundamental question about how books should be treated at libraries:  24% support the idea of moving books and stacks in order to make way for more community- and tech-oriented spaces, while 31% say libraries should not move the books to create such spaces.  About four in ten think libraries should maybe consider doing so.  Read extensive article by John B. Horrigan at http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/09/09/libraries-2016/

W.P. (Bill) Kinsella, author of the novel that was adapted for the movie “Field of Dreams,” died September 16, 2016 at age 81, according to a press release from his literary agency.  Kinsella was a Canadian-born author who started writing “Shoeless Joe” while enrolled at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in Iowa City.  Iowa would become the setting for the 1982 novel.  It was Kinsella’s passion for baseball that influenced the plot of the beloved tale, in which the ghost of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, the Chicago White Sox outfielder who was banned from baseball for his part in the 1919 World Series betting scandal, tells a farmer to build a baseball field.  “Field of Dreams” filmmaker Phil Alden Robinson was fascinated by Kinsella’s rural ballfield fantasy and brought the work to life with a ball diamond built into a corn field and boisterous characters.  Much of the movie was shot in Dyersville, where the diamond still sits.  "That's a real thrill," Kinsella said in 1995 about the field.  "I get up there every year. It doesn't matter when you go there; there's always 40 or 50 people from all over the world playing catch and you can stand there and watch."  The movie, which was released in 1989, starred Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones.  In a 1994 Iowa Poll conducted by The Des Moines Register, 30 percent of Iowans polled said "Field of Dreams" was Iowa's greatest contribution to the nation's arts, literature and music.  Other popular cultural exports in the poll were "The Music Man," "American Gothic," "The Bridges of Madison County," "State Fair" and "A Thousand Acres."  Kinsella published nearly 30 books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction.  It was the last two lines of his 1974 poem "The Bugs of Johnson County"—"Is this Heaven?  No, just count the bugs.  It's Iowa!"—that he reportedly adapted for "Shoeless Joe," before becoming one of the movie's greatest exchanges.  Molly Longman  http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entertainment/movies/2016/09/16/kinsella-author-field-dreams-novel-dies/90533874/

The 2016 Harvest Moon on September 16 delighted observers who stepped outside to get a peek of the event.  The Harvest Moon is the full moon that is seen nearest to the time of the Autumnal Equinox.  The Autumnal Equinox falls on September 22 this year.  This year's Harvest Moon took place in conjunction with a penumbral lunar eclipse, which was only able to be seen by skywatchers in Asia, Europe, Africa and Australia.  Kevin Byrne  See beautiful photos at http://www.accuweather.com/en/features/trend/photos_harvest_moon_illuminate/60163672

Immunologist LAURA HAYNES:  The best time for most people to get the flu vaccine would be in October.  If you're a little bit older and over 65, I would say between Halloween and Thanksgiving.  Dr. Haynes acknowledges that a flu shot will not always keep you from getting the flu.  She says it's about 60 to 90 percent effective for children and adults--somewhat less for the elderly.  But she believes they're still worthwhile.  http://www.npr.org/2016/09/17/494360180/older-people-should-consider-waiting-a-bit-longer-to-get-flu-shot

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 1528  September 19, 2016  On this date in 1778, the Continental Congress passed the first United States federal budget.  On this date in 1796, George Washington's Farewell Address was printed across America as an open letter to the public.  Word of the Day  arr interj  (Britain, West Country, West Midlands)  Yes.  Used stereotypically in imitation of pirates.  Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a parodic holiday invented in 1995 by John Baur (‘Ol’ Chumbucket’) and Mark Summers (‘Cap’n Slappy’), of Albany, Oregon, USA.  Quote of the Day  We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams. - Jeremy Irons, actor (b. 19 Sep 1948)