Noah Webster was a complex, troubled man, but a fascinating one. He left the family farm for Yale, became active in the Revolution and its political aftermath, compiled best-selling spelling and grammar books, and eventually compiled one of the last one-author English-language dictionaries. He was the man who took the 'u' out of 'labor' in his spellers and put American words in his dictionary. He knew everybody who was anybody and ended up arguing with most of them because he had strong opinions and no hesitation about expressing them. He hoped that a unified American language would stabilize the nation that the words of the Constitution had built. His name has become synonymous with 'dictionary' in the United States, and the Merriam-Webster company is still publishing revisions of his great work today. For a good look at this fascinating man and his career, read The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster's Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture by Joshua Kendall.
System status
A new library system and online catalog will debut on May 30. Here's the current status of:
- Checkouts: May 24-29 you must have your physical library card in hand to check out materials.
- Due dates: All checkouts will have a due date of June 22, except DVDs and GRU watt meters, which still have 7-day limit.
- Holds and requests: New holds and purchase requests cannot be placed until May 30, but those placed previously will continue to be processed.
- Returns: Please "Babysit Our Books" — keep them until the new system is running smoothly (mid-June).
- Registration: Continues as usual today, but cannot be done May 24-29, as our entire system will be down.
- Interlibrary loan: Continues as usual throughout the transition.
- Digital checkouts: OverDrive checkouts and holds will work normally throughout the transition.
- My Discoveries: Will be retired with the AquaBrowser catalog on May 24. Please retrieve any saved book lists before then.
- Website: The Library District website (www.aclib.us) will be up as normal throughout the transition.
- My Account: Account info will be available through May 24. Your account will appear on the new system on May 30.
- Bill payment: All payments including PayPal are working today. No payments can be accepted May 24-29
- New catalog: Watch for its debut on May 30, with new features.
More about the transition.
More about the new online catalog.
Have any questions? Please Ask Us!
