I Need a Picture of Durward Kirby

“I need to find a picture of Durward Kirby.” That is a name some of the more mature Newton Falls Public Library staff members have not heard in a long time. Since the patron wanted a photograph to take with him, our search started online. While searching, we discovered that two spellings seem to be used, Durward Kirby and Durwood Kirby.

Curious to see if there was some information in the library’s collection, the staff examined the book Television: the first fifty years by Jeff Greenfield. There was no listing for Durward Kirby, but knowing from the Internet search that he was the sidekick of television host Gary Moore, the staff looked at the pages listed for him. Beneath a photograph of Carol Burnett, Kirby, and Moore, Greenfield states the “One of the most successful variety shows of the late 1950s starred Garry Moore, an amiable performer of no particular talent. His announcer, sidekick, and commercial spokesman, Durwood Kirby, was of similar dimensions.” [Television, p.43.]

Total Television by Alex McNeil includes Durward Kirby’s television history. In 1950 he cohosted Sunday at the Bronx Zoo with William Bridges. That year was also the first time he teamed up with Garry Moore, on the radio show Club Matinee. In 1951 he cohosted Guest House with Oscar Levant, and later in the year moved to the Garry Moore Show until 1958. From 1961-1965, he cohosted The New Candid Camera with Alan Funt. 1966 found Kirby again with Moore on his show.

The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows by David Schwartz, Steve Ryan, and Fred Wostbrock lists Durward Kirby as replacing Oscar Levant as host on General Electric Guest House, a celebrity game show. The show lasted about 8 weeks; Kirby hosting the last 6.  In 1955, Kirby was the announcer for the game show, Make the Connection that was on for 3 months.  That year he was also the announcer for Who Said That, a news quiz show.

We located a selection of photographs online for our patron. BookSteve’s Library  not only has a picture of a young Durward Kirby; it includes a photograph of a Kentucky historical marker commemorating Kirby’s August 24, 1911 birthplace in Covington. At the website Find a Grave  there is also a photograph of Kirby with Garry Moore and one of his headstone. Kirby died March 15, 2000. Internet Movie Database gives additional interesting information including his birth name, Homer Durward Kirby and trivia about him, such as “The generally amiable announcer and second banana shocked his fans in November 1961 when he threatened to file suit against the producers of "The Bullwinkle Show" (1961). The moose and squirrel were involved in an epic multi-part adventure involving a search for the elusive Kirwood Derby.”

Why Do I Have Ridges in My Fingernails?

“I have ridges in my fingernails, and when I use polish they are not smooth and shiny looking. What causes it? Can I do anything about it? The Newton Falls Public Library staff hadn’t considered this topic before.

A complete guide to manicure & pedicure by Leigh Toselli was the first place we looked.  On page 26, the author discusses various nail problems and remedies. Vertical ridges, such as our patron was concerned about, are not uncommon and become more prevalent as we age and there is a decrease in moisture and natural oil levels. Toselli also states that it can be due to illness or nutritional deficiencies. She suggests treating them with “regular applications of nourishing and cuticle oil.” Our patron was satisfied with the information. She also borrowed the book which contained additional information about exercises, skin and joint care, and reflexology for hands and feet.

We were curious if medical resources agreed with this information, so we investigated further online.  The MayoClinic’s site  had more information about healthy nails and concurred with Toselli that ridges become more prominent with age. Both Health links, MedlinePlus and NetWellness, on www.OhioWebLibrary.org also give information about this and other conditions which can occur with fingernails, and what steps should be taken.

I Can't Register for Unemployment

A very frustrated patron approached the Newton Falls Public Library staff, saying “I’m trying to register for unemployment and the site is saying I already have an account. I don’t remember doing this.” Unfortunately, at that time, the staff members were not able to resolve the situation, and he went home planning to phone the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (JFS).

While attending a Project Compass workshop, a staff member learned what may have caused this problem. When a client registers by phone with JFS an account is created. A selection may be made to access that account by mail and phone and/or online. If the former option is the one chosen, the account cannot be accessed through the Internet and the client will need to phone JFS.

The library has numerous books to assist job hunters including Guide to Internet Job Searching by Margaret Riley Dikel and Frances E. Roehm, Expert Resumes for People Returning to Work by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark, and You're Hired!: secrets to successful job interviews by Sharon McDonnell.  Excellent free online resources are OhioOne Stop, Ohio Means Jobs and the Job & Career Accelerator at the Learning Express Library where more than five million up-to-the-minute local and national job postings can be found.  The Accelerator can be accessed by going to www.OhioWebLibrary.org, and selecting A+ LearningExpress. It is necessary to register as a user to access the information.

Later in the year, the library will also be offering Make It Work: job hunting, networking, & resumes. The program is for those still looking for a job or wishing to find a different one and includes how to network, job seek, and write a resume that will get you noticed.  The final session is a basic Word class that teaches how to create a resume using Word and is especially useful for those responding to those employers who wish to have resumes emailed. Anyone who is interested is asked to contact the library, leaving your name and contact information.

I Have This Shrub Growing in My Garden...

“I have this shrub growing in my garden,” said the Newton Falls Public Library patron, as she showed a small branch to the library staff member. “Can you help me figure out what it is?” The branch had small white flowers, about an inch long, growing in pairs from a single stalk. The leaves were opposite of each other, rather than alternating.

The library has numerous books about trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, but sometimes using the Internet can be easier for trying to identify things.  We Google searched the terms “shrub paired white flowers opposite leaves” to see what sites were suggested. The first site was thefreedictionary.com with the definition of honeysuckle. We also tried limiting the search to images, to see if any of the photographs matched our patron’s plant.

Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission’s website has a section on Eurasian Bush Honeysuckles. From the descriptions of the various honeysuckles, it appears that our patron has either a Morrow or Amur bush growing in her garden. North Carolina Wildflowers

by Jeffrey S. Pippen has a photograph of the Amur, which are described as having leaves with a “drip tip.” The one belonging to our patron has a more gradually decreasing tip. The Winter Honeysuckle on this page also looks similar, but the leaves are more rounded. The Ohio Department of Natural resources website has photographs and a factsheet about the Amur, Morrow & Tatarian Honeysuckle. The photograph and description confirm that our patron’s shrub is a Morrow.

How Do I Hollow Out an Onion?

“I borrowed the Williams-Sonoma book, Main Dishes from the library. It has a recipe for roasted onions stuffed with Italian sausage, egg, and fresh bread crumbs that looks very good. The instructions call for hollowing out the onions, stuffing them, placing them in a baking dish filled with ½ inches of water, and baking at 350 degrees for about an hour. But how do you hollow them and leave the ½ inch thick shell required?” The patron showed the Newton Falls Public Library staff the photograph and directions for this very tasty looking dish on page 63.

While having many combined years of cooking experience, our staff wasn’t really sure how one went about hollowing an onion. The book in which the patron found the recipe offers “colorful recipes for health & well-being” but no instructions for creating an onion shell. The search continued by examining the Larousse Gastronomique: the new American edition of the world's greatest culinary encyclopedia. In the listing for onions on page 744, there are recipes, including stuffed onions. These instructions explain when preparing this dish, you need to peel the medium sized onion without splitting the outer layer. Remove about ¼ of the onion by cutting it horizontally at the stalk. Blanch the remaining ¾ in salted water for about ten minutes, drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Finally scoop out the inside; leaving at least a thickness of 2 layers all around, and the onion is ready for filling.

Is There a Reason Why There is a Specific Finger for Engagement and Wedding Rings?

“Is there a reason why there is a specific finger for engagement and wedding rings?” asked the patron, who assured us that he had no immediate plans. The Newton Falls Public Library staff is aware of the custom of wearing these rings on the next to last finger of the left hand, but never considered the reason behind it.

Knowing that the library has an extensive collection of materials for wedding planning, the staff began with a book having the definitive title of The official know-it-all's wedding planner: your absolute, quintessential, all you wanted to know, complete guide by Edith Gilbert. The book lived up to its title with the information in Appendix A: Wedding Customs. This chapter covered both The Evolution of Wedding Customs and Wedding Customs. According to Gilbert’s book, giving a ring dates back to the Old Testament when it was a sign that an important or sacred agreement had been sealed. Later, the ancient Greeks gave betrothal rings.

The section on wedding rings states that the wearing of them evolved from engagement rings and the earliest record of wedding ring symbolism was in an Egyptian hieroglyphic, a circle representing eternity. Use by Christians can be traced back to 860 AD. “The custom of wearing it on the third finger of the left hand grew from the belief that this finger connected directly to the heart via the vena amoris, or ‘vein of love.’ (p. 263)” Though we most often see the ring worn on this finger, throughout history wedding rings have been worn on both hands, such as the Elizabethans’ practice of wearing on the thumb and the Jewish tradition of placing it on the first finger of the left hand.