By Jim Whalen

Rowan Public Library

The 1950s brought us beautiful record album artwork. The album that impressed music lovers was the Nat King Cole Trio in 1945, topping the Billboard Best Selling Popular Record Albums.

Many singles were released from the four 78 rpm work. What was so different was the artwork. It was given praise as one of the reasons for sales. This was the beginning of record companies hiring artists for album covers.

Some of the iconic covers include the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and of course, Elvis.

When Rolling Stone magazine premiered in 1967, the first cover was John Lennon. Remember the song by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, “The Cover of the Rolling Stone.” Shel Silverstein wrote the song. It was an honor to appear on the cover and also helped record sales.

Fast forward to 2019. CDs are difficult to find. Barnes and Noble have eliminated CDs and replaced them with albums. The once $5 album is selling for $30-plus. You know, the ones you could not sell in a yard sale for $1.                               

Dust jackets or covers have also been responsible for book sales. In the 1820s, books were sold in a wrapping paper with enough information to identify the book. This paper was meant to be discarded after use. Lewis Carroll is credited with asking his publisher to design a dust jacket that would keep the book in a cleaner condition in 1876.  After World War I, artists were sought to design more appealing jackets with less emphasis on the ornate pages. This is a similar history of the recorded album.

If you see a book on display with no dust cover, a plain brown book, would you select it or the one with a dust jacket next to it? We like shiny, colorful objects and will probably select the more colorful one. I have put both out on display and almost always the one with the dust jacket is checked out.

The library’s webpage is attractive with scrolling books https://www.rowancountync.gov/307/Library

You may not check out that particular one, but you will look at it further because of the cover.

Libraries are different than the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Patrons and employees pick up a book because of the cover. Employees work hard to make sure displays draw you in and offer a wide variety of what you want.

Earth Day Scavenger Hunt: Headquarters, through March 30. Learn about the planet we live on and how we can take care of it.  Children who finish the scavenger hunt will be entered into a raffle contest for a prize. For more information, call 704-216-8234.

Dragon Training: East, through March 30. Toothless and his friends have flown off on an adventure. Help Hiccup find them before he goes to the hidden world. Find them all and be entered into a raffle contest for a literary-themed prize. Also, enjoy a “How to Train Your Dragon” movie marathon on March 11. For more information, contact Tammie at 704-216-7842.

Monday movie: “How to Train Your Dragon,” Monday, East, 4-7:30 p.m. Catch up on the past adventures of Hiccup and Toothless before the third installment debuts in theaters. “How to Train Your Dragon 1” (PG, 86 min.) shows at 4 p.m. and “How to Train your Dragon 2” (PG, 102 min.) at 6 p.m. These free showings are open to the public, all ages welcome. An adult must accompany children under 8. For more details, call 704-216-7842.

Earth Day Terrariums: Headquarters, March 16, 11 a.m. In honor of Earth Day, children ages 3-10 are invited to make their own mini terrarium with Mr. Robert. Participants will fill jars with dirt, plants and all sorts of things to make their own tiny worlds. For more details, call 704-216-8234.

Book Dominos for Teens: March 12, 4-5:30 p.m., headquarters; March 14, 4-5 p.m., East. Line books up in complicated designs and see how many in a row you can knock down. This program is for teens. Questions? Call 704-216-8258.

Chapter Chats: East, March 12, 5:15-6 p.m. Weekly book club for teens 14-17, intended primarily for participants with developmental or intellectual disabilities, though all are welcome. For more details, contact Tammie at 704-216-7842.

Intro to Google Blogger: Tuesday, 6-7 p.m., Headquarters. Interested in learning about a free blog site provided by Google? Learn more about starting your own personal blog. Appropriate for middle school ages and up. Meet in computer lab on second floor. For more information, call 704-216-8242.

Paint class: Tuesday, 6:30-7:30 p.m., South. Celebrate art in this fun and free paint class. All supplies provided – just wear your painting clothes. All ages welcome. Registration is required as space is limited. To register, call Bethany at 704-216-7842.

Lunch at the Library: East, March 15, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Enjoy a clean, Wi-Fi-accessible, peaceful place to eat lunch. The East Branch meeting room will be open. Lunch not provided, but tables, chairs and ambiance supplied. While in the library, check out upcoming programs and free resources. For more details, call 704-216-7840.

Caregiver Series Session 2: Nutrition and Mediterranean Cooking. South, Monday, 6:30-8 p.m. This four-part series is designed with the caregiver in mind, discussing needs and roles and providing information to help ensure a healthy balance for the well-being of caregivers and their loved ones.

This session, which is also part of Learn.Act.Grow., will feature speakers Alyssa Smith of Healthy Rowan and Toi Degree of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service. Smith will offer nutrition basics, and Degree will share from her “Med instead of Meds” class that explores Mediterranean cooking. Registration required; contact Paulette at 704-216-7731 to reserve your seat.

Classic Cinema series: “Rebel Without a Cause,” East, March 15, 2 p.m. Enjoy a free showing of the 1955 film (PG-13, 111 min.). While the Classic Cinema Series is part of Adult Outreach Services and is designed for retired individuals, this free event is open to the public; all ages welcome. For more details, call 704-216-7842.

Displays: Headquarters, Rowan Doll Society, Community Care Clinic, North Carolina Railroad Maps; East, painted glassware by Amanda Kepley; South, history of agriculture and farms by Paulette Stiles.

Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.