The Delaware County District Library has a small catalog of non-traditional items that we circulate to our patrons. If you’ve stopped by our branches, you’ve seen our video game and board game collections, memory card resources and manipulatives, and the student learning workbooks and flashcards. This week, the Delaware Main Library has started testing a new circulating item called a Loog.

A Loog is a three-stringed guitar that is an easy-to-learn transitional instrument to a full-sized guitar. The Loog Guitar is recognized as an introductory musical instrument for children, teens, and adults. They are recommended for ages 3 and up, and today you can discover them only at the Delaware Main Library.

The Loogs are made available for the public to check out thanks to a generous donation by the George E. Morrison Music Enrichment Fund via the Friends of the Delaware County District Library. George E. Morrison is the late father of DCDL staff member George Morrison (aka. Mr. George), who also had a passion for sharing the joy and importance of music with people of all ages.

Loog Guitars are available to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis at the Delaware Main Library only during this initial test phase. Loogs are not available to reserve and cannot be shipped to other locations. One guitar may be borrowed for two weeks. Because musical instruments can be damaged by large and heavy books, they should be returned in person to a staff member at the Delaware Main Library Circulation Desk.

Because beginning a new instrument can feel unfamiliar and a little scary, each Loog Guitar is packaged in its own case along with a pack of 27 double-sided learning cards. There is also has a very helpful app that can be downloaded for free on Android and iOS devices. Look for the Loog Tuner by Loog Guitars, LLC where you download your apps. If you want even more during your two-week trial of the instrument, you can explor Loog Guitar mini-lessons on YouTube. Find the @LoogGuitars channel and you’ll be on your way to being the next David Bowie, Joan Jett, Dolly Parton or Prince!

We’re excited to receive feedback from the public on this new item as we hope to grow and expand the Loog lending opportunity to the rest of the Delaware County District Library branches sometime in the future. In the meantime, if you happen to check one out, let us know what you think at www.delawarelibrary.org/loog.

This month we added lots of new historical fiction titles to our shelves. Which one will you take home for a cozy October read?

• “The Other Side of Mrs. Wood” by Lucy Barker. In a late Victorian London obsessed with spiritualism, two ambitious women with very different approaches to their shared craft try to maintain the upper hand against each other while a skeptical journalist works tirelessly to expose spiritualism as fraudulent.

• “King of the Armadillos” by Wendy Chin-Tanner. A compelling and character-driven debut novel about a young Chinese American man’s coming-of-age after being quarantined for Hansen’s Disease (known historically as leprosy) and the strange kind of freedom he finds away from his family. Read it for the complex characters and sincere portrayal of a lesser-known part of the immigrant experience.

• “The Apartment” by Ana Menéndez. Welcome to The Helene, a 1940s art deco apartment building in South Miami Beach. Over seven decades, the apartment 2B has had multiple residents, from Texas newlyweds to a troubled Vietnam veteran, and these interlinked tales showcase them all. But the book lingers longest on the latest to dwell there, a young Cuban woman. Featuring richly drawn characters and elegant writing, The Apartment examines memory, community, loneliness, and what makes a home.

• “Three Fires” by Denise Mina. An atmospheric and character-driven portrayal of the rise and fall of 15th-century friar Girolamo Savonarola, whose religious fanaticism took Medici-dominated Florence by storm, culminating in the 1497 “Bonfire of the Vanities” and Savonarola’s eventual execution. Read it for the vivid historical details and lyrical prose.

• “Queen of Exiles” by Vanessa Riley. Discover the imagined post-royal life of Haitian queen Marie-Louise Christophe, who fled to Europe in 1820 after the overthrow and death of her husband, King Henry I. Read it for the engaging exploration of the unique issues a woman in Marie-Louise’s precarious position would face, from fending off fortune hunters to defining her relationship with her African heritage in her European exile.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the library’s web site at www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at [email protected]. No matter how you contact us, we’re always glad you asked!