This past week.I read about the death of Joseph Barbera, half of the Hanna-Barbera animation duo behind many colorful characters, and was amazed to read about their contributions to the world of animation plus the wide range of cartoons they created ranging from the Stone Age Flintsones to the Space Age Jetsons The duo used these backdrops to poke fun at modern culture. In addition to the Flintstones and the Jetsons, Hanna-Barbera created many other characters including Scooby-Doo, the Smurfs, Tom and Jerry, and Yogi Bear. With his partner William Hanna, Joe Barbera won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmys.They have also won Golden Globes, Annies, several environmental awards, have received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were inducted into the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.

Did you know that you can find a good selection of Hanna-Barbera productions here at the llibrary? And if you are looking to find out more about the ins and outs of film animation, you may wish to try such books as Film Animation Techniques: a Beginner's Guide and Handbook by Lafe Locke, Special Effects: in Film and Television by Jake Hamilton, and Film Animation as a Hobby by Andrew and Mark Hobson. Or you may wish to brush up on your computer animation skills with Joey Lott and Robert Reinhardt's new book Flash 8 ActionScript Bible or David Morris' Creating a Web Site with Flash. Or you can call us at 589-4614 to sign up for our PowerPoint class to learn how to create an animated slide show.