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Entry bubble National Library Card Sign-up Month

By: Colleen | September 03, 2008 | Category: General

"Having fun isn't hard when you have a library card..."library

Scanning my home bookshelves recently, I realized that I've spent an awful lot of money on books. Granted, my shoe collection is a much more frivolous expense, but I probably don't need to OWN some of the chicklit (cringe!) that is overcrowding my shelves.

Since I still need to drive my car, and prices for everything else aren't going down, I need to economize. Off to the library I go.

Sad but true, the only library card I actually have is for the library in my hometown. I believe I got this when I upgraded to the "adult" library at age 13 (another cringe!). My college library card is no longer activated, and I'm still angry with them after a minor scandal involving a copy of Moby Dick returned slightly later than its due date and an unreasonable fine attached to my diploma.

Running home to Pennsylvania to check out a book defeats my whole "cutting back on driving" philosophy, so getting a new, local card is my new mission for the week. It's an appropriate time, seeing as September is National Library Card Sign-up Month.

In my completely non-credentialed opinion, nothing makes you a better writer than reading. While I had some great English teachers over the years, I credit my perfect "A" average in "General Writing" to having my nose stuck in books and picking up on different writing styles and techniques.

With school just starting back up, now is the perfect time to get your kids interested in reading and into the library. Start them young! Most public libraries offer "story-time" and other activities to keep kids' attention. Show them the movies and music libraries have to offer, along with the books. And remember, free is good.

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: books   card   colleen   library   reading   school  

 

Entry bubble Back to School!

By: Colleen | August 20, 2008 | Category: General

In the immortal words of Billy Madison, "Back to school, back to school, to school busprove to Dad I am not a fool..."

Hard to believe but it really is that time again. You can nearly hear the collective groan of kids packing their book bags and dashing to the library to finish up the summer's required reading list.

Back to school isn't just about the kids though. Parents and teachers need to be ready to get "back to business" as well. For kids just starting school, parents should be sure their children's immunizations are up to date and they get back into a normal bedtime routine. Thinking farther ahead, other parents might want to start thinking about saving for their kids' college education.

Teachers are always looking for new ideas and materials to use in the classroom. For educators, Kids.gov has a whole section just for you! Check out "Teacher to Teacher," a great site where teachers can share information electronically using e-mail, pod-casts, or other technology. Some states will even accept these online workshops as career development credit. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence is another great place for resources from federal agencies.

Any special tips for getting your little ones (or yourself) back on the school bus and ready for another year?

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: colleen   education   library   reading   school   teacher  

 

Entry bubble Ask a Librarian

By: Nicole | April 18, 2008 | Category: General

BabyMany Gov Gab regulars might know that our Friday blogger, Sommer, has been expecting her first baby. Her son, Andrew, arrived late Wednesday night, and Sommer will be spending the next few months enjoying his company (and changing his diapers!).

In the meantime, I’m thrilled to be your temporary Friday blogger. I’m looking forward to sharing tidbits of information and pointing you to government services in your area. For example, did you know that this week is National Library Week? It’s true. And it seems like the perfect time to remind you that many libraries have government publications, like the Consumer Action Handbook, available in their reference sections.

Library ShelfNational Library Week is designed to promote library use and support, and I feel more than qualified to help. Even as a kid, I loved to read. In fact, on a soggy spring day in fourth grade, I managed to get myself locked in a public library after closing time. Boy did that emergency exit alarm cause a ruckus.

Despite this slightly traumatic experience, I’ve decided to celebrate National Library Week by highlighting two free online services. First, "Ask a Government Information Librarian" gives you immediate access (by chat or e-mail) to librarians who are experts in government information and resources. Want to know more about the Presidential election process or where to get a passport form? Want to ask about the history of the Social Security Administration? Go ahead. Test their knowledge. If you have a more detailed research question, "Ask a Reference Librarian" gives you access to researchers at the Library of Congress.

If you’re looking for more information about libraries across the country, don’t forget to check out USA.gov’s Libraries page, which lists government and public libraries and allows you to locate the ones closest to you.

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: congress   government   information   library   reference   research  

 

Entry bubble Curl Up With A Good Book This Winter

By: Sam | December 19, 2007 | Category: Fun

I may be biased but many fabulous things have come out of Georgia.  Delicious food, R.E.M., Hank Aaron, the Varsity, Gone With the Wind…I could keep going.  But it wasn’t till I read this recent Washington Post article that I realized how many great authors are from the Peach State (this coming from a girl who took a year of GA history).

The article looks at six major American fiction writers and the ongoing efforts to preserve their homes and other landmarks.  These authors include such luminaries as Alice Walker, Flannery O’ Connor, and Carson McCullers.  After reading the article, I was really surprised at how many of their books I hadn’t read.  How could I’ve missed a book that summarizes my single gal woes in one simple phrase:  A Good Man is Hard to Find.

With this realization, I decided to put together a list of books that I wanted to read this winter.  I started my search at the Big Read blog.  The Big Read  is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture.  It provides citizens across the country an opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities.  The books are some of the most iconic in literature, including one of my all time favorites, The Great Gatsby.

Of course a search of great books would not be complete without a stop at the Library of Congress.  The Center for the Book, along with this wonderful thread from the Library’s blog, gave me plenty of interesting selections for my list.  But I didn’t stop there.  Here are just a few more sites that I checked out for my ultimate winter reading list:

Before I head off to the library, I would love to get recommendations from y’all.  Some of my favorites are Beach Music by Pat Conroy and Personal History, the autobiography of Katharine Graham. 

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: books   library   literacy   literature   reading   winter  

 

Entry bubble Finding Information About Illnesses and Other Ailments Online

By: Jake | December 03, 2007 | Category: Health

My brother recently did a two week stint in the hospital because he had pancreatitis. He’s fine now, but it was quite a scare.

If you are like most of the people I have talked to (that aren’t doctors or nurses), you probably have never heard of pancreatitis. When I found out my brother had it I scoured the Internet to find out everything I could about it. I found two really good websites that provided insight on the ailment and ways to prevent future cases.

MedlinePlus has information on 740 different diseases and ailments and it is where I found the Pancreatitis link above. This is no surprise since MedlinePlus is maintained by the world’s largest medical health library, the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

I found out at MedlinePlus that there are two forms of pancreatitis, acute and chronic, and it can be triggered by alcoholism and diabetes. My brother had acute pancreatitis and his doctors said his pancreatitis was caused by diabetes, which he was unaware he had.

I know a lot about diabetes since I read Sam’s recent blog post. Still I was able to find more information about diabetes using HealthFinder.gov, a partnership of many federal agencies maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services. HealthFinder.gov focuses more on prevention than MedlinePlus and links to carefully selected information and Web sites from over 1,500 health-related organizations.

While the internet is not the only way to find health information, these two sites can cover a lot of ground for you. And as always the best health expert is your doctor.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: alcoholism   diabetes   health   hhs   library   medical   medicine   pancreatitis  

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