Keeping with the back to school theme I thought it might be helpful if I outlined some of our K-12 science material that was specifically created for teachers, students, and parents. We are fortunate to have on staff a former elementary school librarian who knows the Library’s science fair and teaching collections inside and out. …
As summer is coming to a close, our interns are finishing their projects and heading back to school. This year our division was fortunate to have 3 summer interns, 2 volunteers and a Junior Fellow. You may have already read about Brian Horowitz’s discovery of Brevet Major Alfred Mordecai’s work in Stumbled Upon in the Stacks and Aileen M. J. Marshall’s …
The 2010 Perseid Meteor shower began July 13 and lasts until August 26. Next week (Aug. 12-13), the Earth will be passing through the densest part of the debris field from the comet Swift-Tuttle (originator of the Perseids). This will be the peak time to view the meteor shower. Primarily visible in the Northern Hemisphere …
Most would agree that summer is the peak season for ice cream consumption. Therefore it makes perfect sense that, in the United States, July was proclaimed National Ice Cream Month. It was President Ronald Reagan’s Proclamation 5219 promoted this national observance, designating July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month. Today ice cream manufacturers carry on this tradition …
Being a vegetarian, it may seem strange that I am writing about cooking meat. To be honest, I love the smell of barbecue. There must be a part of my ancestral brain that gets triggered, because my stomach starts to growl every time I smell the sweet smoke of a barbecue. Since prehistoric time humans from …
As summer approaches and the days heat up, we get an influx of “Why is it hot in the summer?” questions in our reference queue. In the Northern Hemisphere, our summer months (June-September) are usually hot because of the tilt of the Earth’s axis. It is popular belief that it is hot in the summer because the …
It may sound clichéd, but as a librarian, one of the best gifts you can give me is a book. For Christmas one year, I received a re-issue of Rachel Carson’s 1965 Sense of Wonder . This book is an expansion of her 1956 essay “Help Your Child to Wonder” published in the July issue …
Big blue marble, blue planet, Gaia, terra firma, terrestrial sphere, world- these are some of the words we use to describe Earth. On April 22 we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which was first initiated on April 22, 1970 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. Back in 1990, in celebration of 20 …
Today’s post is written by science reference librarian and gardener, Alison Kelly. With the forsythia in bloom once again it seems like a good time to reconsider Beatrix Farrand and some of the other women who have played an important role in horticulture. Farrand, who was the only woman founding member of the American Society …
The National Park Service reported that the Washington Tidal Basin cherry blossoms reached their peak this year on March 31. This is when at least 70 per cent of the blossoms are open. But for those of you who haven’t visited yet, do not be discouraged–the flowers will continue to show off their radiant beauty …