Free Animal Health Resources

If there is new wildlife under your tree tomorrow you'll want to take a list at these free animal health Internet resources assembled by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine . Look here for free Internet resources providing quality-animal-health-related information.

As always, please remember that your veterinarian is the very best person to consult with questions regarding your animal's health, especially if your animal is ill. If your concern is urgent, please be sure to contact him or her immediately.

Cultured Traveler

Rare Books Don’t Always Live in Glass Cases
There are dozens of libraries across the United States that house dazzling collections and often mount eccentric exhibitions but largely remain unfamiliar to the public. “What is fun is to become aware of these marvelous libraries that, though open to the public, are not well known and are filled with wonderful treasures,” said Robert S. Pirie, a prominent book collector who lives in Manhattan and has his own library of several thousand volumes.

This NY Times article describes some collections and leaves you curious to discover more.

Travel & Leisure's Top Travel Websites

Travel & Leisure's Top Travel Websites
Researching travel has become an art with myriad articles and blogs on how to get the best fares, stay in the best hotels, eat the best food, etc. etc. "T+L put hundreds of travel websites to the test to uncover the top 45 you need to bookmark before planning your next trip." And this list is so extensive that experimenting with the 45 sites may take as long as your next vacation. Consider it armchair travel and save a bundle, one way or another.

NPR's Complete List of Holiday Book Recommendations

NPR assembles all of its lists in their complete list of holiday book recommendations including Most Mesmerizing Mysteries, Best Young Adult Fiction, Nancy Pearl's Choices, Best of Foreign Fiction, Best Cookbooks, 5 Best Books to Share with Friends. If you can't find something to tempt you here, you are in big trouble!

Overlooked New York

Overlooked New York is a collection of portraits and interviews with ardent New Yorkers by Zina Saunders. Sometimes it's just interesting to live in someone else's head for a few minutes. Click first on the category (such as Rooftop Pigeon Guys), and then on the thumbnail portraits at the top of the page for each person's story. Ah, the wonders of the web!

In the News - Global Warming

The New York Times offers two very informative interactive graphic sets on global warming providing background for the Copenhagen international conference on global warming.

Who’s at the Climate Talks, and What Do They Seek?
As big greenhouse gas emitters, the United States and China are expected to be pivotal to the outcome of the climate talks in Copenhagen. Many other countries fall into the formal and informal clusters described here.

Interactive Feature
Science and Politics of Climate Change
A timeline of climate study and diplomacy.

The Perfect Gift

If you're searching for the perfect gift for the young people in your life, consider these holiday gift book recommendations from the Youth Services Committee of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System. December 2009 http://web2.bccls.org/web2/tramp2.exe/log_in?setting_key=BCCLS&screen=BCCLSVisor-December2009.html

Ebsco offers H1N1 Influenza information portal

Ebsco, a major database publisher, is offering an free portal to information on the H1N1 Influenza Strain. The site is divided into 3 sections with information for Clinicians, Nurses and Patients and offers more facts and guidance on the potential pandemic than you will ever need (we hope!) Click on the icon above to learn more.

And don't forget the CDC (Center for Disease Control) for a really excellent source on the H1N1 flu. Statistics, information on the vaccine, general information and information for specific groups are given clearly and the information is updated frequently. This website is available in a variety of languages. Click to visit CDC

Best Books of 2009

We can't believe it.....Publishers Weekly has a best books of 2009 published already. Well, if there are Santas in the Malls before Thanksgiving I guess we can have best of 2009 in the November 2 issue of PW. So for your reading pleasure click on over to PW and read

NPR What we're reading now

If you are in the market for some reading suggestions click on over to NPR's What We're Reading. And then explore the rest of the NPR site. There are lots of intriguing articles and unlike a radio broadcast you can read any time you want (or listen to many of the broadcasts).

The Future of Reading by Tom Peters

"The future of reading is very much in doubt. In this century, reading could soar to new heights or crash and burn. Some educators and librarians fear that sustained reading for learning, for work, and for pleasure may be slowly dying out as a widespread social practice" - complete article at Library Journal

One Book NJ

It's here! The One Book New Jersey 2010 website is up and running!

Please go to the website, www.onebooknewjersey.org, to vote for your favorite titles in each of the four categories- adult, young adult,juvenile fiction (chapter book) and picture book (read to me). Click on "Vote Now."

From now through Sunday, November 15, librarians and readers of all ages are encouraged to vote for the titles best suited to be One Book New Jersey selections! You can only vote for one title per category, but you can place a vote in all four categories: Adult, Teen, Middle Grade, and Read to Me. Vote now, and spread the word! Winning selections will be announced on November 16, 2009.

One Book New Jersey 2010 marks the 8th year of the program!

Consumer Reports free through library database

Not that I want to discourage anyone from coming to the library, but did you know you can get the full text of Consumer Reports through the library system's EBSCO database? Go to www.bccls.org and click on Magazines, Newspapers and Reference Sources . At this point you will enter your library card number for access. Then choose EBSCO, then EBSCOhost web, then MasterFILE Premier. At this point enter your search terms and limit the search to Consumer Reports. If your first search term doesn't work, try another. If you don't limit to Consumer Reports you will pull up other articles as well. Click the Full Text box so all your results will have the full text of the articles. Good luck and don't be afraid to experiment and play.

Looking for that perfect quote?

Famous Quotes and Authors claims to be "the most complete and useful web resource about Famous Quotes with the best collection of famous quotations for all occasions! Browse over 25,000 quotes online from over 6,700 famous authors. It's fun to browse and I hope you'll remember at least one of these for the next occasion.

Lab Tests Online

Do you think you spend too much time looking for medical information? Lab Tests Online has answers when you're researching medical tests. To catch your interest the first story is about Michael Jackson's toxicology report. It's followed by other "Topics in the News." But the real info is on the left - one can search by tests, conditions/diseases or screenings or through a search box. Here's a quick, comprehensive and up-to-date medical test reference!

Banned Books - protect your freedom to read

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

September 26-October 3, 2009

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.
Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.
The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.

Eyewitness to History

I'm a great reader of novels set in different historical periods and find this leads me back to learn more from history books and other historical resources. Today, on the Internet, I stumbled onto Eyewitness to History , a site that not only provides brief summaries of events throughout history but also provides an eyewitness account of those events. I was reading about the Battle at Gallipoli, what event do you want to try?

A New Oprah Book Selection

"Say You're One of Them" by Uwem Akpan is Oprah's new book club selection, her first in about a year. Oprah says "this is an awe-inspiring collection of stories that challenges you to look beyond the headlines and see an Africa full of both joy and despair. Detailing the violence and poverty facing the children of modern-day Africa, this is a book you won't soon forget."
Visit Oprah's webpage for more about this book and others she has chosen. We love Oprah for encouraging reading and an appreciation of diversity.

On the ropes? Robert Darnton's Case for Books

In a new collection, Harvard University library director Robert Darnton says reports of the book's death are greatly exaggerated
Click on over to PW, Sept. 14,
and read his case for books.

September is Library Card Sign-up Month

September is Library Card Sign-up Month - a time to remind parents and kids that a library card is the most important school supply of all. This September with the cooperation of the Fair Lawn elementary schools, registration cards have been distributed through the elementary schools. Kids can then bring the registration cards with their parent or guardian to the library and get their library card. Card holders are invited to have their picture taken with their card for the Library Card Wall of Fame. An area on the library’s main floor will be set aside for the photographs. And it doesn’t have to be a new library card. Students and adults, with new or old library cards, are invited to get their picture on the Library Card Wall of Fame.

Reading Underground

The NYTimes this morning had an interesting article on reading while traveling on the subway http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/nyregion/06reading.html?_r=1&hp
with a link to a blog called "The Subway Book Club" written by a lawyer from Brooklyn http://subwaybookclub.wordpress.com/
We love anything about reading anywhere. Don't forget to visit your local library for your subway/bus/train reading material. Can't read because you're the one driving? Check out books on CD or tape. Make the most of all your travel time!

Selecting that perfect college or university

General and Undergraduate Ranking sites
Tomorrow students in Fair Lawn head back to school. And if you are thinking ahead to finding that perfect college for your child or yourself, take a look at this collection of college ranking and evaluating sites assembled by the University Library of Ullinois at Urbana/Champaign. It offers a convenient one-stop-shop for college rankings, especially for very targeted populations and unique criteria.

100 Best Beach Books Ever

The folks at NPR have brought us more reading lists - this time audience picks of the best 100 beach books ever. Click on over and see if you find your favorites included.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106983620&sc=emaf

More Puzzles from Alice

Can you guess these book titles?

Of Mice & Men

Tom Sawyer

Highlight the area below each picture to see the answers

Summer Reads from NPR

Every once in a while I wander over to NPR for a little mental pick-me-up. Today at NPR.org I voted for my favorite 10 summer reads from the proposed list of 200 (we're voting to get it down to 100) and then I checked out their book suggestions. And I found out what Nancy Pearl has picked for her summer reads this year. Check it out and let us know which ones you've enjoyed. Happy summer reading (and any other time)!

Help Finding Low Cost Health Care

Do you, a library patron, or someone you know need help finding low cost health care or help paying for prescriptions? NeedyMeds.org offers lots of information on patient assistance and government programs (Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) as well as other resouces to provide information and help with the financial burden of healthcare.

NeedyMeds is a 501(3)(c) non-profit with the mission of helping people who cannot afford medicine or healthcare costs. The information at NeedyMeds is available anonymously and free of charge.

The Best Kid's Books Ever

I was guided to this column by BCCLS executive director Robert White who comments that "Children's reading is the heart of a good public library." And we agree as we embark on the 2009 summer reading program - "Be Creative @ Your Library." It officially begins today.

New York Times Op-Ed Columnist NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF gave his favorites in the Times on July 4. Check them out http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/opinion/05kristof.html

His goal in offering this thought-provoking list of children's books is to strongly encourage parents to get their children reading. He comments "In educating myself this spring about education, I was aghast to learn that American children drop in I.Q. each summer vacation — because they aren’t in school or exercising their brains."

Reading his column and list and his blog http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/ and the comments on his blog http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/the-best-kids-books-ever/#comments brought back lots of memories for me. Maybe it's time to reread some of those books myself. What are your favorites? What would you add to the list? Comments are welcome here, too.

Teens Invited to Join the WWE Summer Slam Reading Jam

Teens and tweens, 10-18, have a chance to win a trip to WWE's Summer Slam in Los Angeles this summer by taking part in the Summer Slam Reading Jam. The Fair Lawn Library is part of a pilot project sponsored by World Wrestling Entertainment and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Starting June 24, we will be giving out numbered posters featuring WWE Superstars Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, Beth Phoenix and Eve to the first 25 patrons between ages 10 and 18 who check out two YA books. Posters will be available until July 16 or as long as supplies last.

On July 17, WWEkids.com will post the winning and alternate numbers from the numbered posters. The winning and alternate posters should be brought into the library for confirmation. Two grand prize winners will win airfare to Los Angeles for two, two nights hotel, two tickets to the Summer Slam pay-per-view event and $200 spending money. Ten first prize winners will receive copies of the WWE Encyclopedia. Contact Mary or Marie at (201) 796-3400 for more information.

This program is designed by WWE and YALSA to encourage teens and tweens to read for fun throughout the summer.

Bestselling Authors Coming to the Library

Imagine there was never a Laguna Beach, a Newport Harbor, or the shimmering Hills. Imagine that your hometown-your school-is the first place MTV-like network, XTV, descends to set up cameras. Now imagine they've trained them on you.

The Fair Lawn Public Library will be hosting the bestselling authors of The Nanny Diaries, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krause on Thursday, July 9 at 1 PM. The authors will give a reading of their first Young Adult novel, The Real Real, a social satire exploring the world of teen reality shows. They will also discuss their nine year creative writing partnership.

This program is for teens 13-18 and will be held in the meeting room of the library. Please bring a copy of the book for signing. A limited number of books will be available for sale to benefit the Friends of the Library.

BooksNJ 2009 - a great success!!

Hope you made it to BooksNJ2009 at the Paramus Library last Sunday. The event, sponsored by BCCLS, and the Paramus Public Library brought authors and about a thousand readers together. The festival, originally planned as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of BCCLS, grew into an extravaganza after 93 authors, most of them current or former New Jersey residents, signed up to participate. BooksNJ2009 also advocated for the support of libraries and generated a lot of public support and a good press coverage. Click to read the article in the Record. What a great celebration of books, authors and libraries!

Today Show Talks about Public Libraries

Yesterday on the Today Show there was a great piece on the importance of public libraries in today's economic times. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/31237988#31237988
It's great to have such good national coverage.

GovFresh - Government 2.0

GovFresh, launched on May 1, 2009, "is a live feed of official news from U.S. Government Twitter, YouTube, RSS, Facebook, Flickr accounts and more, all in one place." Click on each government entity (such as White House, Supreme Court, Department of State, FBI, and Army) to see specific material. Just to let you know that your government is keeping up with new technology. Click to explore govfresh.com

And at USA.gov you can explore hundreds of Blogs from the U.S. government by organization or by topic - and the list of topics seems endless. And there is a whole section on how to contact government agencies.

Can you Guess These Book Titles?

Just for Fun...

answers tomorrow!

Bee Season and Kite Runner

CareerOneStop.org and Job Search Seminar June 16

Times are uncertain and many of us are rethinking our careers or just plain job hunting. CareerOneStop is a great website to explore. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and the State of Minnesota, it assists job seekers, students and businesses in exploring careers, writing résumés, interviewing, and locating jobs. Check out its resources. The site was named one of the best free reference sources of 2008 by Library Journal.

And if you are investigating a career or job hunting, please attend a free seminar here at the library, 10-01 Fair Lawn Ave., on Tuesday, June 16, from 7:00-8:45 p.m. Rick Pascal & Bob Richards will offer a free career development/job search/unemployment seminar. Pascal has been a professional executive recruiter, interview coarch and resume writer for the last 25 years. Bob Richards is a Human Resources Professional with over 25 years of experience. They will address unemployment, career goals, job hunting, resumes and interview techniques. This is a program for the education of the community, not sponsored by the library, and is free.

Library advocacy works!

In Mid-May we wrote about the treat to NJ library funding with Senate Bill 2775 which called for a reduction in minimum funding from a barely adequate 1/3 mill to a 1/6 mill. Now we're delighted to tell you that thanks to your efforts and the specific work of theHoboken Public Library Board of Trustees (JoAnne Serrano, President), the Friends ofthe Hoboken Library, and Library Director Lina Podles, Senator Stack has withdrawnS. 2775, which would have cut the minimum funding for public libraries in half.More than 2,200 messages were sent in specific opposition to S. 2775. The fieldwork of the New Jersey Library Association and the New Jersey State Library inproviding support and communications are integral elements in keeping both the
citizens and the legislature informed.

Many library users have signed up to become Library Champions and advocate for public libraries. BCCLS Library Champions now represent all 75 BCCLS member libraries, and more than 900 of you have signed up. We are well on our way to our 2009 goal of 2,000champions from BCCLS libraries. Thank you for your past support, which was invaluable in stopping the Assembly Bill, and now stopping the Senate version. We are grateful to the many library boards and town councils who have passed resolutions opposing any change in the current minimum funding law and of course to you in your continuing support for public libraries.

If you would like to sign up as a Library Champion please click on this link http://www.bccls.org/champions/ and join us. Thanks to BCCLS Executive Director Robert White for the text of this message. And thanks to our readers for your ongoing support.

ALA's 2009 Notable Books

Every year the American Library Association compiles a list of notable books selected for their significant contributions to the expansion of knowledge or for the pleasure they can provide to adult readers.

You can find these books at Fair Lawn and the other BCCLS libraries. Click on the picture to see the list.

Reader's Corner - What to Read Next Lists

I hope you are welcoming summer with some outside activities (if it doesn't rain), as well as inside activities. And what stands you in better stead in any situation than a book. Should you need some reading suggestions click on over and try out these Internet reading suggestion lists. They not only provide matches to books you have enjoyed in the past but offer plenty of other content as well.

Ever Tried NoveList?

Search NoveList for your favorites, and find more info, reviews, or similar books. This is a library-paid subscription from Ebsco so you'll need to enter your library card number if you are search from home. You find reading lists, book discussion guides, news and much more for adults AND for kids.

And here are some additional resources, some from other libraries, that I know you'll enjoy.

Hennepin County bookspace - Find a good Book

Manchester (CT) Public Library What Do I Read Next?

WhatShouldIReadNext.com

The Reader's Corner from the Morton Grove Public Library's Webrary

There are many more out there so send me YOUR suggestions!

MedlinePlus - my favorite health database

MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, offers almost everything one needs in health information... a medical encyclopedia, drug & supplement information, links to directories of doctors & dentists & hospitals, links to other resources, clinical trials, links to local resources, videos, slide shows and more and more. And it's well arranged and easy to use. This is where I begin when looking for medical information. Try it and discover the weath of medical information the Internet and your tax dollars provide.

Harry Potter's World: Renaissance Science, Magic and Medicine

In 1997, British author J. K. Rowling introduced the world to Harry Potter and a literary phenomenon was born. For all you Harry Potter fan's out there the National Library of Medicine has created this website to accompany a travelling exhibit. If you've been fascinated by Harry Potter's world, you'll enjoy exploring the link between Harry Potter and the history of science. Click on over and enjoy!

New Library Teen Page and Blog libraryteenz

Meet LibraryTeenz - our library's new Teen webpage and blog. Created by Mary Kirsch, library staffer and MLS student, it actively invites participation by teens. Take a click over and find out about library activities for teens (and register online), teen reading suggestions, new books and homework help. You can join the free forum in Rants and Raves and we're on Twitter. Tell your teens and everyone else!

NJ Library Funding Still Under Legislative Threat

Here in Fair Lawn we are lucky and grateful that our Council and town support the public library more than is required by law, but other libraries are not so fortunate. This bulletin from the New Jersey State Library Association needs action to preserve the libraries we value.

We need your help now!
Once again legislation modelled on the NJ League of Municipalities resolution has been introduced. This legislation would devastate public library funding for municipal libraries. Senate Bill 2775 calls for a reduction in minimum funding from a barely adequate 1/3 mill to a 1/6 mill.

The simple facts are that very few libraries in New Jersey could stay open if funded at 1/6 mill. Current law allows those rare communities that generate excess funding for public libraries to return that money to the taxpayers. To date no credible research has been done that establishes the need for such a drastic change to public library funding.

Did you know that in a single day in just 250 of the state's libraries:
161,367 people walked through the doors
156,793 books, movies and more were borrowed
27,742 people used computers
18,537 questions were answered
1,245 people got employment help
1,241 programs were offered
984 people learned computer skills
How can the Senate think about a devastating cut to public libraries especially at this critical time?
Please ask you state senator to oppose S2775. NJ residents are using public libraries in record numbers. They are counting on you to support the current level of funding for public libraries.

Thank you for your attention to this issue. A click here will take you to the NJLA page with a Take Action form you can e-mail.

BooksNJ2009

Join us at BooksNJ2009: a celebration of books and the readers who love them, sponsored by BCCLS and the Paramus Public Library at the Paramus Library on Sunday, June 14, from 1-5 p.m. BooksNJ2009 brings together writers and readers with more than 70 authors, illustrators, and poets up close and personal talking about their books and their craft! There will be readings, panels, crafts for kids, storytelling. The event is free and open to everyone. Hold the date. Click for more information.

Listen NJNW Downloadable Audiobooks

Are you an audiobook fan with just a little bit of technical expertise, a computer and a fairly fast connection to the Internet? If so, we want to make sure you know about Listen NJNW, a downloadable audiobook project of the Highlands Regional Library Cooperative (your state tax dollars at work). Go to http://www.listennjnw.org/ Begin with "Getting Started with Digital Media." Read all the ins and outs. There's even a streaming video to help explain. Download and listen to best selling and classic Audiobooks 24/7 on your PC, laptop, PDA or MP3 player at home, in the office or anywhere in the world. Your library is always open!

Great website to encourage kids reading

James Patterson's ReadKiddoRead.com

Here is a website dedicated to making kids readers for life.

It's full of reading lists, interviews, blogs and lesson plans. Join the community or just use the content. The look alone is exciting!

Dancing With The Stars

As the popular show "Dancing with the stars" approaches its final weeks, you may want to learn some dancing steps of your own with one of the library's dance DVDs. A few of the titles available are Hot Salsa Lessons, Ballroom Dancing Basics and Latin Dancing for Beginners. Non-fiction DVDs may be borrowed for one week and are on Level D of the library.

LIBRARY BOOK GROUP

Join Librarian Leslie Kruegel on Thursday, May 28th at 2pm for a discussion of Little Heathens by Mildred Kalish. Kalish recounts her experiences growing up on an Iowa farm during the Great Depression. Copies of the book are available at the library and new members are always welcome.

Commemorate that special someone

With a bookplate! We have types for almost every occasion-anniversary, birthday, graduation, you name it. They're only $10. Stop by and see us at the front desk for details.

Movie Night

Next Thursday (5/14) is the premiere showing of Slumdog Millionaire here at the library. It's rated"R" so it might be a good night to get a babysitter and have a "date" with your honey! The movie starts at 7PM downstairs in the meeting room. See you there! BTW, it's free of course!

The Summer Reading List is out!

Summer's just around the corner and we have your middle/high school summer reading list! All of the titles can be found up in the Young Adult area on level C. While you're up there, don't forget to check out the newly renovated YA area.

Libraries are Changing

Used to be that the library was open some 60 hours a week and that was that! But not anymore. Since the Internet you can search the library catalog and databases and request books 24/7. Once upon a time the library's collection was housed within 4 walls. Now with the Internet and databases, a whole new world of information is at our fingertips.
In our blog, we talk about what's new with libraries, and point out services and sources of information we enjoy and hope you will, too.