Earth Day Non Fiction!

Last week, we shared some great green fiction in honor of Earth Day, but we didn’t have a chance to get to non fiction. Here it is: an epic list of resources to help green your life!

 

• Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet by Bill McKibben – 304.2 McKibben
• Plan C : Community Survival Strategies For Peak Oil and Climate Change by Eugene Murphy – 333.7 Murphy
• Diet for a Hot Planet by Anna Lappe – 338.19 Lappe
• American Earth : Environmental Writing Since Thoreau – 333.72 American
• Beyond Oil by Kenneth Deffeyes – 333.823211 Deffeyes
• Going Green : true tales from gleaners, scavengers, and dumpster divers – 363.7282 Going
• Our Choice by Al Gore – 363.73874 Gore
• An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore – 363.73874 Gore
• The Blue Planet by Andrew Byatt – 551.46 Byatt
• The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean’s Are One by Sylvia A. Earle – 551.46 Earle
• The Power of the Sea: Tsunamis, Storm Surges, Rogue Waves, and Our Quest to Predict Disasters by Bruce Parker – 551.46 Parker
• Moby-Duck by Donovan Hohn – 551.462 Hohn
• Gasp: The Swift and Terrible Beauty of Air by Joe Sherman – 551.5 Sherman
• How to Cool the Planet by Jeff Goodell – 551.6 Goodell
• Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas – 551.6 Lynas
• Climate Change by Gavin Schmidt and Joshua Wolfe – 551.6 Schmidt
• Earth: An Intimate History by Richard Fortey – 551.7 Fortey
• Food Matters by Mark Bittman – 613.2 Bittman
• The Healthy Home by Dr. Myron Wentz & Dave Wentz, 613.5 Wentz
• Design for Water : rainwater harvesting, stormwater catchment, and alternate water reuse by Heather Kinkade-Levario – 628.142 Kinkade
• Pets Gone Green by Eve Adamson, 636.0887 Adamson
• Green Guide for Horse Owners and Riders by Heather Cook, 636.100286 Cook
• Green Dog, Good Dog by Dominique DeVito, 636.7 DeVito
• Planet Home by Jeffrey Hollender – 640 Hollender
• In the Green Kitchen by Alice Waters – 641.563 Waters
• Build It with Pallets by Joe Jacobs – 684.1 Jacobs
• Edible Estates: attack on the front lawn – 712.6 Edible
• Eco-chic Home by Emily Anderson – 745.5 Anderson
• Upcycled Accessories by Tracie Lamp – 745.57 Lampe
• Restore, Recycle, Repurpose: create a beautiful home by Randy Florke - 747 Florke
• Homesteading – 640 Homesteading
• The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen – 640 Coyne
• The Backyard Homestead – 641 Backyard
• The Locavore Way by Amy Cotler – 641.31 Cotler
• Clean Food : a seasonal guide to eating close to the source by Terry Walters – 641.5636 Walters

Disney Digital Books Now Available!

A whole new world of digital books is now available for our younger patrons.  Disney Digital Books is a collection of nearly 700 titles available through CADL’s digital download service, OverDrive.

Some of the special features of this collection:

• Look-and-listen titles:  These books are narrated and each word is highlighted on the screen as it is read aloud.  This is a great collection for preschoolers and children learning to read.
• Formats that support the development of reading skills.  From pre-readers that feature pictures and short, simple sentences to advanced readers that feature short paragraphs, there are a range of titles to meet the needs of the child learning to read.
• For independent readers who have moved on to chapter books there are movie novelizations and junior novels based on popular TV shows and movies, such as Wizards of Waverly Place, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Hannah Montana.
• Some books feature trivia questions that test the reader’s comprehension of the story.

With your CADL library card you can access up to ten of these titles at a time, and all of the titles are always available for check out so there’s no waiting list!  These titles are viewed through a website, which requires an Internet connection and Flash player.

For more information on using digital downloads at the library, system requirements, and helpful hints, click here.

-Lynn H., CADL Youth Services Specialist

Brush Up Your Shakespeare!* Part II

In part I of this series, I talked about the library’s Shakespeare plays in book form. We also have DVDs of Shakespeare’s plays.

The best way to see a Shakespeare play is live of course. Get thee to Stratford Ontario!  You will see some of the world’s best Shakespearean acting and a charming English-like town.

If you can, get thee to the original Stratford. There you can see Shakespeare’s birth place and the Royal Shakespeare Company perform. London also offers wonderful performances. I am fortunate enough to have been to all three cities. I saw great performances, including Timothy Dalton in “Henry IV Part I” and Jeremy Irons  in “Winter’s Tale.”

When you can’t see a play live, the next best thing is DVD.  Recently there was a wonderful Hamlet with David Tennant in the title role and Patrick Stewart as Claudius. Also a great Macbeth with Patrick Stewart in the title role.

Some other Shakespeare DVDs you might enjoy:

• Playing Shakespeare Acting workshops of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
• Henry V with Kenneth Branagh.
• Shakespeare Behind Bars Inmates in a Kentucky prison perform “The Tempest.”
• Twelfth Night directed by Kenneth Branagh.
• King Lear with Ian McKellen.

- Anne R., Reference Librarian @ CADL

 

Help Your Friends Learn to Use the Computer

At the library, we know that it takes a lot of work for new computer users to get a handle on new technology. Leave it to the folks at Google to design a form you can fill out and email your parent or a friend a “Tech Support care package.” It’s really is simple to do. Go to www.teachparentstech.org.

There are a few fields you fill out, but you must check boxes next the videos you want to send to your friends or parents. What’s great is that the videos are short and the controls are simple to use. Once you select a video or two to share, you will be prompted to enter your email and the recipients email. Then, all you have to do is click “send.”

Videos are available in the following categories: basics, world wide web, communication, media and finding information. You can also view all available videos if you’d like.

We all want to help our family with technology questions, but sometimes you are not in the same city or state. You can send them a nice care package to help them out!

- Matt P., Technology Librarian @ CADL Downtown Lansing

Looking for a Summer Job?

Flickr user: w00kie

Are you a teenager looking for a job this summer? Have you wondered what steps you can take to prepare, and to put yourself ahead of the pack?

The Mason Library will be hosting a program called How to Find a Summer Job for Teens on Saturday, April 30 at 1 PM. We’ll have a panel of local experts, giving helpful tips and advice on getting good references, making an effective resume, having a successful interview, and more! Afterward, there will be an open Q&A for teens and their parents.

Walk-ins are welcome, but we encourage advance registration. Call the Mason Library at 517-676-9088for more information.

-John T., CADL Mason Library Assistant

Are You Sure?

Local career expert Lisa (a.k.a. Recruiter Uncensored) shares some of her knowledge with us every Monday. You can read this post in its original form along with comments here.

Flickr user: smemon

My biggest beef with social media is how fast misinformation can spread. You’d think people would have the good sense to question what they read/hear and do some quick internet searches to gauge its validity before spreading it to the masses as truth. The fact so much of what has gone “viral” in recent years has been pure baloney should give us all pause.

Last week several of my friends used various forms of social media to spread what was essentially dramatic fiction. It wasn’t their intention to promote lies, they simply did not question the source. The nugget of information was sensational and quickly raised hackles. They expressed their outrage and demanded others follow their lead and do the same. In less than a minute’s time I was able to find clear evidence what they were passing around was bunk. To make matters worse, when I pointed it out to them and encouraged them to check the facts, there was no acknowledgment of their mistake or effort to retract their words.

This is troubling and by no means rare. Social media is viewed by many as entertainment. I’m sure some think it’s no big deal. With people fired up over political and social issues, the atmosphere is ripe for good judgment to take a back seat to passion. Passion is a wonderful thing, but loses its credibility when frosted with fiction.

Why am I writing about this on a blog focused on job search strategy? That’s easy. Job seekers have a lot to lose by spreading misinformation. Imagine how it plays out in the mind of a potential employer. This individual could do the same thing in our environment. He could jump to conclusions and spread rumors/gossip without hesitation. This person allows emotion to compromise his decision making ability. Would he express outrage over things at our company, true or false, through his Twitter and Facebook accounts?

These are all reasonable questions to ask. Cover your bases. Your social media outlets are indeed yours for your own expression. By now you’ve likely heard the warnings when it comes to debating political, social and religious issues with the masses in such a public way. If you wish to go that route it is certainly your choice. Do yourself the good favor of some quick fact checking. Even employers on the same side of the issues as you could hold your willingness to spread inaccurate information against you. Quite frankly, they should.

-Lisa W-P, CADL Guest Blogger

Earth Day Reads!

Today is Earth Day! To celebrate, check out these green fiction reads from the library. Next week, we’ll share a HUGE list of green non fiction resources.

Fiction Titles about ecology, the environment, and all things green.

• The Lake, the River and the Other Lake by Steve Amick, FIC
• The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood, FIC
• Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, SF
• Last Good Chance by Tom Barbash, FIC
• The Kenai Catastrophe by Michael Barbour, FIC
• Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr, MYS
• Where the Sea Used to Be by Rick Bass, FIC
• Savage Run by C.J. Box, MYS
• When the Killing’s Done by T. C. Boyle, FIC
• Rock Bottom by Erin Brockovich, FIC
• Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler, AS
• Looking for Peyton Place by Barbara Delinsky, ROM
• The Poacher’s Son by Paul Doiron, MYS
• Strong Motion by Jonathan Franzen, FIC
• Dune by Frank Herbert, SF
• Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen, AS
• Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, FIC
• Solar by Ian McEwan, FIC
• Cape Perdido by Marcia Muller, MYS
• Fatal by Michael Palmer, AS
• Blood Shot by Sara Paretsky, MYS
• Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, FIC
• Serena by Ron Rash, FIC
• My Abandonment by Peter Rock
• The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, SF
• Zodiac by Neal Stephenson, SF
• Far North by Marcel Theroux, SF
• Grass by Sherri S Tepper, SF
• Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall, FIC
• Anthill by E. O. Wilson, FIC

Prom: Fashion, Etiquette and Fiction

Many consider prom to be one of the defining moments of high school.  This classic rite of passage is fast approaching.  Although the library is not often considered to be an essential prom-preparation stop, we have a lot of great resources that can help you have the prom of you dreams.

Getting Ready: Prep for prom by checking out these books for hair, nail and make-up ideas.

In Style Getting Gorgeous: The Step-by-Step Guide to Your Best Hair, Make-up and Skin from the Editor  by Jennifer Tung

The Girl’s Book of Glamour: A Guide to Being a Goddess by Sally Jeffrie

The Professional’s Illustrated Guide to Haircare and Hairstyles by Nicky Pope

Pro Nail Care: Salon Secrets of the Professionals by Leigh Toselli

How to Act: Avoid a party faux pas by reading an etiquette guide to answer your questions on manners.

Emily Post’s Prom and Party Etiquette by Cindy Post Senning

Classy: Be a Lady, Not a Tramp by Derek Blasberg

Teen Manners: From Malls to Meals to Messaging and Beyond by Cindy Post Senning

Fiction: Just for fun, read a frothy, prom centered romance.

Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

How I Created My Perfect Prom Date by Todd Strasser

Prom Crashers by Erin Downing

Top Ten Uses for and Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

-Liz V., Youth Services Librarian @ CADL Holt-Delhi

Brush Up Your Shakespeare!* Part I

Happy Birthday Will! Historians don’t know exactly when Shakespeare was born but he was christened shortly after April 23 so this and other clues point to this being a good date for his birth. He also died on April 23 which adds a little Shakespearian drama to this date.

A lot of people are afraid of Shakespeare but there is no need to be. When I taught high school English I told the students that he often wrote about the same things we deal with today: love, hate, joy, jealousy, grief etc. We read “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” which is easily understood by teenagers when you compare it to their own high school romances that were often star crossed and confusing.

The library has many copies of Shakespeare’s works of course. You can read theplays all collected: Complete Works or individually: Hamlet. You can also read the plays with the original text side by side with a modern version. If you like sonnets we have those too.

Listening to Shakespeare while reading greatly enhances enjoying and understanding the works:

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• BBC Radio Presents King Lear 

 We have some nice study guides:

•  Shakespeare in an Hour 
• The Young Person’s Guide to Shakespeare : With Performances on CD by The Royal Shakespeare Company
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Shakespeare‘s Plays

And biographies:

• Soul of the Age : A Biography Of The Mind Of William Shakespeare
• Shakespeare

* “Kiss Me Kate” by Cole Porter.

Brush up your Shakespeare,
Start quoting him now.
Brush up your Shakespeare
And the women you will wow.

- Anne R., Reference Librarian @ CADL

 

Indie Film at CADL Okemos

CADL Okemos screens an independent film every month as part of its Film Movement Series. All Film Movement Screenings will now be held on the 3rd Thursday of every month. This month’s film, Carol’s Journey, will screen at 6:30 on Thursday, April 21.

Carol’s Journey
(Spain,  100 minutes)

Synopsis: Carol, a Spanish-American twelve year old girl brought up in New York, travels with her mother to Spain for the first time in the turbulent spring of 1938, to meet her mother’s family. Separated from her father, a pilot in the International Brigades involved in the Spanish Civil War, whom she adores, her arrival in her mother’s native village transforms the secretive family environment. Her innocent and rebellious nature drives her to oppose a conventional world new to her. Her friendship with Maruja, the village’s teacher, together with the lessons in life learnt from her grandfather and her love for local boy Tomiche will take her on an unforgettable and bittersweet journey into the world of adulthood.

-Eric S., CADL Okemos Public Services Librarian