Mercer County Library Blog

Many times, it seems as if I am going through the motions of life as if I am on auto-pilot. Part of the issue is that every day requires the same routine at home or at work. Work, coffee, work, home, dinner, laundry, read, sleep and do it all over again...or some version of it. Although I am very grateful to have the simple and calm life I now have, it becomes important to pay attention to "why” I do the things I do so that my life still has meaning. There are numerous reasons to work, volunteer, or do the daily tasks that life generally requires of us. People with "intrinsic motivation" are driven by curiosity, interest, and the desire to develop skills from within. They are not satisfied to stay at the same level throughout life. There is a need to be better and to continue to improve the self. Others need recognition from those around them. Their validation and motivation come from being recognized by outside sources. Money is also definitely a big motivator as well.

Just as when you buy a white car--and then all of a sudden all you see everywhere are white cars--I became acutely aware of books with “library” or “librarian” in their titles once I started library school. Susan Orlean’s The Library Book came out in 2018, and was on the bestseller list for weeks. Then in 2020, there was Matt Haig’s hugely popular The Midnight Library . Was this th­­­e start of a new wave? Or have books with a version of library in their titles always been available and fashionable? I’m not sure of that answer, but while exploring these titles, I did discover different categories of “library” books. Agatha Christie’s The Body in the Library , published in 1942, turned this otherwise peaceful space into a good setting for a crime. Murder in the library has become a common theme in “cozy mysteries” like Marty Wingate’s The Librarian Always Rings Twice and Denise Swanson’s Murder of a Stacked Librarian . Sulari Gentill’s The Woman in the Library is a new mystery thril

Should I, or Shouldn’t I? Many people count down the years, months, and days to retirement. They look forward to spending time with family and friends, traveling, or providing child care for grandchildren. Others are more apprehensive, worrying about the financial aspects of lost salary or wondering how they will fill the long days. Counting Down Planning ahead financially is key to living comfortably in retirement years. Begin years—or even decades—ahead with these financial primers: The 5 Years Before You Retire: Retirement Planning When You Need It the Most by Emily Guy Birken How to Plan for the Perfect Retirement by instructor Dana Anspach (from the Great Courses Series Economics & Finance ) Social Security Handbook: Overview of Social Security Programs by the United States Social Security Administration Once you have a handle on finances, you will want to decide how you will fill your open calendar. Ideally, you will pencil in activities that motivate you to start

When I was in my graduate school internship with the Cherry Hill Public Library, I heard about seed libraries for the first time. The librarians there were discussing their programming plans for the spring and I was eager to hear all of the details. Later, I heard about them again when I went on a trip to Utah and visited the Salt Lake City Library, who advertised their own seed library with flyers and bookmarks. As someone who has always longed for a beautiful, bounty-filled garden, this sounded like an amazing library program idea. When I was young, I kept trying to plant my own seeds, oblivious if they were viable or not, in one corner of the yard and hoped they would grow. My mom was always growing plants outside in the backyard or houseplants in the living room. She would talk about her flowers and bushes and I’d love every single one of them, even if they were a pain to water as chores. As I got older, Mom would save her seeds from flowering plants to replant (which she still

Dear Tech Guru, I’ve been in a group chat with my family for the last few years. It has been a great way to keep in touch. I can keep up with the flow of talk, food, and scenery pictures, but feel left out that I haven’t mastered the selfie. I’m going on my first vacation in a while, and I want to be able to send some lovely photos and a few selfies. Selfie Help Needed

Do you fondly remember the heyday of blogs? Do you still have a couple that you follow and read every word of? You are not alone! I love reading blogs—getting that sneak peek into a person’s life or learning something that a passionate person wants to teach me is always awesome. Below are bloggers who got off the internet (or stayed on) and published books so we could finally have a hard copy to read while offline. Even if you didn’t read their blogs, these are some great writers! They’ll teach you how to cook, craft, dress, and do complex math equations. Don’t believe me? Read on! Ree Drummond Starting with cooking, a lot of people know Ree Drummond from her blog, The Pioneer Woman . She told us about how she moved from the city to the country and shared with us a ton of yummy recipes she’d made for her family. She won Weblog of the Year in 2009, 2010, and 2011 at The Bloggies. Drummond published her first book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl in 20

After several uncertain Halloweens, I sat on my stoop early in the evening of October 31, passing out candy and drinking apple cider. Sorry to bring this up during asparagus season, but you’ll see why in a moment. I knew very few of my neighbors then, but I soon learned who lived in what house, who belonged to one another, and what they were dressed up as. Then, between visits from humans, another neighbor poked their head from the leaf litter. Barely visible, this creature was grey and roughly mouse-shaped, with tiny eyes and an abbreviated tail. I barely breathed while I watched it sniff around, but it retreated under the leaves when more children ran up to my front steps. Who was this creature? I later looked it up: a Northern short-tailed shrew. Because of its tiny little eyes, I could tell that the shrew mostly navigated the world with other senses, and it does sense its prey with smell and touch. But they are surprising animals! In addition to plants, short-tailed shrews eat vol

May is National Meditation Month and a great time to introduce children to the practice of meditation. Let’s face it, life can be hectic. We all deal with crazy schedules and multiple activities. Children are just learning how to navigate these stressful situations. Teaching children meditation techniques can give them one more way to manage daily interactions. Meditation is an ancient practice that has helped people slow down their racing thoughts and give their brains a rest. Studies have shown that meditation is helpful in reducing stress, calming anxiety and finding focus. Meditation can also bring other benefits such as better sleep, better behavior and more confidence. There are several meditation techniques you can try with children. Some of the common approaches include mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation, guided meditation and movement-based meditation. No one approach is better than the other and it might be helpful to try different approaches to see what works with y