Mercer County Library Blog

Top 10 Favorite Anime TV Shows List Originating from and popularized in Japan, anime is a unique form of animation that frequently adapts Japanese comics known as “manga,” Japanese young adult “light” novels, and video games. Unlike most American animation typically geared toward general demographics, such as SpongeBob SquarePants and The Simpsons , anime is a medium in which a limitless array of specific stories can be told by primarily Japanese creators for audience members of all ages and backgrounds. From Studio Ghibli’s timeless cinematic masterpiece Spirited Away (2001), to Sunrise Inc.’s sprawling science fiction space western drama Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999), anime offers a bit of something for everyone. While many viewers prefer watching anime spoken in its original Japanese language with native language subtitles, others have grown accustomed to watching anime with native language dubbing (voice acting). Unfortunately, native language dubs are not always an accurate reflec...

Back in an earlier life, when I was traveling a lot for work and managing projects, people, presentations and sales, I used the Bullet Journal Method to keep everything under control and moving along in the right direction. The Bullet Journal Method allows you to create your own planner/calendar to organize your life. Because it is paper based and very simple, it won’t let you down when the internet is unavailable and it is infinitely customizable. In those days my BuJo (Bullet Journal) was very businesslike and – frankly – boring. But the goal was to make sure I showed up at my client library on time, with all the proper materials, contracts, and names – and knowing who used to be at Williams but is now at Princeton. The most exciting it got was using a colored pen or highlighter now and again. However, as soon as I looked around the web, it became obvious that the “infinitely customizable” aspect of the method had really taken off and there was a whole community of people out there w...

If 2020 has revealed anything, it is the resilience of art and the music industry. In the face of a global pandemic halting production schedules, canceling world tours, virtualizing live performances, and digitizing award shows, the music industry continues to thrive. Music can make you smile, it can make you cry, and it can heal you. I think we could all use a little bit of healing. “The show must go on”, as Freddie would sing. These musicians have released the most memorable albums of the year, in my opinion. All available through the Mercer County Library System! After Hours by the Weeknd [R&B, New Wave, and Dream-Pop] Despite the fact that the Weeknd (a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye) was incapable of promoting After Hours with his world tour or televised performances, he was still able to secure a #1 album on the Billboard 200 and score two #1 singles with “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights” in over twenty countries. After Hours follows Tesfaye’s notable public break-ups with both model ...

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Mercer County Library System! We love our patrons and our gift to you this year is a brand new website and mobile app. Let’s take a look at both, starting with our new app, MyMCLSNJ. If you have used our BookMyne app in the past, you know it gets the job done, but has its limits and sometimes breaks on its own. You may have even used it and decided to abandon it if it no longer works on your device. This app was a general app offered by our library software, but we have upgraded to a new, fully-customized app that allows us to bring you more than just a handy place to check your account and holds. We can now deliver more information and services right to your fingertips and it comes with a much improved catalog and my account section. The MyMCLSNJ app will be available for free starting February 14 in the Apple App Store and Google Play . Just click the links in the previous sentence or look us up by name, you should see our new logo. There are plenty ...