Mercer County Library Blog

Initiated by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, the month of June celebrates the African American musical influences that comprise an essential part of our nation’s treasured cultural heritage.  The music of African Americans can be traced back to the days of slavery, when slaves working in the fields would sing songs to pass the time and to share their life stories. African American music encompasses the following genres: Sacred music :  Spirituals and gospel music were the earliest form of black musical expression in America.  African American folk music : These songs serve as an expression of social commentary.  The Blues : With a diversity as varied as the geographical locations from which it rose, the blues features uniquely identifiable sounds and messages, depending on the region where it originated. B.B. King, Ma Rainey, and Muddy Waters are recognizable blues names; one of my favorite artists is Robert Cray. Military music : African Americans were part of fife ...

Family History Day is June 14th and it seems like a great time to tell my family’s story, which is now part of my story. The ties that bind my family together go way beyond DNA; they are about a shared family history that, once again, reminds me that no matter where we are and where we come from, our stories should never die. In 1913, my grandmother left her family behind and came to America from Poland to pursue a better life. She met and married my grandfather and they had 11 children. I have a lot of first cousins - with 27 out of 29 on my mother’s side! I have been lucky enough to grow up with some of them and see others at major family events; there are even some I have never met. Little did I know that 2021 would introduce more family that I never knew existed. Their story is one you read about, or see in the movies. In February of this year, my aunt in the United States received a letter from a gentleman in France who said that he is related to my grandmother. He is, in fact, my...

Mercer County Library System recently redesigned our website and I had the fun task of researching and writing a history of the library system .  While I found it really interesting to see how we added (and lost) branches, what really struck me was the variety of programs offered by the branches.  Some may look similar to what we see today, with crafts and storytimes being long-standing programs.  The special events, however, really have changed a lot over time. MCLS was founded in the 1920s, but was mostly dedicated to delivering books to the rural areas and did not feature many programs for patrons.  This changed by the 1940s, and, as one might expect, the programs offered during that decade were influenced by the war.  The earliest program I could find being offered was in winter 1941, when the library invited county residents to stop in and learn how to plant a Victory Garden to reduce food production costs and fuel used transporting food. There was even a ...

The international film collection of the Mercer County Library System never fails to excite. With many corners of the world represented, it is the ultimate armchair travel option. No touristy overlook, a chance for exposure to a different language (even though there are English subtitles, the melody of the foreign sound is still perceivable), landscapes outside of the immediate home surroundings, life views that challenge the stereotypes and refresh the mind. Ordering the DVDs and Blu-rays for the Lawrence Branch collection is one of my favorite monthly duties as a librarian and I usually finish with the foreign films - to savor the taste.   Even though Balkan films (belonging to the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe) are not a huge part of our international film collection, they bring a special thrill to me as a native of the Balkans. I also expect this collection to increase in size, considering the fact that collaborations and developments in recent years brought numerous...

Summer is the time when the hot weather makes most of us think of getting in the water. You might swim in the ocean, take a dip in the pool, or take up more adventurous activities like kayaking or canoeing. If you are really adventurous, you may want to take up surfing. This is a sport that requires a lot of fitness, so you may want to start with The Surf Girl Guide to Surf Fitness . This book gives you plenty of exercises to achieve peak surf fitness. If you want to investigate some of the history and traditions of surfing, you can check out The Way of the Surfer . The movie Step Into Liquid will inspire you with all kinds of surfers riding the waves in all sorts of environments, from the high waves of Hawaii to the shallow waves of the Gulf Coast, to sand surfing in Vietnam. If you’re not quite that adventurous, but still yearn for the open sea, you may want to paddle a kayak on the ocean. The Art of Kayaking will tell you how to handle waves and take on the tides in a kayak, and h...

In June of 1979, Jimmy Carter designated June as Black Music Month. However, Black Music Month, was not fully recognized until President Bill Clinton signed The African-American Music Bill in 2000, which officially declared June as Black Music Month: a time for us to remember, acknowledge, and celebrate African American music's contribution to and integral influence on American life and culture ( source ). President Barack Obama gave the commemorative month its current name, African-American Music Appreciation Month.  In his 2009 proclamation, President Obama noted, "During African-American Music Appreciation Month, we recall the known and unknown musicians who helped create this musical history. Their contributions help illuminate the human experience and spirit, and they help us reflect on our Nation's ongoing narrative." ( source ) Mercer County Library System offers numerous resources that provide access to information about African-American music, help discover t...

June 8th is the birthdate of Frank Lloyd Wright. Considered to be America’s greatest architect of all time, he designed over 1,000 structures during his career. You can find their locations, tour information and even rental information on Frank Lloyd Wright Sites. He designed four houses here in New Jersey, only three are still in the state - one house was moved to Arkansas! He also designed the Guggenheim Museum building and my favorite, Fallingwater. I took a quick and safe weekend trip out to Mill Run, Pennsylvania in September 2020 to see Fallingwater. After spending a little over seven months in lockdown, I knew I needed to get out of my house and a short road trip seemed like just the right plan and the perfect time to finally see Fallingwater. Fallingwater is the name of the vacation house that Wright designed for the Kaufmann family in 1935 in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. It is a perfect example of Wright’s design philosophy of organic architecture. It sits atop a wate...

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a reader. I was that girl riding her bike around the neighborhood with a book in hand (wait, did other people do this? Don’t try this!). If I got a gift certificate to the popular (now closed) toy store, 9 times out of 10 I’d use it to buy books. Growing up, my favorite books to read were The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin. The series began in 1986 with Kristy’s Great Idea. I was 9 years old and I was obsessed! If you haven’t read this series before, they follow the lives of several babysitters who came together to form a club. I loved reading (and re-reading) about the adventures of Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, and Dawn, the original characters in the series. Even though I didn’t do a lot of babysitting when I was younger, I wished more than anything that I could be a part of their club. I would have fit right in with Kristy (the slightly bossy leader and creator of the club), Claudia (the fun and creative artist), Mary Anne (...