Mercer County Library Blog

On the evening of February 23, I was sitting comfortably watching Chicago PD when NBC interrupted the program with a breaking news alert regarding war in Ukraine. This did not surprise me and I am sure many who also follow world news closely may have expected to see something of this sort happen after a few months of not-so-secret Russian military activity in nearby border areas. What I did not expect was what happened the next day, that friends and family would ask me why this was happening, since I surely must know as I have a political science background. Frankly, I did not, since I was not really a student of international relations. But I am also a librarian and curious, so I went looking for answers for them and myself. Another unexpected aspect of this was as I watched the news unfold and read more about the conflict, an old anxiety re-emerged from my childhood, the fear that was ever-present during the Cold War. For those of us who can remember the constant tension that could ...

I have a confession or, more precisely, I had a confession. Until very recently, despite being a librarian and life-long passionate reader, I never had an answer to the question: “What book has changed your life?” Now, I can definitely say that a book has changed my life, but I’m still embarrassed to tell you what it is. Shouldn’t it be Virginia Woolf or Tolstoy? Or something else very Serious and Important? Alas, the book is a self-help book, the kind of book intended to change your life. I was ready for this one, and it worked on me: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, available from the library in print and as an eBook and audiobook. It didn’t change the course of my life, but it changed how I experience my daily life and what I do with my time. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World explores the methods used by “digital minimalists” to organize their lives, despite living in our maximally digital world. It depicts overuse of digital technology – phones, app...

I am a big fan of the Olympics, whether it be the Winter Games or the Summer Games. I find myself checking out resources from the library to fill that Olympic void during the Games’ off years. Even when the Games are about to start, I revisit the the library’s catalog for materials in anticipation of the opening ceremonies. Just focusing on feature films alone, there are myriad great choices with an Olympic theme, such as historical sports dramas ( Chariots of Fire , 1981), biopics ( I. Tonya , 2017) or just good ol’ entertaining fictional stories of Olympic glory ( The Cutting Edge , 1992). There is a certain section of films, however, that I had forgotten about. Recently, Mercer County Library System celebrated Library Shelfie Day. Staff members posed in front of their favorite shelves in the library for photos to be posted with the tag #LibraryShelfieDay via MCLS’ social media accounts (e.g., Instagram and Facebook). I participated in the library system’s social media campaign by sh...

Here is an annotated list of some of the authors who have passed away in 2021.  This list is not in any way an inclusive list, but rather a subjective list of major authors who have held a cherished place in the world of literature and bought a little bit of light and joy to us, their readers.  This short list will highlight some of their major works for us to revisit and once again enjoy the special magic these authors bought to us. Lawrence Ferlinghetti – died February 22, 2021 (aged 101) Born Lawrence Monsanto Ferling in Yonkers New York, Ferlinghetti was a leading light in the Beat movement as a publisher.  He was a co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers in San Francisco; which published many of the early Beat authors, such as Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. Although Ferlinghetti was a poet and author he did not consider himself a “Beat” author. His major influences were T. S. Elliot and William Carlos Williams....

Don’t you just love love? Being with someone who gets you, that treats you right and knows how to make you feel happy and safe? Loving someone does not always mean it is a romantic kind of love. You can love your friends, family, your pets and the people you work with. Love is a universal emotion that everyone can feel one way or another. As we all know, February is the month of love because February 14 th is Valentines day! And what better way to celebrate this month of love then to cuddle up in a blanket and read a book that has romance in it? I am not talking about only those romance books with the shirtless heroes and damsels in distress on the cover, but also about romance books that are for our Young Adult (YA) readers! In the Mercer County Library System, we pride ourselves in having a plethora of book genres available, and that includes the romance genre for YA readers. Take a look at just some of the YA romance books available in our library system. I sincerely hope that y...

The benefits of outdoor exercise for physical health have long been known, but research is showing that exposure to nature can also be good for our mental health. According to one article: “The growing body of research — combined with an intuitive understanding that nature is vital and increased concerns about the exploding use of smart phones and other forms of technology — has led to tipping point at which health experts, researchers, and government officials are now proposing widespread changes aimed at bringing nature into people’s everyday lives.”  Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health - Yale E360 The positive effects of being out in nature can include combating seasonal affective disorder, depression and other issues of mental health. So, improve your mood and your physical and mental health by going outdoors when you can! Here are some excellent reading materials on the topic from the Mercer County Library System: The Secret Therapy of Trees: Harness t...

Is this mid-winter time , after the holidays when the sun sets too soon and the cold temperatures leave you wanting to stay inside, getting you down ? Are you looking for some simple pleasures to encourage you and lift your spirits? In these cold dark days of winter, comfort yourself and your family with steaming hot bowls of homemade soup! Add warm bread or rice on the side and you have easy, pleasurable meals to enjoy. Soup can be quite easy to prepare. It’s often a one pot affair. While you only need a saucepan, it also suits an Instant Pot or slow cooker well. Soup features in nearly all cuisines, so regardless of what you usually eat at home, you can find many recipes. On the flip-side, if you or your family like to try new-to-you ethnic foods, look for soup from different cuisines. It can be a wonderful change of pace. And if you’re recovering from an expensive December, soups usually are a very inexpensive option to feed yourself or your family. Personally, in winter I eat sou...

Do you have the OverDrive app downloaded to your device? The blue app with a giant “O” in it? If you do, it’s time you upgraded to the Libby app. At the end of the month — February 23 rd , 2022 — the OverDrive app will be removed from the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Microsoft Store. This is the first step OverDrive (the company) is taking to phase out the OverDrive app and replace it with the Libby app. You will see this change reflected across our website as the OverDrive app will be replaced with the Libby app in our digital offerings. Our digital collection ( http://elibrarynj.overdrive.com ) will continue to be available as a browser-based experience. You can see what the Libby app looks like along with some cool features of the app in our prior Tech Tips blog post here: https://mercercountylibrary.blogspot.com/2021/12/new-accessibility-features-for-libby.html The OverDrive app will be supported throughout 2022 and all users’ profiles will be transferred to the Libby app b...