Mercer County Library Blog

“Why would you do that?” was my friend’s response to hearing that I want to run a marathon in April of 2025. We had done a single semester of track & field together back in high school, where I had 1. Been rejected from the cross-country squad because I was too slow during tryouts and 2. Consistently finished last in every single track meet after joining the sprinting squad instead. Both of us ended up leaving the team after one semester to focus on orchestra. Fast-forward to today, I’ve been running consistently for about four years, having started during the COVID lockdown. Easy explanation: I do it because I love it. Boring explanation: I do it because it helps me stay healthy. Lukewarm explanation: I do it so I have something to small-talk about at work that isn’t too personal. Too personal explanation: I do it because I got off of antidepressants and I needed something to fill that void. Weird explanation: I do it because my favorite author wrote a running memoir and I wanted...

We are entering into the third year of Mercer County Library System’s annual Reading Challenge. Welcome to everyone who is taking the challenge for the first time and those of you who have already participated! A reading challenge is “a way to discover books outside your normal reading habits.” There are 24 prompts to give you ideas of what to read in 2025 and 1 bonus prompt to read a book written by an author featured on the MCLS podcast, Behind the Books . The 2025 prompts are: Read a book.... 1...Set in a foreign county 2...Already on your bookshelf (or to read list) waiting to be read 3...That was made into a movie or TV show 4...Has 500 or more pages 5...With a magical element 6... Is a Banned Book (as a librarian for a list or go to ALA’s Banned & Challenged Books page) 7...About sports 8...About current events 9...Won or was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize 10...Purchased from a Friends of the Library book sale or sale cart 11...That you previously did not finish...

One of my happiest memories as a child was sitting with my family in our living room and talking about words. We had a big red Webster’s Dictionary, and when my parents asked me a question, I would flip through it to try to find an answer. I recently heard a radio story about how dictionaries are created, and I was happy to know that a lot of people have similar experiences. Something interesting I learned in my linguistics class in college is that dictionaries are DESCRIPTIVIST rather than PRESCRIPTIVIST. That’s just a fancy way of saying that dictionaries reflect culture, rather than culture being controlled by dictionaries. So, when that person told you that you’re not allowed to use a word because it’s not in the dictionary, they were just being a “skibidi mid” who didn’t know what they were talking about. According to that radio story I heard, dictionaries are increasingly on the internet, and are becoming more valuable to software programmers who need to feed information into t...

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. - The Dalai Lama My mother, who always showed me great compassion, was born in Baltimore, Maryland in February 1943. When February came, her neighborhood would celebrate all of the February birthdays by gathering and playing the song “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” originally sung by Arthur Clough, and later by Bing Crosby. Because of her, February always makes me think about loving and honoring people. In addition to it being February, the recent passing of Jimmy Carter, who was president the year I was born, reminds me to try to live up to the legacy of the great and compassionate people who have come before me. This new year, I’ve been thinking about human rights leaders and their movements, and how they should impact our lives and our possible futures. The right to have a healthy environment is fundamental. “Of all the various species on the planet, human beings are the biggest trouble...

TrashedArt Contest Begins The 16th Annual TrashedArt Contest kicks off this January! Celebrate Earth Day by transforming everyday trash into extraordinary art. Open to teens and adults in Mercer County, the contest encourages participants to use at least 75% recycled content in their creations . Submit your artwork between February 25 and March 4, 2025, to the Lawrence Headquarters Branch . Judging and public voting for the “People’s Choice” Award will follow, with winners announced at the reception on April 22, 2025 . Visit the TrashedArt Contest page for details.   MLK Jr. Day of Service On Monday, January 20th, the Ewing, Hickory Corner, Lawrence, and West Windsor branches will be open 9:30am to 5:00pm. All other branches are closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by participating in our card and letter-writing campaign for Meals on Wheels, running from January 13 to February 1, 2025. Craft events and activities are happening at various b...

This past holiday season, I became obsessed with the idea of making a scavenger hunt for my 5 ½ year-old niece. When I say that this kid loves scavenger hunts, I mean she LOVES scavenger hunts. All year round she makes my mom take turns hiding plastic eggs around her house so they can collect them and do it all over again. So, when my brother and sister-in-law told me some easy readers and phonics books would be a good gift idea for my niece this holiday season, I hatched the perfect plan. A book scavenger hunt! Here’s the list of books I hid, along with the clues I used, and where I hid them. Feel free to use this list as reading recommendations for a 4-6-year-old in your life, or to spark inspiration to create your own scavenger hunt at home! I kicked the hunt off by giving her a Pete the Cat Phonics Box Set . I tucked the clues inside the cover of the first page of each book after that, along with a bookmark to color. I wrapped each book as well, to protect them from the elements—...

Every January I see the same saying everywhere I go – “new year, new you.” I initially interpreted it as an aspirational slogan to improve yourself from the previous year, but now I feel like it’s being overused and just has a strong connection with improving one’s physical health. While physical wellness is important, it’s not the only thing that we should focus on. Too often our mental wellness gets overlooked or is just not discussed. Especially among tweens and teens. Working as a Youth Services Librarian has given me the chance to get to know kids and teens of all ages from the community. I enjoy this part of my job so much and because of that I have been able to see that our tweens and teens face a lot of challenges - from school assignments and part-time jobs, to pressure from friends and/or social media, and figuring out what they want to do post high school. So, it’s no wonder that today’s tweens and teens are facing anxiety, depression, and bullying at alarming rates. Wheth...

With a new year upon us, many will be thinking about the future - planning on how to accomplish their new year’s resolutions and how to fulfill their goals for a “new year, new me,” getting ready to file their taxes, or maybe just looking forward to a year of new releases, be they literary or film. But why put the cart before the horse? Why get our hopes up with anticipation? Instead, let’s look to the past. How about one-hundred years ago? One-hundred is a nice round number and, after doing a little digging, it seems that 1925 was not only a great year for books, but for movies as well. Let’s take a look at some of these books and movies that you can pick up at your local Mercer County Library System branch and enjoy some one-hundred-year-old gems. Books The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Shares the story of the wealthy, quixotic Jay Gatsby and his obsessive love for debutante Daisy Buchanan. It is also a cautionary tale of the American Dream in all its exuberance, decaden...

Do you keep track of the number of books you read each year? If so, how do you do it? Some people log the titles they read on websites and apps like Goodreads (www.goodreads.com), or you could simply use pen and paper to create your list. This past year, I sought creative ways to track the books I read. Here are some fun methods I explored: 1. Read Your Height - Stack the books you've read throughout the year and take a selfie to share on social media. We had a lot of fun with this one. Our Youth Services Librarian, Grace, had the tallest stack in the Robbinsville Branch! 2. Bullet Journal - I loved the creative freedom this method offered. I found various types online—both free and for purchase—and decided to design my own. I decorated the spine of each book after I finished reading it. 3. Crochet – Temperature blankets have been a popular trend for a while now, (assigning each range of temperature a color and crocheting various number of stitches for each day) so I was intrigu...