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Getting ready for kindergarten book list

Posted in For You, kids, Parents and Teachers on August 18, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson Starting kindergarten can be both exciting and scary. What parent isn’t excited about the free time they will have while their kindergartner is at school, but also a little scared to let them go? This transition can be just as intimidating for a new kindergartner as it is for parents. Even if […]

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Summer beverages: your library on the rocks

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You on August 13, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Gwendolyn Haley The 641s is one of my favorite sections of the library to browse. For those of you not quite as familiar with the Dewey Decimal System, that’s also known as the cookbook section. There is always something new and delicious to check out, especially during this time of year when the grilling […]

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5 YA books recommended by teens

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You, Teens on August 12, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Kelsey Hudson It’s pretty common for librarians to be asked for reading recommendations. Members come in looking for their next read, families want to know what’s new, and we visit lots of schools to share the news about the best new reads. With all of that though, what I really enjoy is when someone […]

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Easy small-batch homebrewing, part 2: Basic ingredients and a recipe

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You on August 11, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Brian Vander Veen Last week, I talked about the basic equipment one needs to start brewing small-scale, one-gallon batches at home, but obviously, you need more than just equipment—you need ingredients. Beer, at its most basic, comprises only three ingredients: malted grain, hops, and yeast. However, over the millennia since beer was first b […]

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Asper-reads: Great books and resources about Asperger’s and autism spectrum disorders

Posted in For You, kids, Parents and Teachers, Teens on August 6, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Sheri Boggs A few weeks after running a blog post on the We Need Diverse Books movement, I heard from Kathleen, a young reader in North Carolina who wrote that she has Asperger syndrome. “I’m trying to put together shareable resources to help empower others with autism to be confident, social, and able to […]

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Exploring the lives of imaginary friends: 5 books for kids & grown-ups

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You, kids, Parents and Teachers on August 5, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Clarissa Fidler Bing Bong, Jacques Papier, Beekle, and Sean Murphy—what could those names possibly have in common? Are they even real? Well, believe it or not, the aforementioned names all belong to imaginary friends you’ll find in current books, TV shows, and movies. Studies report that over a third (37%) of children create an […]

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Easy small-batch homebrewing, part 1: Basic equipment

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You on August 4, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Brian Vander Veen I studied just enough chemistry as an undergraduate to earn a minor in the subject, at least before I made the eleventh-hour change to major in English and thus embarked on the long, circuitous route toward librarianship. But I’ve always loved chemistry—still do. And I certainly appreciate a well-crafted beer. So […]

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Talking to myself: an alternative writing method

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You on July 30, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Kevin J. Anderson Guest Writer If you see a person walking along engaged in a vigorous conversation with no one else around them, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s escaped from the nearest asylum. It could be me talking to myself. But don’t be concerned, don’t interrupt me, don’t bother me at all—I’m writing. It’s been […]

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Insider tips for writing the perfect cover letter

Posted in Business and Careers, For You on July 29, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Aileen Luppert I have never applied for a job without the help of one of my favorite people—Aunty Eve. I trust her, not only because she is my brilliant aunt, but also because she happens to have one heck of a professional human resources background. Eve has been an HR maven for a slew of […]

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How to plan a last-minute staycation

Posted in Explore and Discover, For You, kids on July 28, 2015 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson With August only a few days away, the end of summer is coming way too fast. Or, if your kids are driving you crazy with their refrain of “I’m bored,” maybe it’s not coming fast enough! Either way, this is the time of year when I start to feel like summer is […]

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