Blog Entries

On the Move!

Maybe you have seen them too? Orange and black; flitting from flower to flower or gliding on the breeze, the Monarch Butterflies are beginning their annual migration. One of nature’s great mysteries, the Monarch Butterflies that migrate from the eastern U.S. and Canada have never visited their winter destination. They are several generations removed from the butterflies that over-wintered in pine forests located in the mountains of Mexico. Yet somehow they find their way. Chasing monarchs: migrating with the butterflies of passage is about monarch migration and the west-coast populations th...

Series and Read-A-Likes in the Library Catalog

This blog is about another nifty feature in the library catalog that you may not have found yet. I will use two books as an example. The first book “The Sherlockian” is a historical mystery with parallel narratives. When I type the name in the search bar for the library and then click on the title, I see the page below. Notice the link on the left titled “Series & read-a-likes”.

When I click on “Series & read-a-likes” I get another page with lots of useful information. The top tab has similar books labeled “read-a-likes”. Beside that are authors whose writings are similar ...

Using reference USA Part II

If you not have not read Job Searches Using Reference USA Part I, It would be good to familiarize yourself with that content, since it will not be repeated here. The previous blog may provide you with all you need to search for a job. Although we are in a pandemic with 20 million people unemployed, there are companies in our area that are hiring. A basic search (on August 11.2020) for the last seven days, within a 25 mile radius of the 22601 zip code results in 631 hits! This includes 500 full-time and 191 part-time (some are both which is why they add up to more than 663). It may sounds go...

Civil/Legal Resources On-line

Sometimes we need the advice of a lawyer, but their services can be expensive. Sometimes our problems come from a lack of funds which makes hiring a lawyer that much more problematic. Fortunately, there are reliable legal resources online, that can provide us with forms, information and help us determine if we need a lawyer or not. This blog will introduce you to some of these online resources.

The Library subscribes to Gale Legal Forms which gives you access to the information on this website. To utilize Gale Legal Forms, you must enter from the library’s webpages.

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Check out the Library of Congress Website!

The Library of Congress (LoC) was established in 1880 to support the research needs of the United States Congress. Over time, its mission and reach broadened, allowing it to serve as the nation’s library. As you can imagine this is quite an undertaking, making the LoC the largest library in the world! Early in this century the LoC began to digitize collections and put them online. Recently, I attended a webinar that provided a tour of features on the LoC website. You can view this webinar by following this link. It is about 45 minutes with 15 minutes of Q&A. A few of the standouts from ...

Stop and Smell The Magnolia!

Magnolia grandiflora (also known as the Southern Magnolia) is the tree species growing outside of the Bowman Branch of the Handley Regional Library. Its large white flowers, which are blooming right now, have the most delightful aroma. I encourage you anytime you are passing by the library, to stop and smell the magnolia. We are fortunate that our magnolia has branches with blossoms that are low to the ground so we can enjoy this fabulous scent of summer.

Did you know that the olfactory system (sense of smell) is intricately linked to memory? The human brain is an incredible organ...

Hoopla, Music For Any Taste

Did you know that there are vast amounts of great music available to you through our Hoopla digital service? And even better, it’s all for free with a library card? When you download music, you get to listen to a whole album for seven days before it gets “returned”. Listed below are just some of the most popular albums in a few of the many categories. What is your favorite category of music to listen to? Do you always listen to the same music, or different music for different occasions?

What’s Popular Right now in Your Favorite Genre?

Celebrating Pride during the pandemic

All over the world, Pride celebrations have been postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our own Winchester Pride has been postponed to October 24th (details here). If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking, “Well, I’m glad we’re being safe, but it’s disappointing having to miss our traditional celebration.” But one of my favorite things about the LGBT community is our ability to make the best of bad situations. With that in mind, here’s a couple of ways you can celebrate Pride from home.

1) Pride online! There are several cities across the US and the world that are...

June is National Pollinator Month

Pollination is a process that transfers genetic material so a plant can reproduce. Why should we care about pollination? Plant reproduction involves the production of seeds, and some of those seeds are inside fruits like apples, cherries and peaches. Did I mention that strawberries, blueberries, chocolate, and coffee depend on pollinators too? It is estimated that 2/3 of crop species world-wide depend upon pollinators!

The most well-known pollinator is the (European) honeybee. The honeybee can be encouraged to nest in man-made hives allowing for the (relatively) easy extraction of...

How the Library Can Help you Stay Fit At Home

Even though we have all been stuck at home for a few months, fitness and staying healthy has never been more important. It gets your endorphins going and is a great way to relieve any extra anxiety brought on by the pandemic. There are so many things that you can do at home with no equipment simply using your own body weight. Our digital material collection contains many fitness books, videos, and more that can you help you get started at home. I included some fitness books and videos below that can get you started in many different fitness styles right from home. I am hoping that everyone ...

Job Searches Using Reference USA (Part I)

The library subscribes to many useful services and databases so you do not have to. But, we still have to learn what these services are for and how to use them. One of these very useful services is called Reference USA, which provides a database of U.S. and Canadian businesses. This database not only provides lists of new businesses and historical business but job postings as well. Below is screenshot of the “Dashboard” page that you will be directed to when you click on the link for Reference USA.

If you click on U.S. Jobs/Internships then you are taken t...

How I Learned to Frost a Cake and Create a Stock Portfolio

Universal Class is a certified online learning service that provides continuing education courses free to all Library patrons. Students earn certificates and continuing education credits. The courses have lessons, assignments, activities, exams and assessments of your progress. The course selection is vast - there are more than 500 courses in the catalog and they include Alternative Medicine, Business, Do It Yourself, Crafts & Hobbies, Social Work, Pet & Animal Care, Career Training, Self Help, Web Development, General Education, Spiritual Development and Test Preparation. The numbe...

Learn a New Language with Hoopla!

Social distancing guidelines mean that our Conversation Partners program has had to be suspended for the time being. We're as disappointed by this as you are, but that doesn't mean you have to stop learning! As many of you already know, apps like Mango and Rocket Languages can help you practice virtually from home and some of our language learning books and audiobooks are available through Libby and the Blue Ridge Download Consortium.
What you may not already know is that with the addition of Hoopla to our virtual lineup, you've gained a ton of new resources for your foreign ...

GOOD EATS AND HEALTHY MEALS DURING COVID CRISIS WITH OUR DIGITAL COLLECTION

This is our third month in compliance with the stay at home order to halt the spread of Covid 19. We are comfortable in our home and we’ve been able to work and study from here.  But it has not been an easy time. The “snow day” atmosphere that first surrounded my family has been replaced by health concerns and uncertainty. We’ve sought comfort in food, with a few cocktails thrown in for the adults. In fact, we’ve been consuming ice cream by the bucket, brownies, cookies and anything else that makes us feel better.  Judging from posts I’ve seen on social media, ...

Features I love in RB Digital for eMagazines

My lunch routine is to grab a couple of magazines before heading to the Library breakroom. My favorite pairing: Businessweek with People. And while I enjoy the leisurely flip through magazines, I’m like many of our patrons – format flexible. I go with what’s convenient in the moment. If I can’t get the print copy, I get the digital one available through the Library’s RB Digital service. In RB Digital, every issue is always available.

We have many titles in print and in digital format – like National Geographic, Smithsonian, and O, The Oprah Magazine. But it also has titles we don’...