Teens can vote for their favorite books

Library Notes

Rowan Public Library

Erika Kosin

Teens can vote for their favorite books

            The nominations are in and teens across the country are reading the books that may comprise the 2013 Teens’ Top Ten list.  This list is not compiled by teachers or librarians, but rather it is a selection process done by teens throughout the United States.  From early 2012 through early 2013 sixteen pre-selected groups of teens received hundreds of books that had just been published for consideration.  Each of these groups would read the books and send their list of nominated titles to YALSA, Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, who compiles the official list of nominations.  Nominated titles will then be read and voted on by Teens throughout the country from August 15^th through September 15^th and the results of the next Teens’ Top Ten List will be revealed during Teens Read Week in October.

            Teens right here in Rowan County looking for a good book to read over the summer now have the opportunity to read books recommended by their peers and cast their vote for the next Teens’ Top Ten.  There are currently 28 nominated titles covering many different genres that may appeal to a diverse group of teens.  Previous Teens’ Top Ten titles come as no surprise based on their popularity with teens when they were published such as books from the Twilight Series, Harry Potter, Eragon and the Hunger Games, but there are many books that have made the lists that teens might not be aware of.  Some previous Top Ten Winners include:

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick (Teens’ Top Ten - 2005)

When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his desire to support his family.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (Teens’ Top Ten -2006)

What happens when you die?  Where do you go? 16-year old Liz Hall finds out when she is killed in a hit and run accident.  As Liz struggles with all she has lost in her life, going to the prom, getting her drivers license, she almost misses out on the new life she can have in Elsewhere.

Paper Towns by John Green (Teens’ Top Ten -2009)  

Quentin "Q" Jacobsen lives a boring, predictable life.  With both parents being therapists, he views himself as the well adjusted smart kid.  Then one day his beautiful and exciting neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman knocks on his window and convinces him to go with her on a midnight adventure to right some wrongs and then she mysteriously disappears.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (Teens’ Top Ten -2009)

Frankie, a sophomore at an elite boarding school is excited when she starts to date gorgeous senior Matthew.  Only as they spend more time together, Frankie learns of a secret society that both Matthew and her father belong to.  Only they won’t talk to her about it because she is a girl.  That is when she takes matters into her own hands to not only become a member, but to create the best pranks the society has ever seen.

A complete list of 2013 nominated titles and past Teens’ Top Ten lists can be found at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten.

NC LIVE and Rowan Public Library Celebrate 15 Years of Libraries Working Together

NC LIVE and Rowan Public Library Celebrate 15 Years of Libraries Working Together

 This past April marked NC LIVE’s fifteenth anniversary as a statewide collaborative library organization. First launched during National Library Week in 1998, NC LIVE has consistently provided online library resources and tools to patrons of North Carolina’s public and academic libraries, including Rowan Public Library.

Today’s world of always-online smartphones and ubiquitous Wi-Fi differs greatly from the online landscape faced by North Carolina libraries in 1998 when NC LIVE was first founded. A Pew Research Center report from that year showed only 41% of American adults used the internet, 35% used email, and only 13% had ever made an online purchase. But in 1998, librarians from North Carolina’s public and academic libraries recognized the change that the internet represented, and worked to ensure that their communities would benefit from it. Together, these libraries created NC LIVE, enabling access to premium digital information for all of North Carolina citizens through their libraries.

For the last fifteen years, North Carolina’s public and academic libraries have worked together through NC LIVE to provide the entire state with equitable access to electronic resources for all ages on topics ranging from business, careers and investing, to auto repair, health, history and genealogy.  This cooperation means that library patrons across the state have access to the same collection of high-quality content, from any computer with internet access.

To celebrate this accomplishment, NC LIVE created an online exhibit to celebrate fifteen years of libraries working together for their communities. The exhibit, available from http://nclive.org/15years, shares stories and memories of how different libraries from all across the state planned and created a shared digital library service for all of North Carolina. The exhibit includes video interviews with founding members, an interactive timeline, snapshots of the NC LIVE website through the years, and memories from library staff and patrons across the state who have benefited from access to NC LIVE content.

NC LIVE is a consortium of the state’s 201 public and academic libraries dedicated to helping North Carolina libraries in their efforts to support education, enhance statewide economic development, and improve the quality of life of their communities. Through North Carolina libraries, NC LIVE offers free access to electronic resources for all ages on topics ranging from business, careers and investing, to auto repair, health, history and genealogy.  NC LIVE eBooks, magazines, newspapers, journals, videos, and other materials are available online from any Internet connection from the Rowan Public Library website, and through www.nclive.org.

More ideas for container gardening at the library

More ideas for container gardening at the library

Rowan Public Library

Dr. Betty Middleton
 

Container gardening is fast becoming the gardening of choice, especially for people on the go. Containers are simple to plant, quick-growing and perfect for small spaces.

“Continuous Container Gardens” by Sara Begg Townsend and Roanne Robins offers an innovative system for creating stylish containers that can change with the seasons. Featuring 12 containers, the designers show the various ways of swapping plants for each season to create a total of 48 different looks. Each look is accompanied with stunning photographs.

Malcolm Miller’s “Container Gardening Throughout the Year” begins by first considering the containers and then discussing plant selection and the light, soil and moisture requirements for each. The full-page photographs illustrate how the containers (such as aged terra cotta pots, wire baskets, antique lead vases or glazed urns) enhance the flowers and foliage.

In “Container Kitchen Garden,” Anthony Atha explains how to grow herbs, vegetables and fruit in small spaces. His basic information includes choosing a container, preparing the site, choosing and buying the plants. This book contains a plant directory of 140 herbs, vegetables and fruits and gives data on their sizes, growing conditions and uses. Colorful illustrations are on every page.

Lifelong gardener Edward C. Smith became fascinated with the idea of self-watering containers and, after experimenting and testing various containers, soil mixtures, etc., he is convinced that anyone can grow and enjoy organic vegetables using pots with continuous-flow watering systems. Smith shares his information with readers and includes advice on beginning with seeds versus buying plants.

“Green thumb guide to patio gardens” is a DVD produced by TLC. David Hall show you how to choose the best plants and containers. It also includes useful advice on patio gardening and much more.

Magazines available (along with their websites) include Carolina Garden (carolinagarden.com), Organic Gardening (organicgardening.com) and Southern Living (southernliving.com) have articles on containers for gardening, organic gardening and pots that self water while you’re away.

Rowan Public Library has a great collection of books and other materials that will enable you to create the perfect patio, porch or outdoor arrangement.

Fine Tuning

“Fine Tuning”

By Pam Everhardt Bloom

May 5, 2013

Seems like we all want to be healthy these days. Luckily I got a dose of good genes, however it’s still apparent that some fine tuning is in order. While some might start their search at the Y or with a personal trainer, my first stop was the on-line catalog at the library, specifically the Dewey Decimal 613 and 641 selections. I was not looking for a quick fix. None of the “miracle diets” interested me. Instead, my search was for some healthy changes that fit easily into the life I live each day.

I love good food and like to cook. There’s nothing better than sitting down to a leisurely meal with good friends and I know I don’t want to feel deprived at the dinner table while trying to be healthier. One book immediately caught my eye, “A Year in the Village of Eternity: The Lifestyle of Longevity in Campodimele, Italy” by Tracey Lawson.  How could I go wrong when the synopsis described:  “people here lead extraordinary long lives, enjoy low blood pressure and low cholesterol, and stay active and healthy to their last years.” With a format that reads like a memoir and a list of seasonal recipes, I’m quickly envisioning delightful meals, simply prepared and designed around local produce.  

Add a second book, an updated version of an old favorite of mine, “The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health” and my shopping list to good health begins. The author, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, promises to nourish body and soul and this new version warrants a careful read. Recipes such as slow-cooked chickpeas with orange zest and lemon juice and braised pears in red wine seem both healthy and interesting to the palate.

A third choice, “Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine: A Food Lover’s Road Map to Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Getting Really Healthy,” appears  to cover all my wants and needs. Dr. John La Puma “decided to research the science of nutrition while also going to culinary school to learn to cook.” The end result was a concept he terms “culinary medicine.” This book includes an eight-week program for optimal health, however Chapter 5, “Recipes and Meals: What to Eat and How to Make It, for Every Meal (Including Dessert)” piqued my interest.  I found a list of pantry essentials and recipes for foods I know I enjoy and these definitely have a healthier twist. The recipes also include substitutions for items you might not normally have on hand, a convenient feature. “Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa” may become my box cereal replacement and “Toasted Walnut and Creamy White Bean Pitas” a satisfying lunch. Chapter 7, “What Do You Eat for That” includes good food sources for 12 different vitamins and minerals. There are also medicinal and tasty food choices for many different health conditions, each section containing explanations of the condition, a list of foods to increase in your diet, a list of foods to decrease, and suggested recipes. 

Of course, if I’m really serious about a healthier life, exercise can’t be ignored. Walking is my activity of choice, yet it’s quite apparent that a quick pace doesn’t tone everything.  Could a book titled, “Full-body Flexibility” by Jay Blahnik change my daily habits? Are there really exercises that will blend seamlessly into my everyday life? Perhaps I could watch “The Abs Diet Workout: the Six-week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life,” a Rodale Production. The selections at the library seem endless.  And if I find that I don’t exercise while those healthy pears are baking, there’s always the gardening section, yet another option for healthy living!