North Carolina Resources

If your thoughts have turned from the beach to back to school, you may be interested in some of the research resources available from Rowan Public Library. Visit the library’s home page at www.rowanpubliclibrary.org, and click on NC LIVE. You will need your library card number and pin number to connect. 

Once connected, you’ll find a huge collection of resources including online magazines, newspapers, ebooks and more. For reports or information related to North Carolina, look for the ‘Everything NC!’ link.  Links to the home pages of government agencies, statistical reports, health information, tax forms, and more have been gathered into one place, so it’s a great place to begin your research. 

Younger students will want to check out NCPedia, an online encyclopedia all about North Carolina. NCPedia highlights North Carolina’s unique resources, culture, and people to enrich, educate, and inform. It is coordinated and managed by the Government and Heritage Library at the State Library of North Carolina.

Clicking on the ‘biography and people’ link lets you search NC biographies by county or profession, or browse an A-Z list. Under the ‘government and politics’ tab, you’ll find a link to NC state symbols, a popular assignment topic. 

Adult students looking for background information on various topics may be interested in links to the State Center for Health Statistics, State Data Center, and State Demographics, again all available from the ‘Everything NC!’ start  page. 

The North Carolina State Government Publications Collection connects you to reports, research guides, and an interactive timeline of NC history.  You can also search publications by specific state agency. 

For help with these resources or other research questions, contact Rowan Public Library today.

Eat, Move, Sleep

Rebecca Hyde Rowan Public Library

            “Eat Move Sleep” is Tom Rath’s formula for well-being.  The three activities are interconnected: eating a healthy breakfast increases your activity during the day, which makes for a much better night’s sleep, which makes it even easier to eat well and move more tomorrow.  Note that there are no commas in the book title.

            Rath’s premise is that most of your risk in life lies in the choices you make, not in your family tree.  So what are these small daily choices with big life-giving dividends?  Keep inactivity from killing you.  Most of us have a 10-hour span of limited activity, which for most of us includes our “work.”  It’s an epidemic of inactivity, mirrored in increases in diabetes and obesity rates.  So follow the twenty-minute rule:  at the very least, every twenty minutes, stand up and move around you workspace.

            The Rath advice for eating is “forget fad diets, forever.”  Most diets target a single element at the expense of the whole equation.  And calorie counting is insufficient.  Rath also dismisses the notion that it’s “ok” to eat everything in moderation, which is just an excuse to eat whatever you want.  Quality is more important than quantity.  What should be your overall approach to choosing foods?  Select foods with less fat, fewer carbohydrates, with as little added sugar as possible.  Make that your commitment instead of worrying about losing the extra pounds.

            As for sleep, just remember you are a different person (not nice) when you operate on insufficient sleep.  A study estimates that losing 90 minutes of sleep reduces daytime alertness by nearly one-third.  There is a cascade effect:  you achieve less at work, skip regular exercise, and have poorer interactions with colleagues and family.  An extra hour of sleep could be as important as one more hour of work.  Need more sleep?  Add more in 15-minute increments to your nightly schedule.  Rath sums it up: The person you want to fly your airplane, teach your children, or lead your organization tomorrow is the one who sleeps soundly tonight.

Good to Great

April Everett Rowan Public Library

 

Whether you’re a teacher, preacher, Libertarian or librarian, chances are at some point in your life you will be obligated to give a presentation.  Public Speaking is required for all college students, and RCCC’s catalog indicates the purpose of the course is to enable students to “prepare and deliver well-organized speeches and participate in group discussion with appropriate audiovisual support”.  But how do we move beyond the minimum requirements of “well-organized” and “appropriate” to inspirational and memorable?  How do we take a presentation from good to great?

Nervousness before a speech is common for most, but those with social phobia--or social anxiety disorder--experience a strong, persistent fear of being judged by others and of being embarrassed.  According to the National Institutes of Health, social phobia affects about 15 million American adults.  Men and women are equally likely to develop the disorder, which typically begins in childhood.  Social phobias are generally treated with psychotherapy, medication, or both.

Assuming that you do not have a disorder, there are a number of ways you can relieve fears of public speaking.  Natural Relief for Anxiety provides practical advice and a holistic approach to easing your fears, panic, and worry.  For example, the book names caffeine as the worst dietary trigger of anxiety and recommends anyone prone to anxiety should reduce total consumption to less than 60 milligrams per day.

Another anxiety-busting book is Living Fully with Shyness and Social Anxiety, which covers such topics as eye contact, body language, goal setting, and preparing for stressful social situations.  Organized into three main sections--The Body, the Mind, and Action--this thorough resource will appeal to anyone looking to shed unwanted anxiety and keep blushing at bay.

Once you get past initial stage fright, you can focus on turning a mediocre presentation into one that--at the very least--gets the grade, lands the job, or wins the crowd.  TED (Technology Entertainment Design) is a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks.  In Talk Like TED, Carmine Gallo surmises that “ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century”.  To be successful, you must sell your ideas and yourself persuasively.  Broken down into three digestible chunks, Talk Like TED offers practical advice with plenty of real-life examples.  “Secret #7: Stick to the 18-Minute Rule” asserts that 18 minutes is the ideal length of time for a presentation.  According to researchers, too much information prevents successful transmission of ideas.  Following the simple yet effective secrets of Talk Like TED will have you inspiring without perspiring!

As We Speak by Peter Meyers offers a straightforward three-step approach that addresses content, delivery, and state of mind.  In addition to clear, concise advice, this book also offers supplementary tips for nonverbal communication and even points readers to downloadable audio exercises. 

In addition to the books mentioned above, Rowan Public Library also offers access to more than 300 free instructor-led, online courses--“Mastering Public Speaking” and “Get Assertive!” to name a few.  All three library locations provide free access to computers and wi-fi, which allows you to visit sites like TED.com where you can see public speaking at its finest.  Part of our mission at Rowan Public Library is to inspire and empower you, whether that’s to give you access to inspiring presentations, or to help you prepare for your own.  Stop by your local library location and let us help you take your presentation from good to great!

Picture Perfect Memories

By John Tucker Rowan Public Library

                The crazy, hazy days of summer beckon us out doors to celebrate nature’s beauty with family and friends.  Such memory filled moments deserve our best efforts when trying to capture them on digital images.  No one wants a blurry image of a sunset, a colorful rainbow or a child’s birthday celebration.  If your images could use a new focus on details, perhaps a visit to the library might offer some creative advice and direction. 

                If this is your first adventure in photography, take a look at “Digital Photography for Dummies” by Julie Adair King.  This book starts with the very basic decisions such as selecting a camera, settings for the device and using the phone application on your cell phone.  Many of the new cell phones have camera applications that make them equal to or better then individual cameras.  This text offers sound advice to get started snapping photos and even emailing them from your camera device.

                Should your photo selection involves light and dark backgrounds, many newer cameras will seek to correct an imbalance by adding light.  In the case of a sunset or landscape, the shadows are what make the picture.  To “out-think” my smart phone camera, I solved the problem with advice found in the book “Transient Light: A Photographic Guide to capturing the Medium” by Ian Cameron.  This book takes on the topics of light, aperture settings, and speed so that the image you shoot, looks exactly like it appears to your eyes.  The dramatic photos and scenery in this book will take your breath away, as  will your photos.

                If your eyes are drawn to color as mine are, you will want to investigate books about photographing the garden.  First, take a look at the text “Photographing Your Garden” by David Bjurstrom.  His expertise regarding close ups of flower petals, buds, trees and the shade fields created by each of these varying subjects is spot on.  Photos are enhanced with greater planning and attention to the final composition of your delicate flowers.  Whether you are photographing your garden or the garden of your vacation destination, that blooming radiance can last forever in your captured image.

                When your summer photos will include capturing a trip-down-the-isle for a bride and groom, you may wish to preview the “Wedding Photographers handbook” by Bill Hurter.  Here the focus is not just on the smiles of the couple, but on the details of enchanted moments and lighting.  Again, the illustrations will get your creative thoughts flowing about unique angles and settings that showcase the newlyweds. 

                Last-but-not-least, take a look at the book “Travel Photography” by Christian Heeb and Detlev Motz.  This resource brings all of this information together in capture the essence of places and people of various cultures from around the globe.  There is even a chapter on aerial photography for your photos of clouds and towns that carpet the earth under your flight.  Your “birds-eye-view” of creation never looked so good as these photos from cameras and cell phones.

                Summer travel plans and summer sunsets only happen once so it is important to capture the memory in the clearest image.  May your photos be enhanced following quick trip to the Rowan Public Library and a visit to the photography collection.  I “shutter” to think what great pictures await you and your new found knowledge of photography.  Happy reading!