By Carrie Stefanski
With all the modern world-issues and charities driving Pope Francis’s schedule, remembering a great historical event may have fallen off your radar. Fifty years ago, Pope Paul IV made a hugely significant pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This was the first meeting to restore unity between Catholics and the Orthodox Christians in 910 years.
Read moreVolumes of Catholic History Relevant to Today for 80% Off
By Harmony Faust
There are several people in my inner circle who regularly and voluntarily consume nothing but fruit, vegetable and plant juices for days at a time. This. Blows. My. Mind. Juice fasting is a practice I’ve been hearing about for years and I still don’t get it.
If I’m being completely honest, the crux of my problem with juice fasting probably lies at the intersection of my natural skepticism and laziness—I don’t have a great track record with activities related to health and fitness.
By Carrie Stefanski
Meet Sara. She’s a mom with three young children and has parents who are getting up there in age. She wants the best for her family, and that includes good health. She needs reliable, up-to-date resources that to turn to, whether seeking new yoga poses for herself, healthy cooking for her family or researching specific health concerns such as heart disease.
Meet Connie, a spunky 72-year-old grandma who just received her first computer. Her grandkids want her online, so online she must go! “I don’t know what took me so long and I want to learn everything I can,” she says, “but I guess I’m a little hesitant because I don’t know quite where to start.” We couldn’t think of a better way than an eBook like Laptops For Seniors For Dummies, 3rd Edition. Connie can read and follow activities on her screen at the same time, it’s a perfect match.
Read moreYou have to start somewhere, help out your beginners!
By Melissa Rayner
Oxford University Press has been one of the biggest names in academic publishing almost since the industry’s inception. The first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, and although the formal press had not yet been born, Oxford University involved itself with several printers over the century that followed. Now, the press publishes over 6,000 titles and sells more than 110 million units each year. It has offices in 50 countries and is the largest university press in the world.
By Michelle Eickmeyer
Discovery is one of the most discussed and sought after experiences among librarians, students and faculty in academic libraries. They may call those experiences different things, but discovery is the thread running through the needs of these groups. Librarians want all materials to be called upon — find-able by any user at the moment of need. Students often encounter the library’s holdings with a vague understanding of either what they are looking for, or how to find it. Or both. Or neither. Faculty look to support the scholarship of their students and, often, their own research needs as well.
Read moreGale’s InterLink Brings Better Discovery to Academic Libraries
By Rachel G. Payne
Yes, I freely admit it, I think too much like a librarian. Often this is an asset, but when I first started adding STEM into my storytime programs, this became a problem. I kept looking for books to read to kids in the non-fiction section. My go-to favorites were Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Nic Bishop, and Actual Size by Steve Jenkins, both solidly in the 500s. While I love these books, I was thinking too small. It took Lynn Cole, a science educator from the Queens Library Children’s Discovery Center, to shift my thinking during her staff training on science activities for preschoolers at the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL). She opened my mind to another way of thinking about the books I was already sharing by reminding us we could find science and math concepts in the picture book section as much as anywhere.
By Robert Lisiecki
May the fourth be with you. Wait, I thought it was, “may the force be with you.” You know a film made a monumental impact on society when people assign a date in the calendar year to geek out. Let’s get geeky, Star Wars friends.
I’m admittedly not a self-proclaimed Star Wars nerd, but I’ve had a few light saber fights in my day, and I was Jar Jar Binks one year for Halloween; so, that counts for something… right?
It’s fascinating to think about the impactful nature of Star Wars, and how it still remains a force today (they just released the cast for the new movie!). Not only was it a monumental cinematic success, but it also impacted Hollywood, pop culture, and merchandising.
By Bethany Dotson
For Christmas last year, my husband bought me the Rosetta Stone German Level 1-5 Set. He was so excited to give it to me, in fact, that he convinced me to open it five days early (I have to admit—I wasn’t hard to convince). But upon opening the gift, I had to wonder out loud—why German? I had never expressed any interest in learning German—had I?
My patient husband, who is a mechanical engineer by education, by natural inclination, and by trade, responded that he knew that I wanted to take another trip to Europe, and he had settled on Germany as his #1 choice: not because of the fantastic history or culture, or even because of the food and beer, but because, and I quote, “they have a lot of engineers there and their trains run on time.”
By Kim Martin
Meet Chris, the explorer. He’s passionate about adventure, travel and discovering the world. Ever since he can remember, he wanted to know as much about other countries—their people, cuisine, geography, whatever he could possibly take in. As someone who loves to immerse himself in other cultures, he needs the right resources and tools, for excursions near and far.