Food Preservation: What's New and Where to Find Credible Resources

Suzanne Driessen, University of Minnesota Extension Educator , will present a program on Wednesday June 9, 2010 from 2-3:30 P.M. at the Northfield Public Library on where you can find credible research-based food preservation information and tested recipes and methods that will enable you to preserve safe and wholesome foods for the home food preserver. This is a free program but registration is required. Please call the library at 645-6606 or stop by the reference desk.

Ask us a question!!

There are lots of ways to ask us a question besides coming in to the library. If you go to our website at http://www.northfieldmn.info/ - click on "Ask a Librarian". You'll see 3 ways to contact a Northfield Library librarian and another way to contact a librarian somewhere in Minnesota anytime of day.

To contact a Northfield Librarian you can either:
* call us at 507-645-1802
*contact us by email using our webpage at http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/library/askalibrarian
*or on that same webpage contact us via instant messaging on Meebo - Meebo is open when the library is open.

If you need help and it's after hours or on Sundays when we aren't open go to that same webpage again http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/library/askalibrarian - scroll to the bottom of that page and look for the Askmn logo. Askmn is a 24/7 reference service available for library patrons in Minnesota anytime - day or night.

So, what are you waiting for? Ask us a question.

77 Million People Using Library Computers

According to a recent study conducted by the University of Washington Information School (funded by the Gates Foundaton and the Institute of Museum and Library Services), a third of Americans - about 77 million people - used public library computers to access the internet in 2009. Low-income adults are more likely to rely on the public library as their sole access to computers and the Internet than any other income group. And people across all age and ethnic groups use library computers.

The use of library technology had significant impact in four critical areas: employment, education, health, and making community connections. In the last 12 months:

* 40 % of library computer users received help with career needs
* 37% of users focused on health issues
* 42% received help with educational needs (among these 37% used their local library computer to do homework for a class)
* Library computers linked patrons to their government, communities, and civic organizations.

According to Marsha Semmel, acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, "There is no ambiguity in these numbers. Millions of people see libraries as an essential tool to connect them to information, knowledge, and opportunities." "Policy makers must fully recognize and support the role libraries are playing in workforce development, education, health and wellness, and the delivery of government services."

Unfortunately, up to a third of all libraries say they lack even minimally adequate Internet connections to meet demand. According to Allan Golston, president of the United States Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "Library technology services have created opportunity for millions of Americans, but public libraries struggle to replace aging computer workstations and increase the speed of their internet connections." "This study highlights what is at risk, particularly for low-income individuals who heavily rely on the public library for their technology, if future public and private investment in public libraries doesn't keep pace with demand."

To read the entire report go to: http://cis.washington.edu/usimpact/

Small Garden. Big Impact. Big Fun!

Small space gardening is great gardening. No matter the size of your yard, you can create your own back and front yard paradise. Come meet Eric Johnson, small space gardener in Minneapolis, writer for Northern Gardener and graphic designer, at the Northfield Public Library on April 15 at 7 P.M. His talk will include vegetable gardening, water gardening, perennial flower gardening, and container gardening. You will discover how to get explosive color, outdoor living space and use artful accents - all on the small size. You won't ever want to leave your own yard. For more information or to make disability arrangements please call the library at 645-6606.

Aquabrowser is here!!

We have a new catalog! Here are a few tips for searching:

1. Your catalog search defaults to searching just the Northfield Library. If you can't find the title, author or subject you are looking for after searching in the white search box, expand your search to "All Selco Libraries" by clicking on "Northfield" underneath "Select Selco Library" - drag or scroll (if you can't see the scroll bar - click the word "Hide" on the left side of the screen to close the "cloud" - the scroll bar will become more visible) up to the top and look for "All Locations". Your search will expand to all Selco libraries.

2. Your search includes not only results from our catalog but also from our electronic resources such as Ebsco (which includes journal articles). click on "article database results" at the top of the page.

3. You can refine your search by clicking on various things on the right hand side of your results page - ie. narrow by format, author, date, subject, etc.

If you would like to meet with one of our librarians for a one on one session on how to use our new catalog please call 645-6606. Ask for the reference desk.

Are you in a book group?

Are you in a book group? Do you have to come up with new titles to suggest to your group? Well, I'm in a book group too and just recently had to come up with a title for my group. You would think this would be easy for me. I work surrounded by books and booklists and a staff that reads A LOT!! But it isn't easy. So, I thought I'd tell you where I go to look for books for my book group. The ideas I present aren't in any particular order - one not better than the other. No doubt some are places you go to all the time. Hopefully there will be some new ideas.

1. The Northfield Library catalog - did you read an author you liked? Try another title by the same author. Did you like a certain type of book? - you can look at the subject headings and see if you can find something else like it.

2. Readers Advisory books on reference here at the library - goodness, what is Reader's Advisory? Well, it's what we say in the biz about helping people find good books to read. We have lots of these kinds of tools. Are you really into nonfiction? We have a book called "The Readers' Advisory guide to Nonfiction" (2007) - you can look up books in all kinds of categories including food and cooking, travel, science, true crime and history.

3. Websites - oh my goodness, as you know there are so many. Some of my favorites are National Public Radio - http://www.npr.org/ - they have a section on books (under Arts and Life); of course Amazon is great w/ the readers reviews as well as published reviews from library journals like Booklist and Library Journal and also the NY times.

Don't forget authors have their own sites if you are trying to figure out the sequence of titles in a series or just other books they've written. Just google the author's name.

I also love to go to http://www.webrary.org/ - this is a Reader's website done by the Morton Grove Public Library (Illinois) - check out the Fiction L booklists under Reader's Corner - some of the best book lists around.

4. Library databases - we subscribe to several good tools to help you find a good book - Novelist, Booknews, Dearreader.com - all are available free with your library card - just go to www.northfieldmn.info and click on "Electronic Resources".

The only problem with all of this is how will you ever decide which book to choose? :)

Oh well, happy looking and happy reading.

Shop the FOL Holiday Sale!!

I know this is an "upstairs" blog but I thought I would plug the Friends of the Library Holiday sale for this Saturday, Dec. 19, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m..... downstairs in the library meeting room. This is mainly a booksale but the Friends will also be selling a 2010 Library Calendar, T-shirts, book bags, and some miscellaneous things such as Carousel Music Boxes and an OFFICIAL 2010 Olympic Jacket. So, while you are downtown doing your last minute holiday shopping, stop by the library and get a few more things. All proceeds support the library and its programs. That's a good thing. Questons? Call the library at 645-6606.