New garden plants to consider this season

Last month, John Daniels, Northfielder and plant expert from Bachmans Cedar Acres, spoke at the library on plants that would be hardy for Northfield gardeners. He covered annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees. Here's a partial list of the plants he mentioned. The library has lots of new gardening books, thanks in part to the Northfield Garden Club. Scroll to the end of this post to see some of the titles.



Annuals
Phantom Petunia - black and yellow
Impatiens - Sangria Mix
Geranium Calliope - dark red, new

Perennials
Achillea - 'Saucy Seduction' - rose pink flower
Achillea - 'Strawberry Seduction ' - sturdy, compact plant with red velvet flowers
Echinacea - 'Pow Wow' - 2010 All-America Selection
Echinacea - 'Little Annie' - miniature coneflower - 6-9 in.
Gaillardia - 'Mesa Yellow' - upright habit, 16-18 in.
Sedum - 'Mr. Goodbud' - needs full sun, 17 in.
Hosta - 'Designer Genes' - yellow hosta with red petioles (very unusual looking!)
Hosta - 'Mighty Mouse' - 7-8 in, blue green leaves edged in a broad band of yellow
Hosta - ' Rainforest Sunrise' - leaves are a solid light green but turn to a dark green border with a gold center
Salvia 'Eveline' - 18-30 in, pink flower
Peony - Intersectional Peonies (also known as Itoh Peonies)- a cross between a herebaceous peony and a tree peony - available in colors that traditional peonies can't produce like yellow, peach and coral. Very new so can be very expensive right now.

Shrubs
Hydrangea - 'Bella Anna' - pink - part of the Endless Summer collection
Hydrangea - 'Limelight' - bright green blooms which turn deep pink in fall
Cabernet Barberry - 2 ft, deep burgandy, full sun
Red Twig Dogwood - 'Allemans compact'; 'Arctic Fire'
Gray Dogwood - 'Huron Gray'; 'Garden Glow' (developed at the U of M)
Technito Arborvitae - Dwarf Arborvitae - 6 ft - dense, compact
Acrocona Pusch Spruce - 2 ft dwarf spruce

Roses
Knockout roses - best selling in the U.S. - hardy shrub rose
Northern Accents - Ole, Lena, Sven and Sigrid
Easy Elegance - Pinktopia; All the Rage
Rugosa - one of the hardiest shrub roses

Trees
Japanese Tree Lilac - 'Snowdance'

Gardening Books at the Northfield Library

Continuous Container Gardens: Swap in the plants of the season to create fresh designs year-round

635.9 TO

Designing with Grasses      716 LU

Edible Front Yard: the mow-less, grow-more plan for a beautiful, bountiful garden     635 SO

Gardener's Color Palette: paint your garden with 100 extraordinary flower choices     635.9 FI

Homegrown Harvest: a season-by-season guide to a sustainable kitchen garden    635 HO

The Nonstop Garden: a step-by-step guide to smart plant choices and four-season designs     712 CO

Prairie Style Gardens: capturing the essence of the American prairie wherever you live 635.9 ST

Resilient Gardener: food production and self-reliance in uncertain times     635 DE

Small-plot, High-yield Gardening: grow like a pro, save money, and eat well by turning your back (or front or side) yard into an organic produce garden      635 GI

Starter Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs: 24 No-fail plans for organic gardens      OS 635 WI

Sugar Snaps and Strawberries: simple solutions for creating your own small-space edible garden    635 BE

Tips for Container Gardening: 300 great ideas for growing flowers, vegetables, and herbs    635.9 TI

Artful Garden: creative inspiration for landscape design     712 VA

Car Stuff

Are you looking for a new car? How about a used car? Or maybe you just need to repair the car you have. The  Northfield library can help. The following links give you information on buying a new or used car or repairing the car you have.

Consumer Reports - The library has two subscriptions to Consumer Reports - one you can check out and one at the reference desk.  The magazine reviews cars all year but the April issue is the big car buying issue. (The April 2011 issue is AVAILABLE!). Consumer Reports is also available online through EBSCO, one of the library databases.

http://tomcat.selco.info/o_resources/?profile=nor - scroll down to EBSCO - you'll need your library card to access.

NADA Guides- (National Automobile Dealer Association) - Used by banking and automotive professionals for used car prices. Available at the reference desk. Check out their website for more information:
http://www.nadaguides.com/

Old Cars Report Price Guide - published 6x per year- covers used and collectible cars from 1930-1980. Available near the reference desk.

Chilton Online- The library does subscribe to print repair guides for domestic and foreign cars (ask at the reference desk).  However, we also have an online subscription to Chilton. Just like EBSCO from above, you'll need your library card to access - http://tomcat.selco.info/o_resources/?profile=nor.  Scroll down to Chilton. Repair your car 24/7.

Websites:

http://www.ag.state.mn.us/Consumer/Cars/Default.asp - consumer tips on car buying from the Minnesota State Attorney General's office

http://www.kbb.com/ - new and used car prices, new car reviews

http://www.edmunds.com/ - new and used car prices, car comparisons and car buying advice

http://www.iihs.org/ - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - crash data for cars as well as data on seat/head restraints

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ - U.S. Dept. of
Energy provides gas mileage data on U.S. cars, trucks, vans, etc.

http://www.leaseguide.com/index2.htm - information on leasing vs buying a car

http://www.twincitiesgasprices.com/ - check out local gas prices - see who has the cheapest price in Northfield!

Finding Money for your Nonprofit organization through Grants

The Northfield Public Library has a collection of print and electronic resources that can be of assistance to grant seekers. In Minnesota, grants are available to individuals, small business and nonprofit organizations.


For the novice, the grant seeking process can be daunting, but there are number of resources which explain the grantsmanship. Following are a couple of key resources:

Grant Writing 101: Everything You Need to Start Raising Funds Today by Victoria J. Johnson provides an overview of the grant seeking process. Part one covers defining various types of grants, writing the grant proposal, researching grantors and coping with the success or failure of your grant submission. Part two includes samples of successful grant proposals, cover letters, and sample budgets.

The Foundation Directory is another key source for grant seekers in the library. Arranged alphabetically by state, each entry includes a wealth of detailed information about the finances, governance and giving interests of the 10,000 largest grant making foundations within the United States.
A fantastic electronic resource available on the laptop computer in the Business and Employment Resources area is the Minnesota Grantmakers Online. This subscription database is maintained by the Minnesota Council of Foundations and is considered THE electronic resource for researching both grants and grant makers in Minnesota. More than 1400 foundations and corporate grant makers are included in the database, as well as over 100,000 possible grants of $2000 or more.

The library has compiled a list of print sources, online grant writing resources and print and electronic newsletters on grant seeking. This list is available in the library and on the website of the Northfield Public Library. Click “Other Resources” off the home page.

For further information about the grant writing resources available in the Northfield Public Library call the Reference desk at 507-645-1802.

A few things from Upstairs

Catalog Questions?

Are you having questions about how to use our new catalog?  Selco has some online tutorials on how to search the catalog, make a request or review your account.

http://www.selco.info/display/catalog/online%20catalog

New DVDs @ the Library!!

Checkout Booknews to see a list of some of the new DVDs at the library.   

http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/users/northfield/web/nl_22.html

We've added this list to the Booknews page.(go to our homepage at http://www.northfieldmn.info/ and click on "Reader's Resources".  Look for DVDs.  There's a summary of the movie and a trailer. You can link right to our catalog to request it! Check it out! Now that the Oscars have been awarded check our catalog and see which ones we have now.

Hot Reads for Cold Nights 2011

Hot Reads has begun! Have you joined? It isn't too late. The program goes through Feb. 28. Participants fill out a comment slip for each book they read during the duration of the program. Your name and phone number will also be added to a weekly drawing for $5 Northfield Chamber of Commerce Dollars (3 prizes will be awarded weekly).

We will also be hosting 3 special programs during Hot Reads:

Saturday, Feb. 12 @ 11:00 a.m. - A Civil War program for all ages, presented by Michael Eckers

Thursday, Feb. 17 @ 7 pm - Minnesota Book Award winning author, David Housewright will talk about his mystery books

Thursday, Feb. 24 @ 7 pm - Patrick Coleman, curator of books at the Minnesota Historical Society will speak

You can join Hot Reads at the reference desk, upstairs at the Northfield Library. For more information please call 507-645-6606.

Looking for work?

Business and Employment Resources
at the Northfield Public Library

Looking for work?

With the Minnesota unemployment rate at 7.1 % and the U.S. national average at 9.3%, more people than ever are looking for work. One of the most important qualities for job seekers is persistence, as looking for work can take a tremendous amount of time and effort.

In 2010, the Minnesota Workforce Center offered their Creative Job Search Classes from February – June. In 2011, they will be facilitating bi-weekly meetings of the Northfield Job Club. Read on!

The Northfield Job Club – New in 2011

On January 12, 2011 from 11:30 – 12:30, the first meeting of the Northfield Job Club will be hosted by the Northfield Public Library in the library meeting room. Free and open to the public, the library is proud to partner with Minnesota Workforce Development Inc. and the Minnesota WorkForce Center Faribault Office who will be facilitating the bi-weekly job club meetings.

Not sure if a job club is for you? Consider the following benefits of joining a job club:

Job club members:

1. Find jobs up to four times faster.
2. Learn high value job search skills.
3. Create personal accountability by setting and reporting on goals.
4. Gain a new network.
5. Gain an enhanced understanding of local job markets.
6. Give and receive emotional support.
7. Enjoy the benefits of helping others.
8. Experience lower levels of frustration with their job searches.
9. Devote more time to their job searches.
10. Team up on some job search tasks in order to eliminate duplicate efforts.
11. Continue their use of professional skills so they don’t erode.
12. Develop new, desirable skills.
13. Derive positives that arise from other members landing.

There is no need to sign up in advance if you would like to attend a job club meeting. Come when you are able and bring a bag lunch if you would like. All are welcome!
For further information, contact Janelle Kaytor at Minnesota WorkForce Development at jkaytor@wfdi.ws or 507-333-2047 or the Northfield Public Library Help Desk at 507-645-1802.

New Books









Following are some of the many new titles related to the subject of employment in the Business and Employment Resources Collection the Northfield library received in 2010:


Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want by Lisa Johnson Mandell New York: Springboard Press, 2010 Employment and Business 650.14 MA

Creative Girl: The Ultimate Guide to Turning Talent and Creativity Into a Real Career by Katherine Sise Philadelphia Pa: Running Press, 2010 Employment and Business 650.1082 SI

Expert Resumes for Career Changers by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark Indianapolis, IN: JIST Works, c2010 Employment and Business 650.14 EN

How to Find a Job On Linkedin, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Other Social Networks by Brad and Debra Schepp. New York: McGraw-Hill c2010 Employment and Business 338.707 Sc

Computer in the Business and Employment Resources Area

The computer in the Business and Employment Resources (BEB) Area can be used by people looking for work, and those working on small business projects. Microsoft Office programs, and Internet access are available on this computer as well as a list of preloaded hyperlinks to various local, regional, statewide and national job posting sites.
On the desktop is an icon with a link to the Minnesota Unemployment Insurance site.
The computer in this area is connected to a nearby printer.

A library card is not required to use this computer and it is connected to a nearby printer. Photocopies cost $.15 per page for black and white copies, $1.00 per page for color copies.

For further information about the Business and Employment Resources Area contact the Northfield Public Library at 507-645-1802.

Tax Forms at the library

Did you know that in order to reduce costs the IRS will no longer be mailing tax forms and instructions to individuals? This change comes as an increasing number of taxpayers are filing their returns electronically. The Northfield Library has ordered basic forms and instructions from the IRS and the State of Minnesota. Those should be available in early January 2011. For special forms people can download at home (http://www.irs.gov/ or http://www.taxes.state.mn.us/) , use library internet computers (with their library card) or ask for assistance at the reference desk. The library charges 15 cents per page for printing.
The library is also developing a list of local tax assistance, free and paid.
Questions? Call the library at 645-6606