Today brings us into the home stretch of pollinator week. I trust that you have been outside all week, feverishly pollinating plants by hand. Hard work, isn’t it? It’s a lot easier when we let nature’s other creatures do that work, but we need to have enough of those creatures to pollinate the plants. Otherwise, there could be problems.
Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops. 1 out of every three bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators, and pollinators add 217 billion dollars to the global economy. As if that wasn’t enough, they also support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife. So, a problem for pollinators can easily become a problem for us.
The designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” was a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Some of the ways you can help are to utilize plants that support pollinators, support local beekeepers, practice conservation and be a responsible steward of the environment.
“What are these pollinators?” you say? Thanks to the Missouri Department of Conservation, we have a beautiful collection of photographs of some. Continue reading “Pollinator Week 2020”
June 6 is the 76th anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Europe, otherwise known as D-Day or Operation Overlord. While the military invasion has been recounted ad-nauseum over the decades, what is far less well-known is how espionage and deception were perhaps just as crucial to the success of the operation. The British Secret Service, MI6, which ran nearly all of the espionage efforts, was an efficient enterprise run by genius spymasters. Their uncanny success was assisted even further by the fact that they had broken the German Enigma code and could intercept nearly all messages sent to German spies (See “Enigma: The Battle for the Code” for a thorough account of this breakthrough). Special agents involved in espionage ran the gamut. From mad fantasists to scions of old European aristocracy and ne’er-do-wells who could seduce, lie and cajole their gullible German handlers, they were a crop of outlandish and brilliant women and men who helped turn the tide of war. Continue reading “Books on Espionage and the Allied Invasion”
Following what others are reading is one of my favorite features of the DBRL catalog. When we switched to the catalog powered by BiblioCommons 10 years ago, the social features were seldom used. In the last few years this has changed dramatically, and there is now a vibrant community of patrons and librarians who share what they are reading with the community. Let’s go over the basics to get you started.
How to follow others in the catalog:
1. Log in to your library account.
2. Browse the catalog & click on a contributor’s username.
3. On their profile page, click “Follow.”
Once you follow someone, you might have to wait a while for them to contribute to the catalog. When they do, a notification of their activity will show up in your newsfeed. Please note: Your newsfeed will be blank until the people you follow share new items.
How to view your newsfeed:
1. Log in to your library account.
2. Go to “My Profile” in the top right drop-down menu.
3. Click on the “Community” link.
It might be a bit overwhelming to see all the information that’s displayed on your full newsfeed. I often will use the “Filter by” drop-down near the top right to limit it to “Item Rated,” “Comment Created” or “List Created.”
How to find people to follow:
1. Check the main DBRL catalog page for recent lists and reviews from local users.
2. Follow a person who has left a comment on a book that you liked.
3. Find a list on a subject that interests you and follow the list creator.
Keep in mind that many of the people you find will be local, but some of them may be in the over 200 libraries that BiblioCommons services. You can see which library the user is affiliated with by looking at their profile page under their username.
In January of this year, the Daniel Boone Regional Library began coordinating with the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri and a non-profit called IREX (the International Research and Exchange Board) to initiate a year of programming and all-encompassing news literacy education efforts. We had plans for workshops and outreach efforts as well as fully integrating these opportunities into our technology classes.
Everything has changed. Continue reading “Wash Your News: Media Literacy”
I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that everything feels really weird right now. I have never lived through anything like this before. The CDC and many other helpful sources have offered great information on protecting your physical health during this pandemic, including hand washing and social distancing. The anxiety surrounding COVID-19 along with the isolation required to prevent its spread present a potent combination that can really take its toll on your mental health. While I am just a humble library associate and therefore cannot fix all of your problems, I have some suggestions that I will hopefully implement myself. Continue reading “Protecting Your Mental Health During a Pandemic”
My 10-year-old daughter was struck down with the flu two weeks ago. This is the second year in a row that she has gotten the virus even after receiving a flu shot. Indeed, throughout the months of January and February nearly all her friends and acquaintances were struck down with either influenza A or B. All them had gotten the trivalent vaccination. At the same time as the bizarre infections among her cohorts in Mid-Missouri, the coronavirus was spreading rapidly through China and causing terror throughout the world. Humankind seemingly cannot escape flu-like illnesses and viruses, no matter hard we try. Continue reading “The Flu and Other Friendly Neighborhood Viruses”
It is the time of year set aside for recognizing Black history and culture. The Columbia Public Library has a lobby display set up throughout February for this purpose. Much of the early history of Black people in the United States is a horrible reminder of how cruel a society can be. We must never forget, and live with determination for a better future for our country as a whole. To this end, several slavery and Civil Rights books are on display.
Much of the display, however, celebrates the triumphs and joy of Black people in America. Contributions are evident in music, science, art, sports, literature, business, and the list goes on. Here are a few items I hope you will enjoy from our collection:
I am no physicist but I still enjoy hearing Neil deGrasse Tyson speak about just about anything. He is witty and sharp as a tack. Thankfully, he has written a book right at my level, entitled “Astrophysics For People In a Hurry.” (He means it, too, as it is a very small book.) Continue reading “Celebrating Black Culture”
About halfway through February, we take a day to celebrate the special people in our lives. That day is February 13th — Galentine’s Day! While Valentine’s Day is great and romantic love is definitely worth celebrating, there are a million other kinds of love that are equally special! There’s the love you have for your pets, your family, your coworkers, and for your best friends, just to name a few. Parks and Recreation protagonist Leslie Knope, in recognition of the value of friendship, created her own holiday: Galentine’s Day. To quote her description,
“Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.”
Continue reading “Happy Galentine’s Day!”
December brings with it a whole host of fun holidays and traditions. Some of these traditions, like transforming socks into decor, are a bit puzzling. Here are the origins of traditions surrounding three of the most popular December holidays! Continue reading “Holiday Traditions”
We’re fast approaching the time of year when people all across the country engage in the long-observed holiday tradition of gathering family members together and bickering with them. Most of us are familiar with the stereotypical dinner scene. Your cousin refers to the dish you’re passing as yams, and your sibling insists the correct term is sweet potatoes. Then tempers flare over whether marshmallows should be put on top of root vegetables. Meanwhile at the other end of the table, your dad and your uncle are feuding over capital gains tax rates. Continue reading “Harmonious for the Holidays”
