My LINKcat AccountThere are two more days (not counting today, of course) left in the year 2011 and after that it's hello, 2012. Sitting here on the eve of the eve of New Year's Eve, it's a good time to pause and reflect about the past year and to look forward to the year that will soon be upon us. As the countdown to the New Year start ramping up, so does the frenzy, so now, while there still are a few calm moments before the media hype begins, it's a good time to start your list of resolutions. I have a few to suggest that carry a distinctly library flavor. First, if you like your local public library, use it frequently - resolve to add an extra visit a week. Second, resolve to find out about all the nifty electronic resources the library has - use a new database a week until you've worked through what we own locally (everything from Chilton's (car manuals) to Ancestry) as well as those that are owned collectively. Third, resolve to join the Friends of the Library - there are many opportunities to volunteer. Fourth, resolve to read more. Reading is an activity that helps build cognitive resilience while at the same time offering an escape from the grind of reality. Fifth, resolve to learn a new language. Learning a new language also adds cognitive resilience (and didn't you always want to/ mean to?). One of our locally owned data bases, Mango, will teach you a language, on-line, at a pace you set yourself. You can learn languages from Danish to Farsi, Urdu to Irish, and yes, even a comedic one called "pirate". Sixth, resolve to support your library. Support can be by volunteer your time, donating money or items (books, dvds, audio books, and items we can use for prizes in our reading program "store" (I know you got something for Christmas you might just want to re-gift!). [Donations to the Friends or the library are tax deductible (check with your tax preparer)]. Seventh, resolve to return your materials on time - while we do use your fines to help fund the operation of the library, getting things back on time shortens the wait for others on the hold list. And finally, eighth, resolve to use the electronic books available for loan from the library if you got an electronic reader (Nook, Kindle) for Christmas. E-books can be borrowed from us and they are free. Have a very Happy New Year and you can start working on resolution four, above, with some of these nifty new titles, below.
