This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 21

Digital Public Library of America
The DPLA launched only a week or so ago but it’s a great resource for those who like history. The Digital Public Library of America is a web resource that displays historical information and primary sources for not only educators, scholars, and librarians but also the general public. Digitized images are scattered throughout and you can search items by time period or place. I like the DPLA’s Exhibitions page, where they have online exhibits that feature unique information and original photographs. There’s one right now entitled, “Boston Sport Temples”, and with Boston being in the media as of late it was really interesting to see the original photos for the opening of Braves Field and Fenway Park - how it looked back then, what people wore, and how many people filled the stands - and the bonus is that I didn’t have to travel to Boston to see it!

-Judy, Reference

Robinson Jeffers
My introduction to the poetry of Robinson Jeffers came at the perfect time – the last week of National Poetry Month and immediately after reading The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. The Swerve is this month’s choice for Barcodes, the library’s nonfiction book club. Greenblatt’s work is the story of the rediscovery of Lucretius’s epic poem De Rerum Naturain in the 15th century. I enjoyed Lucretius’s work, but I love Jeffers’s poetry. His philosophy is similar to Lucretius and Epicurus, but with a Modern perspective. If you enjoy nature writing or are interested in Jeffers’s “inhuman” philosophy, you can find his books in SWAN.  

-Mike, Reference

NPR's Coffee Series
NPR has been airing an excellent series on coffee, which explores the science, historical impact, and artistry of the world's favorite stimulant. I particularly enjoyed the segment on a gracious tradition in Naples, Italy, called caffè sospeso, where a customer will buy two cups of coffee--one for themselves and another to be redeemed by someone who can't afford to buy their own.

Jerry Seinfeld probably best sums up coffee in all of its grim majesty: "I think the answer is we all need a little help, and the coffee's a little help with everything — social, energy, don't know what to do next, don't know how to start my day, don't know how to get through this afternoon, don't know how to stay alert. We want to do a lot of stuff; we're not in great shape. We didn't get a good night's sleep. We're a little depressed. Coffee solves all these problems in one delightful little cup."

-Megan, Reference

This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 20

Infographics
With the rise of the internet, long pieces of information such as news articles and exposés have been turned into snippets that are read or skimmed as we “surf the web”. Add to that pretty, bright pictures or graphics and infographics is what you end up with. It’s a more than a chart or graph; it’s a way to present what might be sometimes difficult material in layman’s terms so that practically anyone can understand it. Go ahead and just type in “infographic” into Google and you are flooded with results that are usually colorful and display genuinely interesting information. Infographics have been around for some time, but it’s a form of visual media that’s definitely become quite popular only recently. Two of the best sites that I’ve seen are Daily Infographic and Cool Infographics. Both feature a new infograph every day (if not, then every other day) and displays enthralling information about health hazards (like how many cups of coffee does it take to give you the “jitters”), new and upcoming movies, or even historical information about the world. It’s a wonderful marvel for trivia buffs or for people just looking for new information to stuff into their brains.

-Judy, Reference

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, has written the most talked about book of the (still young) year. Lean In is equal parts manifesto, pep rally, and confessional. Though she discusses the significance of cultural and institutional sexism, she mostly encourages women to know their worth and passionately pursue their professional goals in spite of the barriers they face.

Sandberg’s tone is warm and welcoming, and she is exceedingly (sometimes distressingly, given all of her accomplishments) humble. She is also infuriating. She laments the fact that only four percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, while mentioning that she turned down numerous opportunities to hold the top perch in order to work for this guy. In addition, she is the protégé of Larry Summers, the former Harvard president who is perhaps best known for his infamous “innate differences” speech.

I imagine Sandberg will be in the public eye for a long time, and all signs point to her eventually running for office. It will be interesting to see if she shifts her considerable intelligence and charisma from being the world’s nicest plutocrat to something more cohesive and pragmatic.

-Megan, Reference

This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 19

Bad Habits: Confessions of A Recovering Catholic by Jenny McCarthy
This book is an account of Jenny's relationship with Catholicism. It is a quick read and of course some people will be offended, but consider the source. Some parts are humorous, especially reliving childhood memories and what was taught by priests and nuns during 12 years of Catholic education. I guess we all interpret things differently as adolescents. It is how you practice your faith that really matters. I was a bit taken back by her infatuation with Jesus, yet laughed hysterically at the measures she took for her safety due to her fear of Satan. Wearing a rosary for a necklace, who knew?

-Becky, Youth Services

Andrew Zuckerman
Andrew Zuckerman is a filmmaker and photographer who is famous for his simple, but elegant photographs set against a white background. There are six of his photography books available through SWAN, including Creature. Zuckerman has a website -- Creaturebook.com -- where you can see the photographs in the book. It's a beautiful site and would be a great tool for kids interested in animals.

-Mike, Reference

How Stuff Works
I came across this website while doing academic research. If you're familiar with the publication Mental Floss, it's very similar to that, in that the topic is explained in article format and in a fun and interesting way. The articles themselves range in topic from general to very specific- from foot binding to how to pick locks (not that I'm encouraging illegal activity but it's interesting!) to whether or not cyberterrorism is on the rise. Content is divided by subject, so if just want to learn more about money and budgeting or cars, you can. It's fun just to browse through if you have some time and explore the material provided. You'll definitely learn a lot!

-Judy, Reference

In Our Nature
This movie takes a realistic look at a muddled father-son relationship. Seth (Zach Gilford of Friday Night Lights) and Andie (Jena Malone of  Donnie Darko) are a young, idealistic, quasi-artistic couple in search of a quiet weekend in the country. Unfortunately, a miscommunication means that they will be sharing it with Gil--Seth's wealthy, abrasive father (John Slattery, the silver-haired Mad Man)--and his younger girlfriend, Vicky (Gabrielle Union of Think Like a Man).

The prevailing motif of movies and TV during the last decade has been awkwardness.While it's usually milked in the service of comedy, In Our Nature explores it in a sobering, thoughtful way and shows how people with clashing values and vast disparities in social skills will still try to cobble together a decent weekend and/or long-term relationships. Plus, the cast is very strong and engaging--most notably Gabrielle Union, a charming and painfully underutilized talent. Someone make this woman a movie star already!

-Megan, Reference