Pre-register for ethnobotany at Beach library
Weekly Activities
Preschool Story Hour for children on Wednesday, June 30, at 10:30 a.m.
We are closed on Monday, July 5.
Upcoming Activities
Next week on Thursday, July 8, we have a presentation on plants and culture, the influence of plants in our lives. As plants have always held an important place in the culture of humankind-as food, as medicine, in divination, in cosmetics, in dyeing, just to mention a few, this session on ethnobotany seeks to expand awareness of how this ecological interpretation can deepen one’s appreciation of life. Pre-register for the session at 10:30 a.m.
How Green?
More and more books are being printed with soy-based inks, rather than petroleum-based ones. They also are arriving on paper that is recycled or sourced from forests that were themselves planted earlier for that purpose and produced at pulp mills that don’t use chlorine to whiten the paper.
The electronics industry is trying to reduce the use of toxic chemicals too.
Is the paper book or an e-reader the most friendly to the environment and people? With respect to fossil fuels, water use and mineral consumption, the impact of one e-reader equals roughly 50 books. If you add what is traditionally lumped under global warming, it’s 100 books.
The most ecologically virtuous way to read a book still starts by walking or driving the bike to the local library.
Library as Place
Thankfully, information availability in some form is not a problem anymore, due in part to the Internet. While the Internet is available for many, not everyone has access nor, and probably more important, is there equal Internet access as some do not know how to locate what isn’t immediately available via a keyword search.
In many cases people lack the time and space to really think in their lives. We are including in our new library expansion many spaces to give the place to think, to reflect, and to get thoughts together.
A Concise Account
If you’re among those who like concisely written non-fiction works, then consider checking out “Franklin Delano Roosevelt” by Alan Brinkley. Brinkley, professor history at Columbia University and son of the late TV newscaster David Brinkley, offers in 128 pages a concise and succinct account that captures Roosevelt and his era. This book can aid in seeing the value of spending more time exploring Roosevelt’s personal history.
When you’re finished with this biography, consider reading Brinkley’s introductory essay to each chapter appearing in “Eyes of the Nation” (973.022 VIR). These essays could stand alone as a solid balanced overview of American history.
Library Hours
Don’t remember library hours? Call for information. When we are closed, a recorder gives the hours of operation, either on 765-8162 or on 765-8163. Except for holidays, which would be mentioned on the recorder, we are open Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We look forward to seeing you.