There are, of course, the people that you invited. But sometimes there are also the uninvited! Bees, flies, mosquitoes, squirrels, and other animals. Let us not forget the ants! Here are books for early readers that are filled with facts about ants, as well as stories starring an ant. Learn about the tiny uninvited visitors to your next picnic. You might appreciate them more!
In light of current events, we would like to remind you that the Abbot Public Library offers a multitude of resources with current, reliable, regularly updated information, which is easily accessible and available at any time.
Salem Press (introduced in a previous post) is the latest acquired reference database, with a very large history section, where you can search for particular events or names, or just browse through American history, decade by decade, learning about critical events and influential people.
You can browse through another section, Milestones Documents of American History, to get a better understanding of the most important documents and primary sources.
In addition to browsing and searching, Salem Press offers curated content to explore current events, which is a unique feature of this database.
To help explore and better understand current events, you can browse through selected essays on several subjects, which are, presently: race relations, social justice, violent demonstration, civil disobedience, and others.
EBSCO History Reference Center, a database which you will find listed under the EBSCOhost, offers full text from reference books, encyclopedia, leading history periodicals, and biographies. The database also has historical photos and maps, as well as archival videos to offer.
Gale Biography is a well-organized database, where you can browse or search for biographies of influential people of their time.
All these digital databases are free and accessible with your library card through the Digital Resources page on the library blog.
The New York Times published a list of the most influential books on race and the black experience, created by Ibram X. Kendi, a professor of history at the University of Florida and a published author. Here are some of the titles mentioned in that NYT list:
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendiwon the national Book Award. In his deeply researched book, the author gives an account of the history of racist ideas and thoughts and shows their power through the course of American history.
The New Jim Crow was named the most influential book of the last decade and collected numerous awards, inspiring criminal justice reform activists and organizations. Its tenth anniversary edition was reprinted recently.
Dreams from My Father, published in 1995, is a memoir by Barack Obama that looks at the problem of race, class, and color.
Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award; it is also on the PBS Great American Read Top 100 list.
Beloved by Toni Morrison also won the Pulitzer and was adapted as a movie with the same title.
You can also check out the following titles from the list (click the cover image):
The ebook format
The audiobook format
All these ebooks and audiobooks are available through Overdrive/Libby with your card.
While a Google search might seem like an easy alternative for seeking medical information, especially at a time without access to library print copies, it comes with caveats. The search itself is easy; sifting through myriads of entries to look for relevant information takes eons. Most importantly, though, is the question of reliability – just how trustworthy is the source?
Instead, we suggest using services and databases that provide relevant, reliable, and up-to-date information. These are free services brought to you by the Abbot Public Library!
Please note: these resources are meant for informational purposes only. If you are experiencing symptoms and required medical attention, please speak to a doctor.
Through EBSCO, you get access to various medical and health databases, such as Medline or Clinical Pharmacology, where you can search medical dictionaries and obtain articles from medical journals and magazines.
You can set up search and language preferences, and are able to print out articles that you find useful.
You can search or browse through a list of topics in the Gale Health and Wellness database, designed for consumers. Its information comes from encyclopedias, academic journals, and magazines. Some of the other features include availability of audio-format or text highlighting.
If you need more in-depth information, you can also access the Gale Health and Medicine database created for healthcare professionals and knowledgeable health researchers, where you will find information from the medical professional’s perspective.
A recent acquisition by the Abbot Public Library, a collection of health databases by Salem Press, previously reviewed on our blog, is another medical reference resource.
hoopla has medical books, with general information on diseases, their symptoms, and suggested treatments. Click on the book cover images to go to the ebooks in hoopla.
For maintaining good health and preventing diseases, as well as alternative medicine, you might consider these recommendations:
Overdrive/Libby has quite an extensive section of medical books as well, including the following:
All these databases and digital books are free resources available through the Abbot Public Library with your library card.
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