Swine Flu Information

Librarians constantly keep up with current events. We need to know the latest news in order to be prepared for questions patrons may have regarding something they have seen on television or read about in a newspaper or magazine. Usually they want to know where they can find additional information on the subject or where they can find a copy of the article.

With the growing concern of Swine Flu, and its coverage via television, the Internet, and print sources I am certain people will be inquiring where they can locate up-to-date information on the virus. In my opinion, the best sources are the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the WHO (World Health Organization). The CDC is tracking the number of cases as well as where they are occurring, and posting the existent numbers on their Web site. They also give information on the Swine Flu such as symptoms and things you can do to stay healthy. The WHO is tracking international cases of the flu.

I hope you find this information helpful and that you all stay healthy! (FL)

Librarian Secret #6

People often stop by the Reference Deck to ask what day a particular holiday will occur on. Of course, I can always just check the calendar but sometimes they want more specific information - like what is the holiday about, when did it begin, etc. When asked for this type of information, I usually turn to Infoplease's Holidays in America Web page. The site has fun, historical and traditional facts about the holidays Americans have come to love and celebrate.

Did you know that Mother's Day was made a national holiday in 1914 or that Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day? Check out this site to learn even more fun trivia about your favorite holiday! (FL)

Review: The Complete Illustrated Book Of Herbs

Title: The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Readers Digest
ISBN-10:0762107960

I love beautiful book covers. It is often the cover of a book that piques my curiosity about what is inside and makes me want to investigate the actual pages of the publication. Sometimes the content doesn't live up to the expectaion of the image on the jacket and I'm left disappointed. In the case of this book, The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs, I was delighted both by its beauty and its subject matter.

The book contains informative, interesting, and useful information on over 100 different herbs. It begins with an A-Z directory of herbs which includes how to "cultivate, use, and store" them. Other chapters include: Gardening, Herbal Medicine, Natural Beauty, Around the Home, Craft, and Cooking. Each chapter contains lovely, colorful illustrations and instructions on how to use herbs in practical ways...from treating colds to making your own facial scrubs and laundry detergent to creating a table centerpiece and preparing soup with herb dumplings and much, much more! This book is packed full of everything you to need to know about herbs and how to use them.

Recommended for anyone with an interest in herbs, cooking, crafts, and natural beauty and cleaning products. (FL)

Happy Easter!

Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.
Luke 24:5-6

Librarian Secret #5

Are you planning a trip and want to know how far it is from one destination to another? GEOBYTES offers an easy to use City Distance Tool that will calculate that information for you. Just type in the name of the city of origin in the first search box, and the city of destination in the second search box, and click the next button. You will be directed to a page with different locations that include your cities' names. Select the correct entries for your search and click on find distance. Just for fun, I calculated the distance from San Francisco, California to Rome, Italy. I found out the distance in miles is 6,253. Of course, you can also calculate short distances, for example, the distance in miles between Pasadena, CA and Los Angeles, CA is 11.

I hope you will check out this site the next time you need to know the distance between two cities! (FL)

Librarian Secret #4

Mailing a letter or a package and you don't know the zip code? Visit the United States Postal Office Zip Code Lookup

You can search by exact address, partial address, city, or company. Not sure if the state abbreviation for Arkansas is AK or AR, or if Mississippi is MI or MS? Don't worry. The site has a link to state abbreviations as well.

Make sure your mail gets to the right place....use the correct zip code and state abbreviation. FL