One Good Deed

 It's that time of year when many of us want to do something differently in the upcoming twelve months.  I know, I know, there are countless books that have us making task lists, examining our most inner thoughts, etc. and all of these have their place, but this little book is just about reminding us that it really isn't so difficult to make a difference - however small - in someone else's life.  Giving examples from her own experiences and those of others, Erin McHugh has us open our eyes a bit wider to all the simple things that we can do to make things just a little bit better.

Accidental deaths related to Fireworks and Popping Corks

The New Year's Eve accident statistics questions

 

 

Lifetime odds of death from being a car occupant is 1 in 368

 

& Over 40 percent of fatal automobile accidents are alcohol-related

 

The lifetime odds of dying from a fireworks discharge is 1 in 652,046

 

Lifetime odds of being struck by an object in the home (i.e. a cork) 1 in 5,230

Source
Injury Facts
® 2012 Edition


Where The BFF?

 Inspired by the realization that he had no black friends as he celebrated President Obama's historic victory in 2008, author Tanner Colby (Belushi: A Biography, The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts) set out to learn the history of integration in the United States. The result is this often humorous, fascinating book that examines the long and short term effects of  the civil rights legislation of the 1960s which legally ended American apartheid. The book focuses on four main areas: education, real estate, employment, and religion. An important read.

Mushroom Hunting Season

Don't be fooled, know your edible Mushrooms. The library has many excellent titles available for checkout (just don't leave the book behind on the forest floor!)

Click here for a listing of titles available in our catalog.

GREENR

If you are interested in current information regarding the environment, energy, and natural resources, GREENR is a great place to check.  As the description on the WCCLS website states, GREENR " is a new authoritative online resource that focuses on the academic study of sustainability and the environment.  It allows users to navigate issue,  organization, and country portals and provides news, videos, primary source documents, interactive maps, refereed case studies, and more in research categories such as energy systems, healthcare, food, and green collar jobs."  A worthwhile resource for environmental studies.

Biographies & Memoirs

  From Adele to Zaharias, we have a wonderful selection of biographies and memoirs.  Our biography collection is upstairs on the South end of the building. 

 Adele: the Biography by Marc Shapiro

 Wonder Girl : the magnificent sporting life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by Don Van Natta

Writing Memoirs

It seems that more people are interested in preserving their past by means of the memoir.  How to write your life story can be a daunting task, but the website www.Proust.com can be incredibly helpful in getting your creative juices flowing.  The introduction to the site states "Proust.com is a place for families and close friends to share the stuff that really matters.  Proust is a private place to capture our life stories, thoughts, and aspirations to spark meaningful conversations about who we are. .....   Here you can send questions to your family and friends, discover their life stories, and get to know them better.  On Proust.com, it all starts with a question."  You choose a chapter and start telling your story.  Included are sections on Childhood Memories, My Parents, Home Sweet Home, High School Years, Remember the Time..., Love Firsts, About My Siblings and more.  Each chapter has a series of questions that you or someone else answers.  You create your life story and then share it with those you choose.  A fascinating idea that will be of interest to anyone wanting to preserve wonderful memories.

Davenport's Art Reference & Price Guide

Believe it or not, your Beaverton City Library owns what is considered the world's leading guide to the art market. For many, Davenport's Art Reference & Price Guide is the first source to consult when beginning the process of determining whether a discovered artist may have produced a masterpiece or something more modest.
Next time you purchase a piece of art, whether from an art gallery or thrift shop, and are curious to find out what a representative price would be for an artist's work, this resource is the best place to start. It isn't the final arbiter. It is intended to give the reader an idea as to the relative worth of an artist's work, with further research almost always needed. Stop by the Beaverton City Library and take a look at this great resource that can  be found on the shelves in  the Reference Collection. The library owns the 2012 edition. (REF 707.5 DAV 2012 )

Summertime Adventures

A few books that might help with planning some adventures:

101 Accessible Vacations: Vacation Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers

by: Candy Harrington

Oregon Favorites: Trails and Tales

by:  William L. Sullivan

75 Classic Rides Oregon

by: Jim Moore

Aging - Planning and Insurance for the golden years

Books and materials on life planning for aging are available to help sort out the decisions you face after retirement. Start thinking now before you retire. Click through on any of the titles to find details and availability within the Washington County Library.
click for the list

Stop, Your're Killing Me!

For mystery, crime, thriller, spy or suspense book fans, this website is one that you will thoroughly enjoy.  Although maintained by only a couple of people, the site lists over 3,900 authors, with chronological lists of their books in both series and non-series. Access to the lists are by author and character and there are extensive indexes that allow you to search specific locations, jobs, historical settings, diversity topics, and genres.  Book awards are listed and a few author and category read-alikes have been included.

Thinking, Habits, and Personal Choice - new books

What Makes your Brain Happy and why you Should do the Opposite 

The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why it Matters, and What you can do to get More of It.

Subliminal : how your unconscious mind rules your behavior

The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in Life and Business

Thinking, Fast and Slow

ScienceDaily

This is one of the most fascinating websites for anyone interested in the many fields of science.  Scientific discoveries are made every day and this site chronicles research and news stories from universities, journals, and other research organizations around the world.  Included on the site are links to news, articles, videos, images and books.  The subjects include health and medicine, mind and brain, plants and animals, earth and climate, space and time, matter and energy, computers and math, and fossils and ruins.  (On the negative side, the "Ads by Google" appears in the center of the page and other ads can be quite distracting.)

Aging Parents

Are you a late Baby Boomer, or an early Gen Xer? Then you're probably thinking about or already dealing with aging parents. We have a lot of books in our system to help you deal with the many issues surrounding elder care and family dynamics. Here area a few of them.

Aging is a Family Affair: How to Start Tomorrow's Difficult Caregiving Decisions--Today
Mary Ann Massey

A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents-- And Ourselves

Jane Gross

 

The Complete Eldercare Planner: Where to Start, Which Questions to Ask, and How to Find Help

Joy Loverde

 

Stages of Senior Care: Your Step by Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions

Paul Hogan

They're Your Parents Too!: How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents' Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy

Francine Russo



Travelling without your library card and need information?

Are you travelling in Oregon without your library card and need information? Fear not.

Libraries of Oregon is a new website " that connects Oregon residents to statewide library resources and local public libraries. From here you can access databases that house articles, video clips, podcasts, and images from encyclopedias, almanacs newspapers, and magazines or use the 24/7 ask-a-librarian service to satisfy their information needs."

No library card needed.

Check it out today!

Books on Autism

We have quite a few books on Autism and Aspergers.  Here are just two new recently ordered titles.

I Am Intelligent: From Heartbreak to Healing--A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Autism by Peyton Goddard 

A gripping look into the lives of a mother obsessed with curing her child of autism and a daughter who retains full awareness of her situation.

The Autism Puzzle: Connecting the Dots between Environmental Toxins and Rising Autism Rates by Brita Belli

The author takes us into the lives of three families with autism children each with different ideas about autism as she explores the possible causes.

Alcoholism or Problem Drinking

Did you know that the diagnosis of drug and alcohol addiction will be revised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 2013? Here is a link to a blog about the changes. Apparently, it will be a lot easier to be diagnosed as an alcoholic or addict in the new edition. Will this mean: More books needed? More treatment center space needed? More professionals needed? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Meanwhile--here are resources for problem drinking:

Getting Money

PLANNING THE "BIG ASK"
Check out books ... at the library on writing a grant proposal
-or on writing a business plan for a new business
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE

Are you excited about The Avengers movie?

Joss Whedon directed and co-wrote the new avengers movie, coming out May 4. Maybe you're already familiar with his work. He's pretty well-known for being the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", first a movie and then a hit tv show, and its spin-off series, "Angel". But did you know he also co-wrote the screenplay for Toy Story? Or that he was the writer and director of the movie Serenity, based on his own much-loved but short-lived tv show "Firefly"? He also created the television series "Dollhouse" as well as the online sensation "Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog". All these items are available through the Washington County Cooperative- check them out today, and see what all the buzz is about! 

Digital Photography Help

I seem to get overwhelmed when trying to manage my digital photos.  I think I save them and then can't find them!  I hope to pick up some tips and tricks on managing digital photos while attending our program on photosharing on Wednesday May 9 at 6:30 pm.  We also have lots of good digital photography books here at the library as well as books on digital scrapbooking, and much more.

Reading my father: a memoir

What is it about a book that catches our attention and forces us to select it and once caught up in its magic, makes it almost impossible for us to put it down /turn it off?
For me, when reading the book Reading my Father:a Memoir by Alexandra Styron, the following ingredients were what drew me to it and kept me enslaved till the last page:
1. the authors great writing style. The apple did not fall very far from the tree with this author. (Her father and the subject of the book is William Styron.)
2. the memories of her childhood growing up around flamboyant parents who lived very full, eciting and tempestuous lives.
3. a book about one of my favorite authors, William Stryon, and one of our greatest American novelists/essayists and author of Sophie's Choice, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Lie Down in Darkness, and many more.
4. a trip though time and her father's life as she researched a major collection of his letters, unfinished manuscripts, and many more items that may have never before been read and had never been published.
           After I fnished this book it made me want to read other memoirs or biographies of authors. Hope that it has the same effect on you.

Choosing a different path

Just imagine one day you are working at a famous corporation for a famous CEO in busy Manhattan being exhausted by the fast paced life style, and then you're not. You have made the choice to give up a very lucrative job as editorial director of Martha Stewart Onmigraphics so that you can choose " a path towards things they don't necessarily pay you or pat you on the back for."
 In And I Shall Have Some Peace Here: Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road" , Margaret Roach shares the transformation that she underwent as she shed her corporate persona  to recreate her life living in her weekend country house upstate New York. She would immerse herself in her passion for gardening along with  learning how to accept the slower pace of life. Roach became a keen observor of the wildlife on her property and through the lessons these creatures offered, she learned to embrace change and welcomed the shedding of her old identity.
Out of her love of nature and gardening came the creation of her website, http://margaretroach.com/, that can connect one to links for the following:   In the Garden- her horticultural source for organic gardening inspiration,  Finding Peace - a place to find her thoughts about her transformation and hints for the rest of us ,  her  "corporate" link, and more.
  Check out her book and see what  you can discover even if you haven't quit your job.

Census records from 1940 released today!

Hello genealogy junkies everywhere! You might be interested in knowing details about 1940 census, but you might have to wait. Here's a link describing the crushing load that the census computers are having on the internet now... I just tried it with Ancestry Library edition which we furnish via WCCLS Genealogy links to in-house users. It still hasn't loaded yet and I clicked it more than 20 minutes ago.. By the way HeritageQuest's description does not show 1940 census yet but they may just be redoing it now.

http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/02/10972767-archives-bends-under-rush-for-1940-census-records-share-your-family-stories

National Career Readiness Tests

Individuals can earn the NCRC by taking three tests. In the library, search catalog.wccls.org for 3 titles.

• Locating Information
• Reading for Information
• Applied Mathematics

Brush up on your Oregon Trivia

The Oregon Encyclopedia

The Oregon encyclopedia is an authoritative and FREE resource on all things Oregon, from the expected to the unexpected. All entries are reviewed by experts and checked for accuracy. ~Portland State University

Finding your birthparents

 Here are a couple of books that might be useful to anyone trying to find their birthparents.

Adoption Records Handbook
Teresa A. Brown
2008

The Adoption Searcher's Handbook
Norma Mott Tillman
2010

The Ultimate Search Book: Worldwide Adpotion, Genealogy & Other Search Secrets

Lori Carangelo

2011

New Business Prospecting

New Businesses are a lucrative list. Salespeople, job hunters, and investors like to follow trends in employment numbers, market size, and other factors related to new businesses coming out. To get information on new businesses in the whole of the USA, the Washington County Library provides you with Reference USA. There is a feature in Reference USA that allows you to isolate new businesses.


To get information on new businesses in Oregon, you can find that in www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/ats and dropdown and select one of these actions: Expanding firm, Reduction in Employment, New Firm, Closure, Rehire, Hiring Freeze, Labor dispute, Sale/Merger/Acquisition, Relocation, Future Impact, Education/Training, Stimulus, Other,



 

The Snow Child

We may not know it but when we start reading a book we are either drawn in to it or forced away from it for different reasons and those reasons are called, in library lingo, Appeal Factors. These factors can be as varied as: Characterization, Plot/Storyline, Setting, Language, Genre, Time Frame, and Pacing.


Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child, drew me into her superb tale using two appeals, Language and Setting, rolled into one. Her novel is a mystical tale of a young child who is created out of a "snow-child" by a childless couple who are learning how to deal with the rigors of homesteading in 1920 in the Alaskan wilderness.


From the beginning of her tale her use of language and her choice of setting "ensnared" me so that it was very difficult for me to put the book down in between readings. I felt the cold of the winter nights as if I was the one who had slept in the cabin where the cracks encouraged the cold to sneak in and endured the intensity of the summer sun that caused Mabel to be drenched with sweat as she worked in their vegetable field for the first time.


This tale is Ivey's debut novel and I for one anticipate the appearance of her next creation and wonder what mysteries and locales she will offer us next.

Treats From India

It seems that everything these days is coming up India. We see Bollywood musicals, we eat at Indian cafes, we argue with Indian call-centers about our credit card bills, but most particularly we read Indian authors. Like Indian food; these books are often scrumptious. Here are some examples:

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie

The Guide by R. K. Narayan

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

The Namesake by Jumpa Lahiri

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

This is just a very small sample. Search under the subject heading “India fiction” @ www.wccls.org for a more complete listing of all that is available

Not Buying it: My Year without shopping.

In "Not Buying it: My Year without shopping", journalist Judith Levine involves her partner Paul in a quest to evaluate their consumerism by giving up shopping for a year. During the year they try to find out why they buy the things they do and what do they really get out of the stuff they bring home. In this book Judith's ambivalence about her shopping and shopping in our culture in general via her journalistic skills. She offers us a window into what that year looked like for them along with information on topics such as the "household storage" and "out of household storage/self-storage" industries. According to the author, in 2006 there were 37,000 self-storage facilities in the United States that averaged from 80-90 percent of occupancy.


If you are not already questioning your spending, this book may spark some discussion as to how you too could survive a year without shopping.

Sew Lovely

March is National Craft Month. If your bent is sewing ( and even if it's not) Simple Modern Sewing by Shufu To Seikatsu Sha will inspire you to dust off your sewing machine. The author presents eight simple, elegant designs upon which to build a wardrobe. Two pattern sheets are included.

One Simple Act

Debbie Macomber is best known for her wonderful fiction works, but she has also written several non-fiction titles.  One Simple Act:  Discovering the Power of Generosity is an eye-opener in the sense of how a simple act of generosity can have lasting effects on not only the recipient but also on the giver as well. She gives examples of true stories from everyday life and also includes motivating messages of how giving the gift of time, hope, prayer, hospitality, laughter, encouragement and sometime even forgiveness can be life-changing.

Consumer Reports Does not Rank Everything.

To have a complete list of things that Consumer Reports hasn't ever ranked, or that they ranked four or more years ago, go here: http://tinyurl.com/3ptdjb . You will not find recent rankings of furnaces, hearing aids, automobile stereo equipment, herbal supplements, radar detectors, mattresses, tires, power blowers, power drills, golf equipment or many other very popular things in Consumer Reports. I say rankings. But you can find buyers advice.

We could all use a little help...

The journal of best practices : a memoir of marriage, Asperger syndrome, and one man's quest to be a better husband by  David Finch

We could all use a little help and sometimes the information or inspiration may come from an unexpected source. Five years into his marriage David is diagnosed with Asperger and this is his story on how he learns to deal with the diagnosis and become a better husband. I think this quote from Dave Berry sums up the book nicely:
“David Finch has Asperger Syndrome – a disorder that, in some ways, means ‘acting like a guy.’ His often-hilarious efforts to understand and cope with his condition will resonate with every guy whose wife has ever asked him, ‘What the hell were you THINKING?’”


--Dave Barry, author of I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood

Do you know about peonage?

In his famous quote, William Shakespeare asserted that, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." For, it is the character of the thing that defines it, not the name. On Tuesday night, PBS aired the 90 minute documentary entitled Slavery by Another Name. This film, based on the Pulitzer Prize and American Book Award winning book by Douglas Blackmon, reveals a little known part of the American story; a new form of slavery that followed the civil war and lasted well into the twentieth century. This one is a must read!

Living Roots of Music

On Wednesday, April 11th, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. in the Library Auditorium. Lauren Pelon will perform a program called "The Living Roots of Music"

Pelon performs music from the 1st to the 21st centuries on archlute, guitar, lute-guitar, lyre, recorders, gemshorns, cornamuse, krummhorn, schreierpfeife, shawm, rackett, pennywhistles, psalmodikon, concertina, ocarina, hurdy-gurdy, doucaine, bowed and plucked psalteries, Kiowa courting flute, eagle bone flute, synthesizers, electric wind instrument, and MIDI-pedalboard. She also traces the story of music and tells stories about the development of instruments throughout history.

And she also sings!                  

Home and Garden

February in the Northwest can be dicey at best - rain, snow, sleet, rain...you get the picture.  But one thing we all can look forward to are the two home and garden shows coming up over the next two weekends.  Portlanders are passionate about their homes and gardens and these shows whet the appetites for home renovations and give all of us the spring fever bug.  This is where the Beaverton City Library can help.  We have literally hundreds of books on home improvement, interior decoration, gardening, landscaping and anything that will make a house a home that you will love.  Books start flying off the shelves after these shows so don't miss out!

Looking for employment?

If you are looking for a new job or wishing to change jobs memorize one website,http://www.employment.oregon.gov/ . This is the State of Oregon's employment website.

This site offers quality information to assist Oregonians find work or improve their employment prospects. Information includes help on benefits, taxes, education, childcare, links to jobs and so much more.

This site has great resources and links to job fairs and events.

If you are a Veteran, there is a site dedicated to assisting Veterans.

The website is also available in Spanish. 

Beaverton Library has amazing magazines

If you are looking for ways to save money maybe it is time to look at your magazine subscriptions.

Beaverton Library has some AMAZING magazines. And, all the past issues may be borrowed!

If you like Art, we have Art in America












If science and technology is more your interes check out ieee spectrum, the magazine of technology insiders.
This month's issue reviews the top 10 tech cars!


Concerned about the environment? Check out



E - The Environmental Magazine






We have so many more...stop by soon and check them out!

Three Simple Rules That Will Change the World

Three Simple Rules That Will Change the World is a book written by Rueben P. Job and is based on the teachings of John Wesley. This little book speaks volumes in that if each of us followed its three basic tenets, the world would be a very different place.  As the back cover of the book states:  "There is no one secret to life. But there are three simple rules that have the power to change your life and your world.  John Wesley first taught and practiced these rules many years ago. Now it is up to us to practice this way of living.  Not only can these rules change your life, they can change the world.  This insightful work calls us to mutual respect, unity, and a deeper daily relationship with God."  A very worthwhile read.

Good Reading in Your Inbox

A parent asked one of our staff if she could be notified when new chapter books were added to the collection. The answer was Yes! Staff have created a number of newsletters on a variety of topics that you can subscribe to and receive via email.  Besides a newsletter on Children's Chapter Books, there are approximately 30 different newsletters that feature recommendations from individual libraries or that are subject specific like the listing for craft and hobby books called Make It!  Another newsletter is Book Sizzle which highlights books currently in the media. To browse the list and make your selections, just go to www.wccls.org, click on the Lending Library tab, then Good Reading: Book Reviews and Beyond.  The Good Reading in Your Inbox page will allow you to browse the listing of newsletters.  You just click on the check box next to each e-newsletter you want to receive, enter your e-mail address in the box at the bottom of the page, and click on the Subscribe button below your e-mail address. A quick and easy way to keep up with your reading interests!

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Excited to see the new movie, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy? Or have you already seen the movie and are confused? Want some background? Then you should definitely visit http://www.wccls.org/ and check out our Literary Online Resources.

Novelist Plus provides a synopsis and a book discussion guide to help you understanding.

Another database to consider is: Contemporary Literary Criticism Select.

Enjoy you adventure untangling the nuances of the movie.

Fugitive Facts

The Beaverton Library has many amazing and wonderful resources to answer most of your questions so you may never have a use for the website, Fugitive Facts but if you find yourself browsing websites, check this site out.

It is produced and managed by the Hennepin County Library with the goal of locating "hard-to-find and miscellaneous information". Some of the information is specific to Hennepin County but most entries are not.

For instance, Walking. Did you know that "The average American walks 92,375 miles during his or her lifetime".

Have fun exploring these fugitive facts.

If your new year's resolution was to get organized...

here are a few titles at the Beaverton Library that might appeal to you:


New this year, Brette Sember's The Organized Kitchen will help you start your mission to get organized with the heart of the home.






Learn how to reclaim your space and your time with some advice from author Tsh Oxenreider in her book, Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-free Approach to Intentional Living.








And Organizing for the Creative Person by Dorothy Lehmkuhl shows creative people how to arrange their desks, their time, and their lives "in a style consistent with their unique way of perceiving the world."