Something New: Recycled Crafts

There are lots of fun, crafty and fashionable ways to reuse items we might normally throw away. Here are some books to give you ideas for some green summer projects.

Creative Crafting with Recycled Greeting Cards

Earth-Friendly Crafts for Kids: 50 Awesome Things to Make with Recycled Stuff

Eco-Craft: Recycle-Recraft-Restyle

Garden Decoration from Junk

Generation T: Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways to Transform a T-Shirt

Remake Restyle Reuse: Easy Ways to Transform Everyday Basics into Inspired Design

FedFlix!

FedFlix is a video archive of media put out by the federal government over the last 70 years from all kinds of agencies including the CIA and NASA. There are currently over 1600 videos available, all public domain. Videos include coverage of historical events, Public Service Announcements (PSA) and training videos.

As you might expect, some of these videos have not aged well and while informative at the time, are pretty funny now. After you take a look at a few you’ll be hooked!

Some examples of the variety of videos you can expect are this cutting edge animation from the Department of Defense (1984) and the sobering Atomic Attack (1950). There are also award-winning features such as Island of Hope, Island of Tears about Ellis Island. (1989).

You can search by agency, keyword or see a complete list

Digital Comics Museum

The Digital Comic Museum is just what the doctor ordered when you’re jonesing for some cool summertime recreational reading. The DCM offers hundreds of unique comics in their original format ready for you to download and enjoy.

These aren’t newly published comics – they’re gems from the past.  1950s classics like “Black Cobra” , the war-time classic “Joe Yank”, and “Captain Steve Savage”  are just some of the great titles you can download for free! You’ll need to complete a short registration form before you can start reading, but registration is free.  Too cool!!

The State of the News Media

The Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism have released their annual State of the News Media report website for 2010. This is a fascinating website that examines different aspects and forms of the media, from print and television to online sources. You’ll find rankings of news outlets and statistics galore, trends, predictions and other information including media ownership.

The 2009 Year in News Interactive section is an interesting way to dissect which stories grabbed the most coverage over the year. They also have archives of reports from previous years. There are lots of articles to sink your teeth into on this well presented site.

The National Maritime Museum: Ships and Seas

We have a wonderful online exhibition to share with the you, whether nautically inclined or a land-lover, arrr! National Maritime Museum Ships and Seas features maritime history and facts along with information about some of the pioneers of sailing and discovery.

Seaworthy collections on the site include model ships, historic charts and maps, flags and oil paintings. You’ll also find articles, audio lectures, film archives and picture galleries. Set sail on the seas of maritime discovery on this fascinating site!

Something New: Yoga

Yoga can be stimulating for both body and mind. We have lots of books and DVDs ranging from beginner level to advanced. So why not give it a try? Here are a sample of titles, you’ll find many more in the library catalog.

Books:
Classic Yoga for Fitness and Relaxation
The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga
The New Yoga for Healthy Aging
Yoga Baby
Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health

DVDs:
Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies
Beginning Yoga
Big Yoga
More Yoga for the Rest of Us
Power Yoga

Library eBook Accessibility Program (LEAP)

We are excited to announce that the library is now participating in Overdrive’s Library eBook Accessibility Program (LEAP). This program provides our patrons with print disabilities access to Bookshare’s collection of  60,000 books, magazines, newspapers and other electronic titles for free!  (These titles are available in DAISY or Braille format)

To register and start downloading, or to find out if you qualify click this link or see our Overdrive homepage!

The Frick Collection

If you’re an art lover, the Frick Collection in New York City is probably one of your must-visit destinations. But if you can’t get to the Big Apple for a month of gallery visits, the internet is a great substitute — and the Frick Collection has a great site.

Browse the permanent collection, visit the on-loan collections (the current one is rockin’!), and listen to podcasts covering everything from art history to painting restoration. It’s all there in glorious high-resolution!

So get your art lover on and visit the Frick Collection online today.

Teen Theater Workshop

We have an exciting program this week for teens interested in acting and theater. Dancer/storyteller/artist Roscoe Reddix will teach improvisation, theater techniques and help teens create their own stories. This is not to be missed! So come on out to one of the following sessions:

Wednesday June 23rd

Carver Branch 10:00am
Eden Park Branch 2:30pm

Thursday June 24th

Delmont Gardens Branch 10:00am
Scotlandville Branch 2:30pm

Future Baton Rouge

Have your say on how East Baton Rouge should look in the future!

“The East Baton Rouge Comprehensive Plan or “FUTUREBR” is an opportunity to shape future growth in the city and parish over the next 30 years. This project is based on an inclusive, parish-wide process to craft a new vision, policy framework, and implementation strategies that reflect the needs and aspirations of parish citizens.”

Open coffee meetings are held throughout the year, the next meetings are June 22 and June 23,  come along and share your thoughts. Visit Futurebr for more details and on how you can be involved. On the site you’ll find videos, presentations and can sign up for email updates.