Blog Entries

Native American Heritage Month is celebrated in November to acknowledge the rich traditions, histories, and contributions of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities. Although the month-long observance is just 34 years old, efforts to honor Native Americans stretch back more than a century. In 1916, the Governor of New York proclaimed the second Saturday in May “American Indian Day.” Decades later, in 1986, Congress established “American Indian Week,” observed from November 23–30.

Who doesn’t love October? The blazing fall foliage, the brisk, bold weather, the brief, bright interlude between summer and winter - for many, October is the high point of the year.  Of course, October culminates with Halloween, notable for pranks, clanging door bells, costumes and too much candy.

September signals both the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. For some, this season also marks a major life transition into a stage that was once called “empty nesters,”  but is now more cheerfully described as “free birds.” Whether you are coping with the change in status gleefully or woefully, the library, with its wealth of resources, is the perfect place to launch this new and hopefully inspiring chapter of your life. Click on the book jackets below to discover titles that explore this highly relatable journey.

National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed annually from September 15 to October 15, is a tribute to the rich history, cultural diversity, and enduring contributions of Hispanic Americans—those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Originally established as Hispanic Heritage Week by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, the celebration was extended to a month-long observance in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan.

August passes in a blink—the fleeting last gasp of summer before we hit the ground running in September. For many of us, late summer brings a familiar anxiety: does the feeling of an impending first day of school ever really go away?

This month, why not change the narrative? Take time to reset, refocus, and recharge by exploring some of the library’s latest self-help and inspirational titles. From practical guides on personal growth to uplifting memoirs, the books below can help you transition into fall with calm and clarity.

There’s no better vacation - or staycation - companion than a good book, a real page turner that you absolutely cannot put down. The books pictured below encompass a wide variety of styles and themes; the one thing they have in common is their ability to transport.  See the quotes below for the thoughts of famous authors on the joys of summer reading.  And, finally, click on a book jacket to be taken to a catalog link.  

“One benefit of Summer was that each day we had more light to read by.” Jeannette Walls

Juneteenth, also known as the second Independence Day or Emancipation Day, is our eleventh and newest  federal  holiday. President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June 17, 2021, officially establishing June 19 as a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.  Why June 19th? Because on that day in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops marched into Texas and announced that by executive decree more than 250,000 enslaved people were free. General Order No.

President Lyndon B. Johnson said: “This land flourished because it was fed from so many sources - because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.”  Johnson’s belief that this country’s strength is derived from its diversity is echoed in the annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a tribute to the enormous cultural and historical contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians  and Pacific Islanders to the diverse tapestry of  the United States.

There’s a lot to celebrate in May - spring flowers, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and, for the past 19 years, Jewish American Heritage Month.  Following a concerted effort by Jewish leaders to establish a national celebration acknowledging Jewish American contributions to the United States, the monthlong annual holiday was finally inaugurated in 2006 through the bi-partisan efforts of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) and the late Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and recognized by a Congressional Resolut

Over sixty years ago, Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring sounded an alarm about the devastating impact of pesticides on the natural world.  Her book was the wake up call we all needed, the spark that ignited the modern environmental movement. Silent Spring not only  led to the 1972 banning of DDT but resulted in new government policies to safeguard our air and water and, ultimately, our health.  Eight years after the publication of Silent Spring, Earth Day was celebrated for the first time on April 22, 1970, by more than 20 milli

What do poetry and spring have in common? Poetry, like spring, is a source of inspiration and renewal, evoking themes of rebirth, optimism and the cyclical nature of life. So, it is no coincidence that National Poetry Month, now in  its 29th year, occurs in April. The commemoration was first launched by the American Academy of Poets in 1996.

On March 12, 1987, Congress passed  Public Law 100-9, designating March as Women’s History Month. Why was March chosen for the celebration?

February is Black History Month, an annual tribute to generations of African Americans whose invaluable contributions to this country were achieved in the face of tremendous adversity.  Originally a week-long observance created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson,  the celebration was expanded to a month in 1976  by President Gerald R.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and visionary civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., died on April 4, 1968, but it took 32 years for a government holiday in his honor to be recognized by all fifty states.  Dr. King’s birthday was signed into law as a federal holiday in 1983 and took effect three years later on January 20, 1986.  However, it was not until 2000 that  all fifty states officially observed the holiday.

At the end of the year we are all besieged by lists singling out the best in every genre - best movies, best books, best TV series, etc.  While suggestions from esteemed critics are certainly valid sources for recommendations, in our community of avid readers you can also find inspiration in the titles your neighbors have selected over the past year.  Listed below are some of the titles that have flown off our shelves most frequently in 2024.  Click on the book jacket to be taken to the link in our catalog. Happy reading!