Let your eye enjoy the color and your ear the soothing sound.  Jazz, birds, and non-fiction books are featured this month in library displays.

Summer Solstice Jazz Festival fills the streets of downtown East Lansing on June 18-20, 2010.  Sounds sure to get your body and soul movin' will fill the air.  Get ready when you next visit the library and check out the display featuring jazz books and recordings.

Waking in the morning to the chitters, coos, and trills of all those birds pulls our hearts and minds into the promise of each new day.  Celebrate birds of all feathers by stopping by the birdwatching display the next time you stop in the library.  You can even catch a information-filled preview on the web at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Birding Association.

Summer is always the time to break out of your reading rut.  Take a look at our display of what can only be called "Fetching Non-Fiction."  Pick up a book that strikes your fancy -- and keep your horizons expanding!

What's the 5th book in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson?  The author's first name is Marilyn and she writes a mystery series--who could she be?  Has James Lee Burke written more than the Dave Robicheaux series?

The What's Next Books in Series database (compiled by the Kent District Library) is one of our favorite sites for answering questions about all things related to book series.  It's bound to become a favorite of yours, too.

Librarian's Recommended Pages

This page contains a long A - Z list of useful websites for everything from Automotive appraisal, to English as a second language, and even information about health and medicine. The page can also be accessed from our site under Research => Librarian's Recommended Pages, or by searching the site for "Librarian's links." To get started click here or on the globe to the left.

Tax Forms & Information - Tax Year 2009

The Michigan Notable Books for 2010 were recently announced by the Library of Michigan.

Up to twenty of the most notable books, either written by a Michigan resident or about Michigan or the Great Lakes, are selected each year. The selected books are honored in the year after their publication or copyright date.   Each title speaks to our state's rich cultural, historical, and literary heritage and proves without a doubt that some of the greatest stories are found in the Great Lakes State.

Michigan is rich in good writers and the Library of Michigan is proud to honor and celebrate this wonderful literary heritage each year with a "Night for Notables" event and with the annual grant-funded authors' tour to libraries throughout the state (to be announced later).

Are you still looking for a quality holiday gift for a special child in your life?  Check out the Parents' Choice 2009 Holiday Gift Guide .  To find a great gift, you are able to search for Featured Gift Ideas, Gifts by Age, and Gifts by Price.  If that isn't enough, the site also features a Gift Finder in which you can plug in the child's interests (such as animals, reading, arts & crafts, etc.), their age, and your budget.

While you're on the site, check out the Parents' Choice Fall 2009 Award Winners.  Since 1978, the Parents' Choice Awards program "honors the best material for children: books, toys, music and storytelling, magazines, software, videogames, television and websites.  Parents' Choice Foundation's panel of educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents, and yes, kids themselves, identify the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels."

National Cyber Security Alliance
Federal Trade Commission
Homeland Security

Are you in a book group? Thinking about joining or starting one? October is National Reading Group Month, so if you're not in a book group already, now is a good time to join. Check out the following web sites for info on reading groups and lists of good books:

National Reading Group Month (with lists of featured books)
Reading Group Choices (sign up for their free newsletter)

What's your favorite book? Adventures of Huckleberry Finn....Harry Potter....The Twilight Series....Captain Underpants...

Chances are good someone has tried to ban it.

Here are some great web sites to help you find good books for your children.

Kidsreads.com
Part of The Book Report Network, a group of websites that share book reviews, compelling features, in-depth author profiles and interviews, excerpts of the hottest new releases, literary games and contests, and more with readers every week.

About.com: Children's Books
Lots of ads, but still good. You can sign up for Elizabeth Kennedy's (a journalist and educator) email newsletter.

Reading is Fundamental

So many people want to take a romantic sightseeing in France. It's not about a romantic dinner at the Eiffel tower.  It's about appreciate Eiffel's design of an exponential curve.

 Seeking Michigan has won the 2009 Best Archives on the Web Award.    Seeking Michigan is about…Michigan of course!  The name derives from the state motto: "Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice," ”If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.”   At Seeking Michigan, you can explore Michigan's past and present in three sections.  The "Seek" section lets you search the archives of the State of Michigan for photographs, maps, spoken histories, and documents such as death records.  The "Discover" section is a group of collections that feature unique aspects of Michigan’s history, such as the Civil War, music, oral history, lighthouses, and so much more.  The "Look" section features an eclectic collection of stories, photos and more to connect you to our great state and its wonderful history.  Seeking Michigan was created by the Library of Michigan and the State Archives of Michigan.