This Week at SBPL I Discovered … Yoga!

As I got out of bed the other day my right shoulder hurt. When I twisted to stretch out that sore spot, my lower back hurt. I stood up in my doorway and reached for the top of the door frame and grabbed hold. I dropped down and let my weight pull out the kinks in my old body until it felt right again. What little I have gleaned in my sporadic visits to the gym told me that this body needed a more long-term solution.

There is enough health information floating around the internet and water cooler to tell me that this body might best be mended with yoga. It is physical but gentle enough if practiced for old people like me to do it (hey, if its good enough for Raquel Welch…!) But, where to start? The Library of course!

After searching in the Library’s online catalog I found enough print and AV materials on yoga to fill the trunk of my car. Looking in the nonfiction area, around the Dewy number 613.7 I found yoga books upon yoga books. There are a variety of types of yoga styles (astanga, hatha, and bikram to name a few), some more rigorous than others. There are yoga books aimed at heavyset adults, beginners, soul searchers, persons with special needs, men, women, children, the elderly, “idiots,” and a few for those who want to look like a model and think like a guru.

That gave me a lot to consider.

I needed to learn more about yoga in general first before I could decide which specific path would be best for me, so I started with The Everything Yoga Book and figured I would get to the DVDs after I learned more about which yoga I wanted.

The books and movies were fine and all accounted for, but one-on-one with an instructor would probably be even better, so I investigated what yoga classes are offered at the Library. There are several! The Library partners with professional instructors for various offerings at a small fee to help benefit the Friends of the Library. Fundraising dollars help the Friends to support many of our classes and programs for the public, such as the current Summer Reading events.

From fall through spring, the Library offers basic beginner and intermediate yoga classes in recurring six-week courses that cost $60 per session. During the 2012 summer, there is a Back Care Yoga course, in addition to Qigong (pronounced chee-gung), both are now open for registration. Qigong is not actually yoga, but incorporates yoga-like movement with breathing and relaxation exercises to help with physical and mental well-being. That couldn’t hurt!

So, this summer I will be focused on self-improvement through yoga with the help of classes, books, and movies at my local Library. Namaste!

What are you discovering this summer at the South Brunswick Public Library?!


by Rosemary Gohd, PR/Marketing

This Week at the SBPL I Discovered … How to Help Myself!

Last Saturday night I was up late watching television and as I surfed through the channels, not looking for anything in particular, an infomercial by motivational speaker Tony Robbins caught my eye. I landed here for awhile. I watched and listened to the captivating sales pitch and urgent outreach.

The price tag was big enough to require installments and I thought what a shame. As I listened to the announcer’s push to call right now, I thought, “I bet the library has something by Tony Robbins … for free!” And, we do. Actually we have three double audio cassette packages. They are not the latest in Robbins collection, but who cares? I listened to all of them on my commute to and from work and was surely motivated to do better, think better, feel better, but what really felt the best right off the bat was that I got my shot in the arm for free! Thanks to the Library.



Feeling better through your own efforts is what self-help propaganda is all about. By using the library instead of my wallet, I added bonus feel-better points right up front. I got my pep talk with zero installments, free and clear! While the self-help gurus probably won’t mention this (no) payment option in their infomercials (understandably, they are trying to make a living after all and I do not begrudge them), getting my boost for free…helped me feel successful and richer right away!

Do you need a helping hand in your personal life? At no charge at all? Just walk to Row 26 in our book collection at South Brunswick Public Library (we also have some A/V on the other side of the Library’s main floor, across from the DVD collection. In Row 26 you will find the comfort of friends such as Dr. Phil, Joel Olsteen, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, and Jack Canfield, among many more.



Topics in self-help (Dewey numbers in the 150s) touch topics of interest including happiness, health, self-esteem, love, weight loss, energy, budgeting, parenting(find more parenting resources in the Children’s Dept.), and of course relationships of all kinds.



So the next time that you feel the need for a little self-help, start feeling good first by taking your Library card out of your wallet and not your credit card.



Have a happy day! 

This Week at SBPL I Discovered ... Screen-Free Week!

Beginning today, Monday, April 30 through Sunday, May 6, people of all ages are electing to turn off their screens in recognition of Screen-Free Week (formerly TV-Turnoff Week).  There is a website, an office in Washington, DC and activists all over the world dedicated to this one week in 52!

The Library has numerous books on the topic as well diversions.  For more information on activities and details on the Week, go to http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/screenfreeweek/.  For local Library diversions, see our events calendar at http://www.sbpl.info/.

I have been challenging my family with this week for years, so we are quite used to the idea.  However, everytime I mention it to someone for the first time I get a look like I just said I planned to set myself on fire!  I don't know about you but I find it a little scary that anyone would find it so impossible to conceive of not watching television for a week, let alone not using a computer (for entertainment) or other electronic device.  I enjoy television and computers too, but jeez it's just seven days.  I like the challenge!

There is plenty to do, especially this time of year. We are lucky to have a great Library, but there is also the Delaware-Raritan Canal to explore, as well as your own backyard.  Play tennis, croquet, start your tomato garden, dust off the board games and play together, clean out your closets and donate the excess to the Food Pantry and Goodwill, etc.  How about calling up some neighbors to come sit on your deck for tea and a chat?  Teach your child how to jump rope or play hop scotch.  My kids always liked to play Legos and ping pong during the week.  Why not write down a new idea to try each evening? 

After everyone gets home from work there is really just a couple of hours to fill.  Have a family sit-down dinner together and clean up together.  After the dishes are done and homework is finished your night is almost at an end (provided you are not already at any scheduled extra-curricular activities anyway). 

Too tired to want to do anything?  That's OK.  Read a book or just sit back and relax and listen to music.  It's really up to you.  The challenge is yours.  Why not try it?  You have nothing to lose except some time in front of a screen. 

Finding that time is really the challenge these days!  Whether I am shopping at the mall, on the treadmill at the gym, or sitting in the dentist chair, there is an unsolicited television screen thrust in my face.  It's really kind of offensive, as if I can't spend a moment without televised entertainment.   

It's been said that the brain activity is more engaged daydreaming than while watching television. See more about this on the website http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/screenfreeweek/.

Screen-Free Week is an annual event where children, families, schools and communities are encouraged to turn off screens and "turn on life." Instead of relying on television programming for entertainment, participants read, daydream, explore, enjoy nature, and spend time with family and friends.

In 2010, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) became the home of Screen-Free Week at the request of the Board of the Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness (CSTA), which ran the initiative since 1994 (first as TV-Free America). CCFC launched a new website and developed a new Organizer's Kit, fact sheets, and other materials for Screen-Free Week 2011 and beyond.

Although my teenage children complain that no one else but me actually attempts to be screen-free this week, it is estimated that more than 100 million people have taken part in the turnoff, with millions participating each year.  So there! 

If you participate, please comment here about what you did in your new-found free time!

Good Flicks You Might Have Missed… by Jill Eisner, Sr. Librarian

If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, here are some more of my favorites from our collection. Let me know what you think!

Win Win

Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor.

Mike Flaherty is a lovable yet long-suffering lawyer and high school wrestling coach. When he comes across a teenage runaway who also happens to be a champion wrestler, Mike's luck turns around in spectacular fashion. But his win-win situation soon becomes more complicated than he ever imagined when the boy's family affairs come into play. 2011, rated R. Genre: Comedy/Drama.

The Soloist

Starring Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey, Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, LisaGay Hamilton.

In 2005, the only thing hurting Los Angeles Times columnist and recent bike accident victim Steve Lopez more than his banged-up face, was his pressing need for story ideas. He soon discovers Nathaniel Ayers, a skid row schizophrenic street musician, who possesses extraordinary talent - even though he only has half-broken instruments to play. Inspired by Nathaniel's story, Lopez writes an acclaimed series of articles about him and attempts to do more to help both him, and the rest of the underclass of L.A. have a better life. Lopez's good intentions run headlong into Nathaniel's personal demons and the larger issues of social injustice facing the homeless. Regardless, Lopez and Nathaniel find a way to conquer their deepest anxieties and frustrations. 2009, rated PG-13. Genre: Drama.

Down With Love

Starring Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, David Hyde Pierce, Sarah Paulson, Tony Randall.

A feminist writer in the early 1960's who is promoting her book 'Down With Love' has sworn off love. A dashingly chauvinistic New York City journalist thinks he doesn't need love. They both fall for each other in this hilarious parody of the Doris Day/Rock Hudson-type sex comedies of the early sixties.

2003, rated PG-13. Genre: Comedy

This Week at the SBPL I Discovered … The World in South Brunswick Art & Diversity Show!

Who knew? Our South Brunswick community can sing, dance, and even take an audience on an entertaining trip around the world! This week the Library offered its annual World in South Brunswick Art & Diversity Show. It never ceases to amaze me the variety of world cultures we are able to represent, as well as the quality of performances in the two-day festival.
Professionals as well as local students performed in acts representing China, England, India, Scotland, and more. It is the student volunteers in YAC (Youth Advisory Council) and TSF (Teen Special Forces) along with Young Adult Librarian Saleena Davidson that organize the program. All of the performances in the show are given to the public free of charge.

A bake sale featuring some ethnic and universal treats helped support the Friends of the Library. Monies raised by the Friends sponsor this event every year, as well as numerous programs offered free at the Library to all ages throughout the year.

Children were welcome to watch and were also offered crafts and fun to-dos in a separate room if they chose.

The weekend celebrates the cultural diversity we enjoy in South Brunswick. It is also a great example of how today’s Library has become a true community keystone, not just a quite place to write your term paper. But sure, if you want that we have that too. On our busier and sometimes nosier days, it might be best for such a person to set up in the Quiet Study Room. This is our dedicated quiet space for those who need to escape our more active learning experiences!

Today’s library, certainly our Library, offers educational opportunities beyond what is found on a quiet, dusty shelf. Some are singing, dancing, and even eating opportunities! Whenever you are wondering what to do with your time, just stop by (we are open 7 days a week) or go online to http://www.sbpl.info/ and see what’s going on at the Library. There is always something to discover here! Discovery is what we are all about.

To see photos from the Art & Diversity Show, please go to our website or our Facebook page. 

By Rosemary Gohd
PR/Marketing

New Library Website Unveiled during National Library Week April 8-14

How Will You Celebrate?

We recommend that you take a few minutes to discover our new and improved website at www.sbpl.info! We are choosing this week to unveil our spectacular (why be modest?!) new portal to the hundreds of resources we offer for education and entertainment seven days a week. While visiting the site you will notice our new interactive E-Branch. Click here to find all things "e" available at a glance, including links to e-books, online classes, tutoring, and apps for all ages. Find titles, user information, and more!

Also during NLW, take time to visit our bookmobile on National Bookmobile Day on Wednesday, April 11. Kids will enjoy patterns to cut out to make their own mini-bookmobiles! The South Brunswick Public Library has been offering this curbside service for nearly 35 years. Find books, magazines, music, and movies all in our colorful bus.

Take time this week to discover something new in your Library either at our Kingston Lane address, online, curbside, or all 3!

Kindles and Cookies

As I wrote the title above, it occurred to me that I could be talking about either the "cookies" that are stored on your computer OR cookies that you eat...

Still life with Kindle.

OK, today, we're talking about edible cookies:  Almond Macaroons from the cookbook 500 Under 500, From 100 Calorie Snacks to 500 Calorie Entrees by Lynette Rohrer Shirk -  which I got from the South Brunswick Library's e-book collection FOR FREE on the Kindle Fire.

Free e-books are available from our Library, and more's the better - some of them are cookbooks.  (Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?)

(Go to our website http://www.sbpl.info/, click on "download audiobooks.e-books" and follow the directions from eLibraryNJ.  If you need help with this, call us at the Reference Desk - 732-329-4000 x7286.  I found the most cookbooks - 53 of them - by searching on Quick Search, then e-books, search term either "cooking" or "food".)

So this morning before work - I know, I have a lot of energy! - I whipped up this easy recipe using a Kindle.

What I found using a Kindle vs. a print cookbook:  
    
E-Reader Advantages:

- no need to hold down the page to keep it open.
- small, portable and light - I could take LOTS of cookbooks with me on vacation! (What, I can't be the only one who loves to cook on vacation...)

E-Reader Disadvantages:

- harder to "leaf" through to get an overview of the book.
- fragility:  would dropping on egg on a Kindle be the end of it?

I really did love cooking from the Kindle, you can change the font size in a jif, you can easily bookmark your pages, plus the brightness of the screen makes it easy to read. Cooking from the Kindle: like being in the Futurama exhibit at the 1964 World's Fair.

Now, as for the cookbook, I didn't love it.  Lynette Shirk's recipes are not very precise, and I think a novice cook would have difficulty interpreting the terse directions.  Also, there's not a lot of personality exhibited in this collection; I like a cookbook with a personal point of view.  Shirk has written nine cookbooks, worked as a pastry chef at Chez Panisse, worked for Williams Sonoma, and attended culinary school, but you would be hard pressed to divine that from this tome.

The macaroons themselves are easy to throw together if you have all the ingredients. (I know, who has candied orange peel and ground almond meal on hand?  Me!)

Actual cookies on left, e-cookies on right.

Almond Macaroons adapted from 500 under 500

2 egg whites
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
3/4 cup ground almonds (can buy this at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup candied orange peel
1/4 cup applesauce
2 Tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
 In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites with the sugar until foamy.
On a large cutting board, mix the ground almonds and the orange peel together and chop finely.
Add this mixture and all the remaining ingredients to the the egg whites in the bowl and mix well.
Portion out 16 balls from the batter, and place on cookie sheet (this is easiest with a 1 inch size ice cream scoop if you have one - definitely a time saver!)
Bake 20 minutes.  Let cool.  Peel cookies away from the paper.
Yields:  16 macaroons, 117 calories each.

The cookies tasted half like a coconut macaroon and half like an almond cookie, but the best part was the candied orange peel - a very nice addition that gave the cookies an unexpected flavor boost.  Great with a cup of tea.

As for the computer cookies, I may try and work up a computer class regarding internet security to offer at the Library - check out our Event Calendar in the upcoming months for this and other computer classes I'll be teaching - including using the Internet, Gmail, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

And take out some electronic books from our Library on your mobile device (including your smartphone) or computer, and bring your cooking into the age of the e-book.  By the way, you can take out 5 e-books, and additionally put 5 e-books on hold at any one time, and the books expire automatically so they will never be overdue!

Diane Whitman
Reference Librarian
Cookie and Computer Aficionado

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month

 What is plastic, flat and rectangular, fits in your wallet, enables unlimited possibilities, yet no debt?  A library card of course!  All through September libraries across the country are reminding people of all the wonders granted by a little bit of plastic called a library card.

"There is no better complement to educational endeavors and

no better resource for affordable pleasures."

Having a library card gives the holder access to so much for so little that some call it the “smart card.”

In addition to the expected print materials, such as books and magazines, cardholders at South Brunswick Public Library can find us here seven days a week and can access many of our online services 24/7.

Cardholders can use the Internet, borrow music and movies, travel guides and maps, audio books, computer games, and popular magazines. They can even find a lot of that in several different foreign languages! Of course we also offer e-books and a host of other services for mobile devices. Just ask one of our professionals at the Information Desk for more details.

Many “eons” ago people thought of librarians as bookworms living a lonely life of quiet desperation. Not so! Today’s librarian is an information specialist worldly wise in all areas including electronic, print, and audio-visual. As our motto says, we are your “guide to discovery.”

For hundreds of more ideas on how to use your library card, just go onto our website www.sbpl.info. You’ll find connections to tutoring, job searches, online language learning, and career exploration just for starters!

Studies show that children who use the library do perform better in school and are more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifetime learning. However, children can also checkout games, and other fun stuff.

Adults have some benefits too. We offer adult book clubs in the afternoon and the evening. We host numerous programs and clubs on topics including the international cinema, photography, de-cluttering, poetry, computer problems and basic skills, needle crafts, and so on!

The library is the place to meet like-minded individuals and pursue your passion.

Not sure how to begin? Just ask one of our librarians aka “guides” for help. How about finding a new job, learning basic computer skills and Facebook, losing weight, fixing your car, building a backyard deck, or managing your money?

Popular magazines? We’ve got ‘em! Information for new Americans? We’ve got that too!

Don’t forget our library also offers curbside service with our Bookmobile. For more information about all of our services, visit our website: www.sbpl.info.

The observance of Library Card Sign-up Month was launched in 1987 as a national campaign to ensure every child has a library card.

According to the American Library Association, an estimated two-thirds of all Americans already do have a library card. If you’re not one of them, pick yours up today. It’s easy.

SBPL requires a card to check out any materials. To get a card for yourself or child, please have some form of identification that shows your address, such as a driver’s license. First-time library cards are free. Apply for your card today on the Bookmobile or in the library at the Check-out Desk. For questions, call (732) 329-4000 ext. 7290.

A Clutter-Free Evening with

Author and Organizer Jamie Novak

By Barbara Battles & Rosemary Gohd, SBPL Staff

We had a fantastic turn-out at the South Brunswick Public Library on Tuesday evening, May 17, for our Get Organized Today event with celebrity organizer Jamie Novak.

Jamie was a very exciting speaker; not only did she provide many bits of

useful information about organizing your home, office, car, and life but she was also engaging and entertaining. While book-signing, she generously answered every person's questions in detail, neither hurried nor judgmental.

During the workshop, the world's most relatable organizer focused on her "3 steps for peace of mind." She advised the clutter-challenged to first: set a timer for 18 minutes, confront a pile of clutter and pick one thing in it. Second: Make a decision about the chosen item or unfinished project and follow through immediately! Third (and most important): keep it that way! Tackling a pile 18 minutes at a time, she says, makes the job effective but not overwhelming.

In reference to paper piles, her advice is instead of doing the "scoop and dump" before guests arrive, use a desktop box for hanging files or an expandable file folder. Keep it in a public area, she advised, such as the kitchen, to ensure you maintain the contents as their usefulness expires.

Certainly, every one of the 60 or so clutter-free wannabes in the audience went away with some encouragement and new-found skills. My personal favorite was to have a "lost and found" box in my home.

As attendees said their good-byes, she pleaded with them to go straight home and attack even just one bit of their clutter and disorganization that very night. Big clutter problems go away "one bite at a time!" She seemed confident we would succeed once and for all as she wished each of us to "have a clutter-free life!"

Jamie brought copies of her latest book Stop Throwing Away Money which she autographed for those who purchased a copy. You can find Jamie Novak on her website at www.jamienovak.com where you can register to get her newsletters, as well as on Martha Stewart's Whole Living website: go to the Community tab, select "experts' blog" from the dropdown menu and then click "organization" in the left-hand column.

Don't miss her weekly Bite Size Radio Show on Wednesdays at noon on BlogTalkRadio. In addition to the radio, she has been found in television shows on HGTV and QVC.

This Library event was generously sponsored by the Friends of the South Brunswick Public Library. Thank you to everyone who helps support our Friends!

If you missed Jamie's workshop don't despair. The Library has many free resources to help you de-clutter and organize your life.

After her first visit with us more than a year ago, the Library formed its De-Clutter Club. It is an open group for individuals to meet informally and brainstorm de-clutter ideas. They meet at the Library the first Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. in Program Room 1A/1B. Members all have tried to clear away the clutter and to organize their lives and the members share their challenges and successes.

The next meeting of the De-Clutter Club is on June 2. We will determine at that meeting if we will continue to meet during the summer or decide to take July and August off and resume meetings again in the fall. Check the library's event calendar on our website at www.sbpl.info for updates and to read the library's De-Clutter blog.

The Library also has numerous books and magazines to borrow on the topic, including Real Simple, Martha Stewart's Living and Whole Living.

By the way, if you are purging important files there is free help in South Brunswick from Middlesex County on June 4. (Jamie suggests a seven-year life for some documents, but check her website for more details.) County residents can recycle their old documents and confidential files safely and securely on Saturday, June 4, from 9 a.m. to noon for free at the South Brunswick Senior Center, next door to the Municipal Building on Ridge Road. Please do not bring books, magazines, newspapers, or plastics. For more information, pick up a flyer at the Library or contact the County Division of Solid Waste Management at 732-745-4170, solidwaste@co.middlesex.nj.us.

As Jamie says, "have a clutter-free life!"