Dear Patrons,
The library is a partner with the Census so I periodically receive emails on the progress of the count.
The response rate in Watauga County is at 32%, one of the lowest in the state. Many Appalachian State University students left the area during the time of the mailings and were gone on Census Day, April 1st. This makes it even more important for residents of Watauga County to fill out their Census form so that we can obtain every dollar we can
for future planning and programming.
This link shows the response rates and you can filter by state, county and even town:
It is available in 13 languages.
Don't delay what you can do today, our community's future depends on it.
Take care everyone
Monica Caruso
County Librarian
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A Reader's Silver Lining: Book Review by Deb Sluder
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I do not usually have time to read books recommended to me, but one of my favorite patrons talked to me about this book, so I decided to try it.
In Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster, Judy Abbott, a young orphan who lives at John Grier Orphanage, has finally received some good news. A Trustee of the orphanage has granted her an opportunity to go to college to pursue writing with tuition, board, and an allowance at her disposal. There is one condition: she must write letters to her benefactor.
All Judy knows of her anonymous contributor is that he is a Trustee. She sees him running from the building one day, and notices he has very long legs. So, she decides to address him as “Dear Daddy-Long-Legs.” The reader learns of Judy’s college experiences and friendship through the letters she writes.
Judy enjoys college even though making friends with the other young women is tough. Even so, she makes friends with one young woman who invites her to her parents’ camp for the summer. This adventure appeals to Judy; however, as the letters to her Trustee reveal, this decision causes a rift in their relationship.
With a surprise twist of events at the end of the book, I was left eager to read the sequel,
Dear Enemy
. I highly recommend both books for folks who enjoy realistic fiction. These stories are filled with humor, warmth, and empathy for a positive message about humanity.
~ Deb Sluder, Adult Services Librarian
If you look at our web site, you will see that we offer eBooks, and many other wonderful online resources. For many of these, you will need a library card.
Don’t have a library card? We’ve got you covered.
(This last step is optional, but library card will expire after ‘stay at home’ order ends and you will need to bring your photo ID to the library to re-activate your card)
Our staff will contact you to let you know that your card has been created. Glad to have you on board!
Tips On Logging In
- Enter your library card number with no spaces
- The pin number is the last 4 digits of the phone number you gave us
If you are having trouble, we probably need to re-set your pin.
Log in with your library card and pin to access eBooks and audiobooks!
Unless you have reset it, your PIN is the last four digits of the phone number the library has on file for you. If it does not work, email us at
wataugareference@arlibrary.org,
and we will re-set it.
- Overdrive from Northwest Regional Library: We have a special partnership with our neighboring Northwestern Regional Library system that allows our patrons to share Northwestern's eBooks and audiobooks. Click the link above, and sign in with your Appalachian Regional Library library card.
- *NC Kids Digital Library: NC Kids Digital Library offers e-books, audiobooks, streaming videos, and Read-Alongs. This collection was specifically designed for youth and includes picture books, youth fiction, youth nonfiction, young adult, and more.
- Audiobooks from NC Live: NCLive.org is a collection of resources provided by the State of North Carolina. Audiobooks are provided by NCLive through RBdigital. Sign in to NCLive.org with your library system name (Appalachian Regional Library) and library card number to create a OneClickdigital account with your own user name and password and to download these audiobooks.
*NC Kids Digital Library is sponsored by NCPLDA: NC Public Library Directors
Association, NCGA: NC General Assembly, with assistance from the State Library of
North Carolina and supported by an IMLS federal LSTA grant.
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Making a Face Mask: Information Round Up
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Wearing a face mask in public settings is now recommended by the Center for Disease Control in our fight against COVID-19. Of course, the trick is, masks are scarce, and the masks which are medical grade and available for purchase need to be reserved for our medical professionals on the front lines. Consequently, Do It Yourself/ homemade masks are a hot topic, and the internet abounds with advice and tutorials on how to make you own face mask. While we cannot advise on this topic, we have gathered information from reputable sources and are sharing them with you here.
The New York Times, which has made all is reporting on the COVID-19 crisis free from subscription, offers a very comprehensive article, “
A User’s Guide to Face Masks
.
” It includes why wearing masks is an important action to take in our fight against COVID-19, “Dos and Don'ts” of face masks, how to choose or make a mask, and how to care for it. As a bonus, it
provides a video-tutorial on how to make a quick “no-sew
” tee shirt mask which features two layers of cloth, a filter, and which ties securely.
To complement this article, we have two others to share, the first of which discusses the filtration quality of combined fabrics, and the
second, the likely benefit of adding a nylon stocking to secure the mask and add additional filtration. The first is an April 24, 2020 press release from The American Chemical Society titled “
The Best Material for Homemade Face Masks May Be a Combination of Two Fabrics
” in which
researchers report
“
that a combination of cotton
with natural silk or chiffon can effectively filter out aerosol particles — if the fit is good.”
The second article, from National Public Radio, is titled:
“Adding A Nylon Stocking Layer Could Boost Protection From Cloth Masks, Study Finds
.” It reports that researchers at Northeastern University have found that “adding an outer layer made from nylon stockings to a homemade face covering can boost its ability to filter out small particles in the air by creating a tighter seal between the mask and the wearer's face.” Importantly, the article continues, “in some cases, that extra nylon layer helped homemade cloth masks match or exceed the filtering capability of medical-grade surgical masks.”
To help our communities stay healthy, we encourage you to wear a mask when you go out in public. If you choose to make your own mask, we hope that these resources will help you to make a mask that is effective and that works for you.
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As part of our effort to explore resources helpful to our business community, Watauga County Public Library had began offering livestream workshops in partnership with Grow With Google. Although we cannot host this upcoming event, we hope that you might participate from home. Please note that if registration fills, a recorded session will be made available.
Wednesday, May 6th
9:00AM - 10:00AM PT / 12:00PM - 1:00PM ET
Discover tools, tips and resources to help you manage your business remotely during the COVID-19 crisis. Learn how to update critical business information online to keep customers informed, host virtual meetings and events, and access documents from anywhere. We’ll also share the latest resources from Google and other partners to help support small businesses.
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Fun Online Resources for All Ages
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The Rubin Museum of Art and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art offer an array of relaxing experiences
Check out
this great access to meditation and mindfulness sessions led by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.!
Featuring ten-minute reflections, guided meditations and musical offerings, the sessions aim to help participants “achieve greater balance at a moment of considerable upheaval.”
As institutions move to digital platforms, one of the most popular offerings is a free class taught at Yale, called,
“
The Science of Well Being,"
and is taught by psychologist Laurie Santos. The course, which got its start on Yale’s campus as “Psychology and the Good Life” in January of 2018, is the
most popular class in the university’s history,
according to a statement. Enrollment on
Coursera
is currently open, and in the past two weeks, a whopping 300,000 people have signed up. This course is free, but participants who'd like an official certificate of completion may obtain one for $50.00.
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Watauga County Public Library
140 Queen Street
Boone, NC 28607
(828) 264-8784
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