Mercer County Library Blog

What are microgreens? They are young vegetables or herbs that are grown from seeds and harvested at the seedling stage. They can have up to 40 times more nutrients than mature plants. Microgreens are considered baby plants that look like sprouted greens, also called cotyledons. They differ from sprouts in that you cut off and eat only the stalks and leaves, not the seeds and roots. Microgreens are ready to be eaten after seven to ten days, depending on the seeds and the season. To grow microgreens, we need the following supplies: Two shallow containers of the same size (plastic yogurt cups, plastic trays, plastic fruit packages, disposable aluminum trays, or takeaway containers)  Microgreen seeds Potting soil Spray bottle  Spoon Sewing needles or forks to make the holes Plate to water the microgreens Instructions: At the bottom of each container, make 10-12 holes with a needle or fork.  Add potting soil to one of your chosen containers. Microgreens do best in loose soil. T

The best part of being Social Media Librarian for the Mercer County Library System is knowing that every day I go to work, I’m going to be posting something positive about the great things going on in our community. In a world where so much of social media is filled with negativity and rancor this is, seemingly, a comparatively rare pleasure. When people ask me what I like best about my job I say: Showing all the good things people are doing in Mercer County. Our social media is not merely a promotion of the library. It’s a demonstration of what you – the patrons and employees of the MCLS - are doing to connect with each other. It’s a chance to show our youngest patrons taking their first steps into a wider world of dreams, what books and activities at the library can bring. It’s a chance to show their parents this as they look on with pride and remember their own fond memories of libraries of the past. Or, maybe, if they’re lucky, their memories of the same MCLS library they used to

This April marks the 30 th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death, a cultural moment that shook the lives of people around the globe, especially younger folks - the angsty counter-culturists for whom Nirvana and their “grunge” contemporaries provided an emotional outlet. Cobain’s death happened to coincide with the more gradual decline of the grunge era, after having enjoyed roughly five years in the mainstream, from 1990 to 1994. But its influence lived on, and still lives on. While I was a bit too young to experience grunge at its pinnacle, the “Seattle Sound” still had a profound influence on my musical taste and, for better or worse, attitude. Whether I was passively listening to it on the radio, or blasting it through the speakers of my five-CD (yes, five!) stereo, grunge followed me everywhere. But what is grunge? Though that question has been debated since the scene’s beginnings, there seems to be consensus among critics, historians, and musicians that the single, unifying charac

Hi, it’s me, I’m a Swiftie, it’s me. This April, Taylor Swift is taking on a new role, The Chairman of The Tortured Poets Department, a nod to her newest album, The Tortured Poets Department . Always happy to dig into the clues that Ms. Swift shares about her work, fans were very quick to notice something special about the release date of April 19th. Yes, it’s National Cat Lady Day, and Swift is a proud “Cat Lady”. But that’s not all - National Cat Lady Day happens to fall within National Poetry Month  “a special occasion that celebrates poets’ integral role in our culture and that poetry matters” established by the Academy of American Poets and celebrated since 1996. As the lyrics to “Mastermind” ask, “ What if I told you none of it was accidental ”? Smart marketing strategy? Likely. Perfect opportunity for Librarians to share poetry related resources? Certainly. So, whether you’re brand new to poetry or just looking for something new, I present to you Databases I’m fairly con

There is a new book club coming to the Lawrence Branch. The True Crime Book Club was originally scheduled for May 28 (you may have seen the flyers), but our new date is June 25 at 3PM. That's one extra month to pour over Michelle McNamara's exciting book. We hope you'll join us on June 25 at 3PM. Why true crime? Well, despite some people’s discomfort with the genre it is extremely popular, particularly in the podcast space and particularly among women. However, we’re diving into the book space and there is a long history of true crime books capturing curious readers. For example, Zhang Yingyu’s The Book of Swindles , a book of allegedly true cases of fraud, dates back to 1617. There is also the first true crime book in English, John Reynold’s The Triumphe of God's Revenge Against the Crying and Execrable Sinn of Murther , which dates back to 1635. However, the true crime genre as we know it today, a nonfiction “novel” of investigative journalism, started with Rodolfo Wa

As the weather warms up, I’ve been taking more walks. I listen for birds, spy on chipmunks, and watch for wildflowers, even the resolute weeds that emerge from the cracks of the sidewalks. Back at the library, I might look up a curiosity in one of our many field guides. But what about the sidewalk itself? I wonder most about animals and plants, but I wonder too about all the human stuff: the drainage grates, the names of streets, the sanitation workers collecting recycling. The library also has field guides to these things. As an example, I picked a house, typical of this area, that I often pass on my lunch break walks. What can I learn about this house? Using property tax records, I learned that it was built in 1969. Then I turned to our copy of A Field Guide to American Houses: The Defining Guide to Identifying ad Understanding America’s Domestic Architecture by Virginia Savage McAlester. This is a large and delightful guide, with lots of example photos and diagrams of architectura

Every few years, I develop a new preference for one genre over all others. I call it my “bread-and-butter” genre, and at least half the books I read will be part of it. My b-n-b genre of the last year or so has been (mostly) epic fantasy written by women. I’ll share just a few of my favorites in the genre with you. Better yet, these are all series starters so, if you like the first book, there’s more enjoyment to be had. Happy reading! A River Enchanted  by Rebecca Ross Rebecca Ross accomplishes what so few authors can: a feeling of magic that weaves through the pages of a book, until you feel enchanted through reading it. Ross’ fantasy Scotland is a place worth visiting again and again. I only hope she continues to write in this world. Jack Tamerlaine hasn't stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: