Month: May 2020

We’ve notified the first winner of our Database Deep Dive Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve been playing, be sure to check your email (spam too!) for an email from aapld on Tuesday, May 26. Let us know which local merchant you would like to receive a gift card for, and we’ll get your prize out to you.

If you didn’t win this week’s drawing, there’s still one more, on Monday, June 1. We’re continuing to post questions on Twitter, but if you’ve missed a few, no worries. You can find all of the questions at the end of this post.

The answer to each question can be found in one of our databases. There’s a list of them under our Virtual Library tab, and they’re also in the handy pull-out guide in your June-July newsletter.

Time saving tip: If you have school age kids, stash the guide where you can find it on a busy school night, for when someone needs trustworthy information for a report or project that they can access from home.

Answer each question here for a chance to win a $15 e-gift card in next week’s drawing. The Scavenger Hunt is open to AAPLD cardholders only.

Good luck and thanks for diving deep!

Database Deep Dive Scavenger Hunt Questions

1. Your favorite book is The God of Spring, by Arabella Edge. Where would you find other “read-alike”?
Which book, according to the resource, will you read next?
2. For spring cleaning, you need to order a new vacuum cleaner! Where would you find information about which to buy? Using the resource, which vacuum cleaner did you decide to buy?
3. The Spring Equinox marks the beginning of our spring season. Which resource would you use to find out more about it? Can you tell us another reason the equinox is special?
4. You adore clowns and have decided that becoming a visiting clown for parties and events would be your dream job! Before you open your new business, you need to check out the local competition. Which
database would you use to find out if any new clown businesses have opened in Algonquin in the last six
months?
5. Your new boyfriend is a huge Star Wars geek. Where would you go to find all the cool virtual stuff
AAPLD’s Adult Services department is doing for Star Wars Day? What is one of the real life languages,
that Star Wars language is based on? Which data base could you use to learn to speak one of those
languages?
6. Spring is perfect time to buy a new car. You have your eye on a 2018 Ford Fusion, but you’re concerned about the number of recalls. What database would you consult to find this information? Name one of the recalls listed.
7. You’ve hired a new employee for your revolutionary kite manufacturing company. Where would you find a legal confidentiality agreement?
8. One of your goals this week is to learn to make pie crust. Where would you go to find instructions? How long is the class “how to make pie crust” with Devlin Mannie?
9. Do you have Hay Fever? Which resource would you use to find out if you do? What are the 12 symptoms of hay fever?
10. You recently planned on looking for a new accounting job. However, now might not be such a good time to do so. In the meantime, you would like to work on your math skills. What database can give you
tutorials in math and even quiz you? Which of the 8 categories includes these tests?

If you’ve been missing AAPLD’s adult programs, you’ll find a growing list of virtual program offerings on our website, under the Programs and Events tab. Most programs are presented live on Zoom and recorded for later viewing on YouTube.

Here’s a sample of what’s coming up for May, June and July.

Fitness/Wellness/Health

Feeling tired and stressed? Give one of our wellness programs a try, and enjoy a workout in the privacy of your home. Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that combines gentle exercise and meditation. Yin Yoga focuses on connecting muscle tissue. Programs are available for all ability levels, and Chair classes are great options for seniors and those with physical limitations.

History/Current Events

Popular speaker Barry Bradford will be presenting two programs this spring. On May 17, Barry will present Political Satire, which examines political humor from the writings of Mark Twain, to Will Rogers to late night host and commentator Stephen Colbert. In June, Barry’s topic is American Royalty, and the stories of Americans who married into royal families—for better and worse.

Also in June, join Gary Wenstrup for a look at Motown Records and hitmakers Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, the Temptations and more.

In July, journalist and statistician Matt Baron will present Go Figure: Lies, and Damn Lies, about how presidential campaigns use statistics. Learn to tell fact from fiction with this informative workshop.

Registration is required and space is limited, so register today!

Better Living Through Technology

Whether it’s learning to use popular apps such as Microsoft Word or Excel, Zoom, or TV streaming devices, or tips for how to organize your digital equipment, there’s a tech class for you! Classes are on-going, and taught by AAPLD Digital Literacy Librarian, Kenny Duray. Search for classes by clicking EVENT TYPE and selecting Adult Computer Classes from the dropdown menu.

That’s not all! There’s also a number of book clubs, our geneaology interest group, other special interest groups, craft classes and more! Hop over to the Programs and Events page on our website, or check out the June and July AAPLD newsletter, arriving in homes after May 15.

Questions? Reach out through email or chat, we’re happy to help.

 

Staying home has given us an opportunity to use our virtual library, and one of our new favorite discoveries, is Acorn TV.

The streaming service carries series television and movies from the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Many of Acorn TV’s most popular shows are based on well-loved cozy mysteries– great news for our patrons who can’t get enough amateur sleuths! But there’s also comedy, family drama, historical drama and dark, spooky fare.

So what are AAPLD staff members’ recommendations?

Since I’m craving lighter stories these days, I suggest 800 Words , a New Zealand-set family drama that reminds me of Parenthood, and Northern Exposure, with beaches.  When a recently widowed newspaper columnist moves his family to the seaside community where he vacationed as a kid, things don’t go quite as planned. With quirky locals, gorgeous scenery and surfing, it’s a great escape that has both humor and heart.

Youth Services Librarian Jen Jezwinski is loving the Agatha Raisin series, about a high-powered London PR executive who chucks it all for a quiet life in the Cotswolds. Life doesn’t stay quiet for long, as she becomes tangled in a murder mystery and discovers a knack for detecting. Based on M.C. Beaton’s cozy mystery series, (check out the audiobooks on Hoopla), the show has witty banter and great characters. Jen recommends the series for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, or Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.

And speaking of Miss Phryne Fisher, fans of the popular books by Kerry Greenwood, will enjoy the television adaptation, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, set in 1920s Australia. Adult Services Librarian Kristen McCallum describes it as fun and lighthearted, as the sassy, unconventional heroine faces off with a smitten detective to solve murders.  A new movie, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, and spinoff series, Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries are also available on Acorn.

Kristen also likes Blood, an Irish series which she calls an excellent mix of suspense, family drama, and mystery. “Prodigal daughter Cat Hogan returns home for her mother’s funeral and begins to suspect her father may have had something to do with her death.  Absolutely bingeworthy!”

In the mood for something darker? Karin Litwin of Adult Services, suggests you give Loch Ness a try. This mini-series, set in a community near the famous Scottish lake, has a police officer handling her first murder case and it’s a serial killer.  “There’s a lot of secrets, some red herrings, and some gross dead bodies but all in all a very entertaining Scottish police procedural.  Don’t watch too late at night though.”

Access AcornTV through the AAPLD website.

1. Select Virtual Library on our home page.
2. Click Videos
3. Scroll down to RB Digital to find the link to AcornTV. You’ll need your AAPLD card number to set up an RB Digital account, if you don’t have one already.

Your subscription is good for 7 days. After it ends, the next time you log in, you’ll need to re-enter your card number and password.

Share your favorite AcornTV discoveries with us on Facebook or Twitter. Happy viewing and stay safe!