A different kind of museum

(Photo by Leiba Rimler)

At the risk of coming across as an uncultured rube, I will state that I am not a very big fan of museums.  (In fact, I seem to recall reading an op-ed in which the author referred to museums as “libraries without the party atmosphere,” a sentiment with which I wholeheartedly concurred.)  Yet when I learned, upon returning from a scuba diving trip to Mexico in 2010, that an underwater museum had recently opened there, I was kicking myself for not knowing about it sooner.  This was uncharacteristic in a number of ways, but I resolved to go back there one day solely to visit this museum.

Rosh Hashanah: Happy New Year!

“Feast of Trumpets” by Aleksander Gierymski, 1884 – Hasidic Jews performing tashlikh on Rosh Hashanah (CC0 image via Wikimedia Commons)

Rosh Hashanah is fast approaching–it’s almost time for apples and honey! This sweet treat is one of many customs that symbolize the wish for a sweet new year.

Tech Addiction?

 

(source)

We live in a time of high speed and even higher velocity.  Sometimes walking on the streets of our great city I have a feeling that I am living in the zombie land. Did you ever try to look around?  People talk to themselves, shake heads, clap, sing.  And only after a while you realize that they are talking on the phone, listening to the music, or dancing to the same tunes simultaneously.  Our gadgets have become our best friends.

Yoga: Is it for me?

(CC0 image via Pixabay)

Some of you might have asked this question at some point in your lifetime. Others might have simply come to the conclusion, “Yoga is not for me,” without really trying it. I have been in this second group for a very long time. I considered myself more of a Pilates girl and always thought that yoga was boring and not very challenging. I guess I was wrong.  I have been practicing Yoga for the past 8 months, and I have become very fond of it. It started as a New Year‘s resolution, thinking, “Let’s give it a try. I can always stop if I don’t like it,” but I am glad that I decided to try.

You’d like to do what, now?

Looking for textbooks?

It’s the beginning of the semester and students are flooding into the library. That’s a very good thing-we’re glad to see our students and show them what we have to offer. After all, we have books, e-books, journals, article databases, multimedia…and sometimes, if they’re very lucky, we may even have a copy of the textbook they need (but only if they’re VERY lucky!). But one question has been popping up as the fresh faces filter in: “Can I rent a textbook?”

In Remembrance of 9/11

National September 11 Memorial, North Tower Fountain (CC BY-SA 2.0 image via Kai Brinker)

Learn more about the 9/11 Memorial and take a day to remember and serve.

September is National Library Card Sign-up Month

(via pinterest)

There is no better time of the year than September to sign up for a library card!

Fun Facts from the Catalog

Sammy heard about the book, Spelling for Life: Uncovering the Simplicity and Science of Spelling and wanted to look at it.  He checked the catalog, and saw this…

Welcome! To students new and returning…

Still from: Touro Libraries’ “What is a periodical?“

If this is your first semester, it’s possible that you’ve relied on Google to complete most of your classwork up until now. (That might still be true even if you’ve been in higher education for a semester or four, but it’s never too late! This applies to you as well.)

Thinking About Labor Day: In Commemoration of the National Holiday

Credit: Wowcover.net

What does Labor Day signify for you? Barbeques? Sales at your favorite outlet stores? One last day at the beach before classes begin? Everybody loves a three-day weekend, but I wanted to take a moment to write and reflect on some of the issues and events that have, and continue to, affect the struggles of working people here in New York City and elsewhere. It may mark the unofficial end of summer, but the official national holiday of Labor Day has its roots in workers’ rights.