JoCoLibrary Uncovered

Sometimes history is just one week ago. That's when we released our Author Research in Action series where we take an award-winning author and let them dive-into conversation with a subject matter expert! In this rebroadcast, Los Alamos National Laboratory Program Manager and Senior Historian, Alan Carr is paired with author Robert J. Sawyer who’s written a new SciFi/historical fiction/thriller called The Oppenheimer Alternative.

Happy Throwback Thursday! Some call it the best day of the week.

How do authors know so much about the setting, the professions of their characters, and other real-life details? Well, they do research! 

We’re pretty excited about what will be periodically recurring episodes of the podcast we’re calling “Author Research in Action.”  We take an award-winning author and let them dive-into conversation with a subject matter expert!

This time, Reference Librarian Helen Hokanson hosts a discussion on the Manhattan Project and so much more. Los Alamos National Laboratory Program Manager and Senior Historian, Alan Carr is paired with author Robert J. Sawyer who’s written a new SciFi/historical fiction/thriller called The Oppenheimer Alternative. 

We love sharing a weekly word you. This week's word, experiment, is apt for this live episode. Why? We've never done a live episode ... until last Thursday. We (the Royal we) talked to Amy about social media in the COVID-19 era, MakerSpace facilitator Thomas updates the progress they've made in helping first responders and healthcare workers, and we talk to Youth Services Librarian Becky to hear what being a Librarian is like when there is no Library building to go to. It's Did you hear? LIVE!

This is the last episode we recorded at the Central Resource Library before the stay at home order. Local Arts Librarian Bryan Voell joined Dave Carson to host local music sensation Miki P! We’re not sure which you’ll enjoy more: our interview with her, or her jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, ear-pleasing live musical performance! Plus, more of your favorite Librarians have phoned in with their best eLibrary picks and favorite author quotes.  

Did you hear about the United States Census 2020? It's kind of a big deal! In fact, it's a requirement of our Constitution that every individual in the country be counted. Even if you are not a citizen, you are legally obligated to answer all Census questions. 

We dive into the what, why, and how. We discuss the importance of the Census and the Library's role as a trusted partner in helping you to participate. History, geology, geography, it's all here. We even help you spot fraud: 

• No one should be asking for your social security number
• Census forms do not ask for bank information
• You will not be emailed or texted by the Census
• No one will ever call you 

So, did you hear about the Census?

In this episode of Did you hear?, it’s a Branch Manager panel. We brought in three branch managers to talk. They compare and contrast their experiences. We take a look at the differences in service populations, facilities, resources, and more. It’s an excellent and insightful discussion. 

Baby, it's cold outside. But SPRING is coming!!! And, the Library has programs that will not only warm your soul, but defrost your brain as well.

In this episode of Did you hear?, our hosts Dave Carson and Melissa Horak-Hern chat with Christopher Leitch, Ben Oglesby, and Amy Field, about what’s to come in the next few months at the Library! Spoiler alert: it's hot stuff!

Happy New Year! Over this past year our Did you hear? podcast gained over 100 subscribers and our 32 episodes have been downloaded over 5,000 times! Thank You!!!

Have a look back—err—listen back, to the best reader's advisory episodes of 2019. So many of our Librarians dropped by this past year to share gems within genres. We hope their recommendations made your year richer!

50 titles divided into 10 categories, all published in 2019, chosen by Library staff as excellent representations of the genre or of community interest.

Our readers advisory librarian Gregg Winsor makes another Did You Hear? appearance to discuss Notable Books! Gregg, Dave and Melissa reveal this list of great books from 2019. Biography/Memoir, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction, History, Literary Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Romance, Science Fiction, Sciences—it's all on the 2019 Notable Books list!