Jennifer Downey

High school and college students, now that school is back in full swing, you might be finding yourself buried under term papers and other projects. Well, don’t panic – Smiley Library has your research needs covered with our Gale in Context eResources. You may access these at the Library or on our website at www.akspl.org/elibrary.

Do you need to write a report about a famous or influential person? Gale in Context: Biography is a reliable, user-friendly resource where you can find information about thousands of notable people. This database allows you to search for people by name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender, as well as by keyword. Gale in Context Biography provides you with articles, book chapters, and other primary source material on a wide range of contemporary and historical public figures.

Have you been given an assignment to debate a hot-button issue? Then Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints is the tool for you. You’ll find a wide range of up-to-date information about a wide array of controversial topics sourced from academic journals, magazines, statistics, and websites.

As for those endless projects and term papers, head for Gale in Context: High School (hint – it’s great for college students, too!) Whatever your topic, you’re sure to find all the information you need to ace your project. In addition to many print sources, this database offers images, videos, and audio selections from such renowned sources as the NPR, BBC News, and the New York Times Video.

Using Gale’s databases helps you formulate your topic, apply critical thinking skills, and complete your school projects without having to worry about fake news or other unscrupulous journalism. Gale updates its resources regularly and all their sources are reputable and reliable.

If you have an A.K. Smiley Public Library card, you can do so much more than check out books. Your library membership gives you instant access to eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, popular magazines, streaming movies, databases, and much more. Check it out for yourself at www.akspl.org/elibrary.

An exciting new addition to our eResources is the database Hispanic Life in America, offered free through NewsBank. This resource covers the experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the global news media from 1704 to today. Updated daily using over 17,000 sources, Hispanic Life in America provides full-text searching as well as access to content by topic, event, and eras in Hispanic American history. This is a useful resource for students and anyone interested in learning more about the nuances of Hispanic American history.

Flipster offers instant access to several popular magazines including People, Consumer Reports, National Geographic, the Advocate, and Rolling Stone. You can read the latest issues of these magazines on your computer, phone, or other device any time, any place.

Do you plan to travel to distant lands this summer? Then check out Pronunciator to brush up on your language skills. Pronunciator is an online platform that can help you learn any of 173 world languages, from Icelandic to Tagalog. Specific courses are available for travelers, health care workers, and those seeking in-depth studies.

All this and more is free with your A.K. Smiley membership. Log on and have an adventure!

Welcome to 2022! New Year’s is a time for appreciating the past and looking forward to the future. This year, my resolution is to begin the year by reading the six novels on the 2021 Booker Prize short list. Every year, the Booker Prize selects six contenders for the best novel of the year, with the winning author taking a place in history alongside such greats as Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 2021’s list features tales that take the reader across the world, back in time, into the tangled web of the internet, and even to other planets.

A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam takes on the topic of Sri Lanka’s 30-year Civil War. Protagonist Krishan, having heard of the mysterious death of a beloved family caretaker, leaves the safety of Colombo for the dangerous, war-torn Northern Province to pay his respects while absorbing the violence and devastation of war. This novel is unique in that it contains no dialogue. It takes place entirely in Krishan’s mind as he sifts through his memories, regrets, and grief. It’s a risky concept, but Arudpragasam pulls it off with the skill of a master storyteller.

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead tells the epic story of Marian Graves, a fearless aviator who attempts to circle the earth from pole to pole. Orphaned in a shipwreck along with her twin brother, Marian becomes fascinated by airplanes while being raised by her uncle in Montana. Marian lives life on her own terms, consistently challenging gender norms and pushing her limits. Marian becomes a legend after she disappears in 1950. One hundred years after her birth, in 2014, Hadley Baxter, an unhappy actress, prepares to play the role of Marian in a Hollywood movie. This is a sweeping adventure story in every sense, and it will have you turning the 600+ pages in anticipation of what will come next for both Marian and Hadley in their seemingly polar-opposite lives.

Patricia Lockwood’s No One is Talking About This introduces the reader to a nameless woman who lives her entire life online, existing in what she deems “The Portal.” Failing to see the absurdity of her reality, she receives two urgent texts from her mother and is suddenly jolted her out of the endless scroll of The Portal and into the real world. Unable to discern between being disconnected from The Portal and being disconnected from reality, she must learn to live a completely different life – one that, as the title suggests, nobody talks about online.

The Fortune Men by Nadia Mohamed centers around Mahmood, a Somalian man in 1950s Cardiff, Wales. Mahmood is a gambler and small-time thief whose antics land him in and out of debt, while his charm endears him to his neighbors. When a Jewish shopkeeper is found murdered, the townspeople begin to whisper about Mahmood, and soon a witch hunt is underway. Mahmood is admittedly a criminal, but he’s no murderer, and he’s confident that his neighbors will help him prove his innocence. Based on a true story about the last man to be hanged in Cardiff, this book explores prejudice, false assumptions, and mob mentality.

Richard Powers’ Bewilderment is a difficult book to categorize. Elements of science fiction, philosophy, and neuroscience converge in this tale of a father/son relationship. Set in a dystopian future, widowed astrobiologist Theo is raising his loving yet volatile nine-year-old son, Robin, while exploring the possibility – or perhaps the reality – of life on other planets. Determined not to put Robin on psychotropic medication, Theo explores otherworldly options. No spoilers – you’ll have to read this one yourself to find out how far Theo will go to save both his son and the planet.

And the winner is…South African writer Damon Galgut’s The Promise. This novel examines a family slowly falling apart outside Pretoria over the course of four funerals. The titular promise of a house of her own is made by the family’s white matriarch on her deathbed to her Black maid, Salome. What follows is a reflection of the social issues facing post-apartheid South Africa – broken promises, devastating decisions, intergenerational confusion, and post-colonial culpability. Readers of J.M. Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer will appreciate Galgut’s powerful writing.

Did the judges make the right choice? Come on down and check out these and other noteworthy books and reach your own conclusion.

From Smiley Library to your home, we wish you a happy new year of reading!

The California State Library has generously made use of State COVID-19 funding to supply A.K. Smiley Public Library with six new electronic resources to help with job hunting and skill building.

These new eResources will be available through September 30, 2022. They may be accessed at the Library or from your home.

 

• Coursera partners with colleges and universities to teach interactive courses leading to “gateway” certifications, which help people get into entry-level jobs where they can continue learning as they move up in their careers.
• GetSetUp is specifically for adults over 55. It features live classes on physical, mental, social, and vocational health. The main objective is to help close the digital divide and teach adults over 55 new skills.
• Learning Express has many test preparation resources and also teaches basic adult core skills such as reading and writing improvement, grammar, and college preparation. This resource can also be used to prepare for the citizenship test. Learning Express is integrated with the job searching website Indeed, so you can search for appropriate jobs without having to leave the site.
• LinkedIn Learning offers state-specific exam preparation in seven languages. Coursework in business, technology, and related areas is offered. This resource is designed for people who have a good working knowledge of technology and wish to keep learning.
• NorthStar Digital Library is helpful for adult learners looking to expand their job opportunities and basic computer skills. You may log on to take an assessment test leading to a specific learning pathway. Essential computer skills for people in today’s job market are taught at a slower pace, and certificates or online badges are awarded when a class is completed.
• SkillShare is an interactive online learning community with a focus on creativity. Learning goals are suggested depending on individual interests. You can use this platform to learn everything from crafts to web design.

These resources can be found on Smiley Library’s eLibrary page at www.akspl.org/elibrary/, along with many other electronic resources for research, learning, and entertainment.