Earth Hour 2012

Earth Hour is an annual event that takes place worldwide in an effort to promote awareness of climate change and other environmental issues. This year the team behind Earth Hour is encouraging people to participate by switching off their lights for one hour on Saturday, March 31 at 8:30 p.m. Last year, more than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights, sending a powerful message and marking the largest environmental event in history! This year Earth Hour has launched “I Will If You Will” on YouTube to showcase how everyone has the power to change the world we live in, bringing together the world’s biggest social video platform with the ‘world’s largest action for the environment.’ Will you accept the challenge? Or better yet, come up with a challenge of your own! Head to YouTube to learn more about how you can participate.

And let the kids participate too! The Earth Hour website has all kinds of fun stuff to explore and even some games that teach about recycling and conservation. Earth Hour Kids ambassador, Pocoyo, has already planted 20,000 trees for Earth Hour, and will plant 50,000 more if 100,000 people play his recycling game!

And for more information on protecting our planet, you can search the catalog for these titles and many more at your local library!

Living Green: The Missing Manual, by Nancy Conner

Go Green! [DVD] Paramount Pictures

Building with Secondhand Stuff: How to Re-claim, Re-vamp, Re-purpose & Re-use Salvaged & Leftover Building Materials, by Chris Peterson

Cool Crafts with Flowers, Leaves, and Twigs: Green Projects for Resourceful Kids, by Jen Jones

Green Your Work: Boost Your Bottom Line while Reducing Your Carbon Footprint, by Kim Carlson

Green Career$: You Can Make Money and Save the Planet, by Jennifer Power Scott

101 Ways You Can Help Save the Planet Before You're 12! by Joanne O'Sullivan

March Is Women's History Month!

There is still time to celebrate Women's History Month with the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System! This year's theme is Women's Education - Women's Empowerment, and the library has several events throughout the rest of the month that both celebrate and honor women. Check the events calendar to see what might be happening in a branch near you. There is also a program this Friday, March 23, at 12:30 at the Central Library, A Women's Civil War Letters to Atlanta. For more information about this program, click here.

And for those of you who'd like to know more about Women's History Month, you should also check out the National Women's History Project. This educational nonprofit organization offers a wealth of information on this year's theme, partners and honorees. There are also links to other news and events sources that highlight women's achievements around the globe!

We hope you can join us for one or more of these programs!

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

The Irish have been celebrating St. Patrick's Day on March 17th for over 1000 years to mark the anniversary of the saint's death in the 5th century. This religious holiday is typically celebrated with dance, drink and a feast of Irish bacon and cabbage. Delicious!

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System may not be serving up any traditional Irish fare, although here are a few recipes you could try at home with the family this Saturday, but we are definitely joining in the celebration. Many branches will be having special exhibits, story times, and crafts dedicated to Irish history and tradition, so check our events calendar to see what a branch near you might be offering.

And for more ways to get into the spirit of things, visit your library and check out some St. Patty's themed books and music for the whole family!

The best of Riverdance : [DVD], by Michael Flatley

St. Patrick's Day crafts, by Carol Gnojewski

A catered St. Patrick's Day : a mystery with recipes , by Isis Crawford

Kids St. Patrick's Day party music [CD], by Hit Crew

Plum lucky [audio book], by Janet Evanovich

The wearing of the green : a history of St. Patrick's Day, by Mike Cronin

Act two [CD], by Celtic Thunder

We hope all our patrons enjoy a little luck of the Irish this St. Patrick's Day!

Celebrate Teen Tech Week March 4-10!

Here are 25 ways you can participate March 4-10, 2012 so you can get into the theme of Geek Out @ Your Library! These ideas brought to you by The American Library Association's Young Adult Library Service's Association.

1. Visit the library’s webpage at www.afpls.org.

2. Download an eBook or eAudiobook from the library.

3. Download mobile library apps to your phone or tablet.

4. Check out the library’s blog at http://afpls.blogspot.com.

5. Try a book-focused site like GoodReads, LibraryThing or Shelfari.

6. Create a soundtrack or book trailer for your favorite book.

7. Ask a librarian to recommend a book on an area of technology that interests you.

8. Add something to an article on Wikipedia.

9. Set up a podcast for a group or club you belong to.

10. Find the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library on Facebook and “Like” us!

11. Check out your favorite author’s webpage or blog.

12. Create an avatar on Yahoo! Avatars.

13. Start a Teen Tech Club at your school or library branch.

14. Read and contribute to a blog about technology.

15. Download a newspaper article from the day you were born using on of the
library’s many electronic databases.

16. Create a YouTube, Animoto or Vimeo video about your library or favorite book.

17. Take a class on digital photography or graphic design.

18. Learn how to use new software.

19. Search the library’s Biography Resource Center database for your favorite musician.

20. Watch some anime or start an anime club at your library.

21. Learn how to DJ or record music with a computer.

22. Start a Twitter, Tumblr or Flickr account.

23. Volunteer to tutor library users who are new to using computers.

24. Use the 'Ask a Librarian' feature of the library's website to ask a librarian a question.

25. From the library's website, use Ancestry Library to look up one of your grandparents.

Have fun exploring all the tech savvy ways you can geek out at your library!