Next Up for O'Reilly

When you've got a theme that works for you, you might as well run with it, right?  So sayeth Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, co-authors of the wildly popular Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy.  But where do you go from telling the detailed assassination stories of two of the most popular figures in American history?

Answer: turn to world history.

Earlier this week, at the end of his show The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly announced that he and Dugard had collaborated for on a third title, Killing Jesus.  According to O'Reilly, "My co-author and I have uncovered some amazing things about the execution of Jesus of Nazareth and how it all tied into Roman power."

The book is scheduled for release on September 24 of this year.

Happy Reading!

iPad Boot Camp for Beginner's is back!

New iPad for Christmas?
Ready for some tips & tricks?
Like the hands-on learning approach?

Head to the iPad Beginner's Boot Camp with your iPad on Monday, March 4, 2013 where Bill Badran, from BandA Tech Solutions, will put you through the paces of how-to's and optimization tips for your iPad.  No registration required.  Join us in the Hazel Hayes Auditorium on the lower level.

Free Market Research Reports Available through Library Website

Businesses and non-profit organizations alike have similar marketing questions.  Who are our potential and current customers?  What are their needs?  Who are our competitors?  How should we differentiate our products or services?  Finding the answers is easy using free online market research tools available through business databases on the library's website.  Simply log in using your library card number and PIN to access online tools that create exportable reports with just a few clicks of the mouse.

• ReferenceUSA  is a business directory database for accessing information about business clients and competitors, community residents, and individual consumers.  Information is searchable by company name, SIC or NAICS code, geographical location, number of employees, and other factors.
• BusinessDecision utilizes powerful mapping technology to help present information in graphically appealing, easy to read, charts, graphs, and reports.  This tool includes demographic and income profiles for geographic areas, consumer household data, and market profile information.
• BusinessInsights: Essentials allows the user to research, analyze, and compare companies and industries using industry, product, and association information.

So go ahead, run that report that will impress your boss, or help achieve your mission in a new area, or help prove the case for a business idea to your local bank.  HDL's business databases and other online business tools are available to you online 24-7.

Top Three Ways to Celebrate African American History Month at HDL

Herrick District Library has some great opportunities for you to learn more about the individuals who helped shape African American history.  Here are this year's top recommendations for learning a lot in a short amount of time:

3.  Visit the Biography in Context database.  Log in using your library card number and PIN, and you'll be taken to a homepage with rotating banners featuring historical and contemporary figures in black history.  Over 150 African Americans are featured in the database, each with a page listing information about him or her from reference books, newspapers and magazines, media sources, photography files, and/or academic journals.  Biography in Context contains 600,000+ biographies covering more than 525,000 individuals, making it a great resource to use any time you'd like to learn more about an important historical or contemporary figure.

2.  Check out the US History subject guide with Black History Resources.  View video files, find out about newly released books, see eReference materials and databases, and peruse the list of recommended websites to visit.

1.  Children and families are welcome to attend the Special African American Story Time on Saturday, February 23 at 11:00am, main library children's area, second floor. The Underground Railroad will come alive once again when Rosie Chapman reenacts the role of conductor Harriet Tubman. Tubman will retell her tale of escape from slavery complete with songs and movement. The morning will also feature a book dedication by the Juneteenth organization, featuring Holland's mayor, Kurt Dykstra, who will read from a book about Juneteenth.  Book copies will be provided to event participants by Ready for School.

Attention Book Groups

Ann Patchett's latest book, State of Wonder is now available as a Book Group to Go bag.  A researcher at a pharmaceutical company, Marina Singh, journeys into the heart of the Amazonian delta to check on a field team that has been silent for two years -- a dangerous assignment that forces Marina to confront the ghosts of her past.  In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, scientific miracles, and spiritual transformations, State of Wonder presents a world of stunning surprise and danger, rich in emotional resonance and moral complexity. (Description from Novelist and the Publisher)

International Politics Discussions at Herrick

Ever wonder how China’s relationship with African nations impacts the United States? How did the 2008 recession affect the euro crisis? 

These questions and more will be addressed in this year’s Great Decisions 2013 lecture series at Herrick District Library, provided by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan. HDL’s Great Decisions 2013 is a series of four programs on various international political topics during the months of February and March, including:

• Tuesday, February 12 - Feeding the Dragon: China in Africa, Dr. Glenda Quarnstrom of Grand Valley State University

• Tuesday, February 26 – NATO’s New Security Challenges: Outlook from Turkey, Fatih Yildiz, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey of Chicago, IL    * This session is sponsored by Wiley and Karen Wilson

• Tuesday, March 12 – The Road to Myanmar: Where Could it Lead?, Karen Coates and Jerry Redfern, Print and Photojournalist Team on Southeast Asia

• Tuesday, March 26 – Imperfect Union: The Eurozone in Crisis, Dr. John McCormick of Indiana University and Dr. John Pottow of the University of Michigan

All programs will be held at Herrick District Library from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. with a light lunch served courtesy of the Friends of Herrick District Library.

If these discussions interest you, the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan is also sponsoring an 8-week series at the Performing Arts Center at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. Lectures will take place on Mondays at 6 p.m. throughout February and March.

The Aquinas series features topics on America’s defense budget, US foreign intervention, Egyptian democracy, and Iranian-Israeli relations in addition to the same topics as the Herrick series. For more information, see this pamphlet.

Contributed by Madalyn Muncy, student intern blogger

Infotrac: Find what you're searching at HDL

It's true, the answer to most questions in life can now be found with the click of a button on the internet.  But sometimes finding those answers on Google requires click, after scroll, after click, only to reveal information that may or may not be relevant or trustworthy.  Wouldn't it be great if we could find substantial, reliable answers in just one place?  Have no fear, many of the databases available on the Herrick District Library website offer just the thing to help meet that need.  Info Trac is one such database, and it's incredibly robust.  This collection of full-text databases draws information and images from reference books, academic journals, newspapers and general magazines all through one common website.  Research how U.S. healthcare reform might impact you, gather information for a school project, learn what that obscure term in your fancy cookbook means, read up on BPAs in plastics and what they mean for your family, or find the answers to the "why" questions from your toddler on Info Trac junior .  Whatever question you're seeking to answer, Info Trac probably has an answer.  And, as always, if you need help along the way, our reference librarians are available at the "Ask Here" desk, by phone at 355-3720, or via chat on the library website to help you through.

Attention Book Groups

Herrick's latest Book Group Bag is The Kitchen House, a historical fiction novel which takes place in the south in the years before the Civil War.  Seven-year-old Lavinia, orphaned while onboard a ship from Ireland, arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house.  Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction.  Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds.  When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into questions, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.  The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.  (Description from Publisher)