High School
Everyone Counts! Understanding the Census
By: Joshua O'Shea, Young Adult Librarian
The 2020 Census helps us understand our nation and the people who live in it. If young people or new citizens don’t take part in the census, their values and concerns are less likely to be addressed in laws and policies. For me, Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” conveys the sentiment that everyone
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Discover the Digital
By: Joshua O'Shea, Young Adult Librarian
Ok, here’s a list of free stuff you didn’t know you wanted. It’s all available to you with your GEPL library card. Yes, this sounds like a pitch, and it is—but it’s free, educational, helpful, interesting, and so on. Like many, I watch a lot of Netflix, and a stitch of Hulu. Kanopy, another online
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Test Day
By: Jackson D., High School Blogger
Test day in English class usually means writing an essay, and today was no exception. The essay was to be graded by how well it achieved the goals outlined in the rubric – a sheet that seemed clear in what it described and yet lengthy enough that studying the rubric itself was necessary. While the
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People as Pollinators
By: Joshua O'Shea, Young Adult Librarian
Pollinators flit and fly around from flower to flower. They never “stand” still, or sit, or lay, unlike large mammals. It’s where the expression “busy bee” comes from. Sometimes the bee is perfect. In fact, most of the time, bees are perfect. Honey bees have the highest population in the world and lead the charge
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My Great Expectations
By: Saaniyah S., High School Blogger
When I finished Great Expectations by Charles Dickens for a summer assignment, the reality of Pip (the main character)’s life had me hooked for days. After all he had been through to create a high-end, ideal life, Pip ended up being exactly what he didn’t want to be at first—a laborer. I was not expecting
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Visit Your Library for Meraki
By: Joshua O'Shea, Young Adult Librarian
Back and forth goes the little white dot, bouncing off paddles to score points. Imagine the paddles being work and play. To keep the balance in our lives, we ricochet between work and play. In this metaphor, we score points not by making another player miss the dot, but by keeping the ball moving. Mentally
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Mindfulness
By: Joshua O'Shea, Young Adult Librarian
One of the best things in life just happened to me. I was out walking on the Prairie Path, minding my own business, trying not to get run over by a bicyclist and not feel bad about myself for not being a runner, when I heard one of the sounds I love most in life.
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Meraki
By: Saaniyah S., High School Blogger
While scrolling through my Pinterest feed one day, I stumbled upon the definition of a word, meraki, and it stuck out to me among the food hacks, quotes, and other usual gimmicks. I read this post again and again, attempting to analyze the meaning. Meraki is a word of Greek origin, and its definition is
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Fear
By: Saaniyah S., High School Blogger
If you are generally risk-averse, it is best to accept the raw truth that fear is a reality. Many people will go to great lengths to subtly wipe the irksome twinge of fear off their life palette; however, the act of avoiding experiences, emotions, and feelings that ignite fear is unavoidable. The Oxford Dictionary defines
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What I Just Read: Dealing in Dreams
By: Joshua O'Shea, Young Adult Librarian
“At night, Las Mal Criadas own these streets.” Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera is like Mad Max mashed up with The Outsiders. Nalah runs a gang of hardcore girls who work for the head honcho of Mega City. Nalah must keep her crew in line, fight for basic needs, fend off rivals, and take
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