High School
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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.
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
Gaming at GEPL
By: Joshua O'Shea, Young Adult Librarian
Virtual Reality (VR) can expand our horizons and help us experience new places or things. In 2018, the library had a VR Club for high schoolers that met a few times a month to try out different games and rate them for future use. There were a few regulars who came every time. Others only
Read More