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On the September Library page: Working toward wellness; Book Review
8/27/2015 12:19:16 PM
Working toward wellness
Improve your health with the help of the library
By Lauren Campbell
Splash Contributor
Swimsuit season might be over, but that's no reason to neglect your health. As fall sets in, people can get busy with school commitments, and it's easy to find themselves spending less time outside than during the beautiful summer months. All that extra indoor time can has a great advantage though - more time for reading and research! The Liberty Lake Municipal Library has a plethora of resources available to help you find answers to all of your health and fitness questions.
The most obvious resource at a library is, of course, the books. The library has a huge range of books on everything from fitness to healthy cooking to specific health concerns. Additionally, they are able to order most other books you might be interested in from other libraries.
Many people are not familiar with the vast online resources of the library. On the library's website resource page, you'll find links to helpful information about insurance, household products and other helpful resources. Additionally, resident library card holders have access to databases that the library pays for memberships to.
Shardé Mills, adult and reference services librarian, points to two databases in particular that hold vast amounts of health-related information. Consumer Health Complete offers a well-rounded collection of full-text content from a variety of relevant source types including journals, magazines, books, pamphlets, images, videos and more.
Similarly, the Gale Health Collection is a collection of full text eBooks on diseases, diet and nutrition, fitness, medicine, drugs and mental health. The Collection also includes animations of common surgeries, so you can understand what will be happening to your body before you go in for a procedure.
While it's certainly possible to find endless health-related information on websites like WedMD and Wikipedia, information from these websites may not be accurate and often aren't peer-reviewed.
"These resources are vetted," Mills explained. "With these databases, you know the information has been researched by professionals. With something like health, you especially want something trustworthy."
To access these databases from home, you need a library card from Liberty Lake proper. If your card number starts with "10," you're good to go. Other library patrons are welcome to access the databases from within the library.
All patrons can search the library's collection of health-related digital books, which are accessible through Overdrive on the website. These eBooks can be downloaded to a Kindle or other e-reader and kept for a few weeks just like any other library book, at which point they'll automatically be returned.
Whether you're looking to lose weight, train for a marathon, or understand a diagnosis, the library has a wealth of resources to answer all of your health-related questions. If you're not sure where to start looking for answers, Mills is available for research assistance.
"We know it can be uncomfortable to talk about your health with a group of strangers, but I'm available to help people figure out where they can get the information they need to make good decisions," she said.
To make an appointment to meet with a librarian, call 232-2510.
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Upcoming classes at the Library
Nutrition Class: Learn how to ID hidden toxins in your food
Sept. 17 at 6 p.m.
Learn what "natural" really means. Determine what to buy, as well as the difference between real and artificial ingredients.
Wildtree Mini-Freezer Meal Workshop
Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.
Bring your own protein, and the rest of the ingredients will be provided. Participants will go home with four free freezer meals to feed four to six adults. Space and supplies are limited; specific instructions will be given to those who register. To register, call 232-2510.
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Book Review: Winters mixes paranormal with historical fiction
By Melanie Boerner
Splash Contributor
"In the Shadow of Blackbirds" by Cat Winters
For 8th grade and up
In the throes of World War I, millions of soldiers are being killed overseas, while the flu pandemic is killing millions in America. These tragedies are leaving people desperate and turning to spiritualism and folk remedies to help them speak to dead loved ones and survive the pandemic.
Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black finds herself in San Diego with her aunt after her father has been jailed for anti-Americanism. She watches these people flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself does not believe in ghosts; that is, until she starts seeing one herself and must confront all her beliefs about life and death.
This story blends history and paranormal genres seamlessly. It features archival early 20th-century photographs that capture the mood of the story and leave you wanting more. Cat Winters grew up in Southern California and captures the area perfectly in her writing; it is also clear that she did her research on the era and you feel the bleakness that one must have felt during that time. Whether a lover of historical or paranormal fiction, you will find something you like in this story.
Melanie Boerner formerly served as children and youth services librarian for the Liberty Lake Municipal Library. She now works for the Spokane County Library District.
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All Tuesday story times are on hold through the end of September; story times for preschoolers and toddlers will continue to be held Fridays at 10:15 a.m.
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