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Celebrate Black History Month

Black History Month was first organized by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926 to focus national attention on the contributions, the struggles and the history of African-Americans. "Negro History Week," as it was originally called, was scheduled to occur during the second week of February in order to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The event has since evolved into a month-long commemoration. Take some time to explore our African-American history and learn more about African-American culture from these IPL resources:
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress NAACP Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, and the NAACP.
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What's For Dinner?

The IPL has resources for every cook, whether you're planning a gourmet ethnic feast or a simple supper for friends:
Photo by Michael Connors and courtesy morgueFile.
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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Gardens give us beautiful flowers and bountiful harvests. Dig into our gardening resources and grow a green thumb.
Image from stock.xchng, photo id# 1011588
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Literature and Poetry on the Internet

Libraries aren't the only place you can find books! Browse the shelves of the Internet Public Library and find electronic texts by Leo Tolstoy, Omar Khayyam and more...
Image from stock.xchng, photo id# 804360
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Lunar New Year

The Chinese New Year begins on the day of the second new moon after the day on which the winter solstice happens. Explore different calendars and holidays observed by different cultures:
Photo by Jon Sullivan and courtesy PDPhoto.org.
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Science In The World Around You

What are viruses? Why is the sky blue? What does a water molecule look like? Explore your world through the eyes of a scientist:
Image from stock.xchng, photo id# 923751
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Explore the Works of the Bard

Beware the Ides of March! This line is from a Shakespeare play, but which one? Find the entire text of Shakespeare's plays online and much more...
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The Future of Space Exploration Looks Bright!

...from Cassini exploring Saturn to Phoenix, Spirit and Opportunity roving over Mars to Stardust capturing comet debris to launching New Horizons towards Pluto (and is Pluto really a planet?) to space tourism, look here to find out more...
Photo Credit: NASA.
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Banned Books Week

Ahoy! Treasure Your Freedom to Read and Get Hooked on a Banned Book
A link to the American Library Association's Banned Books Week site is above. Explore other resources in the IPL to learn more about censorship, including books that have been challenged and banned, why, and what you can do about it. Exercise your freedom to read!
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How To Vote
And How To Find What You're Voting For

Whether you need to know how to vote, where you're voting, who the candidates are (at local, county, state, or federal levels), or what the issues are, you can find resources in the IPL that will help you answer your questions, sort out the issues, and make informed decisions:
Image from stock.xchng, photo id# 782736
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Think Manga Is Plural For Mango?

The Graphic Novels exhibit in the IPL chronicles the rise of the graphic novel, gives help for finding age-appropriate graphic novels, and provides links to many other resources on the graphic novel.
Books with pictures this way...
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The Olympics

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." - Olympic Creed
The Olympic Games challenge athletes to be the best and strike national pride in the heart of the participants as well as the audience. Check out the resources available in the IPL to learn out about the sports, history, and controversy of the Olympic Games from ancient times to today.
Image from stock.xchng, photo id# 1011588
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What are young people thinking...?
If only there was someone we could ask!
Wait a minute, we could give them a theme, a space to write, and the promise to post the moderately relevant responses.
And then...we'd still have no idea. But it'd be fun.
Sub-20 folks, go to our THING of the Week form on the IPL's and tell us what you think about this week's theme!
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Help Library Advocates Storm Capitol Hill On National Library Legislative Day

Every year in May hundreds of librarians and library supporters go to Washington, DC and their state capitols to ask the U.S. Congress and state legislators to pass legislation that supports libraries.
Even if you can't make it to Washington, DC or your state capitol, you can still participate by contacting your state or national representative to let them know about the importance of libaries and the issues facing them!
Become more informed about libraries and the issues surrounding libraries by exploring the resources offered in the IPL:
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What's the Forecast?

Trying to find something more about the weather? Explore weather-related resources in the IPL:
Image from stock.xchng, photo id# 979274
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