Take some knowledge from the library along with you. Laramie County Library has partnered with the Wyoming State parks and you can check out a backpack loaded with guides, tools and a pass for day-use entry into any Wyoming State Park or State Historic Site. The backpack is available to check out soon!  The gear is to inspire youth and families to get outdoors and experience Wyoming’s state parks, historic sites and trails.  Check out a backpack at the library, learn while you go and have some fun.Read More

Hollywood continues to mine the bookshelves in their quest for new and creative storylines. Over a dozen upcoming releases are adaptations of books. These “literature-inspired” films range from thrillers envisioning dark, future worlds to historical tales, emotionally intense coming-of-age stories, wild comedies and intense literary novels.Read More

The field of consumer DNA research is exploding, with more and more companies popping up all the time, offering different tests and services.  Since I first read about it, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of DNA analysis. As a result, I have spent several hundred dollars pursuing information about my genetic makeup. I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learned.

Over ten years ago, after reading several books and articles on ancestral DNA testing, I had my husband’s Y-chromosome DNA tested. This traces the males in your line (but only the males) back through the generations. I also had our mitochondrial DNA analyzed. Mitochondrial DNA comes from your mother, so this test traces your genetic heritage back through the females (and only the females) in your ancestry.Read More

Come along on a journey with me.  We start by sitting in a rocket preparing for liftoff.   We can experience this vicariously through the astronauts who have gone before us. Once you arrive in space, gravity allows you to float unencumbered through the ship.   Earth gazing is a pastime during a space flight that astronauts all savor.   What experiences do humans feel in space and what could we learn from the astronauts?Read More

Your coworker’s mom died, your cousin had a miscarriage, your friend’s brother has terminal cancer. There is no one-size-fits-all advice for seeing a friend through grief. Grief is very individual and everyone will heal in their own way in their own time.  Something that comforts me may bother someone else.  But here are a few ideas that may help in most cases.
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What to blog about? While contemplating this question I thought I’d turn to our library’s mission: Serve the people of Laramie County by encouraging and supporting lifelong learning and adventure. So what shall it be today, people of Laramie County? Learning? Or Adventure? Well here’s a way I can provide both. This is a topic I know something about!

Albania.

(psst, it’s a country) The country of Jim Balushi, Mother Teresa, and the bad guys on the movie Taken, it is also where Voldemort was in hiding for 12 years!Read More

In recent blogs, we discussed DNA testing as a tool for exploring your genetic heritage. But the biggest boom in DNA testing isn’t about discovering your ancestry. It’s about discovering YOU. There are numerous companies offering tests that analyze genetic markers related to your health and physical well-being.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding this type of DNA testing. One concern is with keeping the data secure. If your test results reveal you are likely to get a serious disease, you probably don’t want that information leaked to your employer (present or future) or to potential health insurance providers. Although all the companies doing DNA testing promise confidentiality, no computer system is immune to being hacked. Once the testing is done and the information stored, it is theoretically at risk of being stolen and used in ways that could negatively affect you.Read More

The Laramie County Library System is bringing international science stars and authors Dr. Jana Grcevich and Olivia Koski to Cheyenne on February 9 and 10 as part of its Discover Space: a Cosmic Journey exhibition. Since the 2011 launch of the Intergalactic Travel Bureau at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, this new approach to science learning has inspired a virtual reality app, stage productions and the book, “Vacation Guide to the Solar System: Science for the Savvy Space Traveler.”

The authors will visit South High School on the morning of Friday, February 9, to introduce area students to their special style of science demonstration: Guerilla Science. Koski leads USA operations for Guerilla Science, a London and New York based organization that produces events and installations for clients and venues from Kensington Palace and the Smithsonian to Burning Man and the Glastonbury Festival.Read More

We’ve all been there. Your three year old is crawling under the table at the restaurant. Your seven year old is whining in the car. It’s so nice to toss an iPad or a phone into their lap and enjoy the peace and quiet! As the parent of a 3 and 4 year old, I struggle with this!  I somehow got the idea that my children must be entertained or occupied at all times.Read More