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

It happens all the time. A library patron comes to the desk looking for a book they’ve heard people raving about, or one that has been adapted into a hit movie. They’re baffled, because they can’t find the book. Surely the library carries such a popular title. And we do, but they can’t find it because it’s shelved on the 2^nd floor with the other juvenile books.

They’re taken aback. Sometimes even embarrassed. But we tell them not to worry. Lots of very literate, well-educated adults read young adult and juvenile fiction. After all, the Harry Potter books were written for children, and who doesn’t love those stories?

And that was just the beginning. Then came The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, Twilight and the Divergent series and The Fault In Our Stars. All these YA and children’s books were made into hit movies. In fact, in recent years it seems like about half of the books adapted for movies are YA and children’s titles. Consider recent releases like Before I Fall and Wonder. Or the classic children’s book A Wrinkle In Time, slated for release next March.Read More

Space: the final frontier, full of galaxies far, far away that are billions and billions of years old. Looking up in wonder, gazing at the stars, makes us human beings long to imagine and explore what’s out there. Whether your amazement originates through Star Trek, Star Wars, Cosmos, sci-fi literature, science class, or looking up at the clear, star-studded Wyoming sky, the library has a treat for you!Read More

For some months now, we’ve been testing wireless printing here at the Laramie County Library, and we’re finally able to offer it for public use.

The name of our wireless print solution is SmartALEC and it has been successfully tested with several versions of Android, iPhones, iPads, Windows laptops and tablets and most recently, Mac books.Read More

The holiday season is here, which means a lot of people are thinking about getting their family a new puppy for Christmas. What kid doesn’t want a slobbery, furry little companion with a bow around its neck on Christmas morning? While this is exciting and wonderful, raising a dog is a lot of work that requires commitment long after the novelty wears off. Read More

So you’ve had your DNA tested and you’re thinking “Now what do I do?” or you’re still wondering if it’s worth $80 to $125 to take a test?  Will it help with your traditional genealogy research? Will it help you find your birth family if you’re adopted? Will it tell you if your great-grandmother was Cherokee? The answer to all of those questions are “yes” under certain circumstances. If you have been doing traditional genealogy research, a DNA genealogy test will help you confirm the research you’ve already done, open new avenues for research and help you tear down those genealogy brick walls. I used AncestryDNA ancestrydna.com because I already had a family tree created with traditional genealogy on Ancestry.com but other well-known genealogy companies such as 23andMe www.23andme.com and FamilyTreeDNA www.familytreedna.com.Read More