Category Archives: Uncategorized

Most of you might know that there is a great free website to learn about computers, the Internet and email,  (from the Goodwill Community Foundation).  One of their recent article also gives you 4 Free alternatives to Microsoft Office.

Librarians here at the Burlington Public Library are here to also help you use them on library computers or your own!

ASK A LIBRARIAN

Charity Scams

Urgent appeals for aid that you get in person, by phone or mail, by e-mail, on websites, or on social networking sites may not be on the up-and-up. Unfortunately, legitimate charities face competition from fraudsters who either solicit for bogus charities or aren’t entirely honest about how a so-called charity will use your contribution.  Read more about making sure the charity you are helping is sincere at this link from the Federal Trade Commission.

Dave Tucker of the Mount Baker Volcano Research Center will be the speaker for a program on the volcanic history of Mount Baker, its eruptions, collapses, and the hazards this active volcano poses. The state of volcano monitoring at the volcano will be discussed. The likely volcanic future and the potential for impacts on Whatcom-Skagit communities will close out the presentation.

Only 40,000 years old, the Mount Baker cone is about the same age as Mount Saint Helens. Very little was known of its volcanic history until extensive geologic mapping by USGS geologists Wes Hildreth and Kevin Scott began in the mid-1990s.
We now know that Mount Baker is but the youngest in a series of volcanoes in the immediate area extending back over 1,000,000 years. Other volcanoes in the Baker group include: two calderas that each erupted roughly 200 times as much ash as Mount Saint Helens did in 1980 all in single devastating eruptions; a subglacial cone; and a number of once-sizable stratovolcanoes, most now eroded to nubs.
Collapse of the volcano’s southwestern slope sent a large mudflow, or lahar, down the Middle Fork Nooksack River into the lowlands of Whatcom County and possibly as far as the Fraser River. Field studies continue to describe the post-glacial eruptive history. Much of this work is being done by graduate students at Western Washington University.
The newest, as yet unpublished research has revealed the patterns of ash deposits erupted from Mount Baker which will be part of the program along with video from inside the crater.

Click here for more information on the Mount Baker Volcano Research Center

Attention, Writers!

What do the books Water for Elephants, The Night Circus, Fangirl, and Cinder all have in common? They were all written during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Each November, NaNoWriMo participants attempt to write a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month. Participants can create a free account at www.nanowrimo.org where they can join virtual write-ins, track their word count, earn badges, find writing tips, and interact with fellow writers!

In 2014, 849 libraries, bookstores, and community centers opened their doors to novelists through the Come Write In program. Burlington Public Library is excited to host our first NaNoWriMo Write-In on November 28, 2015 from 12-5 PM. Bring your laptop, notebook, or scribe to the Burlington Rotary Community Meeting Room where we’ll have tables, chairs, outlets, Wi-Fi, and free snacks. You may also use one of our public computers or laptops (but no snacks allowed there) on a first-come, first-served basis.

Can’t make it to the Write-In? Come use the library any day to write your novel! A list of published NaNoWriMo participants can be found here.

Happy writing!

– Jenny

Celebrate your fREADom to read by learning more about Banned Books Week! Check out the American Library Association’s list of frequently challenged books and get caught reading dangerously at BPL. Take a mugshot in the teen section and share it with us online for a chance to win a free book!

Here are a few of our staff members reading dangerously.

Have a favorite frequently challenged book? Share it with us in the comments!

– Jenny

Are you getting excited for the Academy Awards this weekend? We sure are! Come by the library this Saturday for a special (and totally FREE) matinee of Oscar-nominated films. We’ll start the day off at 11am with Best Picture Nominee The Theory of Everything, then after a short intermission Guardians of the Galaxy at 2pm. This event is open to adults and teens (age 14 and up) and children accompanied by an adult.

Red carpet or superhero garb is encouraged, as is indulging in free popcorn. We’ll also have ballots available for you to cast your own votes for the Oscars – submit them by the end of the day for a chance to win movie tickets.

What Oscar-nominated films do you think will win big this year? Let us know in the comments!