Was walking by the new books area here at Library Headquarters the other day and came across The Mindset Lists of American History by Tom McBride & Ron Nief. Now, I'm from Texas, where high school football is the state religion and practically every high school history teacher is a football coach. Suffice to say that my grasp on American history is, um, limited.
But this book is really cool - it takes a number of seemingly random years from 1880 through 2026 and tells what historical facts were true for that year's graduating class.
Here are a few examples:
1898
Children and factories have always needed each other.
Police have always stopped horse-drawn carriages for speeding.
1944
College boys have continued to wear their $39 raccoon coats because after the Crash, they could hardly afford a new one.
Nancy Drew has always driven a roadster and solved the mystery of the hidden staircase.
Apples have always been associated more with poverty than sin. (And of course, they have never been associated with computers.)
1983
Women have always worn pants.
1996
Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo have always been turtles.
Even if you aren't a history buff, this nifty little book has lots to interest lots of folk. And if you read it, maybe it will help you understand people who are not exactly like you. That's not a bad thing, you know?
Until next time...
System status
A new library system and online catalog will debut on May 30. Here's the current status of:
- Checkouts: May 24-29 you must have your physical library card in hand to check out materials.
- Due dates: All checkouts will have a due date of June 22, except DVDs and GRU watt meters, which still have 7-day limit.
- Holds and requests: New holds and purchase requests cannot be placed until May 30, but those placed previously will continue to be processed.
- Returns: Please "Babysit Our Books" — keep them until the new system is running smoothly (mid-June).
- Registration: Continues as usual today, but cannot be done May 24-29, as our entire system will be down.
- Interlibrary loan: Continues as usual throughout the transition.
- Digital checkouts: OverDrive checkouts and holds will work normally throughout the transition.
- My Discoveries: Will be retired with the AquaBrowser catalog on May 24. Please retrieve any saved book lists before then.
- Website: The Library District website (www.aclib.us) will be up as normal throughout the transition.
- My Account: Account info will be available through May 24. Your account will appear on the new system on May 30.
- Bill payment: All payments including PayPal are working today. No payments can be accepted May 24-29
- New catalog: Watch for its debut on May 30, with new features.
More about the transition.
More about the new online catalog.
Have any questions? Please Ask Us!
