Our Upcoming Bestsellers & Notable Books list is now available for new bestselling and notable fiction titles being published from January through April 2021. A copy is available online, or you may pick up a print copy at the adult reference or Main desks. All titles on the list are available to reserve through our catalog, some in multiple formats such as large print and audiobook. The publishing industry seems to have stabilized and many of our favorite authors will be having new books out during the Winter. Please keep in mind that since this list is published so far in advance, that some publication dates and titles may be subject to change. Returning favorites include new books by Lincoln Child, Greg Hurwitz, Kristin Hannah, Jonathan Kellerman, C.J. Box, Harlan Coben, and Lisa Scottoline. And those two old writing warhorses James Patterson and Danielle Steel each have multiple books on tap. For Patterson try Till Murder Do Us Part, The Palm Beach Murders and The Red Book, while Danielle Steel offers Neighbors, The Affair and Finding Ashley.
Online Learning with Coursera and Udemy
Governor Cuomo recently announced New York State Department of Labor’s partnership with Coursera, a leading online training provider.
Through this partnership, unemployed New Yorkers have free access to nearly 4,000 online training courses – many of these courses can be pathways to certifications, professional certificates, and new jobs.
To request a no-cost Coursera account, unemployed New Yorkers should visit this website and submit the online form.
Alternatively, Patchogue-Medford Library cardholders have access to Udemy, another leading online training provider. Udemy offers over 6,000 online courses in over 75 categories, including 2,000 courses taught by native speakers of Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Japanese. Udemy can be accessed on our ‘Research A to Z‘ page. You will need a Google or Microsoft account to sign up; these services are free and easy to create if you do not already have either. If you need help, contact us!
Banned Books Week is September 27-October 3rd
Launched in the 1980s with help from the American Library Association, Banned Books Week is a celebration of the freedom to read that now reaches nearly 3 billion readers every year.
The freedom to read is a key piece of intellectual freedom – the crucial freedom to hold, receive, and disseminate ideas from all points of view without restriction. Intellectual freedom is very important to libraries – they are committed to providing the ideas and information, in a variety of formats, to allow people to inform themselves.
Despite the success of Banned Books Week, censorship (the suppression of ideas and information that certain persons find objectionable or dangerous) still occurs and books are still being banned and challenged across the United States and the world.
Librarians, teachers, students, and community members must continue to stand up and speak out for the lifelong freedom to read and against censorship.
Read on to learn about some important banned books, some reasons why they were challenged or banned, and how you can read them for yourself!
[Read more…]Let’s Take a Ride in an Electric Car! pt. II
Click here to read our first article on electric cars and state and federal details on choosing, purchasing, and driving one.
Here’s some more information!