•  Print Resources.  We have a wide variety of books you can check out to help with job search preparation. Here are a just a few:
  • Amazing Resumes. by Jim Bright, Ph.D, and Joanne Earl, Ph.D. (650.142BRI CAREER) – Based on psychological research, this book reveals what employers are actually looking for and how the hiring process really works.  Format your resume for maximum readibility on paper and online.
  • 101 Great Resumes. by Ron Fry. (650.142FRY CAREER). - Resumes for anyone from recent high school grad to retired older adult. Includes formats for specific professions, including sales, computers, human resources, and many more.
  • Knock ‘em Dead Resumes.  by Martin Yate, C.P.C. (650.142 YAT CAREER) – Smart advice to make your online and paper resumes more productive.  Detailed steps for putting it all together on paper or online.
• Online Resources: There are some excellent Internet sites where you can find help with resume building, interviewing skills, and online job applications. Here are a few that provide extensive professional services:
  • Career Builder
    Features many current job listings, resume building and more.
  • Monster.com 
    Everything the job seeker will need, from resume writing to job listings.
  • Snagajob.com
    Follow this link to local Topeka jobs. This is a very practical site to find jobs that are available NOW
  • .In addition to print and online resources, the Library also has Winway Deluxe resume software on 56 of the public computers. This is an excellent software that provides professional resume and cover letter templates, job descriptions, and practice interviews.
  • We also have two dedicated Jobs & Careers computers with 4-hour log-ins to provide extra computer time for you to conduct your job search and employment applications. Just check in at the Reference desk and we will get you started.If you would like one-on-one help with your resume or cover letter,  contact our Business Librarian, Terry Miller at 785-580-4556 or tmiller@tscpl.org to make an appointment.

Both books are organized in a similar manner and reflect DK’s talent at using graphics and organization to explain a variety of concepts like Konrad Lorenz’s imprinting to David McClelland’s three key motivations. The ideas are in chronological order in The Philosophy Book, but in the The Psychology Book the ideas are grouped by larger concepts. In both books each idea is given up to six pages of explanation with graphics that summarize the concept, sidebars that relate the context of the idea to other ideas and diagrams that follow basic statements of the concept.

Though these books are not in a narrative style they are still a fascinating overview of philosophy and psychology. Each provides a starting point for ideas that could be explored further and begin a journey into concepts that have influenced our world. It is discovery made simple.

If you are living in a small house, apartment, or townhome, it doesn’t mean your small space can’t be neat, well-organized, and well-decorated. Here are some tips for living well in a small space.

1. A spot for everything: A space looks much bigger if everything is organized and put into attractive storage containers. Leave as few items out on furniture as you can.

2. Smaller furniture: Replace big, overstuffed furniture with smaller pieces that fit the scale of your small space. Also, buy pieces that can multi-task such as ottomans and coffee tables with built-in storage.

3. Bring in light: Make sure your space is as light as possible. Place mirrors in your rooms to reflect the light and hang light-colored window coverings to help brighten the room.

4. Choose appropriate colors: Light and cool colors expand a space. (Warm colors make a room seem cozy.) Choose a neutral palette for your overall design and add pops of color throughout your space.

5. Divide a small space correctly: If you need to divide your small space, do it with a room divider that serves as a storage space and a decorative item.

The Library’s Home Neighborhood has many books on decorating small spaces. Two of the newest books are Better Homes and Gardens Small Space Decorating and Living in a Nushell: Posh and Portable Decorating Ideas for Small Spaces. Come browse through these books, get some great decorating ideas, and start living large in your small space!

“You have got to be kidding me.” Kate’s eyes were wide as she looked at the chair Kevin had pulled up to his desk. He shrugged, not sure what comfort he could offer her. He opted for a joke instead.

“Just wait until you see your paycheck. Interns make the big bucks. You know?” The glare she sent his way made him question the wisdom of joking around when she was already unhappy. But what was done was done. She sighed and blew up at her bangs, crossing her arms.

“Do you at least have a plan, or am I going to be spinning around in this stupid chair all day long for the next year.”

“Uh.” It was a good question. Even more, it was an appropriate question. But being good or appropriate didn’t give him an answer. “I just got this thing dropped on me this morning.”

“Great excuse,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“I was told that you had ideas. That’s why Miss Blackmon picked you. So what’s your plan?” He felt a little good that he’d turned it around on her, but she just smiled. That was never good. When a woman smiled, pain usually followed.

“Oh, I have tons of ideas. But I don’t think you’re going to like them.” He frowned at her. How bad could they possibly be?

“Our job is to make Topeka seem awesome. I’m not sure what ideas you could have that wouldn’t at least be worth pursuing.”

“Ghosts,” she said simply. The smile on her face told him that he hadn’t hidden his distaste well.

“What do you mean, ghosts?” he asked slowly. Maybe if he took longer to speak, he could fix whatever his face was doing to make her look so smug.

“I mean ghosts. Think about it. What’s popular these days? Look at movies. Look at books. Look at television. People want to be spooked. They want a thrill. What could be more awesome than living in a town right out of a movie? And I don’t think I’ve heard of a place yet that didn’t have at least one ghost story that they could scare their kids with. What’s Topeka’s ghost story?”

He had to count. To twenty. But he was finally able to speak, letting out a long sigh.

“We’re trying to make Topeka seem awesome. Not frightening. We’re not focusing on ghosts.”

She shook her head and plopped down into her chair.

“Not like I was saying to only look at ghosts. But I knew you wouldn’t like it. I don’t know why you couldn’t just trust my judgment of what you’d be okay with doing.”

“I don’t know you well enough to trust you with a pencil sharpener,” he stated, earning another eye roll from her. “And you don’t know me well enough to know what I’d be interested in hearing. You only said I wouldn’t like it because no one would. Except weirdos. And I don’t think Topeka Is Awesome is about attracting weirdos to our town.”

“No,” she said, leaning across his desk to stare at him. “Topeka Is Awesome is about making people who already live here give a damn.”

“Are you saying Topeka is full of weirdos?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I’ve only been here about an hour. But I think that teenage girls live here. And young guys. And what could be either more romantic or more adventurous than a ghost story and a tale of a haunting?” She leaned back in her chair and he tried not to be obvious about letting out the breath he’d held in when she got closer.

“There are no romantic or adventurous ghost stories in Topeka. And I’m thinking we should focus on something a little more timeless. I’m not trying to cater to the whims of teenage girls. So let’s try to class things up a bit, hmm?”

The problem was, two hours later, he hadn’t like any of her other ideas, either. Kate was starting to wonder if the guy actually liked the town at all. A presentation focusing on the parades, carnivals, and tourist spots in town got a no (too normal). A presentation on the historical sites around town got a no (too boring). A presentation focusing on things to do with kids got a no (too niche). She was ready to bang her head against a wall. Or his.

“What?”

She looked up at him, her mind ceasing its wanderings.

“What?” she asked. He shook his head.

“That’s what I asked you,” he said. “You were smiling. What are you thinking?” She blew on her bangs while she thought of a nice way to say that she was dreaming of bashing his head in.

“Are you sure you don’t want to do ghosts?” she asked. “You haven’t really liked anything else I suggested. It might be worth it to go back to the first suggestion and give it another look.”

He leaned his elbows on the desk and rubbed at his eyes. He was clearly not a people-person, and she was a normal kind of person. It was obvious that she was irritating him, though she wasn’t doing it on purpose. Or at least, she wasn’t doing all of it on purpose.

“What is your fascination?” he asked. She shrugged.

“I’m just trying to cater to all ages and demographics. People are into the paranormal. If you could make a claim for a vampire living here, that would be awesome too, but I doubt it. Ghosts are more common. And you can always find people that will claim to have seen one. Then you throw in a few historical sites to go with it and you get the paranormal freaks and the history buffs all in one neat little package. Then you just need something for families, something for singles, and something for old people.”

He looked less than convinced. Maybe she shouldn’t have called them old people. What was the PC term these days? The elderly? The youth-challenged?

“I really don’t like this idea,” he said, shaking his head.

“What other idea have you got?”

“None, really.”

“So. . . ” she led, hoping he’d cave. She could get excited about interviewing people about ghost stories.

“So you can work on the ghost angle. But only until I finish reading Evelyn’s notebook and come up with a better idea.”

She grinned, triumphant. He wouldn’t come up with a better idea. She was sure of it. After all, this was Topeka, Kansas, they were talking about. From what she saw on the internet, they barely had a zoo. Or at least, the one they had was at risk. Kevin Emile would have his work cut out for him trying to best her at this one.

“I’ll get started tomorrow,” she said, standing up.

“Tomorrow?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said, smiling at him over her shoulder as she headed for the door. “I have to give you time to at least find me a cubicle or something. And I came straight here after getting off the plane. So I need to unpack and get in a shower before I start interviewing people.” She shrugged and waved.

“See you tomorrow, boss.”

Download and print Chapter 3 by D.L. Rose (3 page .pdf)
Watch for Chapter 4 next week at http://tscpl.org/community-novel/

Author bio:

D.L.Rose has been writing stories since she first learned to scribble on a piece of paper. When she’s not creating tales of the fantastic and unusual, she’s a homeschooling mother to two beautiful creatures. She can often be found blogging about the balancing act of life at her blog, Finding Mommy, Finding God (www.maidenfine.com/wordpress).

Donations may be left at the book deposit box located on the loading dock driveway on the northwest side of the library (easiest access is from 10th and Garfield Street). Donations of less than one box may be left at the Information Desk or the Chandler Booktique at the library.

All year long, volunteers sort books and other items in preparation for the annual book sale. Proceeds from the book stores and the annual book sale go to fund library programs, services and resources.

For more information, contact the Friends of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library at 785-580-4445.

The Chandler Booktique is open Monday – Friday 10am – 6pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sunday 12-5pm.

When: Saturday, May 26th, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Where: The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library in the South West employee staff parking lot.

See how long you can hang onto a wild, unbroken bicycle at our Buckaroo Bike Rodeo! Bring your trusty bike and we’ll show you how to properly fit your helmet. Then, practice riding and when your ready, tackle the obstacle course.

That’s what you’ll learn at the Buckaroo Bike Rodeo. See you there  pard’ners!

Pictures from: ehow.com, pdxk.com, lugano-toursim.ch, endeavorfit.com

White Cat takes place in a fantasy version of America where certain people called “curse workers” have the ability to do magic on other people by touching their bare skin. Everyone wears gloves to protect against curses. It’s illegal to perform curse magic, so most curse workers keep their skills secret since they are met with fear and suspicion. This creates an underworld of curse workers that is populated by powerful and mob-like families. Cassel, the main character, feels like an outsider because he’s the only one in his family of notorious criminals who is not a curse worker.

Cassel tries to break away from his criminal family and blend in at his boarding school, but he’s haunted by dreams of a white cat and memories of things that he’s sure never happened. His paranoia grows when he finds out that his family is keeping secrets from him. His brother is a curse worker who can influence thoughts and alter memories, so Cassel can’t even trust his own mind.

I thought the world of White Cat was fascinating, and the twists and turns in the story had me hooked. Cassel is a great character and I loved seeing him struggle to balance his “normal” life with his criminal tendencies. White Cat is the first book in the Curse Workers trilogy and I think they get even better with each book. The audio book version is also excellent and is read by actor Jesse Eisenberg from Zombieland and The Social Network.

	1  DEADLOCKED, by Charlaine Harris. The telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse investigates a murder that has more to do with her than she imagines.
	2  THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE, by Stephen King. A new entry in the Dark Tower epic western-fantasy series; this novel, King says, is “Dark Tower 4.5.”
	3  THE INNOCENT, by David Baldacci. A hitman who has become a target of the government rescues a teenage girl whose parents have been murdered and who may be at the center of a dangerous conspiracy.
	4  CALICO JOE, by John Grisham. A pitcher beans a promising rookie, ending both their careers; years later, the pitcher’s son brings them together.
	5  THE WITNESS, by Nora Roberts. A programmer hides from the Russian mob in the Ozarks.
	6  ROBERT B. PARKER’S LULLABY, by Ace Atkins. Spenser helps a girl investigate her mother’s murder; a continuation of the series by Parker, who died in 2010.
	7  GUILTY WIVES, by James Patterson and David Ellis. Four friends in Monte Carlo for a luxurious girls’ vacation find themselves in prison, accused of a crime.
	8  THE LOST YEARS, by Mary Higgins Clark. When a biblical scholar who made an amazing discovery is murdered, his daughter hunts for the killer (and a missing document).
	9  UNNATURAL ACTS, by Stuart Woods. The New York lawyer Stone Barrington becomes involved in the family problems of a billionaire hedge fund manager.
	10   THE SHOEMAKER’S WIFE, by Adriana Trigiani. Childhood sweethearts in turn-of-the-20th-century Italy meet again in America.

NonFiction

	1  THE PASSAGE OF POWER, by Robert A. Caro. From 1958 through the Kennedy assassination; the fourth volume of “The Years of Lyndon Johnson.”
	2  MY CROSS TO BEAR, by Gregg Allman with Alan Light. The musician’s memoir.
	3  LOTS OF CANDLES, PLENTY OF CAKE, by Anna Quindlen. The journalist and novelist, now nearly 60, looks back at her experiences and those of her generation.
	4  PRAGUE WINTER, by Madeleine Albright with Bill Woodward. The former secretary of state describes her family’s life in Czechoslovakia, where she was born; their exile in London during World War II; their return to their homeland after the war and their final move to the United States in 1948.
	5  THE POWER OF HABIT, by Charles Duhigg. A Times reporter’s account of the science behind how we form, and break, habits.
	6  DRIFT, by Rachel Maddow. America’s path to war has become too easy, with excessive power ceded to the executive branch, the MSNBC host argues.
	7  IMAGINE, by Jonah Lehrer. An account of the science of creativity argues that it is not a gift but a thought process that can be learned.
	8  THE PRESIDENTS CLUB, by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy. Two journalists examine the relationships between sitting presidents and their predecessors.
	9  KILLING LINCOLN, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The host of “The O’Reilly Factor” recounts the heart-stopping events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
	10  MANHUNT, by Peter L. Bergen. The 10-year search for Osama bin Laden.

But I have an addiction, a museum addiction…I collection exhibition catalogs. There I said it! I collect those heavy, glossy image, long essay-filled tomes the way a boy (or grown man) collects baseball cards! It’s an addiction – a very heavy one if you have ever tried to lift a box full of them. (My husband always hates when we move because somehow he’s always left carrying those heavy, back-breaking boxes.)

I just can’t help myself, I want to enjoy the exhibition again and again, long after they are gone. I want, no I need, to revisit the image and relive the stories the curators have woven.

Let me share with you how bad my addiction is. Last month I was fortunate to spend some time in London. While there I tried to get into the Damien Hirst exhibition at the Tate Modern. Unfortunately everyone in London had the same idea. Needless to say I couldn’t get a ticket. So what did I do? You guessed it, I marched myself right into the gift shop and bought the catalog, all 5 lbs. of it!  (I then had to carry it the rest of the trip as a reminder of my habit.)

So, now you know my art addiction – what’s yours?  Share some of your “art addictions” – your favorite work of art, the best exhibit you’ve seen, or your favorite museum to visit.

Nate:  Exactly. A way to determine latitude had been devised much earlier, but if you didn’t know longitude, it was possible you could be 100 miles further east or west than you thought you were, making navigation extremely difficult and hazardous. Countless ships were lost at sea, shipwrecked, delayed, or had crews that died of scurvy due to depleted rations from the 15^th through the 18^th centuries – and much of this was a direct result of not knowing exactly where you were on the ocean.

Dave:  There were essentially two methods for determining longitude that came to the forefront during the 18^th century when this problem was being tackled. One was the astronomical method, which consisted of determining longitude by looking at objects such as stars, planets, and moons to figure out your position, and the other was the mechanical method, which entailed building a clock which could keep track of the time back at your home port. Because if you knew what time it was there, and you knew what time it was where you were on the ocean, you could figure out your position.

Nate:  Both of these methods had issues that had to be resolved, however. On the mechanical side, there had never been a clock built that could keep time at sea. Conditions at sea, such as moisture, changing temperatures, and rolling waves had always interfered with its functions, not allowing it to be exact enough. To be useful, a timepiece could not lose more than three seconds in twenty four hours – any more than that and a ship would not be able to determine its position accurately enough. And on the astronomical side, complete maps of the stars had not been done up to this point in history, so that solution seemed far off as well.

Dave:  And while the astronomers of the day scrambled to complete maps of the stars, a little known English clockmaker took up the challenge of determining longitude, and solved it with relative ease.

Nate:  And that clockmaker, John Harrison, was an interesting guy, as he was totally self made. He had never really had any formal training in building clocks, yet the pieces he made were remarkable. He built a clock tower in Brocklesby Park in England that has run continuously since 1722 – the only time it stopped was when it was refurbished in 1884. He applied this genius to building a longitude clock, or chronometer, and like you said, built one without too much trouble.

Dave:  Building one wasn’t too much trouble, but receiving recognition for it became a struggle he would endure for decades. He actually ended up building four chronometers, each one being an improvement over the last. I have to say, after reading this book, I was taken back to another book we reviewed some time ago about the journey of the Apollo astronauts to the moon. It seemed like we’d kind of come full circle. It’s amazing to think that the astronauts who went to the moon were able to land within a few hundred feet of where they were supposed to. And the solution to determining longitude was the beginning of mankind’s ability to figure out exact location. How many doors did that open up? It’s almost impossible to say.

Nate:  I agree. You really take for granted things that have always been there, and are always there for you. We just have to look at a watch, cell phone, clock on the wall, or any other device that says the time, no matter where we are, and we know it will be correct. We don’t have to do any calculations, or wonder how we’re going to figure it out. The same goes for knowing our position in the world. From maps, to GPS, determining location is something that is so easy and readily available that we don’t even think about it.

Dave:  But in the old days of sea exploration that knowledge wasn’t “just there”, and it was a real problem. After reading this book, it’s obvious why the routes the early explorers took seemed to zig zag all over the place.

Nate:  I find it amazing they ever found their way, to be totally honest. And it wasn’t just an issue with exploring. It was a commerce problem as well.

Dave:  Absolutely. You had ships going down at sea with hulls full of valuable cargo. So it wasn’t just loss of life, it was also the loss of profits.

Nate:  Another thing I found interesting in this book were the discoveries made while trying to find a solution to longitude. Like we said, a complete map of the stars had not been made up this point in history. Well, by the time the problem had been solved, star maps were more complete than they had ever been. And astronomers had also learned a lot more about the sun and moon, as far as their cycles, and the effects both have on the earth.

Dave:  It’s always interesting to see what discoveries are made when people are trying to find the answer to something else. The way map making changed after the introduction of chronometers is interesting as well. The quality and accuracy of maps improved immensely during this time, and the view of the world began to take more of a modern feel. I have to say, I found John Harrison to be an interesting character. There wasn’t a lot of “character development” in this book, and with Harrison largely because not much is known about his early years. But his dedication to building the perfect chronometer, and the struggle he had trying to earn recognition, and the monetary reward that was due to him is interesting. People always like stories about underdogs, and this is an underdog story.

Nate:  It’s also a story about a mechanical genius. Like we said, this was someone who was totally self-made and yet his devices were absolutely revolutionary, and worked better than any devices previously made. When he showed his chronometer to others within the clock making fraternity, they were fascinated and awed by his work.

Dave:  After reading the book, I also thought about how this continued to give England a leg up in naval supremacy. They had already been the premier naval power in the world for a couple of centuries, but this helped allow them to maintain that dominance of the seas for a lot longer.

Nate:  It was also fun to read about Rupert T. Gould, who restored Harrison’s clocks in the 20^th century. He was not happy that these historically significant pieces had been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. Although they had been kept over the years, they had not been cared for.

Dave:  That’s right. So he went about restoring them, even though he had no experience or knowledge of working with clocks. In that respect he was in the same boat Harrison was when he started out.

Nate:  And interestingly enough, he spent the most time restoring Harrison’s third clock, which is the one Harrison took the most time to build. It seems they had many of the same issues with that one, even though their work was almost two centuries apart. So, who would you recommend this book to?

Dave:  I think anyone who has an interest in history, science, or astronomy would enjoy it.

Nate:  I agree. I would also include those who are interested in maps or map making, as well as anyone interested in clocks or clock making. The book is less than 200 pages, so it’s short, and not a huge time commitment. So if you have even a small interest in any of these areas I’d recommend giving it a shot. I think you’ll really enjoy it.

Dave:  And once you’ve read it, you might check out the made for TV movie based on the story, also called “Longitude”. It came out several years ago and stars Jeremy Irons and Michael Gambon. It’s an excellent two part mini-series/movie, and we have it here at the library as well.