A Year to Read

This year, I’ve set intentions to read much more than I currently do and engage in as many joyful experiences in my daily life as I possibly can. The catalyst for this isn’t the “new year, new me” resolutions that I normally make and break, but rather my experiences over the last 18 months working for the Library. This place is seriously joyful.


Whispers of a Good Friend

This past Christmas, the world lost George Michael, which capped off the list of great musicians who left this Earth in 2016. As a kid, I grew up listening to George Michael because my father is a fan of him. I heard “Father Figure,” “One More Try” and “Praying For Time” a lot over the years. I know that Michael had his share of personal issues, but I don’t want to focus on that. I want to focus on his music and how it made me feel.


Best of BARD: December 2016

Grisham. Patterson. Connelly. Baldacci. Bell. I suppose my challenge has been answered in the form of the hardest hitting male writers around. But I can’t say I blame you all, … Continued


Gotta Have Faith

“Wham!” said the headline, “star George Michael dies.” And that’s how I read it. If you pretend for a moment that Wham! isn’t the name of a band, the statement … Continued


Self-Directed Learning at CLP

A lot happens in five years: falling in love and breaking up, finishing school and starting work, making and losing friends, losing and gaining confidence and, above all, learning, lots of learning. Five years can be full of turbulence, but you can get through them with the help of a good anchor. In my case, I found the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.


Databases for Young Researchers

Information literacy is becoming an increasingly important topic among students immersed in the digital age. While information becomes more widely available online, it has become increasingly difficult to not only … Continued


Throwback Thursday: Books (But no Snakes) On a Plane

I try not to go anywhere without at least one book. You never know when you’re going to be stuck in rush-hour bus traffic, or sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room, or standing in line at the bank. Might as well have something to read, just in case, right? Here’s a quick peek at some of the books I took.


Trans Women Share Their Stories

This reading list brings together a hard-partying rock star, an excommunicated Scientologist, an everyday teenager, A TV personality with a budding career and a New England professor. What these women all have in common is that they were designated male at birth, but later transitioned to womanhood, allowing their outward gender expression to match their inward gender identity. What they also have in common is that they all shared their stories in riveting books that highlight the ways different parts of their lived experiences and identities intersect with gender.


Women’s Health Reading List

On December 13, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio signed a bill banning abortions in Ohio after 20 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Several other states … Continued


Warming Up Winter with a Beach Read

Curling up under a blanket on my couch while 30 degree winds swirl outside my window is probably not the typical way to enjoy Elin Hilderbrand’s Here’s to Us. Her beautiful imagery of Nantucket in June makes me want to be outside, in the sun and on a lounge chair. Alas, that was not to be, and since I am so behind on my summer reading list (what month is it again?!), I took the opportunity to get caught up.