Lately I’ve become a bit of a Brazil-o-phile. I know very little about Brazilian culture except for what I’ve seen in movies, read in books or listened to on radio and in my music collection. All I know is that Black Orpheus is one of my favorite films,  and that I could listen to the music of Bebel Gilberto and Ceu for hours upon hours. And now that Rio de Janeiro has been appointed the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics, I’m clamoring for a trip to Cidade Maravilhoso and for more information about Brazil in general.

It should come as no surprise that the Library has a wealth of information on this incredibly fascinating country. Here are some of the things I’ve been checking out so far:

Portuguese For Dummies: I figured that in learning about another culture, a great place to start is by getting acquainted with the language. Portuguese, particularly of the Brazilian variety, is a lovely yet complex language. But Portuguese for Dummies is a great introduction to the language. For me, it helps to see Portuguese grammar and Brazilian colloquialisms and makes learning less intimidating. Seeing Portuguese in print helps me tremendously by reminding me of its similarities to other Romance languages.

Pimsleur Language Programs Portuguese (Brazilian): Right now I’m on course 1A and it’s a great way to begin tuning the ear to the language. Pimsleur’s also great for learning just about any other language you can imagine…and at your own pace.

Brazil: Nothing helps you plan a vacation quite like a guidebook. DCPL has travel books by Fodor’s, Frommer’s and Lonely Planet. The one that I’m perusing right now is a Moon Handbook which, like most guidebooks, offers helpful lodging, dining and entertainment hints. But I really like the fact that this particular book has a nice little survival phrasebook in back and fascinating cultural tidbits throughout.

As you may know, DCPL is in the process of renovating several of its existing branches as well as constructing three new ones. A list of the new branches, as well as those being renovated, is available on our website, and the profiles include photos, blueprints, dimensions, and collection size. Looking at the beautiful new branches made me wonder how we compare to other libraries around the world, so I took a look online and discovered a couple blogs boasting photos of some really impressive, really gorgeous library buildings, which I’ve linked here and here.

In addition to online offerings, the DCPL catalog has a book entitled The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World, which is 247 pages of library goodness, profiling over 20 institutions across 12 countries. Check it out.

I’ve always liked accents.  Every day people speak the same language very differently to each other, reflecting their unique backgrounds.  When I found out that there are websites that track and study accents in an organized fashion, I was hooked.

The Speech Accent Archive has an archive of people from all over the world saying the same (rather ridiculous) sentence.  You can browse by language or by geographical region. Their website stresses “that accents are systematic rather than merely mistaken speech,” and it even provides a guide to show you the common characteristics of each accent.

International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA) is another similar website, which also accepts online submissions of samples.  These websites can be very useful for people as diverse as the ESL teacher trying to teach English to non-native speakers to actors who are trying to master a certain accent.

The last accent-related website I found is the Language Trainers Group’s Can You Guess Where My Accent is From? game.  It’s pretty fun.  See if you can beat it!

This month kicks off TrailFest ‘09 on the Southern Literary Trail. The Trail is a loose association of 18 southern towns in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi that celebrate famous writers and playwrights from the twentieth century and the hometowns that inspired them. Georgia trail sites include Atlanta’s own Joel Chandler Harris and Margaret Mitchell, Flannery O’Connor, Lillian Smith, Erskine Caldwell, Carson McCullers and Alice Walker. In Mississippi, they’re celebrating the Eudora Welty Centennial this year, a very big deal indeed; although I’m disappointed that there’s no field trip to the post office. I once got to wait in a hallway at the Algonquin Hotel with Ms. Welty when our magnetic cardkeys wouldn’t work. It turned out a lot of things in that hotel room didn’t work, but it was all worth it because I got to chat with Eudora Welty.

It’s Mardi Gras time again…and we’re stuck here in Atlanta. No offense, ATL, but I can’t help but envy all the Fat Tuesday revellers who’ll be traipsing down to New Orleans getting their fill of food, fun and festivities. But that’s okay. We book-lovers and, um, vacation-planning procrastinators still can kick up our heels–albeit quietly–here at the Library. There are lots of great titles at DCPL to satisfy one’s appetite for all things related to the Big Easy. So browse around, have fun and behave yourselves. But no beads, guys! Things get too out-of-hand…

Here are some fun Mardi Gras titles for the kiddies;

Mardi Gras by Dianne M. Macmillan (Enslow Publishers)

The Greentail Mouse by Leo Lionni (Alfred A. Knopf; Random House Children’s Books)

On Mardi Gras Day by Fatima Shaik (Dial Books for Young Readers): This one is a lively and beautifully illustrated book about Mardi Gras custome and festivities.

For more grown-up reading here are some more suggestions:

Carnival, American Style: Mardi Gras at New Orleans and Mobile by Sam Kinser (University of Chicago Press): I, for one, didn’t know there were Mardi Gras festivities in Mobile, Alabama. I’m gonna try to get my hands on this one myself–it seems really fascinating.

Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at The New Orleans Table by Sara Roahen (W. W. Norton): Now this title isn’t so much a Mardi Gras book but isn’t this the perfect time to delve into New Orleans’ culinary customs and traditions?

Up From The Cradle of Jazz: New Orleans Music Since World War II by Jason Berry, Jonathan Foose and Tad Jones (University of Georgia Press): Here’s a book that I’ve been reading that discusses New Orleans’ rich musical and cultural heritage. For those, such as myself, who are looking to gain insight into the Crescent City’s history and an introduction to such musical greats as Fats Domino, Professor Longhair and others, this is a great starting point.

All of this Mardi Gras jazz has really made me want to see New Orleans even more. For anyone looking for a tour guide into the Big Easy don’t forget the ever-popular and informative Frommer’s and Fodor’s guides to the city. If I get started planning right now, who knows? This time next year I may be doing this blog post from the French Quarter.

Can you recognize these legendary album covers?  If so, what about where these photos were actually taken?  Word magazine has created a Google Maps mashup called Album Atlas that makes it really easy to find out, so that you can be the most knowledgeable guy or gal at the music store (at least concerning this topic).  You can click anywhere on the map with a blue flag and it will show you an album cover taken at that location.  Alternately, you may click on an album title from the full list, and it will show you the location on the map.  Continue reading this post if you want the answers to the above questions… Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re looking for more ways to save gas (and thus, money!), then here is something you’ve probably never thought about before, but can make a big difference.  Cars have an optimal speed for gas efficiency, and that speed is around 60mph or less.  “In a typical family sedan, every 10 miles per hour you drive over 60 is like the price of gasoline going up about 54 cents a gallon,” according to this CNN article.  The reason is simply air resistance!  The savings can really add up, especially if you do a lot of highway driving.

Interested in other ways to save gas?  Check out these older (but still relevant) blog posts:

• Make Money By Not Driving
• Got The Gas Pump Blues?
• Learn How to Fix Your Bicycle

If you love good photographs that help you get an inside look on current events, then check out The Big Picture. It’s a photojournalism website updated every few days with new high resolution photos like the one below.

Even as a librarian and a firm believer in freedom of information, I have to admit I’m both fascinated and weirded out by Google’s newest addition to their mapping product. I was trying to verify a zip code last week and since I was in a hurry, I just typed it quickly into Google. If you haven’t used Google for maps or directions, it’s very simple–you just type the address into the Google search box. Alternately, you can click on “Maps” and go there directly. This time, something new popped up along with the address and map–something called “Street View,” complete with a thumbnail photo. Curious, I clicked on it and felt a little like I’d invaded someone’s privacy. I then typed in my own address, and lo and behold, there I was staring at a photo of my own house from the street. You can click on the screen and rotate the view 360 degrees, as well as travel up and down the street. We think our picture is from the fall, because you can see pumpkins on our porch.  Which means sometime last fall, the Google car went down our street. Our cars are in the driveway, and our garbage can is out by the street, so we figure it must have been a Sunday afternoon.  Here’s a link to the street view of the Decatur Library.

Read more about the how, why, and where here. You can see a picture of the Google camera car, and see what they have to say about privacy concerns. I think Google’s Street View could be really useful in some situations, like checking out a new neighborhood while house-hunting (especially in distant cities), visiting a new doctor’s office, or driving to any address you’ve never visited before.  Google has a short instructional video and more info HERE.

Traveling with
children can be fun and exciting. It can also be challenging and
hectic. If you’re going on vacation this summer, whether it’s for a
weekend or for a week, you need to be prepared. The library has several
good books about where to go and what to do. I’ve listed a few of them
below.

500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up: From
Frommer’s, this interesting guidebook is not organized by destination,
but rather by what kind of place it is. For instance, historic
battlegrounds are in the War and Peace section. The Grand Canyon is in
Out & About. Other sections include Cities Great and Small, Lost in
the Mists of Time (the Coliseum, Machu Picchu), and Walk with the
Animals (zoos, nature reserves), among others.

Parent’s Survival Guide to I-75: This
unique travel guide lists kid-friendly stops along Interstate 75, from
Detroit to Orlando. It’s organized by state and lists the attractions
by exit number. It also lists which exits have fast food restaurants
with playgrounds and where the rest areas are located.

100 Best Family Resorts in North America: Organized
by region, this handy book lists family friendly resorts that have
activities for adults and children. Among its features are descriptions
of the accommodations, dining options, activities for children and
activities for families.

Fun with the Family – Georgia: If
you’re looking for trips close to home, check this one out. It lists
all the attractions, historic sites and parks in Georgia.

Take Your Kids to Europe:
Even if you’re going abroad this summer, we have something for you.
Foreign countries can be especially tricky to navigate with children.
This takes the guesswork out of it by listing attractions that kids
will enjoy.

These are just a few
of our guidebooks for traveling with kids. Check out our catalog for
even more. And here’s a hint, when searching for books, use keywords
like “kids,” “children,” or “family” to find ones like those above. You
can also narrow the search by adding specific cities, states or
countries. Whether you stay close to home or venture abroad, have fun
and happy travels!