The DeKalb County Public Library system is participating in the Metro Atlanta Solar System (MASS) project. Chris Dupree, a professor of astronomy and director of the Bradley Observatory at Agnes Scott College, created this project.

The MASS project is a scale model of the solar system. The sun is located at the Bradley Observatory plaza at Agnes Scott. The Decatur Library represents the earth. The project uses the same scale for both the planetary size and their distances from the Sun. The scale of the model is approximately 1:150,000,000. Want to know where the other locations are and more about the project? Check out this link to Agnes Scott’s web page.

Interested in learning more about the solar system?

The library has several books about the solar system. We even have the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Astronomy written by Chris Dupree.

Here are a few more you might want to check out.

Lives of the Planets: A natural history of the solar system by R.M. Corfield

The Planets by Dava Sobel

Infinite Worlds: an illustrated voyage to planets beyond our sun. by Ray Villard

Now that Spring break is over, Summer is not far away. Many of us will be looking for ways to have fun close to home. Last year was the first time I had heard of a staycation. The Library has many ways to enjoy your staycation. We have books, movies, music and free programs.

Libraries throughout Georgia have again partnered with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to be able to check out Georgia parks and historic passes for free. Here at DCPL, you may reserve a Georgia Park pass just like you would any other material. You may check it out for seven days. The Georgia Department of Natural Resource’s website lists all of the participating parks and historic sites. Georgia Parks that are located on National Forest land are not included in this park pass.

The Library has a few travel (staycation) books on Atlanta. These can be helpful to find some places that you would not have thought to visit. Some examples are Frommer’s Atlanta, Atlanta: A Complete guide and Around Atlanta with Kids.

The Library also has a few travel books on Georgia. For those day trips, try Hidden Georgia and Georgia Backroads Traveler. These books not only give suggestions on historic and interesting places, they also list a variety of restaurants and inns. One of my favorites that both books mention, is the Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle. The owners have recently added the Blue Willow Village with a museum and shops.

For those outdoor people, check out The Hiking Trails of North Georgia. The book gives estimated times and the difficulty of each trail. Finally, for those interested in fishing. Check out my blog post from last year. Have a wonderful staycation!

If you are like me, you spend a lot of your time and money driving around Atlanta to get to work, shopping, etc. In fact, according to statistics I found using our database Demographics Now (listed under the Business section of our Reference Database page ), citizens in DeKalb spent on average per household $2,375.13 last year (2007) in gas. That is a lot of driving! Over seventy-six percent of the people living in DeKalb own one or two cars per household.

I am always looking for ways to minimize my driving time and cut my transportation costs. The Georgia Department of Transportation has several tools to help us stay out of the traffic blues. They have a website that you can check anytime to see traffic conditions around Atlanta and the state.

Interested in where the accidents and construction delays are on your side of town? You can sign up for a My Navigator Account. This account will let you create a Personal Traffic Page, set up e-mail Traffic Alerts, and more.

In fact, if you use iGoogle, you can have incidents and construction delays displayed right on your personal Google page.  Traveling around and hit a wall of traffic and want to know if there is an accident? You can dial 511 from any phone and get traffic updates. You can also get weather conditions, report an accident or request vehicle assistance. On the other hand, you can also talk to a live operator by dialing *dot.

Looking for away to pass your time away while you are traveling? The library has a variety of audio books. We offer them in cd, cassette and downloadable formats. We also have a variety of music cds that can help pass the time as you work your way through the streets of Atlanta.

Looking for a new or used vehicle that might get better gas mileage? The library subscribes to Consumer Reports that can help give you car ratings on new and used vehicles. Want to know whether to trade in your gas-guzzler for a new hybrid? Smart Money magazine has an interactive feature that can help you determine if it is economical for you to buy a new hybrid and sell your current car.

Why is that driver is in the next car is driving that way? You might want to check out the book Traffic: why we drive the way, we do by Tom Vanderbilt. The author researched and interviewed many driving experts and traffic officials about why we drive the way we do. The book looks at the psychological, physical and technical factors that explain why we drive, what causes traffic jams and what our driving says about us. We also have the book in audiobook format for those who want to listen why you drive. I hope that some of these sources can help you beat the traffic blues!

The Major League Baseball All-Star game was last night, which means the 2008 baseball season is half finished. That means it’s not too late for those of us who still haven’t made it to Turner Field this year to see the Braves play. It’s never too late, however, to sharpen your baseball skills and improve your game. We have several books and dvds for children and coaches on how to be a better baseball player.

Here are some good books to get you started. Play Ball Like the Hall of Famers features tips from baseball greats such as George Brett and Johnny Bench. Derek Jeter, Pedro Martinez and others offer suggestions on how to play the game in Play Ball Like the Pros. The Kids’ Baseball Workout gives ideas for how to start and structure a workout to help improve your game.

For all the parents who coach their kid’s baseball team or those that just want to help their child improve, we have stuff for you, too. Baseball Drills for Young People and Backyard Baseball Drills are worth looking into. And regardless of your skill level, remember to have fun!

Are you struggling to find something for your kids to do now that school’s out?  It’s not too late to register for some of the summer camps being offered around Atlanta.  There are plenty available.  Most last 5 days and are offered through July.  The majority are for children age 5 through 17, but there are a few for pre-schoolers.

Atlanta Parent has an extensive list of day camps in the Atlanta area as well as overnight camps sorted by state.  Day camps are organized by interest, including art, sports and drama among others.

Atlanta Moms also has a list of day camps in the area.  Many of them are in the northern part of the city, but it does include some in Stone Mountain, Decatur and Lithonia.

Don’t forget to check out local universities which also might be hosting camps this summer.  Oglethorpe, Emory, and Georgia Tech are all offering day camps for children.

There are plenty of summer camps in Atlanta and DeKalb County.  Whether your child is interested in cooking, basketball, computers, gymnastics or something else, you’re sure to find a camp for them through one of these sites.

Emory University will host a series of events leading to the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, an Emory Presidential Distinguished Professor October 19-22, 2007. Emory University is one of the leading centers of Tibetan philosophy and religious studies in the West and the only stop in the Southern United States for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Many of these events are free and open to the public culminating in a public talk in Centennial Olympic Park on Monday October 22nd.

For more information on the various events:

http://dalailama.emory.edu/

http://www.tibet.emory.edu

http://www.drepung.org