Yoga Journal magazine on Flipster

Have you seen the latest issue of Yoga Journal magazine on Flipster? Inside are recipes to boost your immune system and articles about the science of better balance, how to deepen your practice with Mudras and how yoga and meditation can help overcome mental blocks and enhance focus.

Also included is a special feature about authors Elizabeth Gilbert and Jennifer Pastiloff, sharing their ideas for bringing self-care to women who need it most.

Between these pages are a variety of lifestyle tips and recommended yoga positions you can do at home.

It’s easy to read Yoga Journal magazine. Go to https://chescolibraries.org/downloads and scroll to Flipster to sign in with your library card.

Ancestry Library Edition Remote Access Extended

No photo description available.

In case you haven’t heard, you can currently access Ancestry Library Edition remotely when you log into your Chester County Library System account. This database is a substantial resource for genealogical research that encompasses records from the U.S. as well as many other countries.

Normally, this database is only available inside of the library. ProQuest and Ancestry have extended remote access through the end of July, and will reevaluate remote access on a monthly basis.

If you would like to start researching your family tree, you can access Ancestry by logging into your library account here. You will need your library card number and PIN to access your account (instructions for creating a PIN, if you don’t already have one, are here). Once you are logged in, you will see a link that asks you to “Click here to access Ancestry.com remotely.”

Happy researching! Please contact us if you have questions about using Ancestry or conducting genealogical research.

Summertime reading – what’s your fancy?

Photo by Perfecto Capucine on Pexels.com

Now that it’s officially summer, will you head outdoors and sink into a comfortable chair with a new book on your device? What will you read? Something light, like a beach read or a summer romance? Maybe a mystery or some historical fiction. If you like nonfiction, perhaps a book on mindfulness or travel.

You can browse all these genres on OverDrive:

beach read

summer romance

mystery

historical fiction

mindfulness

travel


Maybe you want to flip through a new magazine. We have more than 100 magazines ready for you on Flipster. Visit https://chescolibraries.org/downloads and scroll to Flipster to sign in with your library card.


Or if you’re ready to try our curbside pickup, search our catalog at ccls.org or look for suggestions on NovelistPlus.

Learn more about curbside pickup here.

You’re just a download or a hold away from your next great read!

AARP Tax-Aide Program Offers Free Virtual Assistance

With taxes due July 15th, the AARP Tax-Aide program is now providing online methods for the preparation of taxes—at no cost. You can request the help of a volunteer coach in preparing your tax returns.  Visit https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/ and click on the “Get Help Online” button for additional information.

For the safety of both customers and volunteers, the AARP will not be resuming their Tax-Aide program at the Chester County Library or Henrietta Hankin Branch Library this year.

Black Lives Matter: Community Reads

BLM_MeWhiteSupremacy1-1

By targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control–relegating millions to a permanent second-class status–even as it formally adheres to the principle of colorblindness.

Based on the viral Instagram challenge that captivated participants worldwide, Me and White Supremacy takes readers on a 28-day journey of how to dismantle the privilege within themselves so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too.

  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, is available as an ebook and eAudiobook through July 19, 2020.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

A current, constructive, and actionable exploration of today’s racial landscape, offering straightforward clarity that readers of all races need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide.

Book summaries taken from chester.overdrive.com

Virtual Program: Get Your Pod On Podcast Discussion

Do you enjoy podcasts? Want to share your love with others? Join us for our first meeting of Get Your Pod On, a podcast discussion group, on Tuesday, June 30 at 7 pm.

In our first meeting, we will be discussing our favorite podcasts. Bring a list of your top 5 to share!

To register for this event, click here!

If you have questions, please email Lois at lshupp@ccls.org

A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.

Mindfulness Journaling

Get in touch with the present.

Thinking of ways to become more in touch with yourself during this quarantine? Sometimes it can be easy to get lost in the monotony of the “new normal” in quarantine, so some helpful and healthy mindfulness prompts can help bring to mind what made each day special. Mindfulness is about connecting the mind, soul, and body, so that you can be in the moment, rather than letting your thoughts drift off into anxious, dark places. By focusing on the present and bringing gratitude and gratefulness into each day, mindfulness can be extremely therapeutic. 

There are tons of mindfulness prompts that can be used while journaling that can help your juices start to flow. Many of these prompts ask questions like “What things am I most grateful for in my life,” “How am I impacting other people around me daily,” “Some areas that I’d like to improve in my life are…”. Clearly, a lot of these prompts dig into some areas that may not feel super comfortable, but by addressing them and putting them out on paper, they bring a sense of awareness and understanding. The thing that I like the most about mindfulness journaling is that it grounds me and helps me to understand myself better. If I am in a bad mood, sometimes mindfulness journaling can help me realize why I am feeling cranky, and it gives me the tools I need to improve my mood. 

If you are interested in diving deeper into the world of mindfulness journaling, there are many resources available online. My favorite mindfulness writer is Katie Dalebout, and I learn a lot about being mindful, grateful, and present through her podcast “Let it Out.” There are many mindfulness prompts available online as well, which can greatly help with starting the process.


Resources & Inspiration:

Katie Dalebout’s website

Why You Need a Mindful Journal Practice and Tips to Get You Started” from YogiApproved

10 Tips for Mindful Writing and Meditative Journaling” from DevelopGoodHabits

Mindful Journaling: 50 Unique Technique Topics and Writing Tips for Beginners” from Your Body The Temple

Virtual Program: Citizenship Basics Training for English Tutors

VIRTUAL TRAINING: CITIZENSHIP BASICS
Empower yourself and your students with knowledge about U.S. Immigration and Naturalization

**This program will be focused on training English Tutors to assist their students.**

Join Jwana Smith, a Community Relations Officer for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, who will go over the basics of immigration and applying for citizenship for English tutors interested in assisting their students with these topics. We will focus on resources that USCIS provides for those wishing to pursue citizenship.

Thursday, June 25th, 6:30-8:30PM

Please register here in order to receive the Zoom link: https://bit.ly/3diA6B4

A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.

Please also note that while we will be taking questions during the program, if you have any you’d like to submit in advance to make sure the topic is covered, you can send them to Jamie Claxton at jclaxton@ccls.org.

Do It Yourself magazine on Flipster – great ideas for your home!

Now is the perfect time to make your house a haven of comfort and beauty, using your own hands. A great place to start is by getting ideas from Do It Yourself magazine, available on Flipster. The summer issue is full of ways to make that happen.

Inside this “Dream It, Do It” issue are many “how to” ideas. Here are just a few:

  • Store sports equipment and travel gear in underused garage space
  • Sew table linens
  • Use curb appeal tips to brighten the outside view
  • Make unique bookshelves
  • Craft a backyard retreat
  • Create vertical gardens

It’s easy to read Do It Yourself and all our Flipster magazines. Visit https://chescolibraries.org/downloads and scroll to Flipster to sign in with your library card.

What DIY project will you take on?

Virtual Program: Adult Book Groups

We are holding our existing book groups as virtual programs. Please see our July titles and dates below. These groups are all being held online via Zoom.  We are requiring registration for these online book groups in order to send out the Zoom meeting information. Click on the date below to register. Information on our adult book groups can also be found on our website: http://bit.ly/chescolibs-bookgroups

Evening Book Group
Monday, July 6, 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
There There by Tommy Orange

Comics Unbound Group
Monday, June 20, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Read a book by a Black author, Black artist, or a book that describes the Black experience. This Goodreads list may be helpful for finding titles: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/80929.African_American_Graphic_Novels

Afternoon Book Group
Wednesday, July 15, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart

Whodunits Book Group
Thursday, July 16, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Force of Nature by Jane Harper

The Page Turners Book Group will be back in September.

A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.