]]> MC Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:40:16 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=8531&BlogID=152&BlogPostID=10407 Community Safety Workshop: Prescription and Over-the-counter Drug Abuse 

Deaths from prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse now outnumber deaths from traffic accidents; use of prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drugs increases after 7th grade.   According to a 2011 report from the Orange County Health Agency, “10% of 9th graders and 16% of 11th graders report having used prescription pain killers without a doctor’s order at least once, and most report using four or more times” (17th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County, 2011, 65).

Learn how to be safe with prescription and over-the-counter drugs

A Health Educator from Community Service Programs, Project PATH, a program of the Orange County Health Agency, will present an educational workshop about prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse. The event will be held at the Newport Beach Public Library in the Friends Meeting Room. The speaker will address the identification of medications, how to spot signs of abuse, law enforcement issues, and more. This is a free workshop and is open to all members of the community. No registration is required. The program will last approximately one hour. Date: Tuesday, February 7th, 7pm. See the flyer here.

If you have questions please contact Mara Cota in Library Reference at 949-717-3808.

Information resources

Library databases for research

Gale Virtual Reference Library. A collection of reference books on all topics, including science and medicine

Opposing Viewpoints. Gathers articles, essays, multimedia and more by issue

ProQuest Magazines, Newspapers and Journals. Thousands of news and magazines articles as well as some scholarly journals
 
Library books

Powerful medicines: the benefits, risks, and costs of prescription drugs. Jerry Avorn, Knofp, 2004.

Medication madness: a psychiatrist exposes the dangers of mood-altering medications. By Peter Breggin, St. Martin's, 2008.

We've got issues: children and parents in the age of medication. Judith Warner, Riverhead Books, 2010.

The AARP guide to pills: essential information on more than 1,200 prescription and nonprescription medicines, including generics. Sterling, 2006.

Further reading
The following is a list of websites external to NBPL with data and information about prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drug abuse. 

California Healthy Kids Survey, Newport-Mesa Unified (secondary schools), 2009-2010

2011 17^th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County

ADEPT (Alcohol and Drug Education Prevention Team), Orange County Health Agency

National Institute on Drug Abuse: Prescription Medications

KCET, SoCal Connected report: “RX Dangers”

Blog post, link to documentary: Overtaken - Grieving Mom Makes Anti-Drug Documentary for Son

Prescription Drug Overdose: State Health Agencies Respond. Authored by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (funded by CDC), 2008.

Blog post from The Bridge Teen Recovery LLC: Substance Abuse Teens Orange County

For further research help please call the Reference Desk at 949-717-3860 or visit any of our four library locations.

]]> MC Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:36:36 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=8531&BlogID=152&BlogPostID=10326 regular schedules. That means that all the great stuff the library has to offer--books, movies, music, magazines, hundred year-old issues of National Geographic magazine--are yours for the using once again. Stop by and see us!

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In the meantime, don't forget that NBPL's website, with all its great content and accessibility, is available all day, every day. You can search for and request library materials, download audio and e-books, and use all of our research databases. And if you don't yet have the NBPL smartphone app for iPhone or Android, now is the perfect time to give yourself  this handy free gift. Just head to the Apple app store or the Android Market and search for 'NBPL' or 'Newport Beach Public Library.'

We look forward to seeing you again in 2012. Happy holidays!

]]> MC Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:34:29 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=8531&BlogID=152&BlogPostID=10125 United States Copyright Office tells us, the public domain is not a place. It means that a work, such as a book or piece of music, is no longer protected by copyright in the United States. This may happen if a work was published long enough ago that its copyright has expired.

Many classic works of literature--like the ones students read in English or History classess--are in the public domain. A great website for accessing thousands of these books is Project Gutenberg. Gutenberg "offers over 36,000 free ebooks to download to your PC, Kindle, Android, iOS or other portable device. Choose between ePub, Kindle, HTML and simple text formats."

A quick browse through their authors list reveals plenty of choices: Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Jules Verne, Jack London, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. That's right: Frankenstein, free to your computer or portable reader.

And that's only the beginning. Like any library, there are thousands of hidden gems just waiting for you to discover them.

]]> MC Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:35:04 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=8531&BlogID=152&BlogPostID=10078 National Day of Thanks.

And Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the library!

]]> MC Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:26:54 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=8531&BlogID=152&BlogPostID=9772
Students do not need to bring pencil or paper but can bring a calculator if they wish. The test will last approximately four hours. Short breaks between test segments will be provided but there will not be a lunch break.

To sign up for this event, go to the Events Calendar and navigate to November 12th. Click on the 'Sign Up' link in the bottom left corner of the full-page event listing. The form requires name and email address. Once you've registered you'll see a message saying your registration has been accepted and your information sent to the event organizer. You will not receive another confirmation email but you may choose to have a reminder email sent to your address.

If you have questions please call Teen Services at 949-717-3808.

]]> MC Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:44:07 GMT http://engagedpatrons.org/Blogs.cfm?SiteID=8531&BlogID=152&BlogPostID=9516 YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, is sponsoring a photo contest for teens as part of the Teen Read Week celebrations. Teen Read Week celebrates reading for the fun of it. The Teens Top Ten and the Photo Contest are two ways that you can participate.

Photo Contest
Novelist Jay Asher, author of 13 Reasons Why, will judge photos submitted by teens that create visual versions of their favorite book titles. The grand prize winner will receive an e-reader pre-loaded with great teen titles, and will be interviewed for YALSA’s blog and a press release. The winning photo may be used by YALSA in marketing and promotional materials related to Teen Read Week. Five photos selected as finalists will be linked from YALSA’s website. Each of the five finalists will receive gift bags from Penguin Books for Young Readers that include signed copies of Jay Asher’s 13 Reasons Why as well as Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler’s The Future of Us. All the rules are available here.

Teens Top Ten
Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year. Take a look at all 25 nominated titles and then cast your vote for your favorite. You can also check the Library's catalog if you haven't read some of the titles.

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