By Barbara Mellon

Planning a car trip in the near future? Could you use some stimulation during your commute to work? Then you might want to check out our audio book selection. Just pop a CD into your player and have someone read a book to you. The Library maintains a small collection of predominantly donated selections, but our offerings are expanded through the Four County Library System Audio Circuit program. Four times a year we receive approximately 3 dozen titles that we can lend to our patrons.  Three months later we send these selections on to another library and we receive a new set, thus ensuring an ever-changing choice. Titles available currently include Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker, The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson, Johnny Angel by Danielle Steel and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R.  Covey. Quite a range, don’t you think?

The Research Center available online contains a section on Health & Wellness, which includes an Alternative Medicine module. Your library card gives you access to a wealth of information on diseases, nutrition, medicines, public health, herbal remedies and so much more. There are a number of “calculators” available through the University of Maryland Medical system that allows you to look at such things as Caregiver Readiness, Diabetes Type II risk and stress susceptibility, and the interactive Risk Assessment tools help you determine your personal risk for cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke. The Research Center is accessed through the Four County Library System website at 4cls.org. If you need help using this resource, don’t hesitate to ask the library staff for assistance. You can reach us at 676-3333.~