Staff Net Picks

December Recipes - Southern Living, Bon Appetit, Food Network, allrecipes

Toy Safety - U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Safe Kids, Consumer Product Safety Commission 

Holiday Safety - U.S. Fire Administration

Holiday Pet Safety - ASPCA

It's Showtime! Sheet Music from the Stage and Screen (Library of Congress) - Whether you love the songs of the 1910s or more recent fare, this fascinating sheet music collection from the Library of Congress is a real find. The database includes "hits and flops" from famous Tin Pan Alley songwriters like Irving Berlin, along with manuscript materials from amateur composers
 

Avalon and World War II - Archived webinar featuring Joe Angemi, curator of the History Center.  Requires registration.

Computers Unplugged - CS Unplugged is a collection of free learning activities that teach Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around. The activities introduce students to underlying concepts such as binary numbers, algorithms and data compression, separated from the distractions and technical details we usually see with computers.CS Unplugged is suitable for people of all ages, from elementary school to seniors, and from many countries and backgrounds. Unplugged has been used around the world for over fifteen years, in classrooms, science centers and homes.

Charity Navigator - Hurricane Sandy - Before donating, research the charity you are writing the check to at Charity Navigator (CN). CN has listed several organizations involved with the aftermath of Sandy and rated them on a variety of metrics which reflect accountability and efficacy.

Inventing a Better Mousetrap: Patent Models from the Rothschild Collection (Smiothsonian Institution) - How does one build a better mousetrap? It's a recurring question that one might ask of many important objects and inventions. The folks at the Smithsonian American Art Museum are also quite curious about this subject, and they have created this online exhibition to look at a range of inventions patented in the nineteenth century. The remarkable models all come from the collection of Alan Rothschild, whose holdings of 4,000 patent models is the largest private assemblage of American patent models anywhere. The elaborate models here "illustrate not only the imaginative fervor of the era but also the amazing craftsmanship required to fabricate these often intricate works of art." On the site, visitors can view a slide show of some of the models, browse patent models recently acquired by the museum, and read several excellent articles about the exhibition.

BBC Podcasts - Science in Action - Here arewonderful podcasts that deal with various new developments in science from around the world. The series is called "Science in Action" and a new podcast is added every week. Recent episodes have dealt with theories of supersymmetry, climate records, Mayan civilization, and how different meteorological events have influenced the course of history. Each podcast is eighteen minutes long, and the online archive contains episodes from the past month. Also, visitors can view a set of related links, which include the complete listing of podcasts from the BBC World Service and a link to the Science in Action homepage.

Ken Burns' "The Dust Bowl" (PBS) - See 2 complete episodes of Ken Burns' The Dust Bowl online.

Wind Map - This map shows you the tracery of wind flowing over the US. Click in the gallery for Hurricane Sandy.

A Walk in the Woods - Parents need to know that this low-tech site is designed to engage young children (and even some older ones) in the beauty and fun of nature. Specially targeted to newbie explorers, this site covers all the basic safety and ecology rules (leave only footprints, take only pictures) while giving a comprehensive glimpse at a slew of common forest residents, from fungus to rodents. Parents should find the teacher guides useful for tailoring activities to aspiring naturalists, while enjoying the sound advice that reminds kids to stay away from poison ivy and stinging bugs, among other things