There are many ways to contact the library for help, the phone being just one method. Did you know that we now offer reference services through instant messaging? You can either instant message us directly from the link on our site, or you can add us to your buddy list. We are "AskWestportLibrary." If you can't make it to the library, this is a great way to get your research done because unlike waiting for an e-mail response, you can interact in real time. There are no guarantees that any of us will make you LOL (actually, I can probably guarantee that we won't!), but we can help you find what you're looking for. I'm usually on IM from 3PM-5PM Monday-Friday.

Need help when the library's closed? We now offer 24-hour reference through InfoAnytime! Not that we're encouraging you to save your homework for 2AM the night before it's due...

While I'm on the topic, another way to keep in touch with the library is through our new MySpace page. And for those of you who think that MySpace is so 2005, I'm in the process of making a Facebook page as well.

Due to popular demand, I have started displaying DVDs and CDs in the Teen area on the main floor of the library. The selection I chose this evening includes copies of the movies Saved!, Zoolander (so you can practice your "Blue Steel"), and Donnie Darko and CDs by Smashing Pumpkins, Alicia Keys, and the British band Keane. I also paid tribute to my goth days as a teenager by putting out albums by The Cure and Depeche Mode. Be sure to stop by and see this lovely example of my display-making ability. That is all.

Did you know that the Library is going to start showing new films in the McManus Room? If there's a movie that you missed in the theater, this is your chance to catch it for free! The upcoming schedule is as follows:

Showing on April 20, 2007 in the McManus Room at 2:00 p.m. - Water (PG-13) 117 minutes
Showing on May 12 in the McManus Room at 2:00 p.m. - Freedom Writers (PG-13) 122 minutes
Showing on May 26 in the McManus Room at 2:00 - Yellow Brick Road (ages 10 and up) 75 minutes

More information can be found here.

As you have probably seen on this blog before, I'm kind of obsessed with cute animals on the Internet. My old favorite site was the blog Cute Overload, which posts pics of adorable animals (yes, the site is a bit cheesy, but admit this is the cutest thing you've ever seen!).

Anyway, now I'm a bit more cutting edge. I've become obsessed with the site ICANHASCHEEZBURGER?, in which people submit photos of cute animals with stupid captions. I made one for my dog above. The general rules of captioning these kind of photos:

1. Caption as if you were the animal. For example, animals are cute, but they don't know how to spell, speak proper English, use a keyboard, etc. Thus, make sure you misspell words, misuse verbs, etc.

2. Overuse Internet abbreviations, like LOLs, BRBs, OMGs, and HI2Us.

3. Use the letter "z" to pluralize things. Trust me, it's funnier that way.

Want to try it? Send pics my way and I'll post them here!

Are you familiar with the Five Second Rule? Wikipedia states:

"The rule applies to foods that have fallen to the ground. Normally, customary rules of hygiene dictate that food that has fallen to the ground should be discarded, in order to prevent ingestion of disease-causing agents acquired from the dirty surface. The rule states that if the food is picked up within five seconds, it can still be eaten."

Let me state that for the record, I am not above the Rule. The only reason I have stopped actively practicing is that I have a dog. The Five Second Rule has given way to the Pug Rule, which states: "All foods that have fallen to the ground become property of the pug."

Today's New York Times has an article entitled "The Five-Second Rule Explored, or How Dirty Is That Bologna?," which gives the findings of an actual scientific study of the Rule at the University of Illinois. Long story short: five seconds is long enough for food to become contaminated from bacteria found on the floor. So next time you drop that cookie, maybe you should just accept the loss.