Catfish Chronicle, Issue 8, Spring 2025

From the Desk of: Falls of Schuylkill Librarian, Jenn Estepp

Greetings, Friends!

While we are still in the midst of winter and the unexpected weather conditions it brings, there is still a hint of spring in the air (thanks, Sunshine! It’s nice to see you.) and we are already making plans and looking forward to what it might bring to the library! Later this month, we will be launching a new collection at the Falls branch, as part of a partnership with the American Heart Association. Soon, in addition to books, dvds, music, audiobooks, video games, and magazines you will be able to borrow an at home blood pressure monitor. And, as a reminder, we also circulate birding backpacks as part of our “library of things” with the hopes of perhaps adding other non-traditional materials to circulation in the future!

Speaking of interesting collections, we are also in the process of reviving the use of our glass display case, which greets you when you first walk into our library. We are currently working with staff to plan and showcase some of their personal collections but are also opening up the opportunity to community members. Have something nifty that you want to share? Please reach out to me at esteppj@freelibrary.org or stop by the desk to chat about it the next time you are in the library.

Finally, I wanted to take this opportunity to plug some of our library databases. Often overlooked, they host a plethora of resources, including digital access to comics, graphic novels, magazines, and newspapers from around the world – and throughout history! Students of all ages can find a wealth of research material, from encyclopedia and reference articles to primary resources, and peer-reviewed journal articles. Entrepreneurs can do demographic and market research, find sample business plans, and access local business news. Users of all varieties can sample online classes, delve into a new language, find book recommendations, and so much more. While a handful of very specialized databases require you to be on-site in the library, most of them are easily accessible from home or on-the-go, with just your library card. I encourage everyone to poke and around and see what you can find – then stop by the branch and let me know what you discovered!