Glad You Asked
January 7, 2011
Last week, I listed three of 12 ways that libraries in general and the Delaware County District Library in particular are good for the community. Because I think this list is important and noteworthy and because I am limited on space in this column, I am going to continue with the list this week and next. As a reminder, these concepts were listed in a recent issue of American Libraries magazine
#4. Libraries value the individual. The doors of the library are open for independent thinking without prejudgment. Library collections and services offer the historical, global, cultural and political perspective that is necessary to foster a spirit of exploration that challenges orthodoxy and conformity.
#5. Libraries nourish creativity. By providing an atmosphere that stimulates curiosity, libraries create opportunities for unstructured learning and serendipitous discovery. In fact, it is part of Delaware Library’s mission “to encourage curiosity.”
#6. Libraries open young minds. Children’s and teen librarians offer story hours, book talks, summer reading activities, career planning, art projects, gaming competitions and other programs to spark youthful imaginations. From story hours for preschoolers to career planning for high school students, librarians make a difference because they care about the unique developmental needs of every individual who comes to them for help.
#7. Libraries return high dividends. Libraries offer big returns to their communities—about $3.92 for every $1 the community invests in Delaware Library. Additionally, every resident in the Library’s service district checked out on average 7 books in 2010, at a cost of roughly $34 paid in taxes—about the cost of a single hardcover book.
Read next week’s column for the rest of this impressive list on the importance of America’s libraries.
Did Dom Perignon invent champagne?
Contrary to a popular misconception, the namesake of the famous brand didn’t invent champagne, but Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk who worked as cellar master at an abbey near Epernay during the 17th and 18th centuries did have quite an impact on the champagne industry. In Perignon’s day, sparkling wine wasn’t really a sought-after beverage. In fact, the bubbles were considered to be something of a flaw, and early production methods made producing the wine could cause explosions. Perignon helped standardize production methods to avoid these explosions, and he also added two safety features to his wines: thicker glass bottles that better withstood pressure and rope snare that helped keep corks in place. The Windows on the World Complete Wine Course provided this information.
Do bananas have seeds?
Wild bananas have seeds; however, virtually all bananas that are eaten today have been made seedless, according to On Food and Cooking : The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Commercially available bananas are triploid, meaning they have three sets of genes rather than the two that are normally present, making sexual reproduction impossible. Therefore, bananas are grown from offshoots of the parent plant rather than through the process of fertilization that might otherwise take place.
Why does Heisman have a trophy named for him?
According to ESPN College Football Encyclopedia, John Heisman was a player, coach, and innovator in the early days of football. After playing for Brown and then Penn as a collegian from 1887 to 1891, Heisman became a coach at Oberlin, Auburn, Clemson, Rice, and, most notably, Georgia Tech. One of his innovations was having the center snap the ball to the quarterback. Centers originally placed the ball on the ground and rolled it back to their quarterbacks. When Heisman was coaching at Buchtel (which later became the University of Akron), he had a 6’4” quarterback who was inefficient at picking up the ball because of his height. Heisman invented the center snap as an easy way to get the ball in Clark’s hands.
If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Mary Jane Santos, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015 or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the library?s web site at www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to mjsantos@delawarelibrary.org. No matter how you contact us, we?re always glad you asked!
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