Due to the prevalence and need for mental health services, and a general lack of them in many communities, zines on mental health serve a special need. Zines can help frame mental health in both a frank and gentle way, while also providing tips and encouragement for self-care. Many mental health zines are based around an individual's personal experience, so they provide a first-hand account of the associated trauma and healing processes. These zines can also acknowledge intersectional issues—issues that speak to the fact that queer individuals, people of color, and folks who are differently-abled deal with additional institutional forms of oppression, and thus stress. For anyone interested in learning more, here is a selection of zines in the Library’s collection that cover this topic. Read more about Mental Health Zines

The Libraries Transform Book Pick is a new digital reading program that connects readers nationwide by offering free access to the same eBook through public libraries. The program, a collaboration between the American Library Association (ALA) and Rakuten OverDrive, gives public libraries the opportunity to bring readers together to discover a new eBook and celebrate the very best in reading.

After the Flood, an inventive and riveting climate fiction saga by Kassandra Montag, will be available October 7–21. Use your library card and the Libby app to download a free copy of the eBook to your personal device. There will be no waitlists or holds for this title.   Read more about New National eBook Club

Good consent is very important. Consent is a mutual verbal, physical, and emotional agreement that happens without manipulation, threats, or head games. As Project Respect states, “Everyone has the right to sexuality without violence and as part of that, positive sexuality begins with enthusiastic consent. This means being as excited and into someone else’s enjoyment as we are excited and into our own enjoyment. Only yes means yes – and yes should come from an engaged and enthusiastic partner.” The following zines speak more to this subject, and offer some good tools to consider when approaching sex, love, and daily life.

  Read more about Consent Zines

At six feet tall and 180 pounds, Marcus isn’t exactly the smallest 8th grader at Montgomery Middle School. But looks can be deceiving and he isn’t quite the tough bully many seem to think he is. When the real school bully calls Marcus’s younger brother a nasty word, Marcus fights back and faces suspension.

Marcus’s mom decides this suspension is the perfect time to hit the ‘reset’ button for their little family. She takes Marcus and his younger brother Charlie to the island of Puerto Rico, to reconnect as a family and meet relatives they never knew they had. But Marcus has a secret mission as they adventure across the island: to find his father, who moved back to Puerto Rico and walked out of their lives ten years ago. Read more about Staff Picks: Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya

The Library catalog will have an updated look and new features beginning May 19. Some of the new functionality you can look forward to follows.

Responsive Design

The Library catalog will responsively adjust for desktop computer screens, tablets, and phones by resizing and reordering the display according to your screen size, enhancing the user experience. This means that you will be able to read and navigate the site with minimum resizing and scrolling. Previously, patrons were directed to either a full-site catalog or a mobile catalog depending on their device.

One-Click Hold Requests

When logged into your account, you will be able to place hold requests with one click. When available, the "One-Click Request" button will appear on the search result and full title display pages for single titles (underneath the “Place Hold” button—which will still be available should you want to select an alternate location). Read more about Updated Library Catalog