Author Archive for Brent

Thursday, Sep 1, 2016

The group of Iowans demonstrating against the Bakken oil pipeline are putting up a last-ditch effort (sorry, couldn't resist) with their non-violent protest.  But I have a feeling the only real chance they have of stopping the construction relies...

Monday, Aug 1, 2016

My last World Music blog post about Orchestra Baobab centered on Dakar, Senegal.  From there it's a short flight over to Cape Verde, the home of Cesaria Evora, "The Barefoot Diva".  We have a CD of Cesaria in our collection called Miss Perfumado...

Friday, Jul 1, 2016

Books of all kinds in graphic format are becoming more and more popular.   The works in this format are not all Japanese Manga and superheroes, though.  The non-fiction shelves are scattered with different forms of serious non-fiction graphic...

Friday, May 27, 2016

Sometimes when I've just finished a book in Overdrive, I'm at a total loss for what to start next.  If you are on the ball, you have been collecting titles in your wish list .  If not, here is one technique I often use: search for award winners. 

Friday, Apr 29, 2016

If you have any interest in world music and don't yet know Orchestra Baobab, I encourage you to give this band  a try.  This Senegalese group has a spicy blend of musical styles that include Cuban rhythms, classic West African drumming, mbira...

Thursday, Mar 31, 2016

Recently, we have had a few patrons coming in to digitize their slides. Maybe you have been thinking about getting out those boxes of slides and doing a little digitizing project. ICPL has a station set up to help you do just this. We have an...

Monday, Feb 8, 2016

Moles popping up in the garden theme As part of ICPL's year-long Music is the Word program, we have commissioned a new game for Mabel the Table in the Children's room, called "Tune It Up!".  It was developed by Virtually Competent , a local...

Wednesday, Jan 27, 2016

I just discovered  a new TV series that has become one of my all-time favorites: The Detectorists.  As the two protagonists keep having to explain, "We're not metal detectors, we are detectorists".  That is: they are the guys who operate the...

Wednesday, Dec 16, 2015

We are starting to get users calling or stopping by for help with Overdrive and Windows 10.  If you have recently upgraded to Windows 10 and need to get Overdrive working again, here are some helpful tips:  There are two versions of Overdrive.

Wednesday, Nov 18, 2015

I read a fun new book to my 4 year-old last week called Dory Fanstasmagory.  Dory is sort of a cross between young Romona Beezus and Calvin.  Her nickname is Rascal for good reason.  She drives her older siblings and parents absolutely crazy but...

About Brent

I am the IT Coordinator at ICPL.  I mostly read mysteries and science fiction, but sometimes I also delve into evolution or cosmology.  I like to travel although I don't get a chance to do it as much as I used to.  I've spent time in Senegal, Japan, and West Berlin.  I also love to backpack and hiked the entire Appalachian Trail a while back. I...