Library Technology

This fascinating look at history's most mysterious messages is packed with puzzles to decode and ciphers that kids can use themselves. Here are the encrypted notes of Spartan warriors, the brilliant code-crackers of Elizabeth I, secret messages of the American Revolution, spy books of the Civil War, the famous Enigma Machine, and the Navajo code talkers. As computers change the way we communicate, codes today are more intriguing than ever. From invisible ink to the CIA, this exciting trip through history is a hands-on, interactive experience - so get cracking!

A trailblazing scientist made famous by her favorite primates, Jane Goodall will forever be linked with the chimpanzees that she's studied for over 50 years. A pioneer in scientific research, she revolutionized longstanding views about chimps, forest conservation, and women in scientific fields. This Up Close biography tells the story of how a demure young woman from London went to Africa and changed the world.

Humans live longer now than they ever have in their more than three hundred thousand years of existence on earth. And most (if not all) of the advances that have permitted the human lifespan to double have happened in living memory. Extra Life looks at vaccines, seat belts, pesticides, and more, and how each of our scientific advancements have prolonged human life.

Discover the extraordinary stories behind everyday things! Did you know that the ice cream sundae was invented because of a law forbidding the sale of ice cream on Sundays? Or that the first motorcycle was really just a tricycle with a motor? Would you believe that Mickey Mouse started out as a rabbit? Arranged in alphabetical order, this fascinating book is packed with the stories behind these and over 100 more inventions.

Do you know why goats have rectangular eyes? Or why horses sleep standing up? Or if llamas are ticklish? After listening to this book you will!

In 1947, an unusual object crashed in the New Mexico desert and was recovered by the Roswell Army Airfield officers. People everywhere began to speculate what the object could be. Could it possibly be a flying saucer? Would that be proof of aliens and life beyond Earth? Even decades later, some people still believe that the Roswell Incident is the most famous UFO sighting ever.

Born in 1860s Missouri, nobody expected George Washington Carver to succeed. Slaves were not allowed to be educated. After the Civil War, Carver enrolled in classes and proved to be a star student. He became the first black student at Iowa State Agricultural College and later its first black professor. He went on to the Tuskegee Institute where he specialized in botany (the study of plants) and developed techniques to grow crops better. His work with vegetables, especially peanuts, made him famous and changed agriculture forever.

Karl is an Abyssinian ground hornbill with a special challenge. His lower bill had broken off and made eating difficult. Karl did a great job of adapting and finding new ways to eat, but he wasn't getting all the food he needed. His zookeepers at the National Zoo and friends at the Smithsonian Institute wanted to help. Could an old bird skeleton and a 3D printer give Karl a new beak? Karl's new adventure was about to begin!

As a kid, Barrington Irving moved from Jamaica to Miami and played football—his ticket to success, he thought. But then Captain Gary Robinson swooped into his life. Barrington had never seen a Black pilot before. Captain Robinson showed Barrington a jet, a cockpit, and what it was like to actually fly a plane—WHOAAA! After that, Barrington had big plans, and two words: Let's Fly!

The daughter of a seamstress and a cobbler, Jeanne Villepreux-Power began her career as a dressmaker, sewing beautiful gowns for the Parisian aristocracy. But her heart longed for more, and when she moved to the seaside, she became fascinated by the ocean's mysteries.

Rosalind Franklin loved science, but when she was young, there weren’t many woman scientists. Still, she persisted in pursuing her dreams, becoming a scientist and playing a key role in the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA (what we’re all made up of). Though her male colleagues took credit for her work at the time, we now know just how important her discoveries were to figuring out what our DNA looks like and how it works!

From a young age, Stephen Hawking had a strong sense of wonder and was full of questions about the world around him and the stars above. He would spend his whole life trying to figure out how the universe worked, including discovering truths about black holes and energy. And when he was diagnosed with a rare disease called ALS that destroys the nerve cells in the body, he would find his own mental energy to carry on with his studies even after his limbs and vocal chords stopped working. He became one of history's most influential scientists.

Learn about the phenomenon of a solar eclipse just in time for the Great American Eclipse that will take place on April 8, 2024 in this title in the Who HQ Now series featuring newsmakers and trending topics.

Beep! Beep! Here comes a dump truck! Young students can learn basic facts about these load-bearing machines through simple text to support listeners who are just starting out.

Bridges take cars, trains, and people across rivers, lakes, and canyons. This introductory title covers the materials used in bridge construction, the types of bridges, and the scientific concepts that make bridges work.

Early one morning in 1995, a rancher in Humacao, Puerto Rico, found three of his goats dead. The blood seemed to have been drained from their bodies. As dozens more farm animals were found dead across the island, the fear of the so-called Chupacabra—the "goat sucker"—grew. But was a mysterious cryptid really responsible for all of these deaths? And if so, where would it go next? Follow the trail of the Chupacabra in this exciting new title.

Butterflies soar in the sunlight. While moths flutter under the moon and stars. Find out more about these mysterious and majestic insects similarities and differences, and their awestriking metamorphosis!

Imagine over three million square miles of sand dunes that are as tall as a ten-story building. That place is real—it's the Sahara Desert! Vast, yes! And home to fascinating creatures such as ostriches and fennec foxes as well as amazing plant life. The shallow roots of the mesquite tree can grow almost 200 feet across to absorb water.

During an ordinary visit to the library, a young girl pulls out a not-so-ordinary book from the shelves. As she turns the pages in this book about coral reefs, the city around her slips away, and she finds herself surrounded by the coral cities of the sea and the mysterious plants and animals that live, hunt, and hide there.

When Florence Nightingale decided as a teenager that she wanted to become a nurse, her parents tried to talk her out of it, claiming that it wasn't a suitable profession for a woman. But she persisted in her career and went on to save countless lives of patients, especially of soldiers. Known as "The Lady with the Lamp," she is widely considered to be the founder of modern nursing. In this chapter book biography by critically acclaimed author Shelli R. Johannes, listeners learn about the amazing life of Florence Nightingale—and how she persisted.