ReferenceUSA will be offering six different classes available online February through March 2013. ReferenceUSA is a great database for job hunters as well as those looking to start a new business. These hour-long sessions will cover the basics of getting started and the essentials of using ReferenceUSA for a variety of subjects:

   * Search Essentials - Fridays at 9am
                    Registration required
   * Career Search Strategies - Weds. at 12:30pm
                    Registration required
   * Start, Manage & Grow Your Business - alt. Mon. at 12:30pm
                    Registration required
   * People Who Seek People - alt. Mon. at 12:30pm
                    Registration required
   * Consumer & Lifestyle Data - alt. Tues. at 12:30pm
                    Registration required
   * ReferenceUSA Mapping - alt. Tues. at 12:30pm
                    Registration Required

This is also a great opportunity for current users to learn some new tips, tricks and techniques. Lots of time will be reserved at the end of the session for questions.

To explore ReferenceUSA - see the eLibrary under Subjects "Business", "Careers & Jobs" or "Phone Books".

First off, I would like to wish Ina Garten a slightly early happy birthday, Ina’s birthday is February 2nd.
Ina’s recent cookbook Barefoot Contessa foolproof: recipes you can trust is a gem, stunning photos and interesting recipes make this a foodie’s dream. One of the many highlights of her book is the 10 foolproof tips for cooking, abide by these tips and you will be the envy of all your foodie friends. The gist of the tips is stick to therecipe the first time and experiment latter. Personally I recommend reading cookbooks from cover to cover, many authors sneak some great information in unexpected places. I poured over Ina’s wonderful tome and fell in love with the perfect pound cake recipe, and the hunt for a vanilla bean began. I went into gatherer mode  and found all of the ingredients and had at it. One warning, be prepared to do lots of flour sifting, but in the end the outcome of all the sifting will be the most perfect pound cake you have ever tasted!  The cake was a smash hit itdisappeared from the table in less than 45 minutes. Three cheers for the birthday Contessa! *****David’s dish

Check out the book at Foster Library, or put a hold on it - we will send it to you!

If there are any cookbooks in Foster Library’s collection that you would like me to try out, please leave the title on our Facebook page and I’ll get cooking.

Each month, we publish a new list of our Staff Picks: books, ebooks, books on CD, DVDs, picture books, children's and young adult books that our staff members recommend.

Can't remember to check the list? You can sign up to receive this and many other book recommendation lists directly into your email box at our "Newsletter & Booklists" page found at: http://www.vencolibrary.org/ > Special Interests > Books & Reading > Staff Picks.

See something you like? When viewing the list, click on the "Check Library Catalog" link to be taken directly to our catalog, where you can sign in and place a hold request to have the item brought to your local library for pick up! Enjoy!

February is African American History Month. Ventura County Library joins the Library of Congress and many others in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.

See Biography In Context (in our eLibrary under "Biography") for articles about famous figures in African American history, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and Barack Obama.

Or, try U.S. History In Context (in our eLibrary under "History & Social Studies") to get information for things like Abolition and the Underground Railroad, Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Movement.

It's all free with your library card!

Grab your favorite beverage and sit down to enjoy the latest Library Lad, which comes out every other week or so.

Need to catch up? Find past Library Lad columns in the Library Lad's Blog Archive. Of course, you can be sure to get each blog by subscribing!

Happy reading!

Ten benefits of Reading Aloud to your baby from day one:
1 - Read alouds promote listening skills
2 - Read alouds increase the number of vocabulary words baby hears
3 - Read alouds develop attention span and memory
4 - Read alouds help babies learn uncommon words
5 - Read alouds help babies learn to understand the meanings of words
6 - Read alouds help babies learn concepts from print
7 - Read alouds help babies learn to get information from illustrations
8 - Read alouds promote bonding and calmness for both baby and parent                                           
9 -  Read alouds stimulate the imagination and all senses
10 - Read alouds instill the love of books and learning
 
From Baby Read-Aloud Basics by Caroline J. Blakemore (372.4)

-Star

The Ventura pier was originally constructed in 1872 and was 1,200 feet in length. In 1914 it was cut in half by the SS Coos Bay and was rebuilt with an addition of 500 feet by 1917.  By 1938 it reached its longest length of 1,958 feet and was, at the time, one of the longest wooden piers in California (Santa Cruz Municipal Pier, built in 1914, is the longest wooden pier in California at 2,745 feet).  The pier has been burned or destroyed by storms numerous times throughout its history.  It was rebuilt in a shorter form in 1993 but, in December of 1995, a storm removed 423 feet and the pier was partially closed until  it was rebuilt using steel pilings for extra support. Its current length is approximately 1,620 feet, making it the 8th longest pier of any pier construction in California over the Pacific Ocean and the 6th longest primarily wooden pier. 

Find more information on Ventura History at the Foster Library Catalog.

- Resident Photographer Aleta Rodriguez