From New York to Chicago, daffodils and crocuses are already in flower.  With temperatures in the 50's and 60's, even the magnolia trees are starting to bloom on the National Mall in Washington.  Although the winter has been an unusually mild one, a sudden cold snap could have a drastic impact on plants and trees.

View historic photos of plant communities and natural environments in the United States from 1891-1936. From the American Memory project of the Library of Congress.

Three Rivers Parks offer a wide variety of summer experiences for children from 4 to 15. Teens 16 and up can volunteer for camp and other park positions.

Try Technology Review from MIT, CNN Tech, and PC Magazine!

This year's presidential election has gotten off to a rollicking start, in part because of new campaign finance guidelines. The Federal Election Commission provides info on political donors, filing, compliance, PACs and much more.

The Minnesota Recruiting and Staffing Association is having a educational event and job fair for job seekers. Hear from the experts as they advise individuals on resumes, and interviewing skills. Select your next interviewing outfit from the professional clothes drive. Learn how to use Linked-in to find and further your career. It's free and open to everyone.

New Congressional District lines were released today for Minnesota's eight Congressional Districts. There will be much commentary on the results in the days to come.The Humphrey School of Public Affairs Smart Politics blog and the Star Tribune's Hot Dish Politics  discuss the ramifications of the newly drawn district borders.

Begin with Activity Tree, where you can find kids lessons, classes and summer camps. Most of these events and schools charge a fee. For free events, check out your local library and park system.

Are we celebrating Washington's Birthday, both Washington's and Lincoln's Birthdays, or all U.S. presidents? The legal federal holiday on the third Monday in Feb. is Washington's Birthday. Presidents' Day has never had official legal designation as a federal holiday. Rather, it is an attempt to unify a conglomeration of the legally designated Washington's Birthday with an assortment of state observances on Lincoln's Birthday and U.S. presidents in general. For more details see Snopes.com and Miller-McCune's article, President's Day: Just another Presidential Fable.

If you are having problems with library technology (downloading ebooks, for example), you can contact us on our webform, or leave a message for callback on 612-543-8750.

Learn tips on how to save energy in your home, vehicle, or workplace with Energy Savers.  Also, find financial assistance information from the U.S. Dept of Energy for energy efficient purchases and improvements in the form of tax credits, rebates, and energy-efficient financing.

Checkout the thorough coverage of the campaign from C-SPAN.

Library Journal’s blog The Digital Shift reports that the Penguin Group publishers, which include Ace, NAL, Berkeley, Dutton, Prentice Hall, Puffin, Putnam’s, Grosset & Dunlap, Viking, and others, will not be providing new eBook titles to OverDrive, Hennepin County Library’s eBook provider. Penguin and OverDrive are negotiating to maintain access to titles already available.

Watch this video developed by the University of Arizona College of Medicine to learn a hands-only CPR method that DOUBLES a person's chance of surviving cardiac arrest.







 

Print and online versions of President Obama's Budget for the U. S. Government, FY 2013 will be released Monday, Feb. 13. The authentic online version will be available on GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) after 11:15 a.m. EST.

Find Fact Sheets on the care and conservation of carpets and rugs, ceramics and glass, books, clocks, costumes and textiles, oil paintings, photographic materials, documents and archives, silver and plate, drawings, prints, watercolors, silver and plates, and archeological materials at the Institute of Conservation.

President Obama has given Minnesota a waiver on the No Child Left Behind learning laws because a viable alternative plan was presented. "Under the deal, the states must show they will prepare children for college and careers, set new targets for improving achievement among all students, reward the best performing schools and focus help on the ones doing the worst."

Find Business Writing guides as well as classes at LearningExpressLibrary.

Meetup is a great networking source for finding people who are interested in languages.  In the Twin Cities there are many Meetup language groups for those who want to practice or maintain a language.   You can also find groups related to a variety of cultural interests and activities. 

Important events in the history of African Americans in the Military provided by the Department of Defense for Black History Month.

The State Small Business Credit Initiative is using 15.4 million in federal funds to provide greater access to capital for small businesses and manufacturers. The loans are offered through four programs:

The Capital Access Program
Emerging Entrepreneurs Fund
Small Business Loan Guarantees
Early Stage Fund Check out the website to find the eligibility requirements and the application process.

Veterans looking for employment, education or a new career can find assessment and planning tools, referrals to employment opportunities and community support at Beyond the Yellow Ribbon.

There are resources for students in the United States who are not citizens. Click here   for scholarships available to undocumented students and links to post secondary schools that charge in-state tuition. 

The Minnesota Orchestra has announced its 2012 -13 season,   Highlights include a performance of all of Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos, their first ever clarinet festival, and more.  

Learn about the origins of the National Library of Medicine and how it transformed from office reference to a national collection.

Minneapolis on the "Stay Young" list.

See cars.com for the best- and worst-rated cars in fuel economy, initial quality, customer service and other categories.

The Federal Citizen Information Center, recently published its 2011 edition of the Consumer Action Handbook and launched a new website (publications.usa.gov) offering free versions of this and other guidebooks. Download or order publications on subjects ranging from 'frog protection for homeowners' to 'online penny auctions.'