Home Organizing Made Easy

Clutter causes stress, and stress harms our health, so an organized home supports a healthy life, and conquering clutter will improve health.  Next week at the Central Library, Terry Capehart, owner of Organization In Bloom, a professional organizing services company, will talk about how to get your home decluttered and organized for a simplified life.

Thursday, May 26
7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Central Library
1301 Olive Street
St. Louis MO 63103

You will learn some great tips for organizing your home from small to large projects.  Come with your burning organizing questions.  You'll leave inspired and motivated!

St. Louis Rare Disease Day 2016 Edit-a-thon

St. Louis Rare Disease Day 2016 Edit-a-thon

6 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday, February 29 at Central Library's Creative Experience room, 1301 Olive St., 63103

In honor of Rare Disease Day, we will add information to rare disease articles about how people can find community support.  Anyone is welcome to attend. If you are a newcomer, you will have made your first edit on Wikipedia by the end of the event!  No Wikipedia editing experience necessary; as needed throughout the event, tutoring will be provided for Wikipedia newcomers.

Happy Birthday to Central Library!

Celebrate the 3rd anniversary of Central Library's Grand Reopening and its 103rd year as the crown jewel of the Library system.  Central Library’s doors first opened to the public on January 6, 1912. One hundred years later, on December 9, 2012, the doors reopened following a $70 million restoration and renewal that not only highlighted the building’s historical significance but also transformed previously closed spaces into a modern facility for use by the public.

In honor of our 150th Anniversary as a system, we’ll celebrate Central’s birthday on December 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Get your slice of birthday cake in the Atrium on the First Floor. Take a tour of the building with a docent, who will tell you about the old and new. And visit the Rare Books and Special Collections for an exhibit about our original opening day in 1912.

Wednesday, December 09, 2015
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Central Library, 1301 Olive Street

TEDMED2015

TEDMED2015, the health and medicine offshoot of the TED conference, is set to kick off in two weeks!  Are you looking forward to it?  The Central Library will be streaming all sessions that occur during normal operating hours.  These sessions include:

Thursday

10:30 to noon	Mind Matters
1 to 2:45	Catalyzing Great Science
4:45 to 6:30	Back to Basics
7:30 to 9	Food Fix

Friday

10:30 to noon	Techno-Utopia
1 to 2:30	Who Cares for Health Care?
4:30 to 6	Out There

Unlike regular TED talks, TEDMED sessions are not available online.  The St. Louis Public Library is pleased to offer this year’s sessions free to the public.  We hope you can join us for some or all of them!

After TEDMEDLive is over, we look forward to showing recordings of the sessions as part of programs with local presenters.

ACA signups continue!

Open Enrollment in the Federal healthcare marketplace has just begun, and continues through the end of January.  Affinia Healthcare's Certified Application Counselors will be at the Locust Street Atrium of Central Library, 1301 Olive Street next Monday the 9th and two weeks later on the 23rd.

Shopping for healthcare

How do you find the health information you need?  What's the best insurance plan for you?  Shopping for health insurance and healthcare can be very confusing!

Open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace starts November 1.  Certified Application Counselors from Affinia Healthcare (formerly Grace Hill Health Centers), will be at Central Library in the Locust Street Atrium on October 12 and 26 from 10 a.m. until noon to help people choose the plan that's right for them, and will be back on select Mondays in November to help with the actual signup.
Counselors will also be available to discuss Medicare and Gateway to Better Health.

For more information, call 314-539-0390.

Strong communities, healthy people

The health of our bodies is connected to the health of our communities, and stronger social bonds increase individual wellness.  In addition, learning and new experiences are good for the brain (interested in a deeper exploration of this topic?  One book to check out is Healthy Brain, Happy Life by Wendy Suzuki).

With that in mind, join the St. Louis Public Library at a film showing and discussion, kicking off the involvement of SLPL with the "Latino Americans: 500 Years of History" series, and build a stronger brain and a stronger community.

• Thursday, October 8
• 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
• Central Library - Auditorium
• Prejudice and Pride, Episode 5 of the PBS series Latino Americans
• Deborah Cohen, Associate Professor at the University of Missouri St. Louis and author of Braceros: Migrant Citizens and Transnational Subjects in Postwar United States and Mexico will lead a discussion afterwards

This program is part of a partnership with the Missouri Humanities Council, the Diversity Committee of the St. Louis Public Library, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.

Wild Things

Have you visited the Central Library lately?  There are Wild Things everywhere, and additional Wild happenings at Branches!  Visit the Library's digital brochure to see what's going on (paper copies at each Branch).



From the Library's shelves:

• The wild city book: loads of things to do outdoors in towns and cities by Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks
• Wild things: the art of nurturing boys by Stephen James and David Thomas 
• Wild things run fast by Joni Mitchell [sound recording] 
• The wild weather book: loads of things to do outdoors in rain, wind and snow by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield 
• Wild things: untold tales from the first century of the Saint Louis Zoo by Patricia Corrigan 
• Eating on the wild side: the missing link to optimum health by Jo Robinson

What's in Your DNA?

What’s in your DNA?  Find out this Saturday, August 15 from 2-5 p.m. with a talk on the basics of genetic testing for genealogists.

Janine Cloud from Family Tree DNA will be at the Central Library to discuss the types of tests available and the information that each can (and can’t) provide for genealogists.  Attendees will be able to ask Ms. Cloud questions or buy a test kit after her talk. Test kits will be available at a $30 discount to persons attending this program!  To register or for more info email cmillar@slpl.org.

Back-to-School Health Fair this Saturday!

Just three days until great fun and excitement at the Central Library's Back-to-School Health Fair!
The fun starts at 10 a.m. and lasts until 2 p.m.

The Fire Department will be there with a fire truck and an interactive fire safety house.
The Police Department will be making CDs with electronic fingerprints.
OASIS will bring games: jump ropes, hula hoops, and more.
The Library will have face painting and toys, including tricycles and a balance beam.

There will also be:

Library card signups.
Lead screening with the City of St. Louis,
Asthma screening with Barnes Jewish Hospital's Respiratory Care Services.
The Family Resource Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Water safety demonstrations with the YMCA.

We will have water and lemonade available for what may be a hot day.  Don't forget your sunscreen!

Remember: Limited FREE parking is available in the Library’s lot at 15^th and Olive Streets. Just stop inside the Library to get a token before you leave.

TEDMED presenters announced

TEDMED2015 started releasing information on the speakers for this year's stage program - which "will focus on breaking through the status quo and celebrating the typical, the atypical and the spaces in between as we come together to shape a healthier world" - over a month ago, and continues to do so.  So far the speakers have been announced for:

• Catalyzing Great Science
• Mind Matters
• Back to Basics
• Out There
• Human Explorations
• Techno-Utopia
• Food Fix

and we are just waiting to hear who we'll be hearing from in the last session:

• Who Cares for Health Care?

You can find out who the speakers are at http://tedmed.com/event/stage2015.

Start planning to spend November 19 & 20 at the St. Louis Public Library, as we live-stream these sessions.

Back-to-School Health Fair

Join the St. Louis Public Library for a free Back-to-School Health Fair on Saturday, August 8. 

The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Locust Street on the north side of Central Library, 1301 Olive St. downtown.

We'll have electronic fingerprinting with the St. Louis Police Department, lead and asthma screening, as well as dental, nutrition, ADHD, health insurance, and general health information from a wide variety of partners.

We'll have lots of fun at the fair too, with popcorn, a visit from the St. Louis Fire Department, games, and face painting. Best of all, everything is free and no registration is necessary!

For more information, call Eleanore at 314-539-0390. We look forward to seeing you!

Upcoming events at Central Library

This week!

Kombucha!  A reminder that this Thursday evening, July 16, William Pauley will be at the Central Library to talk about the art of handcrafting kombucha, a fermented tea beverage made with active enzymes, live bacteria, organic and amino acids. Participants will see a demonstration of the bottling process, and will get to take home their own bottle of kombucha.

Class limit is 25 participants so registration required by registering on the website or by contacting Katie LaBarbera at 314-539-0349 or klabarbera@slpl.org.

 

August!

What’s in Your DNA? The Basics of Genetic Testing for Genealogists

On Saturday, August 15 from 2-5 p.m. an expert on DNA (Janine Cloud from Family Tree DNA) will be at the Central Library to discuss the types of tests available and the information that each can (and can’t) provide for genealogists. Attendees will be able to ask Ms. Cloud questions or buy a test kit after her talk. To register or for more info email cmillar@slpl.org.

Free parking is available for all library visits: http://www.slpl.org/slpl/library/central_parking.asp

Open Enrollment Starts Today!

Health Insurance Enrollment through the Health Insurance Marketplace opens today! While those who had some qualifying event (for example, the loss of a job, death in the family, or divorce) were able to enroll before now, anyone who doesn't currently have health insurance is now able to enroll through Healthcare.gov. Open enrollment continues through February 15, 2015.

A few things to keep in mind:

• If you can afford healthcare and choose not to buy it, most people must now pay a penalty when they submit their 2014 taxes in April. Healthcare.gov has a page dedicated to fees and exemptions that explains everything in detail.
• If you already purchased health insurance through the Marketplace last year, it's likely you'll be automatically re-enrolled in your existing plan or a similar plan if you do nothing this year. However, you can always log in to Healthcare.gov and switch plans if you want to. For information on keeping or changing your plan, visit this page.
• While open enrollment continues through February 15, 2015, if you want coverage to start on January 1, 2015, you must enroll by December 15, 2014.

For more information, including links to application forms, visit our updated page on the Affordable Care Act.

Also, don't forget that Certified Application Counselors from Grace Hill Health Centers will be on hand at Central Library, 1301 Olive St., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday through the end of open enrollment. No reservations or appointments are required; just stop by with your questions!

See No Evil, Speak No Evil: Learn About Your Eyes and Mouth at the Library

Join the St. Louis Public Library for our final installment in the 2014 Consumer Health Speaker Series, "Can I Catch That?," as we discuss eye and mouth health, and what they can indicate about your overall health.

"See No Evil, Speak No Evil: The Story Your Eyes and Mouth Tell About Your Health" will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 28 in the Carnegie Room at Central Library, 1301 Olive Street, 63103. The discussion will feature an intimate conversation with ophthalmologist Dr. Michael Donahoe, dentist Dr. Candace Wakefield, and pharmacist Dr. Jamie Shelly.

This event is free and open to the public, and no reservations are required. Free parking is available at the Library's parking lot at the corner of 15th and Olive streets, a block west of the Library. For additional information, call 314.539.0390.

Come see TEDMEDLive2014 at Central Library!

Through a partnership between TEDMED and St. Louis Public Library, the Library is pleased to offer a free opportunity to view a live-stream of the TEDMED 2014 conference this week, September 10-12, at Central Library, 1301 Olive St., 63103.

For those who are not familiar with TEDMED, the three-day conference is a meeting of more than 2,200 creative leaders from medical and non-medical fields, coming together to shape a better future for health and medicine. The conference will take place simultaneously at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco; the event at Central Library will feature a live feed of speakers as they present on stage at those locations.

Live-streaming will take place throughout the day on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, but feel free to come and go as you please. A brief description of the sessions is below; each session features several speakers discussing similar topics. For more information on speakers and sessions, visit www.tedmed.com/event/stage2014. For information about the live-streaming sessions at Central, call 539.0390. Hope to see you this week!

Wednesday, September 10
We Just Don't Know     11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.   
This session explores the liberation that can happen when we recognize the limits of our knowledge – those transformational moments when we realize that the more we know, the more we realize how little we know.

Flat Out Amazing     3:45-5:30 p.m.
This session focuses on imagination at the far edge of possibility, featuring stories of the seemingly impossible acts, facts or events that should inspire and dazzle even the most cynical or sophisticated listener.

Turn It Upside Down     6:45-8:30 p.m.
This session introduces surprising insights that flip beliefs, question standard operating procedures, discard some closely held assumptions and lead to fresh insights about health and medicine.

Thursday, September 11
Don't You Dare Talk About This     11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m.
This session will raise controversial issues in health and medicine that many people are reluctant to discuss publicly.

Play is Not a Waste of Time     3:30-5:20 p.m.
This session reveals the many ways that imagination rewards us, specifically how health and medicine are enhanced through the extraordinary power of play.

Stealing Smart     6:30-8:30 p.m.
The session demonstrates how some of the best solutions to problems in health and medicine come from other worlds than the domain where the problem originated or is usually addressed.

Friday, September 12
Weird and Wonderful     10 a.m.-noon
This session offers a joyful survey of surprising combinations and remarkable results. It’s about science and health trends that came out of left field, defied expectations or simply seem completely off the wall, in a good way.

I Was Just Thinking Too Small     1:30-3:20 p.m.
This session encourages us to step back and see the full picture, realizing that a narrow focus can be as limiting as it is productive.

Health Insurance Enrollment Opportunities at Central Library

Although open enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace doesn't start until November 15, the Library is offering opportunities to discuss health insurance enrollment on the first Saturday of each month at Central Library. Starting this Saturday, September 6, certified application counselors from Grace Hill Health Centers will be at Central Library, 1301 Olive St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

These application counselors can answer questions about the health insurance marketplace, as well as offer information about Gateway to Better Health, a program that temporarily helps uninsured adults in the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County access affordable healthcare options.

The application counselors can also help you enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace, if you qualify for a special enrollment period outside of open enrollment. Qualifying circumstances include losing a job that supplied health insurance, divorce, or death of a family member. To find out if you qualify, take this quick survey at Healthcare.gov.

In the coming months, keep an eye on our Affordable Care Act page, as we update it to reflect the 2014/2015 open enrollment period! If you have questions, please call 314.539.0390.

Free Health Screenings for Kids on August 2

Join the St. Louis Public Library for a free Back-to-School Health Fair next Saturday, August 2. The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Locust Street on the north side of Central Library, 1301 Olive St. downtown.

We'll have demonstrations on water safety and plenty of health screenings available, including vision, hearing, lead, and asthma screening, as well as dental, nutrition, ADHD, health insurance, and general health information from a wide variety of partners.

We'll have lots of fun at the fair too, with popcorn, a visit from the St. Louis Fire Department, face painting, and a visit from Snowbaby the Clown. Best of all, everything is free and no registration is necessary!

For more information, call Kara at 314-539-0390. We look forward to seeing you next Saturday!

Join the Library for a Chat About Diabetes

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 29 million Americans have diabetes. What’s even more startling is that, of those, more than 8 million don’t know they have it.

To help raise awareness about the disease, the St. Louis Public Library and its partners will present “Diabetes: What’s New, What Works, and How Can I Prevent It?” The program will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 22 in the Carnegie Room at Central Library, 1301 Olive Street. It will feature Certified Diabetes Educator Jennifer Markee and pharmacist Amy Drew, who will discuss this increasingly prevalent disease and the ways in which it can be treated and managed.

A consultant for the St. Louis Diabetes Coalition and the OASIS Institute, Markee is a medical social worker and a certified diabetes educator through the American Association of Diabetes Educators. Drew is an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and a practicing pharmacist at the Ambulatory Clinic at Mercy Clinic Family Medicine.

“In the last 10 to 15 years, there has been such an increase in the diagnosis of diabetes. It’s becoming more pervasive,” Markee said. “One out of five Americans has diabetes so this is important for people to look at and not sweep under the rug.”

Markee said that a diabetes diagnosis often comes with a dose of guilt, as people often automatically assume that they did something wrong to deserve the diagnosis. However, diabetes is part lifestyle and part hereditary. “It becomes this elephant in the room, and people think it’s not valid enough to talk about in conversation,” she said.

At the July 22 event, Markee said she hopes to remove some of that stigma, and to help people learn about the symptoms and warning signs of diabetes, as well as how it is diagnosed, and help them get started on developing a support system to learn more about this chronic disease. She and Drew will also discuss some of the ways that diabetes can be controlled, including exercise habits and reading nutrition labels.

“Diabetes: What’s New, What Works, and How Can I Prevent It?” is the third presentation in “Can I Catch That?,” the St. Louis Public Library’s 2014 Consumer Health Information Speaker Series. The fourth presentation, “See No Evil, Speak No Evil: The Story Your Eyes and Mouth Tell About Your Health,” will take place on Tuesday, October 28 at Central Library. For more information on this series and other health events at the Library, call 314.539.0390.

Cardio Time at Central Library!

Don't forget that tonight is the second event in the Library's 2014 Consumer Health Information Speaker Series, "Can I Catch That?" Tonight's program focuses on cardio health, and features cardiologist Angela Brown and clinical pharmacist Anastasia Armbruster. The program starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Auditorium at Central Library, 1301 Olive St., 63103. See the posts below for more information on the event.

Additionally, the event will feature herbalist and massage therapist Rachel Davis, and Lisa Hays of the Million Hearts Campaign talking about various ways in which you can take care of your heart at home. On your way in, please stop by their tables outside the auditorium.

See you at Central tonight!