If you're looking for a different end of the world scenario (or if you'd rather read something light, fluffy, and full of sunshine), just ask! We're always ready to help find just the right book for you.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald’s still would be open.
High school sophomore Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, the way “one marble hits another.” The result is catastrophic. How can her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis are wiping out the coasts, earthquakes are rocking the continents, and volcanic ash is blocking out the sun? As August turns dark and wintry in northeastern Pennsylvania, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

Pure by Julianna Baggott
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Epoch by Timothy Carter
In his fourteen years, Vincent Drear has been sure of a few of things. First, the world is going to end. And until it does, he has two jobs: saving souls and protesting movies about boy wizards. But Vincent wonders if there’s more to life than this. His suspicions are confirmed when he finds an elf at his school science fair. Vincent’s excitement fades, though, as the elf informs him that his family’s religion is right about one thing: the end of the world is coming—in forty-eight hours!

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

The Children of Men by P.D. James
The human race has become infertile, and the last generation to be born is now adult. Civilization itself is crumbling as suicide and despair become commonplace. Oxford historian Theodore Faron, apathetic toward a future without a future, spends most of his time reminiscing. Then he is approached by Julian, a bright, attractive woman who wants him to help get her an audience with his cousin, the powerful Warden of England. She and her band of unlikely revolutionaries may just awaken his desire to live . . . and they may also hold the key to survival for the human race.

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection for the Living Dead by Max Brooks
The Zombie Survival Guide is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now. Fully illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, this book covers everything you need to know, including how to understand zombie physiology and behavior, the most effective defense tactics and weaponry, ways to outfit your home for a long siege, and how to survive and adapt in any territory or terrain.

One of KCPL's goals is to help its users develop strong information literacy skills, including being well-educated on how to manage online information. If you're interested in learning more about the ideas and issues surrounding the intersection of you and the internet, take a look at this round-up of books. (To request one of these books, click its title and use the My Account feature of KCPL's online catalog to place a hold.) If you're interested in finding more on these or other topics, just ask! We'd be happy to help you find other books and resources.

I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy
by Lori Andrews
A leading specialist on social networks writes a shocking exposé of the widespread misuse of our personal online data and creates a Constitution for the web to protect us. Social networks are the defining cultural movement of our time. Social networks offer freedom. An ordinary individual can be a reporter, alerting the world to breaking news of a natural disaster or a political crisis. A layperson can be a scientist, participating in a crowd sourced research project or an investigator, helping cops solve a crime. But as we work and chat and date over the web, traditional rights may be slipping away. What the author proposes is a Constitution for the web, to extend our rights to this wild new frontier.

The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding from You
by Eli Pariser
The hidden rise of personalization on the Internet is controlling--and limiting--the information we consume. In 2009, Google began customizing its search results. Instead of giving you the most broadly popular result, Google now tries to predict what you are most likely to click on. Though the phenomenon has gone largely undetected until now, personalized filters are sweeping the Web, creating individual universes of information for each of us. Data companies track your personal information to sell to advertisers, from your political leanings to the hiking boots you just browsed on Zappos. In a personalized world, we will increasingly be typed and fed only news that is pleasant, familiar, and confirms our beliefs--and because these filters are invisible, we won't know what is being hidden from us. Our past interests will determine what we are exposed to in the future, leaving less room for the unexpected encounters that spark creativity, innovation, and the democratic exchange of ideas

The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains
by Nicholas Carr
A compelling exploration of the Internet’s intellectual and cultural consequences. As Carr describes how human thought has been shaped through the centuries by “tools of the mind”—from the alphabet to maps, to the printing press, the clock, and the computer—he interweaves a fascinating account of recent discoveries in neuroscience by such pioneers as Michael Merzenich and Eric Kandel. Our brains, the historical and scientific evidence reveals, change in response to our experiences. The technologies we use to find, store, and share information can literally reroute our neural pathways.

The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires
by Tim Wu
As Wu's sweeping history shows, each of the new media of the twentieth century- radio, telephone, television, and film- was born free and open. Each invited unrestricted use and enterprising experiment until some would-be mogul battled his way to total domination. Explaining how invention begets industry and industry begets empire- a progress often blessed by government, typically with stifling consequences for free expression and technical innovation alike- Wu identifies a time-honored pattern in the maneuvers of today's great information powers.

All you need is your library card and a computer with internet access to take advantage of Brainfuse and the Testing & Education Reference Center.

Brainfuse
Brainfuse is designed to support a variety of learning needs and styles. Students from kindergarten through college can take advantage of expert instruction (live tutors are available from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.), exam-prep, skill-building resources, and virtual collaboration spaces for group projects.

Are you an adult learner? Good news - Brainfuse is not just for kids! It has an Adult Learning Center where you can get live help to learn how to create a resume, write a cover letter, and use Microsoft Office programs, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. You can also use Brainfuse to study for the GED test or U.S. Citizenship exam.

Testing & Education Reference Center
Need to take a test, find a school, or search for scholarships? The Testing & Education Reference Center is the place to do it! You can complete practice tests for many different exams, including academic exams (GED, GRE, SAT and many others), career exams (ASVAB, Civil Service, NCLEX, and more), and others (U.S. Citizenship). You can also access an extensive library of ebooks to help you study for exams.

If you're planning to head off to college, use the Testing and Education Reference Center to search for undergraduate, graduate, and distance learning programs. Also, check out the searchable database containing thousands of scholarships!

If you're already in the workforce or hoping to find your first job, take a look at the career tools. Use the resume builder to create an attention-grabbing resume. Search for Career and Vo-Tech schools, complete a career assessment to match your skills to different jobs, and browse the career library for information on job searches, interviewing, changing careers, writing resumes and cover letters, and building professional networks.

Ready to try these learning resources?
Here's what you need to do:
1. Visit KCPL's website.
2. Choose the Articles & Info tab from the left-hand menu.
3. Click the link for A-Z List.
4. Select Brainfuse, Testing & Education Reference Center or one of KCPL's other online resources (depending on which resources you are using and whether you are in the library or at home, you may be prompted to enter your library barcode number at this point).
5. Begin exploring! In order to use some of the available features and track your progress when using Brainfuse or the Testing & Education Reference Center, you will need to set up a free account within the program.

Good luck! If you run into difficulties or need help finding specific information, please let us know. We're always happy to help.

Accessing "My Account"
In order to access "My Account," you will need the number on the back of your library card and a password. If this is your first time logging in, your temporary password should be the last four digits of your phone number. (If you discover that this does not work as your password, please let us know and we will reset it for you.) The first time you log in, you will be asked to create a new password. Library staff will not have access to your new password, but can always reset your password if you have trouble accessing your account. After you create your new password, the system will automatically log you out of your account -- don't worry, this is supposed to happen! When you log back in with your newly created password, you will be able to access your account information.

Setting Preferences
After you log into your account, we highly recommend that you select your notification preferences, which can be done under the Account Preferences tab. The default setting is for notification by both phone and email. You can use the drop-down menu to choose either phone or email as your notification preference. If you prefer double-notification, don't do a thing and you will continue to receive both an email and a phone call when items you have requested are ready to be picked up.

You can also choose a user name for logging in to your account. You may find this makes it easier to use "My Account" since you will then be able to sign in with your user name instead of needing to use your library card number. To change your user name, choose the Account Summary tab and click the "Change" link in the "Username" row.

Renewing Items
With some exceptions, as long as no one else has requested items you have checked out, they can be renewed twice. Some interlibrary loan items cannot be renewed at all and if you have over $10.00 in fines on your account you will be unable to renew. In order to renew items, select the Items Checked Out tab. You will see a list of all the items currently out on your account, their due dates, and the remaining number of renewals. If your items are eligible for renewal, you will be able to check the boxes in the right-hand column and click the "Renew Selected Items" button.

Placing Holds on Items
You can use "My Account" to place a hold on any items you would like to reserve. When you find something in the online catalog that you would like to request, click the "Place Hold" link. If you are not already signed into "My Account," you will be prompted to log in. You can then confirm your notification preferences and choose the KCPL branch where you would like to pick up your requested item.

Reviewing Information
Via "My Account," you can see what items you have requested, suspend hold requests (very handy if you are going away on vacation and don't want to miss the pick-up window or move to the end of the line), activate suspended holds, and cancel holds you no longer need.

You can also use "My Account" to view any current fines that have accrued on your account.

Need more help or information?
We have had some reports that some patrons cannot access "My Account" when using Internet Explorer for their web browser. If you experience this problem, we recommend that you download either Firefox or Chrome as an alternative web browser. If you experience difficulties accessing "My Account" when using other web browsers, clear the cache and try again.

If you continue to run into trouble accessing "My Account" or using any of its features, please let us know. We are happy to investigate, help trouble-shoot, and provide additional guidance. If you have questions, stop by any of our branches or give us a call at 410.778.3636.

The Book Group - Refreshments are served at this group where the focus is on exploring the works of African-American authors. Meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m.

Literature with Lunch - Participants are invited to bring a brown bag lunch to this group where the focus is on literature. Drinks and sweets are provided. Meets the last Thursday of the month at 12 p.m.

Chestertown Book Group - Refreshments are served at this general interest group. Meets the last Wednesday of the month at 4:30 p.m.

Kent Nonfiction Book Group - Participants are invited to bring a brown bag lunch to this group where the focus is on nonfiction. Drinks and sweets are provided. Meets the last Tuesday of the month at 12 p.m.

KCPL's book groups are open to all, so please consider this a standing invitation to join us.

KCPL also supports more than ten community-based book groups with its collection of Book Discussion Kits. Please give us a call to find out more about these local groups. If you're interested in starting a brand new book group, we'd be happy to help by offering the use of Book Discussion Kits. Each kit contains a minimum of ten paperback copies of a single title. Take a look at the titles we have available as Book Discussion Kits or give us a call at 410.778.3636 to discuss the details of taking advantage of this service.

NONFICTION
Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian
by Avi Steinberg
In this captivating memoir, Steinberg, a Harvard grad and struggling obituary writer, spends two years as a librarian and writing instructor at a Boston prison, attracting con men, minor prophets, ghosts, and an assortment of quirky regulars searching for the perfect book and a connection to the outside world.

Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese-American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference
by Joanne Oppenheim
Provides the story of life in a Japanese internment camp during World War II through the correspondence of the children in the camp to their librarian, Miss Clara Breed, who worked on their behalf to show the injustice of their imprisonment.

This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All
by Marilyn Johnson
Those who predicted the death of libraries forgot to consider that in the automated maze of contemporary life, none of us--neither the experts nor the hopelessly baffled--can get along without human help. And not just any help--we need librarians, who won't charge us by the question or roll their eyes, no matter what we ask. Who are they? What do they know? And how quickly can they save us from being buried by the digital age? This book is a romp through the ranks of information professionals and a revelation for readers burned out on the cliches and stereotyping of librarians. Here are bloggers, radicals and visionaries who fuse the tools of the digital age with their love for the written word and the enduring values of free speech, open access, and scout-badge-quality assistance to anyone in need.

FICTION
The Borrower
by Rebecca Makkai
Lucy Hull, a young children's librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, finds herself both a kidnapper and kidnapped when her favorite patron, ten- year-old Ian Drake, runs away from home. The precocious Ian is addicted to reading, but needs Lucy's help to smuggle books past his overbearing mother, who has enrolled Ian in weekly antigay classes with celebrity Pastor Bob. Lucy stumbles into a moral dilemma when she finds Ian camped out in the library after hours with a knapsack of provisions and an escape plan. Desperate to save him from Pastor Bob and the Drakes, Lucy allows herself to be hijacked by Ian. The odd pair embarks on a crazy road trip from Missouri to Vermont, with ferrets, an inconvenient boyfriend, and upsetting family history thrown in their path. But is it just Ian who is running away? Who is the man who seems to be on their tail? And should Lucy be trying to save a boy from his own parents?

The Ice Queen
by Alice Hoffman
After a small town librarian survives a lightning strike, she seeks out a fellow survivor in a quest for meaning, only to begin an obsessive love affair between two opposites joined by a single common thread.

Lord of the Libraries
by Mel Odom
Working as a master librarian at Great Library, Edgewick Lamplighter takes on inexperienced apprentice Juhg to help acquire volumes for the Vault of All Known Knowledge, a task that is compromised by dark forces.

BONUS: A movie about a librarian!
The Librarian
directed by Peter Winther
A geeky librarian is hired by the prestigious Metropolitan Library, keeper of such top-secret treasures as Excalibur and Pandora's Box. When the Serpent Brotherhood, seeking world domination, steals one of three parts of the magical Spear of Destiny from the library, only this librarian, aided by a gorgeous bodyguard, has the know-how to thwart their plan. But does he know how to be a hero?

Want more recommendations? Looking for something different? Stop by and ask - librarians love to help you find what you’re looking for!

KCPL exists to support the community and we are grateful to those who can help support the library. No donation is insignificant and all are appreciated, no matter how small. All funds donated help KCPL to keep the doors open and to continue to provide materials and services to support this community.

Beginning February 14th, all donors to the Love Your Library campaign will receive a small "thank you" gift; those who give $50 or more will receive a special 50th Anniversary sticker for their library cards; and the first ten donors who give $100 or more will also receive a delicious box of Valentine's chocolates!

Those who wish to take part in the campaign, but are unable to join us for the Love Your Library kick-off event, may make a donation online at the KCPL website, deliver donations in person to one of our three branches, or mail donations to:

Kent County Public Library
Love Your Library Campaign
408 High Street
Chestertown, MD 21620

Please join our campaign and show the world that you Love Your Library!

Know what we love? Knowing that the library is an important part of your life. Thank you for your enthusiastic patronage and continued support!

Want to give it a try?

Here's what you need to do:

1. Visit KCPL's website.
2. Choose the eLibrary tab from the left-hand menu.
3. Click the link for Maryland's Digital eLibrary (or choose a tutorial for more information on how to use your eReader or audio player with the eLibrary).
4. Click Login and select Kent County Public Library from the drop-down menu.
5. Enter your library barcode number with no spaces or punctuation.
6. Click the Help tab and read the Quick Start Guide for information on the initial set-up you will need to do prior to downloading items from Maryland's Digital eLibrary. (The initial set-up is very important, so don't skip this step!)
7. Search or browse the virtual collection and begin downloading!

Good luck! If you run into difficulties or need help with the process, please let us know.

IRS-certified AARP volunteers will be available between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursdays beginning February 2nd and ending April 12th.

Administered by AARP, in cooperation with the IRS, this free tax help is available to low- and moderate-income taxpayers of all ages. Returns will be prepared on the computer and filed electronically at no charge to the taxpayer. Each taxpayer will receive a paper copy of his or her return.

Walk-in clients are accepted, however, making an appointment is strongly recommended in order to avoid a lengthy wait. Appointments for tax preparation must be made via Upper Shore Aging. To make an appointment, please call 410-778-2564 on Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday. Tax help for those who are home-bound is available and can also be arranged by calling Upper Shore Aging. Tax assistance services for those who are home-bound can also be arranged by contacting Upper Shore Aging.

Monday, January 23rd
10:30 a.m. - Dick Lance's Digital Walk-In Clinic

Wednesday, January 25th
4:30 p.m. - Chestertown Book Group

Thursday, January 26th
12:00 p.m. - Literature with Lunch Bookgroup

Friday, January 27th
2:00 p.m. - Winter Film Festival: Stand & Deliver

Saturday, January 28th
10:00 a.m. - Financial Wellness @your library: Examining Your Financial Future

For more information on these and other upcoming events, visit our online calendar. Have a suggestion for a program you'd love to see at KCPL? Please let us know!

Theresa's pieces focus on bold images, intense color and an interest in design. She claims a quote from Pierre Auguste Renoir as her artist statement: "To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful and pretty, yes, pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them."

Terry describes his wildlife photographs as portraits. Whether in his kayak or hiking, something about a scene will speak to him, saying, "Photograph me!" Rather than attempting to stage the scene, he captures what nature has presented.

In addition to the work of these professional artists, the Children's Department is currently featuring art created by students from Kent County Middle School.

Please stop by and enjoy this showcase of local art.

Smarter Personal Banking
Saturday, January 14, 2012 | 10am - 12pm
Main Meeting Room, Chestertown

Join Larry Lyons and Cecil Unruh from Peoples Bank as they suggest ways to:

* improve your on-line banking experience
* prevent Identity Theft
* prepare for financial emergencies

Start the new year with some free financial education!
Refreshments served.

Examining Your Financial Future
Saturday, January 28, 2012 | 10am - 12pm
Main Meeting Room, Chestertown

Join Martin Knight & Michael Kelly from Chesapeake Investment Advisors as they present information about developing a lifetime strategy for saving and investment.

Refreshments served.

If you would like more information about these programs, please visit our online calendar or call 410.778.3636.

Interested in additional financial wellness information? We have resources covering personal finance, consumer credit, investments, eliminating debt, home-ownership, and more!

Saturday, December 24th - CLOSED
Monday, December 26th - CLOSED

Saturday, December 31st - 1/2 day (closing at 12:30)
Monday, January 2nd - CLOSED