Happy Independence Day!

Ah yes, America...it's that time again. July has swept over us, bringing with it sticky summer days, sweet summer nights, and an explosion of patriotism. If you can bear to unfurl yourself from those red, white and blue streamers and put down that veggie burger, we'd like to share with you some of our favorite "America, yay!" library materials...

Okay folks, step right up! First things first, you've got your history - U.S. history - and plenty of it! From that fateful summer of 1776 to the Civil Rights era, we've got your history needs covered, with titles such as America's Story (IM 973 BER) and Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (973 LOE).  You'll also find an abundance of materials that put a more unique slant on American history, such as Building a Legacy: Women in Social Education 1784-1984 (372.89 CRO), A History of Black Achievement in America (IE 960.73 AMB), and The Latino Experience in United States History (IM 972 CAB).

When it comes to highlighting our unique nation, history is only the beginning.  We're going to let you in on a little secret...the SERC Library owns nearly 50 National Geographic videos!  These amazing documentaries manage to walk that elusive line between education and fun, and we think they'll be equally useful to a bright-eyed classroom as well as kids on summer vacation who need a little break from the sun.  There are geographical explorations of America's natural beauty, like The Pacific Edge (IM 970 NAT) and Let's Explore a Wetland (IM 591.52 NAT).  Then there are the sciences, from biology - Your Body: Muscular and Skeletal Systems (IM 612 NAT) - to chemistry - Solid, Liquid, Gas (IM 530.4 Nat) - to botany - What is a Leaf? (IM 581 NAT).  You'll also find videos on wartime history, dinosaurs, the four seasons, and geography.  Oh, and our personal favorite, Killer Whales: Wolves of the Sea (IM 597 NAT), which wins based on that title alone!

Of course, being SERC, we also have plenty of items that focus on education in America.  Some of our newest titles in this area are Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Face of Globalization (370.973 ZHA) and Immigrant Families in Contemporary Society (308.4 LAN).

In honor of our nation's birthday, we are offering a free eco-friendly SERC Library tote bag to the first commenter to guess what tune the following is set to: (yes, really!)

For my education degree
I love the SERC Library
From thee I bring:
Tests in rolling suitcases,
DVDs with fancy cases,
IMS, IEs and Young People's Books...
And membership is free!