And the Oscar Goes To…

It’s that time of year again! The 87th Academy Awards air this Sunday, February 22, at 6 p.m. on ABC. Check out the official website for all things Oscar: backstage videos, red carpet galleries, Oscar music moments, and more. Here’s a printable list of the nominees from Fandango or try this interactive Oscar ballot from CNN. And don’t miss the official site of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (the governing body behind the Awards) for the history behind Hollywood’s most legendary night.

All of this year’s eight Best Picture nominees are available in our catalog (or will be available shortly): American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash.

The Library also offers a great selection of titles about the Academy Awards, including the newly updated 85 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards by Robert Osborne, Bringing Up Oscar: The Story of the Men and Women Who Founded the Academy by Debra Ann Pawlak, Oscar Fever: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards by Emanuel Levy, Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards by Bronwyn Cosgrave, and Behind the Oscar: The Secret History of the Academy Awards by Anthony Holden.

For fun fictional takes on the frenzy of Oscar season, try Best Murder of the Year by Jon P. Bloch, Murder at the Academy Awards by Joan Rivers (yes, that Joan Rivers), Oscar Season by Mary McNamara, and Celebutantes by Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Kalighi Hopper (Dennis’s daughter).

Don’t forget to tune in Sunday night!

(Toby Canham/Getty Images)

 

Skype with Author Event: Frans de Waal

Join us next Tuesday, February 24, at 7 p.m. at the Main Library at Goodwood for a special meeting of the RENEW Book Club. Formerly called the Compassionate Book Club, our new name is the RENEW Book Club, which stands for Reading Engaging Nonfiction to Expand our Worldview and this month’s title, The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society by renowned scientist Frans de Waal, does just that. Dr. de Waal is a Dutch primatologist and ethnologist, currently serving as the C. H. Handler professor of Primate Behavior at Emory University, and he will be joining us for a Skype Q&A session during the book club meeting! We hope to see you next Tuesday for this special event.

Library Closed for Mardi Gras

Laissez les bons temps rouler! All EBRPL branches will be closed tomorrow (Tuesday, February 17) for the Mardi Gras holiday. We will resume normal business hours on Wednesday the 18th. The Digital Library is open 24/7 though, so you can still access digital magazines, music, and eBooks. See you Wednesday. And in the meantime, why not head over to our Louisiana Love board on Pinterest for Mardi Gras recipes, photos, and more?

 

 

Amateur Radio License Classes at Main Library

Ham Radio, also known as Amateur Radio, is a popular hobby and a service which licensed participants operate communications equipment, with a deep appreciation of the radio art. Now you can join this hobby of 700,000 U.S. Ham Radio operators in a 12-week course (1 night per week) conducted by the Baton Rouge Amateur Radio Club (BRARC).

Morse code is no longer a requirement for the FCC license, but still very popular. Several other modern communications modes including voice, data, and television are used today. Satellites, the internet, and radios are all part of the hobby now. Join the fabulous, fun hobby of Amateur Radio by registering for a class today.

Technician Class License
Level I Course: This is the entry-level course designed for anyone with an interest in communicating, learning operating procedures, and new technology. No pre-requisites are required. The course covers operating and communicating with hams, licensing regulations, radio safety, and the very basic fundamentals of radio and electronics. The course concludes with the 35-question multiple-choice FCC exam. Experienced Amateur Radio Class instructors conduct the classes and the testing.

The class starts this Thursday, February 12, and runs every Thursday through April 30, from 6-8 p.m. at the Main Library at Goodwood (7711 Goodwood Blvd, 70806)
There is no cost for the class, but it is recommended you obtain the class text, Technician Class 2014-2018 by Gordon West, WB6NOA. It can be obtained from BRARC (contacts below) or at Amazon.com. No preregistration required. For more information, contact Buddy Brown, N5BUD at 225.573.2111 or buddybrown@cox.net or Jon Reise, WA9JBR 225.388.5776.

February 20Somethings Events

Calling everybody 18-30ish! Check out some of our 20Something events below. Want more info? Check out us out on FaceBook!