Get Outside - Be a Citizen Scientist!

Volunteers collecting samples

Spring is here and everyone wants to gets outside, pollen or no. Here's your excuse. April is Citizen Science Month and we are giving all you citizens a chance to explore your environment with RCPL's Clinch Water Watch.

Clinch Water Watch is a program for citizen water quality monitoring funded by a Department of Environmental Quality grant. Citizens (that's YOU) take samples of water from the banks of the Clinch River and some of her streams. The results are recorded and compiled. And we will have a program to share the results in the fall. (Watch our Facebook page for a sneak preview.)

Mark your calendar for April 25. We will take samples from Lewis Creek in Honaker (on the library lawn) at 2:30 pm. A date earlier in the month will be held just for school-aged children. Call the library if you want to participate in either event; due to Covid, you need to register.

RCPL sought the grant with partners UVA Wise,  Clinch Valley Soil & Water Conservation District, Estanoa, Upper Tennessee River Roundtable, and Virginia Tech. But it is up to us to make sure our water is safe. Get outside and make a difference, because science is for everyone.

If you can't join us, follow our progress on Facebook: Clinch Water Watch. 

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

Citizen Science Day

Welcome to spring! On April 13, 2019, Russell County Public Library, along with many other libraries and organizations around the globe, will come together to advance Alzheimer's research during the Stall Catchers Megathon on Citizen Science Day. The Citizen Science Association describes citizen science as "the involvement of the public in scientific research - whether community-driven research or global investigations." During the Megathon, citizen scientists will help researchers answer a question that would typically take a year - all by playing a game!

In Stall Catchers, players analyze short movies from the brains of mice affected with Alzheimer's to identify and report stalls and clogged blood vessels. All that is required is an Internet connection and a computer, smartphone, or tablet. We will have several devices reserved at the library if you don't have your own. Staff will be on hand to assist and help anyone interested to get started. You can also start practicing now by signing up at the Megathon website!

Snacks and drinks will also be available, so come on out to the Lebanon Library on Saturday, April 13, at 1 PM for all the science fun!


Contributed by Bryan Scheerer

Libraries Lead

Where does the Library lead you? 

National Library Week: Libraries Lead

Comment here or on our Facebook page. If we have led you somewhere, or to something, let us know.

We want to hear what you have to say because "Libraries Lead" is the theme of National Library Week, April 8-14, 2018. We want to be an integral part of our community.

Are we leading? Or are we following?

In an effort to lead you back to the library, we are offering to let patrons work off their fines. We want you to use your local library and we don't want fines to be an impediment!
During the month of April, you can come by the library and read off your fines ($1 per hour spent reading in the library) or you can check out and return books ($1 per book.)

Why this elaborate plan? It takes several weeks and some practice to develop a new habit. We want that habit to be visiting your public library.

Whatever entertains you--music, film, magazines, books--we can probably find it at your library.

Learn something new...learn to play chess on the first Saturday in Lebanon or learn to crochet every Thursday (Lebanon) or Friday (Honaker.)

Or just have fun with science! Mad Science for Adults (and youth) will blasting rockets and creating explosions April 9, 3-5 p.m., at Honaker and April 10, 5-7 p.m., at Lebanon.