Gold has many uses in the production of glass.  The most basic use in glassmaking is that of a pigment.  A small amount of gold, if suspended in the glass when it is annealed, will produce a rich ruby color.  Gold is also used when making specialty glass for climate-controlled buildings and cases.  A small amount of gold dispersed within the glass or coated onto the glass surface will reflect solar radiation outward, helping the buildings stay cool in the summer, and reflect internal heat inward, helping them stay warm in winter.  Hobart M. King  https://geology.com/minerals/gold/uses-of-gold.shtml   

ROBERT L. AND POSY HUEBNER COLLECTION by Nancy Eames, Youth Services Coordinator  It’s almost impossible to imagine Dr. Seuss books without the vibrant illustrations, or Frog and Toad’s tales of friendship without Arnold Lobel’s whimsical drawings, or the story of Rosa Parks without Wil Clay’s nuanced paintings.  As a dedicated educator and art aficionado, Rose Ann “Posy” Huebner was so enthusiastic about the role of art in children’s literature that she and her husband co-founded the Robert L. Huebner and Posy Huebner Collection at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library.  Originally unveiled with 13 pieces, the collection has grown to more than 240 significant works of original art by illustrators of children’s literature that celebrate the power of art to connect and engage children with stories.  It is one of the largest collections of original art from children’s books housed in a public library, with the collection rotating between Main Library and 10 (soon to be 12) branch locations and ongoing support from the Library Legacy Foundation.  See pictures including Cat, What is That?, Pleasant Fieldmouse, and Frog and Toad Together at https://www.toledolibrary.org/blog/huebner-collection   Off the Shelf Winter 2023

Wil Clay (1938-2011) illustrated at least 10 books for young people, including A Biography of George Washington Carver, Little John Eight, which received the Coretta Scott King Honor Award, and Tailypo, which received several honors.  The latter two were collaborations with Jan Wahl, a writer of children's books based in the Toledo area.  They met in 1989 when Mr. Wahl proposed they work together.  He introduced Mr. Clay to the world of illustrating children's books.  Mr. Clay "was such an animated and full-of-life author-illustrator-storyteller that he just brought smiles to children's faces through his work," said Benjamin Sapp, director of the Mazza Museum at the University of Findlay, which features art from children's picture books and has Tailypo in its collection.  Mark Zaborney  https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2011/01/19/wil-clay-1938-2011-painter-sculptor-renowned-as-book-illustrator/stories/201101190037 

Former President Thomas Jefferson considered the proposal “little short of madness.”  The project became known as “Clinton’s Folly”—an embarrassment to the state of New York and its governor, DeWitt Clinton.  Yet shortly after the locks opened in 1825, completing a man-made waterway that connected the Hudson River to the Great Lakes, the critics were silenced, and the Erie Canal, one of the greatest engineering marvels in history, charted America’s course from colonial start-up to global superpower.  Nick Yetto  See pictures at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/brief-history-erie-canal-180981546/ 

Watching thousands of baby puffins being tossed off a cliff is perfectly normal for the people of Iceland's Westman Islands.  This yearly tradition is what's known as "puffling season" and the practice is a crucial, life-saving endeavor.  The chicks of Atlantic puffins, or pufflings, hatch in burrows on high sea cliffs.  When they're ready to fledge, they fly from their colony and spend several years at sea until they return to land to breed, according to Audubon Project Puffin.  Halisia Hubbard  See many pictures at https://www.npr.org/2022/09/26/1124759293/puffling-season-iceland   

On March 24, 1882, Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB).  During this time, TB killed one out of every seven people living in the United States and Europe.  Dr. Koch’s discovery was the most important step taken toward the control and elimination of this deadly disease.  A century later, March 24 was designated World TB Day:  a day to educate the public about the impact of TB around the world.  Johann Schonlein coined the term “tuberculosis” in the 1834, though it is estimated that Mycobacterium tuberculosis may have been around as long as 3 million years!  Tuberculosis (TB) was called “phthisis” in ancient Greece, “tabes” in ancient Rome, and “schachepheth” in ancient Hebrew.  In the 1700s, TB was called “the white plague” due to the paleness of the patients.  TB was commonly called “consumption” in the 1800s even after Schonlein named it tuberculosis.  https://www.cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday/history.htm   See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_plague  

March 22 is designated by the United Nations as World Water Day, which focuses on the importance of fresh water and the sustainable management of freshwater resources.  

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2647  March 22, 2023