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Becoming the Digital Monuments Men

Information is the most valuable currency in the world. As such, human progress depends on the accumulation and preservation of information for the continuing historical record.

How Does the Experience in a Library Differ for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

Marginalization of people of color within a library’s walls should be a relic of the past, but the unfortunate reality is that discrimination and a lack of belonging is alive and well even in the year 2023.

The Grand Challenge of Climate Change and Sustainability in Modern Libraries

Introduction Managers of modern libraries face a myriad of challenges both in their normal day-to-day operations and overall in their specific role. Accomplishing this while following a strategic plan for what they and their library’s board of directors wish to achieve in the next three-to-five years can sometimes be

2023 - Living to the Extreme

I can't remember the exact day because it's all a blur, but it's been three years since I moved into my little apartment and downstairs from two of the dearest people on this planet to me. So much has changed since early 2019 when

Letter of Support to Rename Hemming Plaza in Honor of James Weldon Johnson

Good Evening Councilmembers, My name is Amanda Marron and I am a Navy Veteran who has lived in Jacksonville for over 16 years. I was very disappointed to hear that there was contention in regards to the renaming of Hemming Park to James Weldon Johnson Park during the Neighborhoods Committee

Branching Out: Willowbranch & Brentwood

I'm excited to pursue this goal that I've set for myself of visiting ALL of the Jacksonville Public Library branches in 2020. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances concerning the spread of the novel coronavirus, our libraries are now closed indefinitely for awhile.

Branching Out: Mandie Invades JPL 2020

I live in the largest land-mass city in the United States - Jacksonville, Florida. Over the past five years, I've been setting reading goals and working through book challenges which I couldn't accomplish without the use of the Jacksonville Public Library system.

A How-To Guide to Read More & Take on Your 1st Prompt-Based Reading Challenge

January of 2020 will mark my fifth year of doing book challenges and actively diversifying my reading. Since 2015, I have read 460 books which include novels, graphic novels, audiobooks, cookbooks, poetry chapbooks, you name it. If it is considered a book in some form or fashion, I count it

Two Years Since the Accident...

Two years ago, today, I experienced one of the scariest, but also, most life-changing events of my life. After spending an awesome day at Universal Orlando with some dear friends, I was starting my drive home to Jacksonville. I had barely touched onto I-4, from SR-192, when traffic came to

2018 New Year's Resolutions & Book Challenges

It's almost a full month into the New Year, so I figured it was about time to lay out my 2018 New Year's Resolutions. It's been a long time since I set some actual resolutions, aside from ones pertaining to reading, so I figured

2017 Reading Challenge Wrap Up

At the start of 2017, if you followed me on Facebook, Instagram, and even this humble, little blog, you saw that I listed out some pretty hefty reading challenges to conquer for the year. I set them out as a goal without knowing whether or not I would complete them,

2017 Reading Challenges

If you're curious to see how far I am in my book challenges, this is the spot to watch! 2017 Goodreads Challenge 2017 Reading Challenge [https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/5493-2017-reading-challenge] [https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/5493-2017-reading-challenge] Mandie [https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6886419-mandie] has read 26

2017 Book Challenges - Midway Update

It's been quite awhile since I updated on my book challenges. I've been steadily updating the page on the top bar [http://www.toasterdreams.com/2017-reading-challenges/], but I haven't actually given a real update for a bit. To catch up those who aren'

The Croods [Movie] Review

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke, Chris Sanders, Randy Thom I was lucky enough to score passes to a pre-release screening of The Croods in 3D to which I was escorted by my four year old niece. On a side note, as much