Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreigners and welcome to the second episode of our October 2026 Library News. Fall is finally here. The weather has cooled down, the unrelentless rain has finally stopped the and the leaves are changing colors. And Halloween is very, very soon.
In today's episode, we're featuring our D List beyond the Stars in honor of Experience the Cosmos, the James Webb Space Telescope Traveling Tactile Exhibit. Leland is back with another helpful tech tip, and Sarah is this month's staff Spotlight. So get cozy and let's get started.
[00:00:52] Speaker B: And now for this month's D List beyond the Stars. From groundbreaking discoveries to daring astron the True Stories of Space and Beyond Accidental Astronomy How Random Discoveries Shape the Science of Space By Chris Lintot, DB 122161 if you learn about the scientific method, you learn that we first hypothesize about something we've experienced, and then we look for more of it. This works well enough. But what if you are interested in studying a heretofore unknown comet or supernova?
That is the essential problem of the astronomer. The most important discoveries happen without notice. Indeed, as Chris Lintot argues in Accidental Astronomy, Luck Defines Astronomy. Lintot explores the ways in which happenstance shapes how we investigate the sky. To catch a glimpse of a comet, asteroid, or even a sign of alien life, we must be in the right place at the right time. And if we can't be there, we must have a team of professionals and amateurs across the globe ready to spring into action at a moment's or night's notice. For any astronomer, regardless of their experience or resources, the first step to discovery is the same to stare at the sky and wait. A celebration of astronomy, stargazing, and cosmic discovery, Accidental Astronomy offers an irresistible window into how luck defines our knowledge of the skies.
Just visiting this planet, Merlin answers more questions about everything under the sun, moon, and stars. By Neil Degrasse Tyson, DB 135179 in this companion volume to Merlin's Tour of the universe, we visit again with Merlin, a timeless space traveler from planet amnesia who answers a collection of imaginative questions about the cosmos from curious stargazers.
Whether wax poetic about Earth and its environs, the sun and its stellar siblings, the world of light, physical laws, or galaxies near and far, Merlin's remarks are engaging, humorous, and clear as a starry night sky, Merlin tackles such conundrums as if aliens explored Earth's moons, what effect would it have on us? Are black holes gathering matter in preparation for another Big Bang in another time and dimension?
Why does the Moon look bigger on the horizon.
Lively and entertaining, Just Visiting this Planet is an indispensable guidebook to the universe.
Weird Universe Everything We Don't Know About Space and why It's Important by Dr. Erica Hamden, DB 134289 Unlock the Wonders of space with a fresh and exciting perspective. Erica Hamden, a renowned astrophysicist and educator, brings her passion for space television life in this engaging book. With years of experience studying the cosmos, Hampden specializes in making complex topics fun and easy to understand.
Her expertise shines through as she leads listeners on an exploration of the strangest and most awe inspiring phenomena in space.
Whether you're fascinated by the biggest black holes, curious about the history of NASA, or simply want to explore the strange and magnificent things we found in our outer space, this book is for you. No prior knowledge required, just a desire to understand more about the cosmos and its connection to life here on Earth. See how space exploration shapes our everyday world Space isn't just an abstract concept it plays a crucial role in shaping the technology we use every day.
From NASA's breakthroughs to innovations inspired by our exploration of the cosmos, Hampton shows how space discoveries influence our world.
You'll also gain insight into the process behind these findings, from the questions scientists ask to the groundbreaking answers they uncover. By the end of the book, you'll understand not just what we know about the universe, but how we've come to know it.
[00:05:10] Speaker C: The Gravity of Math How Geometry Rules the Universe By Steve Nadis, DB120752 On November 25, 1915, Albert Einstein published his field equations of general relativity and reinvented gravity. Rather than being some mysterious, unseen force pulling objects together, gravity, Einstein told the world, is a manifestation of the curvature of space time caused by the presence of massive objects. But Einstein's theory wasn't born in a vacuum, not even the vacuum of space. Instead, the theory of general relativity relies upon complicated geometry. Einstein worked closely with mathematicians Marcel Grossman, David Hilbert, Tullio Love, Civita, and others as he pieced together his theory of gravity.
In the Gravity of Math, the writer Steve Nadis and mathematician Xing Tu Yao tell the story of how our view of the universe has been shaped and informed by mathematics, particularly when it comes to the enigmatic workings of gravity.
Mathematicians have played a pivotal role in investigating relativity and gravity, gaining insights on phenomena like black holes, gravitational waves, and the Big Bang, in some cases uncovering key results decades or even a century before any experimental or observational data became available. An insightful and comprehensive study, the gravity of Math explores how our understanding of math has defined our understanding of the universe.
Gravity's reach is ostensibly boundless, and so is that of mathematics, which can carry us to the edge of infinity and back.
Gemini Stepping Stone to the Moon the Untold Story By Jeffrey Kluger, DB133184 Without Gemini, there would be no Apollo. After we first launched Americans into space, but before we touched down on the moon's surface, there was the Gemini program. It was no easy jump from manned missions in the low Earth orbit to successful moon landings. And the 10 flight 20 month celestial story of the Gemini program is an extraordinary one.
There is unavoidable darkness in the program, in the deaths and near deaths that defined it, and the blood feud with the Soviet Union that animated it.
But there were undeniable and previously inconceivable successes. With a war raging in Vietnam and lawmakers calling for cuts to NASA's budget, the success of the Gemini program, or the space program in general, was never guaranteed. Yet against all odds, the remarkable scientists and astronauts behind the project persevered, and their efforts paid off.
Later, with the knowledge gained from the Gemini flights, NASA would launch the legendary Apollo program.
Told with Jeffrey Kluger's signature cinematic storytelling and in depth research and interviews, Gemini is an edge of your seat narrative chronicling the history of the least appreciated and most groundbreaking space program in American history.
Finally, Gemini's story will be told, and finally we'll learn the truth about how we landed on the moon.
Facing Infinity Black Holes in Our Place on Earth By Jonas Inander, DB133 219 an appraisal of black holes informed by original interviews with more than 20 world leading researchers and Nobel Laureates to the stars The Story of NASA by Ron Miller, DB132 723 from its humble beginnings in the wake of the space race to its status as a global leader in space exploration, readers will learn how NASA has been at the forefront of scientific discovery, technological innovation and international collaboration
[00:11:05] Speaker A: out of this world and into the next. A Physicist's Guide to Space Exploration By Adriana Marais, DB130817 this is a theoretical physicist grand tour of how life emerged on Earth and perhaps most importantly, how human civilization will begin expanding beyond our home planet. According to Dr. Adriana Morai, living on more than one planet is an inevitability of becoming a more advanced society, but the process of getting there will provide us with the essential tools for better stewardship of our own. Humanity has always looked up at the night sky and wondered what lies beyond our world?
Now we are on the precipice of stepping out among the stars. Not just as lone astronauts or billionaire tech bros, but as a civilization.
Our story is one of curiosity and an innate desire to explore and understand not only the world around us, but the world within us and the worlds above us. From extremophiles to extraterrestrials, technosignatures to terraforming DNA to Dyson spheres and this sweeping tetris on exploration, innovation and human ingenuity. Theoretical physicist Dr. Adriana Marai seeks to answer the questions that stand at the heart of scientific endeavor.
What are the building blocks of life? And how does life emerge? Are we alone in the universe? And if so, why? How did we get here? And where are we going next?
Wonders all around the Incredible True Story of astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the first untethered flight in space by Bruce McCandless II dbc 28867 it's one of the most powerful and popular images in the history of space exploration. An astronaut in a snow white spacesuit, untethered and floating alone in an expanse of blue. Bruce McCandless II is the man in the spacesuit and wanders all around. The incredible true story of astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the first untethered Flight in space is the thoroughly engrossing, extensively researched story of his inspiring life and groundbreaking accomplishments as told by his son, a gifted writer and storyteller. Bruce McCandless II, a Navy fighter pilot, joined NASA in 1966. He was Houston's capsule communicator, the person talking to the astronauts as Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong made his giant leap for mankind in 1969. McCandless supported subsequent Apollo flights and developed technology and techniques his fellow astronauts used during the Skylab program, working behind the scenes until he was chosen to ride the Challenger into space on the 10th shuttle mission. When he stepped into the cosmos to test the manned maneuvering unit, he became a space flight icon. But the road to that incredible fear was not the sure bet it should have been for such a gifted man. Bruce McCandless II was an astronaut for 24 years and his story encompasses the development on the space agency itself, the changes in focus in personnel, in approach and in the city of Houston that grew up with it.
Sharing Space An Astronaut's Guide to Mission Wonder and Making Change by Candy Coleman, DB 127569 One of America's few female astronauts reveals the wisdom that helped her over become the barriers of others expectations and learned to work on a team both in close quarters and remotely. In 2010, the day after her 15th birthday, and despite having faced feedback for years that she was not astronaut material, Candy Coleman boarded a rocket and blasted off into space for her third NASA mission. The only woman on her six person crew, she may have been an unexpected astronaut, but her determination and her experiences give her a unique perspective on life here on Earth. In sharing space, Candy shares counterintuitive insights integral to her success, such as how to leverage insecurities and beat expectations, how to know when to adapt and when to press for change, and how to be the glue that holds a desperate team together.
Illustrated with stories from her life and training.
From meteorite hunting in Antarctica to the two weeks she spent living in an underwater habitat to the magic of spending six months living and working in zero gravity, this book will inspire anyone eager to escape a box in which they have been unfairly placed or develop the confidence to succeed even when they're not
[00:16:02] Speaker B: an obvious fit October's Magazine of the Month is Wired.
Wired features news and opinions concerning technology, industries and the digital environment.
Published monthly, it is available in audio, on a cartridge or download through Bard.
[00:16:17] Speaker C: Hi there Leland. Back with this month's Tech tip.
This month I'll be sharing an update from NLS about Bard and showing you how to check what version of Bard you have.
Lets get started.
Starting off with the announcement from nls, NLS continues to update its infrastructure to make improvements to Bard. To take advantage of these improvements, patrons devices must be running one of the more recent versions of the Bard software listed for each of the platforms or products.
Below is the minimum required version.
If your preferred platform or product is not running the minimum software required version, it will not be able to connect to Bard after December 31st.
Bard Mobile for iOS version 2.2.5 Bard Mobile for Android version 2.1.1 Bard Mobile for Fire OS version 2.5.6 Bard Express version 4.0 NLS E Readers version 3.0 DA2 Player version 1.2.1 There are no minimum software requirements for accessing the Bard website or using the My Talking Books skill.
We strongly encourage everyone to keep their devices running the latest version of the Bard software to take advantage of security updates and performance improvements.
Now this might sound a little complicated, but for the majority of you listening, you probably already meet these requirements.
I'll break this information into chunks and show you how to check your devices so you can make sure everything is ready before December 31st.
First, let's talk about Bard Mobile for iOS, Android and Fire OS.
This refers to the Bard Mobile app on your phone or tablet.
These devices will often keep apps up to date automatically, so you may not have to do anything.
However, if you'd like to check your version, simply open the Bard Mobile app and navigate to Settings.
Near the bottom of the screen you should see Bard Mobile followed by a number.
Compare that number with the minimum version I mentioned earlier.
Your version should be the same number or higher.
Next, we have Bard Express.
With Bard Express, you may need to check for an update yourself, but it's pretty easy.
Open Bard Express on your computer.
At the top of the screen, you'll find a menu called Help.
Select Help and you'll see options including Check for Updates and About.
Selecting about will tell you which version of Bard Express you currently have.
Selecting Check for Updates will check to see if a newer version is available and allow you to update if necessary.
Lastly, we have the NLS E readers and DA2 players.
These machines are sent to you with the most recent software, and they can automatically prompt you to install an update when they're connected to Wi Fi.
To check the software version on these devices, navigate to Settings, then About, and there you go.
You now know how to check your Bard software and make sure your devices are ready for the changes coming after December 31st.
But don't worry if you discover that one of your devices isn't up to date, or if you have trouble getting it updated, we're here to help. I'll catch you again in the next tech tip.
[00:21:41] Speaker D: Hi everyone, this is Sarah with this month's staff pick.
I'm a big mystery reader and love pretty much every kind of mystery, but a cozy mystery is my absolute comfort read, especially this time of year.
So I was really excited to see that Laura Lipman has started a new series, the Mrs. Blossom Mysteries. It's lighter than her Tess Monahan books, and in the first one we follow Mrs. Blossom, Tess's former assistant, on a cruise that turns out to be anything but relaxing.
Here's a quick rundown.
Mrs. Blossom is great at fading into the background, which helped her a lot when she worked for private investigator Tess Monahan. But when she finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot, her life takes a turn. She decides it's finally time to see the world instead of watching it go by.
She books a cruise through France on the Ms. Solitaire, and on her flight she unexpectedly meets Alan, the first man who's caught her interest since her husband passed away.
But within a day, Allen is found dead in Paris, a city he wasn't even supposed to be in.
Suddenly, Mrs. Blossom isn't sure who she can trust on the ship. A mysterious man named Danny keeps showing up at strange times. He's convinced Allen was carrying a stolen piece of art, and Mrs. Blossom realizes she knows more than she thought about both the artwork and Alan's death.
As the cruise heads down the Seine, the questions only get stranger.
Why does she feel like someone's following her? Who exactly was Alan? And why are all these mysterious men suddenly flirting with her? I'm really looking forward to reading more from Laura Lipman's new Mrs. Blossom series. The title can be found on Bard DB131701 the library is thrilled to welcome
[00:23:31] Speaker A: visitors to An Extraordinary Multi Sensory Journey Through Space. We are proud to announce that the Experience the Cosmos, the James Webb Space Telescope Traveling Tactile Exhibit is on display in our building now through December 21, 2026.
This exhibit was developed by Tactile Images in association with the National Federation of the Blind and Getty Images and was created in collaboration with the Space Telescope Science Institute. The exhibit features 10 tactile renderings of images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope and it is paired with audio commentary from astronomers and scientists. The exhibit offers visitors of all ages a chance to explore the farthest reaches of the universe through both touch and sound. The exhibit will be open Mondays from 8am to 8pm, Tuesdays through Fridays 8am to 4:30pm and the first Saturday of October, November and December 9am to 1pm.
[00:24:32] Speaker B: The library will also partner with the South Central STEM Hub Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council to host a fully accessible STEM Fest on October 24, 2026 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm this event will feature hands on science, technology, engineering and math activities designed so participants of all abilities can join in the discovery and fun.
[00:24:56] Speaker C: In conjunction with the exhibit, the Library is offering a one time special edition Pika Box. Subscribe today and receive a box filled with space goodies and snacks plus a specially curated cartridge of space themed books.
Get ready to blast off as we explore the wonders of outer space, planets, stars, astronauts and beyond.
What cosmic surprises are waiting inside?
Take a peek and discover.
Call the library to get signed up or go to IowaLibrary blog.
The deadline to sign up is November 2, 2026.
[00:25:51] Speaker A: Interested in joining a book club? We offer several options for all ages and reading styles including the Tuesday Book Club, Thursday Book Club, no Book Book Club and Beyond the Book Teen Book Club. Meeting times vary and all groups are accessible by conference call. For schedules and more details, contact the library for more information.
No matter what your age or interest, there's a book club waiting for you.
[00:26:16] Speaker B: NLS's Smart speaking to the Smart speaker will be held Thursday, October 15th at 6pm and that all May Eread will be held on Tuesday, October 27th at 6:00pm all programs are held via Zoom, and the topics for some have not been released yet. Check our blog, IowaLibrary Blog, for updated information.
Contact the library to get more information or go to www.loc.govnlS.
please don't hesitate to contact the library with any questions or comments at 515-281-1323 or by email at librarylind state ia us.
The library is open Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm Happy Friday eating.
