Welcome to Kent District Library’s Stump the Librarian Podcast where your friendly neighborhood librarians put their research skills to the test answering questions from you, the listener! Jill and Liz every other Wednesday to learn new and exciting information. Think you have a question that can stump us? Visit www.kdl.org/stump to submit a question of your own!
Episodes
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “How old was the oldest person to live?” and “What is the most expensive book ever sold?” We also give an ocean fact of the day and recommend the book Lupe Wong Won’t Dance. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/stump or email us at Stumpthelibrarian@kdl.org
Concerning Old Age:
https://grg.org/WSRL/TableE.aspx
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/questions/what-oldest-living-thing-earth
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/oldest-living-animals-on-earth-today/
Concerning Expensive Books:
https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/inflation/275058
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_books_and_manuscripts
https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/Leonardo-da-Vinci/108470#59097.toc
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/leon/hd_leon.htm
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions, “Do fish get thirsty?” and “How do lightning bugs light up?” We also share a fun fact of the day about the Philippines and a #1 nonfiction book recommendation. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Jill’s Fact of the Day: Philippines https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C940866
Liz’s Book Recommendation: Is It Okay to Pee in the Ocean? https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C936618
Concerning fish:
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2019/neuroscience-thirst-brain-tells-look-water/
https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/fish/111049
Concerning fireflies:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-and-why-do-fireflies/
https://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home?subacct=18279#article/ar830840
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/michigan-insects-in-the-garden-week-7-fireflies
https://www.massaudubon.org/get-involved/community-science/firefly-watch
https://www.sciencefriday.com/educational-resources/talk-like-a-firefly/
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Join Liz and Jill as they answer the questions “What dogs are hypoallergenic?” and “Why do wombats poop cubes?” We also recommend the book “Willodeen” by Katherine Applegate and talk about memorable birthdays. To submit your own question go to KDL.org/stump or email us at Stumpthelibrarian@kdl.org
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Join Liz and Jill as they answer the questions “Why are the tops of some waves white?” and “What is the busiest airport in the world?” We also recommend the book “Willowdeen” and share a fact of the day about a bee bus stop. To submit your own question go to KDL.org/stump or email us at Stumpthelibrarian@kdl.org
Regarding waves:
What Are Waves? | Science at the Beach! | SciShow Kids
https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/wave/276157
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_wave
Regarding Airports:
https://www.oldest.org/structures/oldest-airports-in-us/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_International_Airport
https://usabynumbers.com/smallest-airports-in-the-us/
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/10/world-busiest-airports-airports-council-international-ranking.html
https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-11-24/the-best-and-worst-airports-in-america-readers-choice-awards-2014
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
Join Liz and Jill as they answer the questions “How does wind work?” and “what are cobwebs?” We also recommend the book “The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels” and share a fact of the day about spiders. To submit your own question go to KDL.org/stump or email us at Stumpthelibrarian@kdl.org
Concerning wind:
Where Does Wind Come From? Crash Course Geography #8
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/wind/
Concerning Cobwebs:
https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/the-secret-behind-the-creation-of-cobwebs.html
Diving bell spider: Diving Bell Spider Thumbs Spider Nose at Rules, Lives Underwater
Spiders & Their Webs: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C32502
Scurry! The Truth About Spiders: https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C851843
This book has a Spider Web Challenge, an experiment that you can do at home, trying to build your own spider web!
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions, “Do worms have tongues?” and “Which animals have opposable thumbs?” We also share a bat fact of the day and a historical fiction book recommendation. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Concerning worms:
https://discovery.ebsco.com/c/qctlkj/viewer/html/qxxjaef27z
https://animalcorner.org/animals/worms/
http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Oligochaeta/
Worms Are Wonderful | Amazing Animals | Backyard Science | SciShow Kids
Concerning opposable thumbs:
https://kidadl.com/facts/get-a-grip-animals-with-opposable-thumbs-that-will-amaze-all-kids
https://www.britannica.com/animal/primate-mammal/Hands-and-feet#ref876331
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumb#Opposition_and_apposition
Here’s a fun activity to try at home that shows why thumbs are important!
https://www.generationgenius.com/activities/external-animal-parts-activity-for-kids/
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Join Liz and Jill as they answer questions from YOU the listener. This week we’re answering “Are cartoons matter?” and “What is the difference between coffee beans and cocoa beans?” To submit your own question go to KDL.org/Stump or email us at stumpthelibrarian@kdl.org We can’t wait to hear from you!
Regarding Matter (and cartoons)….
https://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home?subacct=18279#article/ar831153
https://www.dkfindout.com/us/science/solids-liquids-and-gases/what-is-matter/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluey_(2018_TV_series)
https://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/television/353844
https://sciencebehindpixar.org/pipeline/animation
Regarding beans...
https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/coffee-production/111045
https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/cocoa/111133
https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/history-of-coffee/633463
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Wednesday Mar 15, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “Can a sailboat sail forever with a fan?” and “How do cruise ships stay afloat?” We also share a boat fact of the day and a storytelling book recommendation. To submit your own question, go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Jill’s Fact of the Day, Boats! (And Other Things That Float) https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C850226
Liz’s book recommendation, The Storyteller’s Handbook https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C895894
Concerning sailboats:
https://wgvu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/kqed09.sci.phys.maf.kqedsailing/the-physics-of-sailing/
Is It Possible To Blow Your Own Sail?
Fan Cart - Blowing into your own Sail- part 1 // Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany
https://projectarchaeology.org/2020/01/17/how-sailing-happened/
Concerning cruise ships:
Bill Nye explains buoyancy: Bill Nye the Science Guy - S01E05 Buoyancy
Royal Caribbean: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/
Archimedes: https://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home?subacct=18279#article/ar832494
Book: Adler, David A. Things That Float and Things That Don’t New York: Holiday House, c2013
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “How come people don’t have to pay for books at the library?” and “How do volcanoes happen?” To submit your own question go to KDL.org/Stump or email us at stumpthelibrarian@kdl.org We can’t wait to hear from you!
Regarding library books...
https://taxfoundation.org/tax-basics/property-tax/
https://www.milibraries.org/state-aid-to-libraries
https://peterboroughtownlibrary.org
https://kdl.org/about/policies/
Regarding volcanoes...
https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/volcano/108777
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/plate-tectonics-volcanic-activity
https://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/volcano/353902
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Wednesday Feb 15, 2023
Join Jill and Liz as they answer the questions “Who invented Sign Language” and “How do different countries celebrate Lunar New Year?” We also share an animal fact of the day and a classic book recommendation. To submit your own question go to KDL.org/Stump. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Liz’s fact of the day, How to Speak Animal https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C905688
Jill’s book recommendation, Little Women
https://kdl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S174C44664
Concerning ASL:
ASL Deafined database: https://www.asldeafined.com/
https://asl-kids.com/history-of-sign-language/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Sign-Language
Book: Kent, Deborah. What is Sign Language? Berkley Heights, NJ: Enslow Elementary, 2012.
Video of PISL & ASL, side by side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI9mCITMu_k
Concerning Lunar New Year:
https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Chinese-New-Year/574653
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_New_Year
https://www.livescience.com/61773-chinese-new-year.html
https://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/lunar-calendar/49352
Lunar New Year for Kids | Educational Video