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Before starting seeds indoors, check if they’re duds

I’ve had just about enough of winter and am itching to get my hands dirty. I can’t do that yet in my New York garden, but I have been distracting myself by growing microgreens and dwarf strawberries on the kitchen counter. It will be another month before I bring out my seed-starting supplies, but I can do some pregaming by testing my old stash for viability. In the past, I’ve had luck growing seeds several years past their expiration dates. You can, too, but it will take some forethought: Attempting to grow seeds that turn out to be duds could set you too far behind to start ...

Library to open private lactation room

From 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 14 the James V. Brown Library, 19 E. Fourth St., will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Welch Children’s Wing and present the latest addition to our commitment to dynamic library service, the opening of a private lactation space. The room, on the first ...

Love your library in February

February may be known for Valentine’s Day, but did you know it’s also Library Lovers Month? That’s right, this is the month when you really get to express how much you appreciate all that libraries can do for you. Libraries provide resources and programs that engage patrons in a wide ...

Writers conference planned in Pennsylvania in mid-March

The Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia is coming to Saint Francis University in Loretto March 15 and 16. The program features 25 workshops and presentations on topics including poetry, voice, developing a sense of place, screenwriting, marketing your book, publishing, Appalachian heritage and history, character development and memoir, according to a news release. During the Friday evening opening, USA Today best-selling author David Poyer will offer a special presentation on writing in the age of AI. The event, focused on building recognition for the region’s literature and ...

State Library of Pennsylvania back after 5 years of renovations

After five years of separation from its collection of 4.5 million items, the State Library of Pennsylvania is back in business — now all it needs are readers. In mid-2019, the library — Pennsylvania’s official repository for state historical materials along with a vast general reference collection, some of which dates back hundreds of years — moved out of its nearly century-old home in Harrisburg’s Forum Building as part of a long-awaited renovation. Much of the collection was able to stay, albeit it was wrapped in plastic or otherwise secured from construction dust. A ...