• Notable Deaths of 2008 — Journalist Tim Russert, musicians Bo Diddley, Isaac Hayes, Miriam Makeba and Odetta, actors Paul Newman and Heath Ledger, writers Arthur C. Clarke, David Foster Wallace, Michael Crichton, Studs Terkel and Tony Hillerman, comedians Bernie Mac and George Carlin and others are remembered in this Boston.com slideshow.
• 2008: A Year in Review — “From Sen. Ted Kennedy’s cancer diagnosis to the Boston Celtics bringing hoop glory back to the Hub, take a look back at some of the local stories that defined 2008.” — WCVB-TV, the Boston Channel
• The Year 2008 in Photographs — The Big Picture blog from Boston.com presents 120 news photographs from 2008
• Images of the Year — “View Reuters’ favorite photos on Yahoo! News.”
• 2008: Year in Review — “What will you remember from 2008? Will it be Barack Obama’s historic presidential victory? Or, maybe it’s the searing images from the terror attacks in Mumbai, India? Or, perhaps, it’s Michael Phelps’ stirring triumph during the Olympics. Read through this timeline for a glance at some of this year’s top stories.” — CNN.com
• Year in Review, 2008 — InfoPlease’s review includes a month-by-month list of news stories, Supreme Court decisions, statistics, quizzes and more.
• 2008 Year in Review — MSNBC’s Year in Review site includes a photo slideshow, videos, and photographs and memories from the public.

Winter: Images from the NOBLE Digital Library

Winter is here, and that means cold weather, snowstorms and holiday cheer.

Check out this online exhibit to see photographs of winters past from NOBLE’s digital library collection, to see a timeline of historic storms, and lists of winter books for adults and children.

If you like listening to audiobooks, take a look at this new library service! You can browse through a collection of audiobooks including fiction and nonfiction for adults, teens and children, check them out with your library card, and download them for two weeks. You can listen to the books on your PC, or transfer them to an MP3 player. Some titles can also be burned to a CD.

Download Audiobooks — Browse or search our collection, download the special software you need, check out some books, and enjoy listening!

Do you like to read biographies, history, science, travel adventures, mysteries, fantasy, romance? Whatever your interests, check out our new e-mail newsletter service which will send great book suggestions by email. Each newsletter includes new books that may be of interest and some older ones that you may have missed, with links to the library catalog so you can see what’s available and place requests for books you want to read. There are over twenty lists for readers of all ages, and you can preview them all online before subscribing.

NextReads E-Mail Newsletters — See the list of newsletters, preview and sign up

Fruits of Labor : Celebrating Work and Industry in Massachusetts — Massachusetts was at the forefront of the industrial revolution. It was here that the textile and shoe making industries flourished during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Thousands of workers, including women and newly arrived immigrants flocked to the industrial centers, lured by the promise of jobs; jobs that were often difficult and dreary, but provided needed income and, for some, a measure of independence. From Wakefield to Westfield, from Lawrence to Leominster, from Hopedale to Holyoke and beyond, Massachusetts workers powered an array of industries, feeding their families and growing the local economy.

This exhibit honors the labor of the Massachusetts worker through a selection of images in the Digital Commonwealth.

• Hurricane Central — News and maps from Weather.com
• National Hurricane Center — From the National Weather Service

September means back to school!

Here are some great guides with reports on school bus safety, healthy breakfast and lunch, homework, school supplies, dealing with bullies, college finances and more:

Channel 7 News | BostonChannel | Consumer Reports | ParentDish | FamilyFun