The Chocolate Connection: Hans Sloane and Jamaica

Recently, the Lloyd Library and Museum opened a new set of exhibits centered on the theme of chocolate. Now, the rare and unique books part of that exhibit is online. The Chocolate Connection: Hans Sloane and Jamaica tells the story of Hans Sloane,a British naturalist and physician, who went to Jamaica in the late 1600s and was there introduced to drinking chocolate. While he didn't much care for the beverage he was served, he modified it, added milk and a few other ingredients, and thus was born hot chocolate, a beverage that he and others sold as a medicinal agent for calming upset stomachs and the like.

You'll get to see some cool images of chocolate and related materials drawn from the Lloyd's fascinating collection, and you get to learn about the history of this food so many are obsessed with. A fun time for all. And, when you're done, there's a reading list of some of the books held by the Lloyd on Sloane, chocolate, and Jamaica, as well as a list of links to reputable sources for additional information on all three.

If you can make it into the Library, the exhibit is on until the end of January 2011.

In Search of Birds at the Lloyd

You won't have to go far to find some really fabulous volumes on Ornithology at the Lloyd Library and Museum. We have single volume treatments of birds as well as beautifully illustrated historic serials on the topic (at right, an illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans in The Ibis). And, now, some of those are the subject of a new online exhibit on lloydlibrary.org. We'll show birds from around the world, as well as those from your own backyard. There is a special focus on two notable, but now extinct (maybe) birds - the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (who may or may not be extinct) and the Passenger Pigeon, the last of which died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. We also take a look at bird illustrators, the people who make these books so fabulous, an intriguing exploration of nests, eggs, and skeletons, and bird books for children. You might not have thought the Lloyd would have books on birds, but you'll be pleasantly surprised!
Visit the exhibit now and see what's in store!

Earth Day

http://www.nelsonearthday.net - for those interested - this will take you to an archives exhibit on Gaylord Nelson, a Wisconsin-born Senator from the 20th century who was instrumental in getting Earth Day established in the US.