This month's focus is on Biography. 

Did you know that knee replacement is the most common joint surgery, and that it’s becoming more widespread among boomers and adults over 75? A new topic from NIHSeniorHealth.gov, Knee Replacement, offers videos, quizzes, FAQs and more for older adults who may be considering knee replacement or who just want to know more.  Or check out these alternatives.

""We hold these truths to be self-evident.."  The United States as seen through the eyes of six different authors.

American fun: four centuries of joyous revolt by John Beckman

The arsenal of democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an epic quest to arm an America at war by A. J. Baime

The monster: how a gang of predatory lenders and Wall Street bankers fleeced America—and spawned a global crisis by Michael W. Hudson

The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 objects by Richard Kurin

Supreme City: how Jazz Age Manhattan gave birth to modern America by Donald L. Miller

The NIHSeniorHealth website was recently redesigned with a more updated look and feel while retaining its senior-friendly format. They’ve added a search function to make it easier for you to find information on their website and on other reputable websites. Users can make the text bigger, the contrast better, even make the site "talk". 

Conspiracies: fact or fiction? Some are believable, others stretch the outer limits of credulity. Which are which? You, the reader, decide.

Collected Conspiracies

The new hate: a history of fear and loathing on the populist right by Arthur Goldwag

Among the truthers: a journey through America's growing conspiracist underground by Jonathan K

63 documents the government doesn't want you to read by Jesse Ventura, with Dick Russ

Secret societies [videodisc]: the dark mysteries of power revealed by produced by Content Inc. and Imagen Satelital/Infinito Channel

Later this year, local Social Security offices will stop providing Social Security number printouts and benefit verification letters. People needing proof of their Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits can get verification letters online instantly through a my social security account. They also can get one mailed to them by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Steve Luxenberg, author of Annie’s Ghosts: A JourneyInto a Family's Secret the Michigan Humanities Council's Great Michigan Read will speak on Thursday, January 30 from 1:15–2:15 PM at Schoolcraft Community College's VisTaTech Center, VT 550.

Annie’s Ghosts is part memoir, part detective story, and part history. As the author tries to understand his mother's reasons for hiding her sister’s existence, he takes readers on a journey into his mother’s world of the 1930s and ‘40s, where he explores how a poor, immigrant family manages life with a child who has special needs.

March 27    

Detroit: an American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff — Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie LeDuff searches through the ruins for clues to Detroit's fate, his family's, and his own. Detroit has gone through good times, 'the Arsenal of Democracy' and bad times and right now everyone's wondering what its' fate will be.

Starting on October 1, HealthCare.gov will be the home of the Health Insurance Marketplace, which will allow residents to find, compare, and purchase health coverage. Open enrollment will end on March 1, 2014. The following resources can help you find out more about the Affordable Care Act and how to obtain affordable health coverage for you and your family.

Canton Public Library's Information Services Librarians share their favorite 2013 non-fiction read(s), a mixture of Adult, Teen, and Children's fiction books.

Dallas 1963 by Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis

The antidote: happiness for people who can't stand positive thinking by Oliver Burkeman

Going clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the prison of belief by Lawrence Wright

Junius and Albert's adventures in the Confederacy: a Civil War odyssey by Peter Carlson

One summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson