World's Largest Libraries

There are a number of institutions around the world that transcend the standard definition of library. From the U.S. Library of Congress to the Bibliotheque nationale de France, these bastions of words, sounds, images and ideas provide the intellectual foundation of modern society.

The American Library Association's list of the Nation's Largest Libraries outlines institutions with the most volumes, including the Library of Congress (30,011,748 volumes), Harvard University (15,555,533) and the Boston Public Library (15,458,022).

The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. turns 200 this year. Begun with fewer than 1,000 books, the library now holds 115 million items in a number of formats. "America's oldest national cultural center," the library is one of the largest repositories of recorded knowledge in the world. Established as a legislative library, it now serves as the copyright agency of the United States and the research arm of the U.S. Congress. With a staff of nearly 3,000 and an annual appropriation of more than $300 million, the library is truly a wondrous monument. Online, you'll find congressional records, committee information, legislative information and special exhibits.

The New York Public Library consists of 4 research centers and 85 branch libraries in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. With more materials than any other public library in the nation, it is the largest research library with a circulating system in the world. Established in 1895, the NYPL's collection has grown to more than 52 million items and serves millions of users.


The British Library is the United Kingdom's national library. Based in London and Yorkshire, it holds more than 62 million items, including prized manuscripts, rare maps and thousands of precious documents. Some documents are viewable online.

If you speak French, the Bibliotheque nationale de France's home page offers a number of services. For those confined to English, there is an alternate page with limited information.

IFLANET, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, lists National Libraries of the World. To look up libraries by type and geographical location, try LibDex.

Phobias and Fears

Almost everyone has an irrational fear or two—of mice, for example, or your annual dental checkup. For most people, these fears are minor. But when fears become so severe that they cause tremendous anxiety and interfere with your normal life, they’re called phobias. The good news is that phobias can be managed and cured. Self-help strategies and therapy can help you overcome your fears and start living the life you want.

What is a phobia?

A phobia is an intense fear of something that, in reality, poses little or no actual danger. Common phobias and fears include closed-in places, heights, highway driving, flying insects, snakes, and needles. However, we can develop phobias of virtually anything. Most phobias develop in childhood, but they can also develop in adults.

If you have a phobia, you probably realize that your fear is unreasonable, yet you still can’t control your feelings. Just thinking about the feared object or situation may make you anxious. And when you’re actually exposed to the thing you fear, the terror is automatic and overwhelming.

The experience is so nerve-wracking that you may go to great lengths to avoid it—inconveniencing yourself or even changing your lifestyle. If you have claustrophobia, for example, you might turn down a lucrative job offer if you have to ride the elevator to get to the office. If you have a fear of heights, you might drive an extra 20 miles in order to avoid a tall bridge.

Understanding your phobia is the first step to overcoming it. It’s important to know that phobias are common. (Having a phobia doesn’t mean you’re crazy!) It also helps to know that phobias are highly treatable. You can overcome your anxiety and fear, no matter how out of control it feels.

Barbara’s fear of flying

Barbara is terrified of flying. Unfortunately, she has to travel a lot for work, and this traveling takes a terrible toll. For weeks before every trip, she has a knot in her stomach and a feeling of anxiety that won’t go away. On the day of the flight, she wakes up feeling like she’s going to throw up. Once she’s on the plane, her heart pounds, she feels lightheaded, and she starts to hyperventilate. It gets worse and worse with every flight.

Barbara’s fear of flying has gotten so bad that she finally told her boss she can only travel to places within driving distance. Her boss was not happy about this, and Barbara’s not sure what will happen at work. She’s afraid she’ll be demoted or lose her job altogether. But better that, she tells herself, than getting on a plane again.

Normal Fear vs Phobias

It is normal and even helpful to experience fear in dangerous situations. Fear is an adaptive human response. It serves a protective purpose, activating the automatic “fight-or-flight” response. With our bodies and minds alert and ready for action, we are able to respond quickly and protect ourselves.

But with phobias the threat is greatly exaggerated or nonexistent. For example, it is only natural to be afraid of a snarling Doberman, but it is irrational to be terrified of a friendly poodle on a leash, as you might be if you have a dog phobia.

The difference between normal fear and a phobia

Normal fear                                                                                                             

Feeling anxious when flying through turbulence or taking off during a storm

Experiencing butterflies when peering down from the top of a skyscraper or climbing a tall ladder

Getting nervous when you see a pit bull or a Rottweiler

Feeling a little queasy when getting a shot or when your blood is being drawn

Phobia

Not going to your best friend’s island wedding because you’d have to fly there

Turning down a great job because it’s on the 10th floor of the office building

Steering clear of the park because you might see a dog

Avoiding necessary medical treatments or doctor’s checkups because you’re terrified of needles

Arc Warden is released

Valve’s DotA 2 has a ton of heroes that gamers can choose from, but if for some reason none of them have really appealed to you, you might be interested to learn that Valve has recently announced last update of the game in the form of version 6.86 which they are calling “The Balance of Power” update.

Possibly the most notable change with the update is the addition of a new hero in the form of the Arc Warden (which was one of the heroes from the original DotA). According to the description of the hero,“Assault lone enemies with fluxing energy, or distort space to generate a protective field around allies. Summon a Spark Wraith to patrol an area for enemies to infuse with harmful magic, then create a double of Zet, items and all, to overwhelm your foes.”

The hero comes with abilities such as Flux, Magnetic Field, Spark Wraith, and Tempest Double as its ultimate. The update will also introduce an Arcana item in the form of Tempest Helm of the Thundergod for the Zeus hero. There is also the inclusion of the desert terrain as promised to owners of The International 2015 Compendium, a music pack, improved shadow quality, and more.

As expected the update will also bring about bug fixes, balancing, tweaks and changes to the DotA 2 client, and more. So if you’d like to see the rest of the changes that Valve has made in version 6.86 of the game, head on over the website for the details.

Filed in Gaming. Read more about dota 2and Valve