The White House issued a presidential proclamation Monday morning, in which President Barack Obama declared the month of October to be National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and encouraged “interested groups to join in activities that will increase awareness of what Americans can do to prevent breast cancer.”

According to the CDC In the United States in 2008, 210,203 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 40,589 women died from the disease. Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. CDC supports breast cancer surveillance and research, and provides free or low-cost mammograms to underserved women.

In June of 2008, Congress declared June National Aphasia Awareness Month! According to the National Aphasia Association, about 1 million Americans are affected by Aphasia; it is more common than Parkinson's Disease, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy. More than 100,000 Americans acquire the disorder each year. However, most people have never heard of aphasia. Aphasia as an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person's ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence. Aphasia impairs the ability to speak and understand others, and most people with aphasia experience difficulty reading and writing.

National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the  Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This year's National Nutrition Month theme is "Get Your Plate in Shape." The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages consumers to remember to include a colorful variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy on their plates every day.

If you're looking for information about the general election on November 8, 2011, look no further. The League of Woman voters has once again compiled information on many of the candidates and issues you'll be voting on come November. If you're curious about the League of Women Voters, please check out their official website. For more information about the Michigan chapter of the League of Women Voters, please check out their website. Below you will find a series of links to voter guides in Southeast Oakland County. If your city isn't listed, please check out the complete list at the SE Oakland County LWV site. For other Michigan LWV leagues, please go here.

In honor of Steve Jobs' passing, the library has put up a display of materials related to him and his life. Though he was in poor health for some time and had resigned from Apple a month before, Jobs' death sent a shock wave through the Internet on October 5th. The world of technology has forever been changed due to his contributions, and libraries and their users owe him a debt of gratitude. His innovations made information far easier to access, and introduced countless people to personal computing. In addition to creating Apple Computer, he was also a founder of Pixar studios, leaving a legacy that will delight children and adults for generations to come.

Known across the world for his advocacy of physician-assisted suicide, Royal Oak patrons and staff knew Jack Kevorkian as a kind, elderly man. He’d often stop in the library to do research and use our computers. His patience with people who recognized him knew no bounds. In honor of his death, and as our way of remembering Dr. Kevorkian, the library has put up a small display of books and media about him. Among the titles is the recent HBO film entitled You Don’t Know Jack. And don't forget to visit our Local History Room for newspaper clippings/articles about Dr. Kevorkian.

A collection of links on the Civil War, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary. These links including general information about the war, government and media websites, as well as collections of photographs, correspondence and diaries. We've also collected numerous links about Michigan's involvement in the civil -- including grave site locations, lists of events over the coming years and service records.

Over the next few years, be sure to visit the library for books and media, as well as displays, on the Civil War. If you have any suggestions for sites to add to this list, please leave us a comment on this post or on our Facebook.

On Friday, March 11, the north-eastern part of Japan was hit by a 9.0 earthquake, which subsequently produced a tsunami that, in some places, reached up to 33 feet. The resulting devastation from this tsunami took thousands of lives, destroyed whole villages and caused a potential nuclear disaster. Japan has a long history of recovering from disasters, but they also have a history full of color and stories.

Born 100 years ago on March 26th, 1911, Tennessee Williams is best known for the movie adaptation of his play, A Streetcar Named Desire. And high school students might be familiar with his play, The Glass Menagerie. But no matter who you are, you’ve most likely heard of Williams, watched one the many movies his works inspired or checked out a play he wrote.

With the March celebration of National Women's History Month, it is a good time to take a look at feminism through the decades. The Library offers a mixture of new and classic titles exploring the issues that have challenged women in America.