Unleash the power of your mind at the library

Tucked into the non-fiction section of the Superior Public Library is a shelf devoted to the mind. Visitors can glean guidelines for feeding the brain, learn to unleash their brain’s potential and find literature highlighting brain research, all under the 612 call number.

Duane Fredrickson of Superior wants to bring these nuggets of information back into circulation. On Wednesday, he will host a Brain Awareness Week event from 1-5 p.m. in the library classroom.

“This is just supposed to make it easier to understand yourself as a processing system,” Fredrickson said. Visitors can take an anatomy awareness test: Do you know where the cerebellum is? A one-hour video on “Ten things every child needs for the best start in life” will be shown and Fredrickson will be available to discuss books that focus on brainpower and neuroscience.

Fredrickson, a volunteer videographer who produces “Superior In View” for Superior’s public access channel, hopes to encourage people to dig deeper into what the library has to offer. Movies and fiction are great, he said, but there are interesting finds in the non-fiction “600 block.” Information on the brain and brain-related issues like eating disorders, depression and phobias can be found in many departments — from the children’s and young adult sections to the adult nonfiction area.

Tapping into the internet with library computers prompted Fredrickson to focus on neuroscience a decade ago. Since then, he has held numerous events promoting Brain Awareness Week, a global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. This year’s event is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit the Dana Foundation web site, www.dana.org/brainweek, the Society for Neurocience site at www.sfn.org or check out the 600 block at the library.

Tags: community, education, health, superior