Everyday Mysteries: Why is it hot in the summer and cold in the winter?

Reference librarians are still on the front lines when it comes to helping the public find information. At the same time, we encourage information literacy and critical thinking skills. Back in 2002 the Library of Congress Science Reference Section launched a new website, Everyday Mysteries, directed at the scientifically curious K-12 students and the general public. The Everyday Mysteries website is dedicated to providing answers to frequently asked questions that more or less pertain to everyday phenomena and can be explained scientifically. The site is a fun and educational way to communicate scientific topics to the public, while highlighting resources at the Library or on the Web. Many of the questions we investigate are related to meteorology and climatology. This session will provide a general discussion of the workings behind the Everyday Mysteries website using examples of the weather and climate topics found on it.