It's February.

How can such a little month seem so long? Keep busy, I always tell myself and before you know it, you'll be on the other side of the month and onto to spring. And I know just where to look for ways to keep busy -- the Howard County Library.

Try getting lost in a good book and since February is Black History Month here's one that will inspire and uplift you: "The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood" by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Paul Coates. Set in Baltimore's west end in the 1980s, Coates memoir pays homage to his father, a Vietnam veteran, and former Black Panther leader who leads Ta-Nehisi and his six siblings through an inner city adolescence rift with struggles and tough love.

Ta-Nehisi's mom has a starring role as well and can equally dish it out as Ta-Nehisi writes about "Ma" coming home from a teacher conference with a migraine and passing it on to them (he and his siblings). Coates finished college and launched a successful publishing company.

Coats and his father were at the Central library last week to discuss their life and book; if you missed them, don't miss reading this story by an author Walter Mosley calls "the young James Joyce of the hip hop generation."

February also contains Presidents Day and because I received such a great response to my trivia questions in last month's column, I decided to toss one out this month.

At the dinner table this week, ask this question: Who is Parson Weems and what is his connection to our first president, the Father of our country, and how does this connection have any thing to do with the county's Choose Civility campaign?

Turns out our first president who was considered a stellar figure in his day. According to a Foundation magazine Web site, I accessed through the library's Choose Civility section I learned that George Washington had copied "by hand" the 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.

And -- get this -- he was 16 years old at the time; of course, this was before the Internal Age had dawned. According to the Web site, Washington took on this arduous task because he was assigned it as part of an exercise in penmanship and the rules he copied were based on a previous set composed by French Jesuits in 1595.

So there you go, the attempt at civility has been important for a very long time and continues to this day, a good example is alive and well in Howard County -- kudos to Reservoir High -- P.M. Forni's book, "Choosing Civility: The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct" was the 2008 summer reading assignment for students and staff, and is the theme for the 2008-09 school year.

Back to Parson Weems (1756-1825) -- he was a printer and author who penned the biography of Washington which contains the episode of the young boy chopping down the cherry tree, which through the centuries has taken root and grown sky high in the nation's imagination.

The library's Web site also offers a selection of books on civility for children, teens and adults. Here are two recommendation for adults: "Excuse me, but I was next: how to handle the top 100 manners dilemmas" by Peggy Post, and "The no a--hole rule: building a civilized workplace and surviving one that isn't" by Robert I. Sutton.

The library is also sponsoring events around the county for teens and parents. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m.. at the Glenwood Branch, a Horizon Family Communication Night: Cyber Safety and Civility will take place. This event brings teens and parents together to discuss risky online behaviors.

The evening begins with a free dinner followed by a workshop prepared by NetSmartz. For ages 11-14. To register, call 410-313-5577 or online (hclibrary.org). This program was offered earlier at the Miller and Elkridge branches and will be offered this evening at the Savage Branch (410-313-5980).

And the Choose Civility momentum is growing. According to a cover story in this paper, "The new face of kinder, gentler" by Derek Simmonsen (Jan. 29), library director and CEO Valerie Gross gets comments all the time about how this (civility) should be a national movement.

"It's been absolutely inspiring to be part of this grass roots initiative," Gross said in the article. To read the complete article log on to explorehoward.com and under the publications tab click on The Howard County Times and enter Choose Civility in the search bar.

The end of the month brings a day off from school on the 27th, but there are plenty of activities students can attend at the various branches. Chemistry in the Library comes to the Miller Branch at 11 a.m. on that day, when chemists from the Army Research Laboratory and the Maryland Section of the American Chemical Society lead hands on experiments with students ages 7-8 years old. Ice supplied on site. Call 410-313-1955.

The Savage branch invites 7-8 year-olds accompanied by an adult to their Junior Engineering workshop. The hourlong workshop begins at 2 p.m.. Call 410-313-5978.

At Central Library, students 5-9 years old can touch a wolf pelt and skull as they explore Wolves in the Wilderness with Patuxent Wildlife Refuge Staff. This 45 minute workshop begins at 1 p.m. Call 410-313-7880.

For a complete list of programs go to hcibrary.org and click on the Classes and Events tab at the top of the page.

For the grown-ups, February ends on a high note with the 12th annual Evening in the Stacks on Feb. 28, 7-11 p.m. This is the library's premier fundraising event which benefits the library's wonderful educational initiatives.

You can purchase tickets at any branch or online. 50-50 raffle tickets are also available online if you can't attend. If you have attended in the past you know this is a fabulous event and this year promises a wonderful evening where guests will travel the Silk Road, be mesmerized by Indian author Manil Suri and belly dancer Camila Karam (not at the same time) and taste delightful delicacies prepared by The Elkridge Furnace Inn and Edible Arrangements. I hope to see you there.

Until next month keep reading -- in print and on the Web.

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