That Most Dreaded Chore

Recently I've been engaged in that most dreaded chore of trying to weed my collection and ; it occurred to me that it might be useful to describe my method and invite others to comment on it or contribute their own methods.


I start by setting a date about 3 or 4 years ago and say that anything that hasn't circulated since then is in jeopardy. I check barcodes in milcirc to get the last circulation date and see if anyone else owns the book.

If I own the only copy of a book in milcirc and it hasn't gone out in my specified time period , I next check the union catalog. If mine is still the only copy in captivity, I conclude that I had better hold on to it. Books that I keep no matter what are those by local authors or on local subjects ( I usually stretch local to include all of New England), classics and books by notable authors. Every now and then there is a book that meets all my criterion for weeding that I just can't make myself part with, when i pardon one of those books I put a little question mark next to the label. That way the next time I weed I can either say it's already had its second chance or congratulate myself on keeping it.

Gale Literature Criticism Online (LCO) and Literature Resource Center (LRC) available at WPL

Remote access to a suite of literature databases from Gale is now available to Worcester Library card holders. The new databases include:

Literature Criticism Online (LCO) is the platform that hosts 10 Gale’s comprehensive literary criticism series. Worcester Public Library has purchased the complete

• Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC),
• Short Story Criticism (SSC),
• Something about the Author (SATA),
• Children's Literature Review (CLR).

All those literary series can be cross searched and access remotely.

Literature Resource Center (LRC) is a subscription database that offers literary criticisms, articles, work overviews, and author biographies. Rich in biographical, bibliographical, and critical content. Excellent resource for information on literary figures from all time periods and writings in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, journalism, and more. It delivers most of the content from Dictionary of Literary Biography, most of the content from Contemporary Authors & New Revision, and roughly 60% of CLC, TCLC, NCLC from 1998 forward.

To access:
Go to http://www.worcpublib.org/
Click on Online Databases in the left column
Then select Literature
Or
Access from this blog
Look under WPL Remote Databases in the right column of this blog

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ping at pschen@cwmars.org

Book of the Month

As a new feature to our blog, I would like to introduce a new reference book each month.
My criteria are as follows:
1.Timely
2.Inexpensive
3.Suitable for both small and large libraries
4.Worth the shelf space
5.I find it interesting

I welcome your comments and suggestions for other reference resources.
My choice this month is listed below.

One down....eleven to go!

Michael Allaby, Robert Coenraads, Stephen Hutchinson, Karen McGhee, John O'Byrne and Ken Rubin
The Encyclopedia of Earth
A Complete Visual Guide

$39.95, hardcover
9780520254718
Available Now
608 pages, 10 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches, 1700 color illustrations, 200 line illustrations, 1000 mapsSeptember 2008, Only available in North America, US and TerritoriesAlso in: Atlases & Encyclopedias
Description
Reviews
Author Bio
Video
This sumptuously illustrated, beautifully written encyclopedia, the best book available on the topic, presents the most up-to-date information about planet Earth in a style and format that will appeal to an extremely wide range of readers. With thousands of photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and maps and a text written by a team of international experts, it presents an impressive overview of our globe—beginning with the history of the universe and ending with today's conservation issues. A truly spectacular reference, The Encyclopedia of Earth offers new visual interpretations of many ideas, concepts, and facts, painting a fascinating picture of Earth today and across the ages. The encyclopedia is divided into six sections that are designed for either browsing or in-depth study. Birth gives an overview of Earth's 4.6-billion-year history, including the evolution of life. Fire explains the inner workings of our dynamic planet, its structure, and the tectonic forces that have molded its landscape. Land surveys rocks, minerals, and habitats. Air covers weather, including extreme weather events such as tornadoes and hurricanes. Water tours the oceans, rivers, and lakes of the world. The final section, Humans, provides a compelling portrait of our relationship with Earth, and of how the natural world has shaped social and political developments. Copub: Weldon Owen Publishing

WATS for Reference

In an effort to expedite response to WATS calls, WPL's e-mail reference team will be checking the Regional Reference toll-free phone several times a day to be sure no question is delayed in being answered.
Our e-mail reference (left side of our webpage "Ask a Librarian") is always available to all libraries and their patrons. We find e-mail to be the most efficient method because there is less chance of error in understanding when the request is in writing, and you can make the message as long as you like. We strive for quick turn around on e-mail requests.
For libraries in our calling area, our TIS line (508-799-1655, option #3) is the quickest way to reach our reference staff.
24/7 is a national reference service, and except for the ten hours per week when WPL is online (usually 4-7 P.M. but not always), you are likely to be communicating with a librarian in another state. They will assist whomever contacts them (just as we do here) but local questions create a problem.

A New Kind of Radio Station

http://www.pandora.com/invite

I just posted a blog this morning, but I couldn't wait to share this with music lovers.

My neice showed me how this site works in a matter of minutes.

" Everyone knows about it, and my friends all use it."

Dinosaur that I am, it's all new to me.

Pandora is to music as "if you like this book" is to Amazon.

By creating your own stations, it chooses like songs and artists.

You can accept or reject a particular song or artist at any time.

You can build up several of your own stations, and an extensive faq's page guides you along.

You may already have enjoyed Pandora, but for someone who used to carry around a transistor radio,this is HUGE!

Summer Savings in Massachusetts.

http://www.massvacation.com/valuepass/greaterboston.php




Believe it or not,summer is here.
The sun will come out...maybe not tomorrow, but soon.
With that in mind,take advantage of what Massachusetts has to offer in the way of discounts to many places of interest, hotels, restaurants, and activities.
There are good deals throughtout the state.
Choose a region you plan to visit,and see what is available each week,since the deals are for a limited time.

May the rest of your summer be filled only with warm, sunny days.
After all...we can only hope!

AN UNEXPECTED HIGHLIGHT

One unexpected highlight for those of us charged with manning the registration table at the recent two-day Genealogy Conference, held at Worcester Public Library, was watching the steady and eclectic flow of library users stream past on their way through the building. Many stopped out of curiosity, to share a bit family history, or to warmly greet retired staff members who had agreed to participate in the event. A long-time patron proudly showed us a copy of a letter she had written to a local newspaper in support of funding for libraries. A young woman who had recently immigrated from Jamaica studied a list of upcoming programs. Families with young children walked out laden with towering stacks of picture books and DVDs. A member of a Sudbury fife and drum corps in full regalia hurried past on his way to use an express internet station, and several members of our YA Anime Wings Club dug deep into the pockets of their faded black denims to donate a few coins to the Gaudette Fund which supports the genealogy collections at WPL. It was all a moving reminder to me of just how integral the public library is to the communities we serve. I can't help but wish we'd had a video camera!

Earth911.com

When “going green” or “recycle” is what your patrons want to do to be a conscientious human being, earth911.com could help them achieve their goals. It is a one-stop shop for all your recycling needs with over 100,000 recycling locations from across the country. You can recycle hundreds of products from packing peanuts to computers with information provided by local governments, organizations and everyday consumers. Topics include reuse, recycling, hazardous waste disposal, composting, local agencies, state and local programs and environmental groups among others. There’s also a glossary, “green" shopping tips and community-specific environmental information.

CMRLS Regional Reference Center is on Twitter

Worcester Public Library, CMRLS Regional Reference Center, would like to invite all librarians in the region to follow us @WPLREF.

Worcester Public Library intends to use Twitter
· To share updates from WPL, reference Q&As, database and internet search strategies and reference tips
· To post all Regional Reference Center Blog entries
· To keep you updated with new technologies and new developments in the information field, and share with you how the WPL uses those tools to improve reference services
· To provide an easy communication platform to enable librarians in the region to exchange ideas and share experiences

Getting started:
· If you don’t have a Twitter account and just want to watch or listen:

Please go to http://twitter.com/wplref or http://wplrefblog.blogspot.com/ (look for Twitter updates in the right column) or follow @WPLREF via RSS on Twitter

· If you have a Twitter account, please follow us @WPLREF

· If you don’t have a Twitter account and wish to start one, please sign up at http://twitter.com/, and then use Search tool at the bottom of your Twitter page to find wplref and then follow us.

We’re looking for suggestions on how you’d like to use the regional reference center Twitter and blog. We’re also interested in having you to write and post on something that you are particularly knowledgeable about or curious about. If you have any questions or after you follow us, you would like us to follow you, please contact Pingsheng Chen at pschen@cwmars.org

Indeed.com

http://www.indeed.com/

Many patrons are seeking work, in Massachusetts, and elsewhere.

Time was when the only current resource we had to offer were want ads in newspapers of major cities.

Worcester's Workforce Central is recommending this cite in a flyer I saw recently.

This is only for the listing of available work, not an application, or direct contact with the company.

It will list the website of that company. It is up to the job seeker to make contact.

Please check out the FAQ's section on the site, for any questions.

It is easy to use, informative, and timely.

OBITUARY NOTICES

I recently gave a workshop on the accessibility of public records in Massachusetts. My primary goal was to reference hard to find, or normally not accessible information, about everyday individuals. In any event, a small amount of the material included genealogy.

One of the websites that I literally fell over was Obitfinder, a website maintained by Legacy.com. The database archives obituaries dating back to 1930 from newspapers all across North America. I counted them - 744 newspapers. Granted, indexing will be uneven but what a gem. You no longer have to tell your patrons that you can't get that information because you only subscribe to newspapers in a finite geographic area.

The information given includes the full name of the deceased; place and date of death; relations; and the date and name of the newspaper it appeared in. There is a small hook. If you want the full obituary, photograph and guest book (if they are available) these are provided at a charge of $2.95. The website URL is http://www.legacy.com/NS/

Twitter Travel

Twitter has become a Web phenomenon lately, partially due to celebrity use. But a recent article in http://www.travelandleisure.com/ points out the practical side of Twitter's networking capabilities, especially in relation to making travel plans. Author Everett Potter gives the example of a business woman who used advice from friends on Twitter for recommendations on which airport to use, where to stay and what are the best local restaurants. Potter also mentions that Twitter is a good resource for travel deals, saying hotel chains, food critics and bloggers not found on conventional travel sites have Twitter profiles as well. Browsing Twitter groups such as @travelpeople or @WeJustGotBack can be used in addition to Twitter's powerful search engine to find obscure information such as rafting companies in Central America.

The nature of Twitter is to be informal, conversational and immediate which appeals to a lot of people. It can be local or worldwide in scope as well. Try it for planning your summer vacation, you might be surprised at the amount of information you find. Happy tweeting!

Fox Revises Rental Policy

Due to Overwhelming Library Response. Over the past week, many of our customers have advocated via email and on list-serves for a reversal of Fox's rental policy. We are very pleased to announce that in response to this vocal and persuasive outcry from the library community, Fox has decided to amend their policy.
Beginning in June, all of Fox's titles will be available to library customers in the original retail edition. These titles will contain the full menu of extras and bonus features at no additional cost to the library.
We appreciate Fox's quick and responsive reaction to our customer's concerns in this matter.
Please feel free to call our customer service department with any concerns (1 800 875-2785) about Fox titles shipped in the upcoming weeks.
Again, we would like to thank everyone who sent emails and spoke up on the list-serves; this policy change is directly due to your advocacy and concern.
Sincerely,
Midwest Tape The Librarian's #1 Media Source 800-875-2785

Congressional Record

Worcester Public Library has the complete set of the U.S. Congressional Record. The problem is the name changes that it went through. Here is the list of its various titles and our holdings: Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States 1789-1824, bound volumes, SuDoc numbers X1 through X42;
Register Of Debates in Congress 1824-1834, bound volumes, SuDoc numbers X43 through X71; Congressional Globe 1834-1873 microfilm, SuDoc X72 through X180;
Congressional Record 1874 to present, paper copies until replaced by microfiche (earlier microfilm) X181 on.
We also have bound volume indicies to Congressional Record SuDoc X/A181-. These indicies are also available Online through the library OPAC.
All of these volumes are In Library Use Only.

Important Notice to Those Who Purchase DVDs

From: info@midwesttapes.com
Slumdog Millionaire Confusion & Fox's new policy

Many libraries have contacted us concerning Slumdog Millionaire. This title, delivered before 20th Century Fox announced their new retail and rental edition policy, was shipped to some customers with incorrect artwork.
Due to a mix-up at Fox's replicator, some rental edition copies of Slumdog Millionaire were shipped in retail edition cases. Fox has set up a hotline (1-888-223-4369 or SlumdogDVD.orderassistance.com) for customers who have received these items and would like a replacement item. If you prefer replacement artwork, Midwest Tape is happy to provide it through our customer service department (1-800-875-2785).
Midwest Tape has been notified that, beginning immediately, all new Fox releases will be issued in two editions: retail and rental. Because Fox has decided to classify libraries as part of the rental market, the rental edition will be the only edition available to public libraries.
Fox has decided that the rental edition and retail editions will be two separate and distinct items. Each edition will have unique artwork and UPC numbers. Additionally, retail editions will have the text "Retail Exclusive" on the cover art.
Click Here to view samples of both the Retail and Rental edition artwork.
Fox has decided that there will also be a difference in content between the retail and rental editions. In most instances, special features and bonus disks will not be a part of the rental (library) edition. Upcoming Fox releases with separate rental and retail editions include:
Bride Wars
Legally Blondes
Taken
Possession
S. Darko
Valkyrie
Labou
Dr Doolittle: Million Dollar Mutts
Driven to Kill
Nobel Son
Street Fighter
Pink Panther 2
Miss March
12 Rounds
The Betrayed
Customers who would like to voice a complaint about Fox's new distribution policy may do so by emailing: mailto:nancy.perfett@fox.com? and mailto:info@midwesttapes.com? on all inquiries.
We are sorry for any inconvenience that Fox's new policies may cause.
Sincerely,
Midwest TapeThe Librarian's #1 Media Source800-875-2785

What is SafeLink Wireless?

https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx
Recently, we have been getting many requests for information on free cell phones, and how to apply. The only application available on-line is on the above website. It is a government supported program that provides a free cell phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers.

You may want to alert patrons that they have to give their name, address, birthday, and the last four digits of your social security number. (note: only the last 4) Ultimatley, the decision to release even this information is up to the patron.

Blue-Ray vs. DVD

http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=289

http://milkyourmoney.com/2008/05/15/is-blu-ray-worth-it/

Recently, more patrons are asking: Is the library buying Blue -Ray discs?

Short answer......no. I weighed the pros and cons, and the cons won out. There are many reasons for this decision; cost being the first. Each "ray" is an average of $10.00 more than a standard disc. To help you decide if you want to "go blue" the above web-pages will help.

Any comments to add?

If you haven't gotten the bug yet...

The amazing resources in Boston will convert you! Last Thursday, the bus full of Central Mass genealogists journeyed along the sunlit expanse toward Boston. Once we were on the way, I exclaimed "I'm going to Boston! I'm going to Boston!" Clearly, I don't get out much. The digs at The New England Historic Genealogical Society (HisGen) and The Congregational Library were gorgeous:

PRESS PLAY

HisGen is one of the consummate New England genealogical resources. They house an impressive breadth of vital and other records. Each of their staff has areas of specialization, boasting in depth knowledge of Pilgrim, Irish and French Canadian genealogy. One of their staff studies matrilinear genealogy. They are accessed by a membership donation and also online: http://www.newenglandancestors.org/

On our way from Newbury Street and up Beacon Hill, we walked right past where the other half lives. The landscapers were out, and as a self-proclaimed architectural aficionado, I walked down the street looking up and going "Wow! Wow!"

The Congregational Library, http://www.congregationallibrary.org/, also has a beautiful physical presence. The main hall brings to mind an old-fashioned reading room. The archive and library are a treasure trove for those of us with Congregational roots. The collection has profited from the gifts of an early benefactor, S. Brainard Pratt, who donated his collection of more than 300 bibles. The display room of his bible collection is what he named the "Biblearium." With this and his scrapbook of correspondence and pictures from his acquisitions Pratt created a unique historical resource.

The brisk Spring Boston afternoon greeted us outside of The Congregational Library and we tooled home, all of us overstimulated and sated.

Selected ALA 2009 Best Lists

Booklist Online, 3/12/09

Notable Books
The Reading List: Best Adult Genre Fiction
Best Books for Young Adults
Alex Awards
Great Graphic Novels for Teens
Notable Children's Books
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
Rainbow List
Notable Children's Videos
Notable Children's Recordings
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
Notable Videos for Adults

Newbery Medal
Newbery Honor
Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Honor
Printz Award
Printz Honor
Sibert Medal
Sibert Honor
Coretta Scott King Award
Coretta Scott King Honor
Pura Belpre Award
Pura Belpre Honor
Stonewall Award
Stonewall Honor
Odyssey Award
Odyssey Honor
Carnegie Medal

Serendipity

One of my professors in graduate school liked to talk about the concept of serendipity in reference work. This seemed particularly strange at the time because it was Introduction to Library Resources where our assignments consisted of answering “reference questions” using specific reference titles. But as most of us now know, sometimes you find the answers through sheer serendipity.
I happened upon a reference to the Special Library Association’s 23 Things Initiative in an article I was reading online.

23 Things is an association-wide learning initiative introduced by Stephen Abram to help us all be in a position to innovate…The idea is that we all commit 15 minutes a day or about an hour (or two -- because you'll get hooked!) a week to learning and practicing with these new tools.
This is a self-discovery program which encourages us all to take control of our own learning and to utilize lifelong learning skills through exploration and PLAY. …

If you run SLA 23 Things as a search, you will find the initiative. I decided to check it out, especially since I am serendipitously registered to attend How Blogger, Del.icio.us and other Web 2.0 Tools Have Enhanced Management offered by CMRLS at Worcester Public Library later this month. Maybe I’ll get some practice in beforehand…

We Deal With Criticism

http://metacritic.com/

Metacritic's mission is to help you make an informed decision about how to spend your money on entertainment.

If you want the scoop on a movie playing at the theatre,or available on dvd in a quick, concise, and authoritative way, check out this site.

Metacritc compiles reviews from respected critics and publications for film, video/dvd, music, games, and television shows.

Their unique Metascores show the critical consensus at a glance by taking a weighted average of critic grades.


Almost everything entertainment in one place.........cool.

2 cool 2 crochet?

2 cool 2 crochet?

You would be surprised! The craft movement is operating in full retro / comeback mode. The movement has generated a following from new generations who have unexpected ideas. Whether you are quitting smoking or on a clothes budget, try our resources for inspiration.

Here's some advice to get you started:

• Try our craft books in the New Nonfiction area of the Worecster Public Library


• Check out craftzine.com - the world's most addictive website!

Back at you later with more happenings in pop culture!

World News from Everywhere

GlobalPost has consistently produced interesting news stories not often seen in the popular press. Its correspondents live in the countries they cover. They and the other employees are shareholders in the for-profit company. I like that I can search by topic, geographic area, or by correspondents. Use of the site is free, with costs paid by online advertising, syndication, and a higher paid membership.

LearningExpress Library

LearningExpress Library, the online test preparation site that offers study aids, and career resources has recently had a facelift. The new 2.0 version which came out in February now has a colorful, attractive design. Tests and courses are organized by related topics into “Learning Centers” and are much easier to locate. If you prefer to view the contents of all learning centers in one big list, you can do that as well. Patrons will find the added search box feature very useful since they can search by keyword or test name.

Are your patrons looking for the account they set up in the old version and are wondering what happened to it? "My Account" is now called "My Center". Any tests, courses or ebooks your patrons had in My Account have all been moved to My Center. Once they log in with their username and password, they will find My Center on the upper right corner of the screen.

Radical Reference

My curiosity got the best of me when I read the email forwarded through CMRLS about an upcoming Western Massachusetts Radical Reference meeting. Are the Berkshires filled with radical librarians, decked out in tie-dye shirts and plotting an overthrow of traditional reference practice? According to the national website, "Radical Reference originated as a service provided by volunteer library workers from all over the United States to assist demonstrators and activists at the convergence surrounding the Republican National Convention in New York City August 29-September 2, 2004. We are evolving, expanding our services, and continuing to utilize our professional skills and tools to answer information needs from the general public, independent journalists, and activists."

So, being curious, I had to check it out...this interactive site is loaded with blog posts on a variety of subjects, links to online reference tools, a wiki and both answered and unanswered questions submitted by librarians, activists and journalists. They have a dream list of future projects you can get involved in, and there's also some discussion about expanding services to include outreach to teens and schools. It doesn't matter what your political affiliation is, just browse around and see what piques your interest!

2008 Tax Rebate

The Worcester Public Library has had a steady stream of people asking about the "stimulus check." That question created some confusion around here so here are the facts.

In 2008 the government notified individuals by mail who qualified for either a $300 or $600 tax rebate. For most of us the checks followed soon after. The folks who were receiving social security or railroad benefits had to file a 2007 1040A in order to get their checks. The end date for filing was October 15, 2008 because the government wanted all the checks out to individuals by December 31, 2008.

So what happens to those people who either did not 1) receive the letter of notification, 2) did not understand the letter and didn't file, and/or 3) did not receive the correct amount for one reason or another? These people did not lose out and are still eligible for the rebate. Here's how it works.

During this tax file season the government is offering something called a "Recovery Rebate." The following is a list of those who are eligible:

• Individuals who did not receive their stimulus payment


• Those who received less than the maximum


• Families who gained an additional qualifying child in 2008


• Individuals who could be claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return in 2007, but who cannot be claimed as a dependent on another return in 2008.


• Individuals who did not have a valid Social Security number in 2007 but who did receive one in 2008.

If any of your patrons qualifiy they need to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on Form 1040, 1040a, or 1040ez. The instructions for each of these forms will show you what lines to use.

However, this is a credit. These people will not receive a tax rebate check in the mail as everyone else did in 2008. Instead, the credit will be included in the tax refund for 2008. If they are doing their tax form by hand the government will figure out the credit they are do. If they are filing electronically the software will figure out the credit for them.

Free Resources for Women's History Month

If you are looking for free resources and activities on this year's Women's History Month, here are some websites you might find useful:

• Gale: Free Resources - Women's History Month
• Infoplease: Women's History Month Features
• NWHP: National Women's History Project

A not so obvious source...

The other day I was thinking about Abraham Lincoln as it was the 200th anniversary of his birth. My mind wandered to the fact that it is also Black History Month and that Abraham Lincoln could be considered a significant figure in American black history. So, I decided to run a search on him in the Facts on File African-American History Online database. There were over 200 results – some more relevant than others. One of the primary sources that I found particularly interesting was the "Correspondence between Abraham Lincoln and the Workingmen of Manchester, England." According to the entry, this is a:
Letter addressed by workers of Manchester, England, to President Abraham Lincoln, praising his Emancipation Proclamation. English working classes, which were opposed to slavery as a blot on free labor and civilization, sympathized with the Union in America's Civil War, thereby forming a counterweight in British politics to upper- and commercial-class sympathy for the Confederacy.
His response to them is included and both are intriguing, almost as much for the style of writing as for the content.
After this success, I tried Robert Kennedy as my next search with over 100 results. The results included such things as the text of his announcement after Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated as well as video clips of that time.
Finally, to use the database in a more traditional way I tried Magic Johnson (someone had been in for a biography of him last week) and of course, Barack Obama. Both searches supplied plenty of information for a child writing a report demonstrating this database might be just the thing when your library no longer has anything on a not-so-current athlete, or everything on a big name is checked out.

For Seniors Only...

The National Institute of Health has a website designed for the special needs of seniors, NIH Senior Health. The area of gerontology is evolving as more and more citizens live longer, and topics include those of particular interest to seniors such as Healthy Aging, Memory and Vision & Hearing. Complementary and alternative medicine is included as well. According to the site, "NIHSeniorHealth features authoritative and up-to-date health information from Institutes and Centers at NIH. In addition, the American Geriatrics Society provides expert and independent review of some of the material found on this web site. Each health topic includes general background information, open-captioned videos, quizzes and frequently asked questions (FAQs). New topics are added to the site on a regular basis."

Calling itself "senior friendly", this website is simply designed for those new to online searching, and users can increase the text size, change the text color and/or have the text read aloud. This was of particular interest to a friend suffering from macular degeneration who ordinarily finds it hard to search online. Great to have web resources specifically designed for those who might need it most!

Thrifty Reference

from Booklist Online
February 9, 2008

Expensive new reference sources, whether print or online, can be out of reach for many libraries in these belt-tightening times, but you don’t necessarily need to spend a lot to freshen up the print reference shelves. Here are some titles that Reference Books Bulletin has reviewed over the past year or so that offer exceptional value.

For more information, see: http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&pid=3314040

Property Foreclosures

Do your patrons ask you for free lists of foreclosed properties?

At one time a U.S government agency would, on a regular schedule, send us a list of foreclosed properties. However, they stopped doing that years ago. Some patrons remember that we got a list and others simply call and ask for websites with lists of foreclosed properties. If only everything were that simple!

I have yet to find a website that did not charge a fee or was not subscription based. But there is a solution. The Worcester Public Library subscribes to a newspaper called Banker & Tradesman. This gem is published weekly and, if your patrons are interested in subscribing themselves, the cost is $278 a year or $7.50 for a single copy. We keep our copy behind the periodicals desk on the third floor.

While I have your attention I'll take a minute to point out some of the other great features of Banker & Tradesman. First, the subtitle is "The Financial Services and Real Estate Weekly for Massachusetts." The first 15 pages or so are filled with knowledgeable and timely articles about our economic health and future. Some of the articles in last weeks edition included the commercial markets along Route 495, the most recent data breach, commercial defaults, gambling in the Bay State, cyberthieves and more.

The classified section, another 15 or so pages, has listings of commercial opportunities, official records of real estate transactions arranged by county and city, and statistical charts. The statistical charts (broken down by city) show number of sales from one year to the next and the percentage of change, dollar amount of sales, median sales price by month, and number of sales by month.

The final section of the classifieds are the credit records that I spoke about at the beginning. The credit records include voluntary bankruptcies by county and city, chapter 13 bankruptcies, chapter 11 bankruptcies, federal tax liens, state tax liens, attachments, petitions to foreclose, and foreclosure sales.

Free Materials for Librarians and Educators

Hello, there is a website, http://www.teachkind.com/librarians.asp that offers free materials for librarians and teachers. It is the educational program of PETA (People for the ethical treatment of animals.) They offer a comic book series for kids, a free subscription to Animal Times magazine, and videos for kids through adults. Cookbooks and general animal protection books are also available.

They share these materials with us to promote their cause, but as librarians we can take advantage in order to have more materials for our patrons on all sides of issues. I can vouch for the cookbooks. Two of them i use quite regularly. Yummy brownie and chocolate chip cookie recipes, "nice cream" recipe, as well healthy stuff that tastes good to vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters.

http://www.teachkind.com/librarians.asp

USA.gov for Seniors

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml


You may be aware of the official government web site, USA.gov. Quite a bit to navigate through.

Geared specifically to issues and concerns pertaining to elder Americans, the above link is worth bookmarking to your homepage.

I found it easy to navigate, timely and inclusive. The more on-line services segment is especially useful.

In these difficult times, we need all the help and assistance our government can provide. This is one place to start.

Google Book Search for Magazines

Google recently added magazines to its popular Google Book Search. Its partnership with publishers began with 10 full magazine archives and is now growing at a steady rate. The archives are in full-color, page-to-page, in a format that is easy to browse. As more magazines are scanned, Google will incorporate them into their standard search results.

To access the magazine archive, go to Google Book Search and select "advanced book search" on the right. Limit the content to magazines and start searching. Click on your chosen title, and select "browse all issues" on the right column to see a thumbnail of all issues included in the archive.

Google has not yet published a list of titles included in their archive, but you can view a partial list at the following blog.
http://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/hardinmd/2008/12/10/google-magazines-titles/

Patent Searching Online

You can search U.S. patents online at http://www.uspto.gov/.

When you arrive at the site you see a list of topics along the left margin. The fourth item down is patents. Clicking on the word expands the topic to 16 categories. Item number 3 is "Search Patents". If you are just searching by a known patent number this will suffice. Since searching is not exactly simple, if you are doing a full search you may need to start at item number 10, Guides & Manuals". When you click on this topic you will get a screen with two columns. In the right hand column in the second box, below the word "help" the third line down is "How to search patents and more". This should give you a better start. If you want to print a patent from the site you will have to have TIFF installed on your computer. Good luck! If you need help you can call me at the Worcester Public Library.

Capital Gains and the 2008 Income Tax Statements

Do you have patrons asking you for back issues of the Wall Street Journal so that they can accurately report their capital gains?

In the past, most small libraries could not help their patrons answer these kinds of questions but now they can. A few weeks ago I introduced you to Mergent Online and I suggested the benefits of having your patrons get a Worcester Public Library card. Well, with Mergent Online you or your patrons can now retrieve historical stock prices. Navigating your way through is a little tricky so make a copy of the directions and the process will only take minutes.

1. Go to Mergent Online from the Worcester Public Library homepage.

2. Click on the tab "Enter Mergent Online."

3. Type in a company name or ticker symbol.

4. One company or more than one company will appear in a list. Choose the correct company and click on it.

5. Click on the Tab "EQUITY PRICING."

6. Scroll down to the word CONTROLS:
a) click button "Date From"
b) if you want the closing cost of a stock for a certain date (for instance, 09/12/2008), then you must enter the date "from and to" like this: 09/11/2008 to 09/12/2008. As you can see the date range is separated by at least 24 hours.

7. To the right of the date range are the words "Show Grid." This must be checked off.

8. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Draw Chart."

9. A chart will be presented to you. Above the chart and on the left is the dollar amount at the close of 09/12/2008.

10. Your date range needs to be a minimum of 24 hours apart but it can certainly be years apart as well. So, if you want to see the opening and closing costs for each day throughout the years then go to the Tab at the top and click on "REPORTS."

Family Health Portrait

My colleague and office-mate, Anna K, showed me an Associated Press article printed in the Boston Globe, "Tracking red flags in family history", knowing my interest in medical issues. Thanks to the efforts of Surgeon General Steven Galson, there is now an online tool to create a family health tree, similar to those genealogists use. According to the website, "My Family Health Portrait is an internet-based tool that makes it easy for you to record your family health history. The tool is easy to access on the web and simple to fill out. It assembles your information and makes a "pedigree" family tree that you can download. It is private--it doesn't keep your information. It gives you a health history that you can share with family members or send to your health care practitioner."

The premise behind the creation of this site is to find familial connections that may alert you to identify potential risk factors. If you know you may be predisposed to cancer or hypertension, you may want to quit smoking, reduce salt intake, etc. According to the Center for Disease Control, fewer than 30% of Americans have ever collected health information from relatives.
If you want to check out this site and perhaps start creating your own family health profile, go to https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/fhh-web/home.action

Mergent Online

Mergent Online is a subscription database providing financial information on 10,000 U.S. and 20,000 non-U.S. public companies. Many libraries are not familiar with this sophisticated and pricey service. Small libraries are more likely to subscribe to Value Line Investment Survey which compiles single page reports on some 1,700 publicly traded companies. Value Line has a unique system of ranking stocks by summarizing the facts about a company (background on what the company does, past profitability, market-related measures, risk- and volatility-related measures, and projections). Research is all important when buying any stock and Value Line has some great advantages as a starting point.

While Mergent Online does not rank stocks it does go well beyond Value Line by providing key financial information for those working in the investment management field as well as the academic and corporate information fields. Coverage includes history, mergers, acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, property, long-term debt, bond ratings, capital stock, balance sheets, income statements, cash flow, annual reports, insider trading, ratios and more.

With Mergent Online you can create any number of reports. For instance, you can choose a company (or more than one) and compare that company against the industry as a whole or you could create a competitors report.

Also, if your library has traditionally subscribed to Europa World Yearbook you will appreciate even more the information on foreign countries (and the U.S.) provided by Mergent Online. Each country profile offers detailed organized information and statistics on that country's history, geography, people, government, economy, stock exchange and corporate filing practices.

The Worcester Public Library provides remote access to patrons with a Worcester Public Library card.

Locally Grown

An article in boston.com caught my eye the other day. It was “Nine finds in New England” and one of the “finds” related to buying locally grown products:

There’s nothing more satisfying than doing good by eating well. Whenever you’re traveling in New England, resolve to patronize restaurants that support local growers, fishermen, foragers, cheesemakers, bakers, and beekeepers. New England chefs have been in the vanguard of the ‘‘locavore’’ movement that nurtures sustainable agriculture and fisheries while providing the best possible food with the smallest carbon footprint. Some parts of New England make it easy to find these local boosters. Berkshire Grown (www.berkshiregrown.org) lists more than 50 restaurants. (The Red Lion Inn, for example, serves a locavore ‘‘sustainable menu’’ on Sunday and Monday nights.) Vermont Fresh (www.vermontfresh.net) lists more than 100 restaurants that support Green Mountain State producers. They include the Farmers Diner in Quechee (www.farmersdiner.com), which devotes 65 cents of every dollar to buying food produced within 70 miles. New Hampshire is just getting organized; check the sponsors list for Seacoast Eat Local (www.seacoasteatlocal.com) for a few restaurants. You can browse for options throughout New England by checking the website of Chefs Collaborative (www.chefscollaborative.org), an organization that celebrates local foods and works to foster a more sustainable food supply. Click on ‘‘local food search,’’ highlight restaurants, and put in the location you want to search.
(Text : David Lyon/Globe Correspondent)

This idea, or movement, has been getting a lot of attention lately, so I thought I would do my part to support the movement especially since there are so many fresh products produced here in Central Massachusetts. Some other websites worth checking are:
http://www.nofamass.org/programs/ofg/index.php/
http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/farmers_markets.htm
and perhaps my favorite, www.localharvest.org.
It’s probably not the best time of the year to start trying to become a locavore, but it is a good time to stay inside and read up on a new idea or investigate restaurants you might visit on an upcoming vacation.

A New ALA Store is Coming!

http://www.alastore.ala.org/

The ALA Store is a project of the Publishing Services Department of the American Library Association, which develops products that support the educational goals of the organization and meet the needs of the information services community. Revenue from products in the ALA Store provides direct support to the programs and initiatives of the American Library Association.


About the ALA Store The current ALA Store will soon be completely updated, filled with user-friendly features based on your suggestions. Our attractive new interface will help you to browse ALA products and publications by product type or by area of interest.

The new ALA Store will remember the contents of your cart for up to 30 days, so you can always come back later and pick up right where you left off.
Our new Wishlist will allow you to store items of interest for later purchase. Email your Wishlist to friends and colleagues directly from the ALA site.
Product descriptions for books will include handy links to Library Thing, WorldCat, and bookmarking sites like Del.ici.ous.
RSS feeds can alert you to new products.

A "Print for Purchase Order" feature will generate a printer-friendly order summary, including tax and shipping charges. A running shopping cart total will make checkout always just one easy click away. There will be no disruption in the filling or shipment of your orders!

As always, we will be here to help with any questions you may have at 800-545-2433, extension 2427 or email us at alastore@ala.org. After you've had a chance to try out our new site, we would like to hear your comments and suggestions, which you can quickly provide using the Feedback feature on our new site. Thank you for shopping with the ALA Store!

Reference USA

For a number of years the Worcester Public Library has subscribed to the residential and business databases published by Reference USA. These databases are so heavily used that we decided to provide remote access for our patrons. If your patrons would like to use these two databases from home, and they reside in Massachusetts, they can come to the Worcester Public Library and get a free library card from us.

The folks at Ref USA have compiled information on 14 million United States businesses. As a result, Ref USA is one the most comprehensive business databases being published. However, one of the drawbacks to all business databases, and this includes Ref USA, is that small private businesses generally fall through the cracks. A typical Ref USA business record includes address information, corporate information (including headquarters and all branch locations), annual sales, and credit rating score. You will be told if the company is private or public. If the company is public you also have access to SEC filings, stock exchange information, and annual reports.

Another great advantage to using Ref USA is that the database provides information on home based businesses. While the business database is certainly used to find information on a single company this is not primarily how it is used. Many of our Worcester patrons use the business database to compile lists of like companies within a geographic area for job searching or to market their own product or service. Many entrepreneurs use the database to show venture capital firms who their competition is or isn't!

The residential database holds information on 102 million United States residents. New listings are picked up by Ref USA eight to twelve weeks after they are listed in the telephone white pages. Also, Ref USA consults the national change of address database every month. So, if someone moves after they are listed in the telephone white pages, Ref USA will publish this information within a month. On the minus side, people who have unlisted phone numbers will not show up in the database at all. The residential database can also be consulted for United States census data to determine median household income, median home value, and percentage of owner occupied housing. There are many free online telephone directories out there but Ref USA is clearly the winner.

Need Help? Dial 211

Mass 211 is the telephone number to connect people to information on health and human services. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the Council of Massachusetts United Ways (COMUW) made this Information and Referral Line the Commonwealth"s primary call center in times of emergency.
The state wide Resource Locator has been developed with cooperation between the Executive Office of Health & Human Services , many United Ways, CAC's and community agencies. It replaces the First Call IR service by individual United Ways. Translation is available when one calls.

More details are available at http://www.mass211.org or www.mass211help.org

Marketing/Media packets can be downloaded from this site to advertise the service.

anna k

catching up with popular culture

Popular culture is more than teen lit. If you are like me, and want to keep up with or reach for the cutting edge, there are a few sites, catalogs and magazines that cater to your needs.

Daily Candy: http://www.dailycandy.com/

Daily Candy sends me two emails everyday. One is for "Everywhere," and the other is specific to the Boston area. To use the vernacular, they have the coolest stuff! They will give you the lowdown on up and coming fashion designers, local eateries and the best gifts. Yes, I consume twice the Daily Candy.

• Wired Magazine: http://www.wired.com/

Wired Magazine has been following the technological revolution since March of 1993. In a confusing world, it consistently breaks down the nonsense into understandable chunks. Wired is always on top or ahead of what's happening with computers, science & technology, and the Internet.

My favorite sections are "Jargon Watch" and "Expired-Tired-Wired"...and of course, it's excellent cover-to-cover.

• McPhee's for Christmas: http://www.mcphee.com/

Ever need an inflatable fruitcake? Deluxe finger monsters? The world's largest champagne glass? These gifts are edgy and frankly, out there. Perfect for 30 somethings. They get this!

All for now,
Jillian M. Parsons

Historic American Cookbook Project

http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/project.html

The Feeding America project has created an online collection of some of the most important and influential American cookbooks from the late 18th to early 20th century. The digital archive includes page images of 76 cookbooks from the MSU Library's collection as well as searchable full-text transcriptions. This site also features a glossary of cookery terms and multidimensional images of antique cooking implements from the collections of the MSU Museum.

The Feeding America online collection hopes to highlight an important part of America's cultural heritage for teachers, students, researchers investigating American social history, professional chefs, and lifelong learners of all ages.To learn more Information about the project please select one of the following:

Introductory Essay -
An essay by Jan Longone that discusses Feeding America and the history of cookbooks in America.
Video Tour
- A video highlighting some of the key items in the Feeding America project. (Requires Real Player http://www.real.com/player/)
Frequently Asked Questions
- A list of common questions about the project, and their answers.
Press Coverage -
A selection of articles and reviews written about Feeding America and its recipes as well as links to sites on which Feeding America was a feature.
Digitization Process
- A detailed description of our process for digitizing the cookbooks.
Editorial Intervention
- A description of editorial interventions which were made during the creation of this digital collection.
Encoding Guidelines - These are the XHTML guidelines for encoding the cookbooks. Includes the DTD
Our Staff -
The members of our staff who made Feeding America possible.
MSU Cookery Collection -
A brief overview of the collection which consists of about 7,000 cookbooks

Organize Yourself!

If you want to get organized in your working life or home life, there are a number of Internet sites to get you started. I have two favorites you might enjoy:

The Ta-da! List: http://www.tadalist.com/

It's not a to-do list, it's a Ta-da! list. You can enter your list items and check them off as you complete them. There is a record of what you have accomplished which you can also delete if you want. You can have as many lists as you wish.

The Prioritizer: http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/prioritize/prioritize_101.jsp

The Prioritizer can provide hours of fun. It was created by CNN's online personal finance site to help you organize your financial decisions. However, you can use it for anything.

You enter fifteen goals, and then go through a number of screens that ask you to choose one goal over another. The screens show the choices randomly. It is like going to the eye doctor when he says "A or B?" over and over. Of course this is more fun. The result is a list of all of your goals ranked by your choices. This list is strikingly accurate. So try it!!

Culture Shock

Are you aware that it is respectful in certain cultures to remove your shoes when entering a home or place of worship? Or if invited to a Costa Rican home it is appropriate to bring flowers but not lilies since they are a symbol of death? In Indonesia, it’s better to point with your fist than your finger. Culture Crossing is an entertaining website that provides these and other valuable pointers on other cultures.

It is a good place to start if you are traveling abroad or meeting people from other cultures and would like to know a bit about their values, protocol and communication styles. It touches on gesture, taboo, greeting, facts, dress code and other such details so you are better prepared. Some country listings have a short video clip on etiquette.

Although Culture Crossing is a crash-course in cross-cultural etiquette, the information seems to be user generated, so take it with a grain of salt and a pinch of common sense.

Graphic Novels

With the new responsibility of selecting materials for the Graphic Novels collection I am doing what a librarian does first – gathering information. I have found some websites, http://webserver.mcl.org/subj/grafnov.html and http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/public/ for example, and borrowed a book from the CMRLS Professional Collection. Also as a typical librarian, I read a few of the graphic novels already in the collection. All of these sources have provided useful information, although they tend to be geared toward YA collections, while I am buying for the adult collection. Does anyone have another source of information, or a favorite artist or series?

VEGAN COOKING

With Thanksgiving around corner many people are looking for recipes. For those of us who don't want to eat the animals, there are lots of yummy vegan recipes out there. I am going to share a few websites and titles of cookbooks that i have encountered to get you started.

www.theppk.com Is the Post Punk Kitchen which is a cooking show's website with Isa Moskowitz and Terry Romero. I have 3 of their cookbooks which are terrific. I have tried many recipes and they have been enjoyed by vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters. There are suggestions for altering non-vegan recipes to be vegan with substitutions as well as information on vegan cooking and cooking in general.

Veganomicon
Vegan with a Vengeance
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (i love the title!)

www.vegcooking.com

www.veganmania.com

www.fatfreevegan.com

www.veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com which is a site for Bryanna Clark Grogan who is the author of many cookbooks.

www.vegweb.com has reviews and comments on the recipes. It is helpful to read a few of them to see what a few people think of it as well as ideas on how to alter the recipe.

www.vitalita.com is a website that has two downloadable cookbooks on it that are also mostly gluten free.

govegan.net is a site from a canadian cookbook author Sarah Kramer. I have one of her books and it has lots of information on vegan cooking and other things as well (ex: many uses of baking soda.)
The Garden of Vegan.

www.peta.org has recipes as well as information on the vegan lifestyle. they have put out a few cookbooks, two of which get lots of use at my house.

The Compassionate Cook, or, Please don't eat the animals.
Cooking with PETA (terrific brownie recipe- they will never know it has tofu-tried and loved by many staff at Worcester Public Library and a delicious pumpkin pie that i make for my family every thanksgiving - never know it has tofu! secret is to really blend it well so no lumps.)

Another book that gets too much use at my house is
The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Lots of information on baking and substitutions. Full of information as well as good recipes.

I hope you all enjoy your holiday baking and cooking.

Katherine R.

The Longest Month

The trouble with doing book displays is the better your display is the faster the books go out and the sooner you are looking for replacements. Some display subjects have enough material that refills aren't a problem; but others force me to improvise wildly. For example I usually fill in the period between when the first frost forces me to take down the gardening display and when I can put up the holiday books with a batch of autumn themed books. I use cookbooks for soups, stews, pies and other cold weather foods add in some craft books such as gourd crafts, wheat weaving, and scarecrows. In October I can use Halloween related books: pumpkin carving, costume making, theatrical makeup, horror movies, ghosts, werewolves and vampires. November is a very long month when it comes to keeping the display filled. Fortunately there are a few new books on the Mayflower and the Pilgrims; but when they are gone I have to start sneaking in the Puritans and colonial history in general. After the turkey, potato, and pumpkin cookbooks go out, I have to add poultry and New England cookbooks. Every now and then I have a flash of inspiration; one year the day before Thanksgiving I put out books on napkin folding. Usually I'm just searching desperately for ideas. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Google is Taking Spoken Questions via iPhone

The New York Times reported that "Google researchers have added sophisticated voice recognition technology to the company’s search software for the Apple iPhone."

Users of the free application can ask virtually any question, like “Where’s the nearest Starbucks?” or “How tall is Mount Everest?"

Read more at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/technology/internet/14voice.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Novelist Plus is now Offered by WPL

The Worcester Public Library now offers remote access to Novelist Plus – a complete readers’ advisory solution. Novelist Plus is available to anyone with a valid Worcester Public Library card.

Special features:
• Information on more than 200,000 titles, including over 50,000 nonfiction
• Approximately 20,000 new titles added yearly
• Author Read-alikes, Book Discussion Guides and BookTalks
• Hundreds of reading lists covering all genres and reading levels and over 300 award lists
• Continued coverage of series information with thousands of adult and juvenile, fiction and nonfiction series, all in reading order
• Librarians and patrons can create and annotate their own lists using “My Folders and Alerts”

To access:
Go to http://www.worcpublib.org/
Click on Online Databases
Then select Reading Suggestions
Or
Access from this blog
Click on Novelist Plus under WPL Remote Databases in the right column of this blog

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ping at pschen@cwmars.org

Growing Up in Worcester and Around the World

This coming Sunday, November 16th, local author and movie reviewer for the Telegram and Gazette, Jeffrey E. Long, will present a talk entitled "Growing Up in Worcester and Around the World: Reading Memoirs for Pleasure, Bibliotherapy and Cultural Insight" at 2:00 p.m. in the Saxe Room at the main branch of the Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square. Jeff is the author of "Remembered Childhoods: A Guide to Autobiography and Memoirs of Childhood and Youth" which was published by Scarecrow Press in 2007. He has also been an active participant in the Worcester County Writers Project that I've discussed in previous postings.

This entertaining and informative event should be of interest to all readers, from the mildly curious to those who, like myself, are addicted to the coming-of -age memoir, particularly in this post-James Frey world.

The program is free and open to all. Hope to see you there.

Joy

ESL, GED and Citizenship Info

Information on GED, ESL and the Citizenship process is much sought after at the Worcester Public Library. We have updated these pages on our website and hope that your patrons will find them helpful too.

The classes and agencies listed on our website are located in the Worcester area. Most often, our patrons have found themselves wait-listed since the class of their choice is full. We hope that with this resource, patrons can now make use of alternate locations that provide the same service.

We’ve also added links to a list of ESL/GED and Pimsleur language materials available at the Worcester Public Library. In addition, you can connect to learning English websites, practice tests from LearningExpress and the new Naturalization test from this blog.

For Bibliophiles Only...

While looking for library-inspired furniture for a gift, I stumbled across this website, http://kimbooktu.com/. Kim lives in The Netherlands and is obsessed with collecting books AND book-related gadgets, such as invisible and creative shelving. Not finding a satisfactory site, she started this one to bring together all things books, explaining "there is a lot to find on the web about literature et cetera. But no website that contains articles and products that have to do with reading. Reading gadgets, if you will. Until now. I have been longing for a site with stuff that I could lust for. And occasionally buy. This is why I decided to start a blog with reading gadgets myself. Very rapidly I found out that a lot of people were also waiting for a site like this."

The site is still undergoing organization, but there are lists of blogs for every reading interest as well as links to many library-related products. One of my favorites is a YouTube film for a library chair that follows you around the building, stopping to rest wherever you need it. Enjoy browsing!

U.S. Cities Profiles

http://www.city-data.com/
According to the about us page of this site "We've collected and analyzed data from numerous sources to create as complete and interesting profiles of all U.S. cities as we could. We have over 63,000 city photos not found anywhere else, graphs of latest real estate prices and sales trends, recent home sales, home value estimator, hundreds of thousands of maps, satellite photos, stats about residents (race, income, ancestries, education, employment...), geographical data, state profiles, crime data, registered sex offenders, cost of living, housing, businesses, local news links based on our exclusive technology, birthplaces of famous people, political contributions, city government finances and employment, weather, hospitals, schools, libraries, houses, airports, radio and TV stations, zip codes, area codes, air pollution, latest unemployment data, time zones, water systems and their health and monitoring violations, comparisons to averages, professionally written city guides, a forum and a social network with 420,000 registered members and 5,300,000 posts, 5,000+ user-submitted facts, 13,000+ exclusive local business profiles with photos, and more demographics. If you ever need to research any city for any reason, from considering a move there to just checking where somebody you know is staying, this is the site for you."

U.S. Government Documents

People often think of U.S. Government Documents as tomes of textual material. Did you know that they really are available in a variety of formats? The Worcester Public Library's U.S. Document collection, in addition to over 90,000 paper items,and over 200,000 microfiche items, currently contains over 900 CD-ROM items, 83 DVD-ROM items, and 20 VHS tapes. There are also KITS which contain information on various topics which can be used as teaching aids. All of these documents are available for loan. They can be searched for on the Worcester Public Library's Online Catalog.

Learning Languages Online

The Worcester Public Library staff, along with the staff of the Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester, are considering two online world language programs to offer to patrons interested in learning or improving a second language whether it be a foreign language or English.

I spent a little time trying both Mango and Tell Me More through our trial subcriptions and my thoughts are below.

Regarding Mango:
· The ESL programs are designed for learners with a specific native language – there is no general ESL.
· The grammatical explanations appear to be inserted irregularly and are quite technical.
· Both the German and Spanish language programs (the two world languages I tried as I have some knowledge of both) introduced the informal “you” in the second lesson, in the context of first meetings. They did identify this as Informal/Friendly Conversation, but my understanding is that there is no such thing as an informal conversation in German and Spanish speaking countries when you are merely acquainted unless you are talking to a child or an animal. This seems to be a true flaw. It may be interesting to note that in the Spanish-to -English lesson, formal address was maintained in the Friendly Conversation.
· The slides seemed slow to load.
· The optional repetition and color-coded breakdown of phrases is useful.

Regarding Tell Me More:
· Much more content, and greater depth unless Mango only allowed access to partial
content.
· More interactive with greater variety of learning activities.
· Multiple language choices for the portal.
· General ESL.

If I was interested in learning or practicing another language, I would choose Tell Me More. Who is our audience? What role do we want this program to fill?

Are you familiar with Tell Me More or Mango? If you are interested, go to their websites and learn a little more about these products: www.tellmemore.com and www.mangolanguages.com. Please feel free to share your thoughts about these products. We would be especially interested to hear from any libraries that have offered this service to their patrons.

Bookletters

At the Worcester Public Library we've started using Bookletters as a tool for Readers Advisory services as well as marketing purposes. Posted on the library homepage, http://www.worcpublib.org, you'll find a widget with thumbnail covers of new titles that patrons can click on to link directly to our catalog, where they can find out more information on that title and place requests. You'll also find links for our YA librarian's top picks for teens, Most Requested Titles and signups for email newsletters.

From the Bookletters website:

More than an e-newsletter service or Web content enhancement source, BookLetters is your marketing partner. BookLetters gives you a comprehensive set of tools and thousands of pages of content on books, authors and films so that every branch or department can promote its collection and programs on the Web or through subscription e-newsletters...with BookLetters, you can add your message to Web pages embellished with BookLetters content and customize the pages with your own information. The core of the BookLetters content is our 4 million book database that generates book detail pages that include brief annotations and jacket covers. This core content is enhanced with a continual flow of exclusive BookPage reviews, author biographies, topical editorial clips, seasonal book promotions, book discussion guides, DVD streaming video previews, audiobook narration clips, sound clips, look inside feature and even podcasts.

Creating targeted custom lists is easy - just enter up to 20 ISBNs for each list, view, and publish. Patrons (and staff) can sign up to receive monthly newsletters on new audiobooks, books on the air or children's picture books among others. Annotations and images of book covers are provided by Bookletters editors and reviewers. Bookletters also lets you track how many subscribers you have for each booklist. If any of you have tried the Bookletters product, we'd be interested in hearing about what you've created, and your patrons response. Do you use the provided annotations, or do you prefer your own reviews? Have you used Bookletters to produce a library newsletter?

Kia Ora!

"Now you know how to greet people in Maori!"

Every time you go to Flickr.com, you learn a way to greet people in a different language. This is only one of the ways the site is engaging. Flickr is a web presence that uses the Creative Commons method of copyrighting for their "P2P" (peer to peer) sharing of photographs and other images.

Copyright law has been nebulous and ever-changing when it comes to the Internet, and particularly when it comes to digital images. For example, if you are browsing Google Images, and find a picture you like, you can click on the image and go to the website where the image was posted. Unfortunately, an overwhelming number of websites do not include copyright information for their pictures. So what's a girl to do?

On sites like Flickr, that use Creative Commons, the copyright is transparent.

These are the stipulations one of the artists placed for one of the photos in my Favorites folder:

"You are free:

• to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work
• to Remix — to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

• Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
• Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
  Share Alike. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one. "

So, the copyright rules are crystal clear.

Why don't you try it out yourself? You can checkout all of the photos and images you can use for your own purposes! Go to:
http://www.flickr.com/

I would love to introduce you guys to the site. You are welcome to send me a note with your name and e-mail, and I can give you permission to look at all of the favorite photos I have amassed over the years! You can contact me at mllejmparsons@gmail.com




I hope you have fun. Happy Picture Surfing!

Peace,
Jillian

Voting Reference: learn about the upcoming election

A few nonpartisan sources to learn about the candidates and ballot questions:

• Congress.org: Presidential Candidate Guide
  
• New York Times Election Guide
  
• Washington Post Elections
  
• FactCheck: University of Pennsylvania site which analyzes claims made by candidates
  
• Project Vote Smart
• Massachusetts Information for Voters (PDF)
  

How To Talk About Books You Haven't Read

I'm sure everyone has experienced a time when you've been asked, "Have you read this book?" and either completely drawn a blank or had to admit that, "No, sorry....but I read a great review!" Fear not...French literature professor and psychoanalyst Pierre Bayard has written a book, How To Talk About Books You Haven't Read, which is not so much a how-to-bluff-your-way-through situations such as this, but gives you license to forgo reading every single title that comes across your desk.

Bayard catagorizes our inner library into four distinct groups: books you don't know, books you have skimmed, books you have heard of and books you have forgotten. His premise seems to be that some books are better discussed without actually having been read, and anyone can bluff effectively in most social situations. Not only that, it can be an exceptionally creative exercise. And who remembers every detail from every book you've read? Bayard seems to think the overall impression made by the author is enough.

Being the type of person who feels guilty if I stop reading a book I don't care for and has at least a dozen books checked out at any time, I found Bayard's tongue-in-cheek arguments thought-provoking. I'd be interested to see what other librarians think...read it! Or not. And then we can discuss it.

college.gov-an exciting, innovative new resource

College.gov (U.S. Department of Education) was designed by students for students and features first-person accounts of students who overcame challenges to going to college such as peer pressure, lack of family support, and financial barriers.

It provides relevant, comprehensive information about why to go, how to go, and how to pay for college or other postsecondary education programs. Young people who may not have considered higher education a viable option will be engaged, informed, and inspired to create their own "roadmap" to college.

Contact Department of Education staff at college@ed.gov if you need more information or have speaking or exhibiting opportunities with your organization at which we may introduce college.gov

Resortmaps.com

http://www.resortmaps.com/
RESORT MAPS are colorful, hand-drawn maps of resort towns and cities, free to area visitors, advertising Restaurants, Accommodations, Retail Stores, Factory Outlets, Recreation & Attractions, Real Estate & Services. Each advertiser is represented with a display ad surrounding the map including a color coded grid locator and a building drawn, highlighted and labeled making it easy to locate them.

With landmarks prominently displayed, Resort Maps are an easy and fun way to find your way around town whether you are visiting, new to the area or if you just want to know what's happening around town.


New England is well represented. The company is growing, continually adding new maps and areas of interest.

An added on-line feature is that the maps are inter-active. If you click on the image, you will be connected to a web site. You can preview a menu, or a hotel.

Technology standards for Massachusetts students

With the new and updated Technology Literacy Standards for students, Massachusetts children are expected to be computer literate from an early age. A recent article in Telegram and Gazette outlines computer skills that our student patrons are expected to learn in each grade. Among other things, students as young as in 3rd grade are expected to be proficient in performing simple searches on databases. The revised standards are expected to educate students in performing electronic research, create multimedia presentations and browse the web.

The article also mentions that students do not have access to computer labs at school in the evenings, which is when they are doing their homework and applying these standards in an effective way.

Charities

Hello, do your patrons ask about how to find out more on charities that are looking for their donations? This website, CharityNavigator.org, can give them information on different charities.

It gives information on their financial health. It also has useful information on what to do when a charity calls you. What questions to ask, how to protect yourself from scams, how to stop solicitations by mail, and information about volunteering, donating books, cars, clothes and more.
Charity Navigator also offers the Good Card, a gift card for charity where the recipients get to donate to their charity of choice.

You can search by category or charity name. There are articles, studies done, just a whole lot of information on the topic.