Monthly Archives: August 2011

Aug 22 2011

Monday Morning Smile

Do you have any biographies of Sherlock Holmes?
(asked by a 12-year-old boy)

Lynne Campbell
John Curtis Free Library
Hanover, MA

Sherlock Holmes – the fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – was “born” sometime in 1887 and featured in more than 50 novels and short stories and dozens of other works.

His first appearance came in the novel A Study in Scarlet in November 1887 and his legend lives on today in print and movies, including the recent “Sherlock Holmes” starring Robert Downey, Jr.

Learn more about Holmes and his creator in Biography in Context.

Aug 17 2011

Student Resources in Context

You now have 27 new portals in Student Resources in Context, all of which focus on these three key topics – Government, Politics and Key Political Figures.
Also available is a new Government category which is now prominently displayed on the homepage.
Here’s a listing of all of the new portals:
• Alexander Hamilton
• American Citizenship
• Benjamin Franklin
• Bill Clinton
• Checks and Balances
• Congress
• Constitution and Bill of Rights
• Declaration of Independence
• Democracy
• Economic Systems
• Federalism/State and Local
• Government
• Foreign Policy and International
• Relations
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• George H.W. Bush
• George W. Bush
• James Madison
• John Adams
• John Jay
• Political Systems and Parties
• Politics and the Media
• Public Policy
• Ronald Reagan
• Special Interest Groups
• The Presidency and Executive Branch
• The Supreme Court and Federal Courts
• Thomas Jefferson
• Voting and the Electoral College
Aug 16 2011

Library Facebook Fan Page and Twitter

The Virtual Library has been working hard on setting up the Library’s Fan page for the past two weeks.  Today, we seem to have things in place, at least we hope so.  Our URL is a bit long so to get a vanity URL before September 1, we need at least 30 Fans.  We would like for staff who have a Facebook profile to go to our page and “Like Us”.  Also, feel free to make comments here and on Facebook about the page.  We would like to know if something is not working correctly or if you have any suggestions for doing it better.

Visit LVCCLD’s Fan page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Vegas-Clark-County-Library-District/166141153454510

Twitter is also setup and if you have a twitter account you are welcome to follow us.  Visit http://twitter.com/LVCCLD.  We are looking for library related sites to follow so if you have any suggestions please feel free to pass them on to me.

Aug 16 2011

OverDrive Training

With the changes coming to OverDrive, I highly recommend you take the two training sessions being offered during the training month 2011(September 13 – October 6th). Not only is this a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our OverDrive service and for staff to get refreshed on the basics, but you also have a chance to win some fantastic prizes.

In this year’s Download Discovery raffle they will be giving away…

What’s not to love?!

How do you enter the Download Discovery raffle? You can enter once for each session you attend (live or recorded) by completing a short quiz to test your knowledge. The quiz is unique for each course, and includes  just two questions. If you are watching a recorded session, you can simply click the raffle ticket icon next to your course listing to launch the quiz. If you attend a live session, the raffle ticket icons for those sessions are available on the Register page.

The more sessions you attend and the more quizzes you complete, the better your chances of winning! (Please submit only one quiz per course.) they’ll tally all the quizzes that are 100 percent correct and enter those into a raffle. They will close raffle entries on October 7, 2011 at 11:59 PM EDT.

Be sure to visit their Learning Center to register for live sessions, and browse recordings and materials to help you get the most from our OverDrive service. For questions about Training Month, please reference their Frequently Asked Questions.

Most of your computers will not run the live sessions but you should be able to view the recorded sessions. The live sessions are filling up quickly! If you want to attend a live session please let me know so I can sign-up and we can reserve the Virtual Training Lab.

These two sessions are being offered at various times and dates throughout the month so please check the Register page for exact dates and times.

eBook Explosion!
Tools to help you meet the challenge. This is the year of the eBook, and mobile devices, mobile apps and Kindle are hot. We’ll showcase all the latest OverDrive features, services, and materials to help your library successfully navigate eBook lending. 60 minutes .

2011 OverDrive Experience
Sleek, simple … smarter, faster 2011 is all about a fresh experience for digital users … smarter Help, faster searches, expanded collections, and simplified choices. Learn how you can guide excited users to a successful experience. 60 minutes.

Aug 15 2011

Monday Morning Smile

Do you have the book Ricky Ricardo’s Mighty Robot?

Anne Kennedy
Licking County Library
Newark, OH

The “Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot” series is the brain child of children’s author and illustrator, Dave Pilkey, who’s authored numerous book series for children including: “Captain Underpants,” “Dumb Bunnies,” “Big Dog and Little Dog,” and “Dragon.” Most recently he’s authored the graphic novel – “The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future”, from Blue Sky Press (New York, NY) 2010. Known for his humorous style and colorful campy cartoons, like Ricky Ricardo, he does have a lot of ‘splaining’ to do’ because he does it so well.

To learn more about Dave Pilkey, and his wonderful cast of creations see Something About the Author Vol. 166, p169-176 which is part of Literature Criticism Online

Aug 12 2011

Extreme Makeover: GVRL Edition

Coming this fall, the industry’s most comprehensive eReference platform unveils its vivid new face and pumped-up functionality recreating the book experience.

With the help of feedback from customers like you, Gale Virtual Reference Library delivers a significant new experience, with enhancements covering the spectrum of content searching, retrieving and sharing. Here’s what you’ll find:

  • A vibrant homepage and more colorful interface
  • Improved, user-focused organization and navigation
  • Enhanced search results and filter options
  • Web 2.0 sharing tools
  • Multi-page viewing capability, recreating the book experience
  • On-demand translations expanded to 13 languages

·  And more. Watch for it!

Aug 10 2011

Morningstar – ETF Analysis, Portfolio X-Ray Tool, and Closed-End Fund Updates

What’s New

There are many new and exciting changes coming to Morningstar Investment Research Center this month!

  • First, you will notice recently improved pages for viewing exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Overall, you will see that the pages include larger, easier-to-read fonts and graphs with additional data points and a more user-friendly interface. The new ETF Quote pages provide a comprehensive overview of the ETF you are viewing, complete with interactive graphs, important price data, style map, sector information, and several other highlights. Just like our stock and fund pages, there is now a Chart tab where users can compare one ETF to another fund or benchmark. And similar to the mutual funds, you can find related fund family data by clicking the link at the top right of each page.
  • They have also updated the Portfolio X-Ray Tool to help investors better understand the types of sectors they are invested in. Now, in the Stock Sector section of the tool, users will see industry sectors, such as health care and technology, divided into three new categories: cyclical, sensitive, and defensive. These three divisions indicate how sensitive the industries are to macroeconomic factors. Investors can clearly see how their portfolio is divided amongst these three broader categories and the 11 industry sectors.
  • Starting in mid-August, you will notice a new area on the Morningstar Investment Research Center. For the first time, they are offering detailed data on closed-end funds (CEFs). The CEF pages have the same look and feel as the other fund analyses, while allowing investors to learn about a whole new segment of funds. To learn more about CEFs, check out the CEF summary in the Glossary and Methodologies section of the Help & Education tab.
Aug 3 2011

Weiss & Street Ratings Trial

Weiss & Street Ratings trial database subscription will run from August 3 to September 3. Please take a look and post your comments. The main gateway screen consists of 5 major categories represented by five tabs on the search page.

 The tabs are as follows:

  •  Banks & Thrifts (covering every bank regulated by the Federal Reserve)   
  •  Insurers and HMO’s ( covering health insurers, property & casualty insurers, and life & annuity insurers)  
  •  Mutual Funds (covering stock and fixed income funds as well as exchange traded funds)  
  •  Stocks (covering every stock on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX)  
  • Credit Unions (covering all Credit Unions in theUS) -Limited Access full access Coming Soon

A recent review for Weiss from Library Journal can be found here.

The link for trial is:

http://financialratingsseries.com/

To log-in for the trial enter the card number and below the access field and click the “Go” button.

Card Number: 15025583105974

Aug 1 2011

September: National Cholesterol Awarness Month

Provide by The Pulse – Health and Wellness Resource Center

Here is the eighth installment of ideas for incorporating health programming into your overall library programming strategy. Keep looking  for us on the first of each month to find programming ideas for three months out.

When September hits, summer is definitely over and lives get busier, which means we tend to be less active and fast food becomes a stronger temptation — a  set up for cholesterol rates to rise. It is the perfect time to celebrate National Cholesterol Awareness Month at your library, and promoting it will be easy with these free resources:

  • Quick and Easy: printable puzzles and other activities for children and handy printables for adults.
  • Featured Resources: books for children and adults and links to reliable information online
  • Book Club: ideas for your book discussion group
  • Tie Ins: to traditional September library programming
  • Community Resources: local agencies to contact
  • Publicity Resources: free items to help you publicize National Cholesterol Awareness Month at your library through social networking sites or traditional printed materials
  • Fun Stuff: fun, interactive links

Quick and Easy

Puzzles and Activities for Children:

Printables for Adults

Featured Resources

Books about Cholesterol, Exercise, Diet, and the Medical Industry

Reliable Online Information

Book Club

Observe National Cholesterol Education Month this month by choosing one of these discussion-provoking books for your September book club:

Tie Ins

Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 – October 15  is Hispanic Heritage Month. Celebrate Hispanic heritage, practice your Spanish, and show teens that low cholesterol food can be easy and fun by trying some easy (no-cooking required) Hispanic vegetarian recipes together:

Community Resources

Find a local agency to partner with, a speaker, or other local resources here:

Publicity Resources

Use this free material alongside your library’s September programming information – newsletter, blog, posters, or flyers – to promote both your library’s programs and National Cholesterol Education Month.

Fun Stuff

Goof off at the reference desk and amaze your friends on Twitter . . . OR add some fun and helpful interactive links to a library program, your library website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed:

Games & Quizzes

Interactive Tools