The ALA Midwinter Meeting took place in Denver this past weekend. Looking around, you were immediately aware of a tight economy–smaller exhibit spaces, lower attendance, and fewer give-aways. There are some interesting discussions going on about the demise of the newspaper and the impact on databases. Greenwood is now part of ABC-Clio, which will be something to watch over the coming months. Marshall Cavendish has a ebook collection that the Reference Services Committee has begun to review and we’ll put out the trial information later this week.
Month: January 2009
Don’t Like Wikipedia? You’re Alone.
Thanks to Penni Vogel for sending us this interesting article about The Web, Google, and Wikipedia. According to the author’s research these three sources are the top providers of information now. We all know of fantastic online (web & subscription) resources on almost any topic that do not include Wikis. It’s our job to answer questions with those resources and understand our role as facilitators. We may use Google, but we are not Google!
Government Documents in 2009
There are many government documents Sno-Isle Libraries choose to keep in its collections, both cataloged and uncataloged. However, at present, most branches have too many of these documents and may be uncertain about their maintenance.
In 2009 the Reference Services Committee will be assessing each library’s government documents to result in clean, current and properly located collections. Betsy Arand will take the lead on this project for the Island, and other RSC members will be looking at the collections in Snohomish County.
The basic procedure will be:
1. Assess. Is the document the most current version and relevant to the community.
2. Is there an electronic version? If so, the paper copy will be purged. URLs for the electronic version could be put into CARL so they could be found with a catalog search.
3. Relocate to Local History Reference. If the document is older and falls into the LHRef criteria, the item may be redesignated to the local history collection.
4. Purge document if no longer needed.
With very few exception, 2009 will include cataloging only those new government documents with 50 or more pages, and cataloging final versions only, not drafts. Questions? Ask any Reference Services Committee member.
Some Ideas to Replace Grolier
We’ve had feedback that some are still floating without a raft when it comes to alternative resources to those included in our old Grolier subscription.
We’ll throw you a line:
EBSCO Animals : Information on a variety of topics describing the nature and habitat of familiar animals.
Grzimek’s Animal Life eBookShelf : eBook editions of the encyclopedia and student resource.
Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia eBookShelf : eBook reference information for students about states and nations around the world.
CultureGrams : Cultural reports for state and country projects. Maps, flags, symbols, timelines, history, economy, geography, population and more.
KidSearch : Provides visual and detailed searching of encyclopedias, dictionaries and images specifically designed for kids K-8. Also includes teacher resources.
Searchasaurus : EBSCO interface for children & parents to articles, encylopedia, and animals.
Questions? Just ask! That’s what this is here for!
Additional ProQuest Content Replaces “The Seattle Times”
In the deal negotiated between ProQuest and Statewide Datbase Licensing Project for the loss of “The Seattle Times”, we now have full access to ProQuest National Newspapers and World Conflicts Today. World Conflicts Today is now available, and we currently have a ticket open with ProQuest to add the full content to National Newspapers. World Conflicts Today is an add-on to CultureGrams, with in-depth coverage and slide shows of of ten protracted conflicts including: Afghanistan, Basque Country, Chechnya, Colombia, Darfur, Iraq, Jammu & Kashmir, Korean Peninsula, Northern Ireland, and Palestinian Territories.
RSC Minutes – Training
A BIG reference training is coming later this year. We are floating ideas around now and will probably be surveying library staff about reference resource, process, and services needs soon.
RSC Minutes – Electronic Services
As recompense for the loss of The Seattle Times from our Proquest Subscription, we have picked up the full ProQuest Newsstand and World Conflicts Today.
We have access to The Seattle Times online as a trial from Newsbank through March ’09.
Gale Virtual Reference Library titles are often overlooked as resources, we will work on highlighting and marketing them in 2009. We will start by adding some “J” eBookShelves.
How to send in those government documents that you’re getting
We know that the cities and towns are continuing to issue documents (budgets, reports, etc.) in paper format. And we’ll continue to receive such documents. There seems to be a bit of confusion about what is cataloged and how we make that happen. So, here’s a quick summary:
- We catalog FINAL documents, not drafts.
- We catalog when the document is more than 50 pages, with few exceptions.
- To get this started, use the BLUE form and mark it as a donation. Send in with other donations. These are routed to Terry and if it meets the two requirements stated above, she’ll get the item into the flow.
Questions? Please ask!
Sunset on Morningstar in Print
Morningstar looseleaf service was scheduled to cease on December 31, 2008. Sometimes it takes a few weeks to actually happen, so if your branch is receiving issues, feel free to either file them or discard them. The binders and pages may be sent in for Review at any time.
And remember, we have this as a database called Morningstar Investment Research Center
VersusLaw no longer accessible
VersusLaw was only available on our library network and our subscription expired 12/31/08. We did not renew for 2009. All of our electronic resources are currently under review for renewal as their subscriptions come due and we work hard to meet our budget. Check here for news or comment on your “Must-Haves”!
Information Services @ Sno-Isle 