Updates to DemographicsNOW

Gale, Cengage Learning has exciting news to share with you as a DemographicsNow customer! New product enhancements have been added to give your patrons and students expanded research tools.

DemographicsNow includes the following enhancements:

•	Search on school districts as a geographical option
•	Save and reload geographies for later use
•	Access hundreds of census variables for the latest decennial census (2010), current year forecast, 5-year forecast and the 2000 decennial census (custom reporting and thematic mapping available)

Homebound Customer Service

Last week we learned that the Everett Public Library would be discontinuing their homebound service, effective June 1, 2013.  One of their customers was a former “heavy hitter” on Sno-Isle Libraries, often asking multiple libraries to work on the same question.  After talking with Leslie Moore, I think that we’ve come up with a service plan that we can use to avoid everyone jumping through the same hoop, printing the same information, and mailing it to the customer.  We will use our Ask a Librarian By E-Mail form filled out as seen below.  Just take the information down and submit the form.  There’s no need to explain that the request may be completed by another library.

Requests come to the QuestionPoint Administrator who will assign the question to a specific library and watch to make sure that there are not duplicate requests being assigned.  Please make sure that the customer’s name and mailing address are in the Question/Comment box.

Gale Webinars in June/early July

Click on the date/time to register.  Remember:  all times are eastern–3 hours difference for us!

 

Gale Virtual Reference Library Library Journal’s “Best Overall Database” for 2012! See what made Gale Virtual Reference Library the readers’ choice: 8,000+ authoritative eBooks, improved navigation, a colorful new interface, cross-searching ease, and much more. June 6, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (ET) June 12, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (ET) June 28, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (ET)

 

Biography in Context With nearly a million biographical entries spanning centuries and continents, Biography in Context delivers outstanding support for high school curriculum and university coursework alike. Multimedia, multidisciplinary content provides authoritative coverage of notable figures and the societal forces that shaped their lives. June 6, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (ET) June 20, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (ET)

 

DemographicsNow-Assisting Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners

DemographicsNow: Business & People has new, robust and highly detailed demographic data that you can put to use right away. This webinar will show you how to harness the power, functionality, and customized mapping of DemographicsNow to fit your needs.

June 18, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (ET)

June 24, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (ET)

History in Context History in Context delivers comprehensive, contextual, media-rich search results. Learn about this extensive online collection of scholarly analyses, award-winning full-text periodicals, reference works, and primary source documents. July 1, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (ET)

 

Opposing Viewpoints in Context From climate change to immigration, find thousands of thought-provoking pro/con arguments in Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Balanced overviews and fact-based opinions from curriculum-focused references combine with multimedia to deliver an engaging way for students to develop critical-thinking skills. Join this webinar to see how you can integrate Opposing Viewpoints in Context into your library or lesson plan. June 5, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (ET) June 17, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (ET) June 27, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (ET)

Farewell to Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center

We’re letting go of Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center today–low usage for the past two years.   There’s a lot of crafting information out on the internet, especially on YouTube.  We’ve deleted it from Research and the catalog.

Auto Repair Change

Last year the Reference Services Committee looked carefully at auto repair databases and after consulting with some backyard mechanics and professional mechanics, chose ChiltonLibrary.  And within a month we were hearing from other mechanics that they really, really missed Auto Repair Reference Center.  They missed the broader coverage, the wiring diagrams, and the friendly interface.  And they didn’t hesitate to let us know about it!  We worked with the vendor, but ultimately brought this back to the RSC for review.  After much discussion, we decided that we would not renew ChiltonLibrary and that we would return to Auto Repair Reference Center.  The change will happen on May 31, 2013.  Thank you for your patience!

Wall to Watch

Pinterest is everywhere now,  and some people have put together some amazing walls.  Check out http://www.walltowatch.com/view/28822/A+Week+of+Groceries+in+Different+Countries

This is a great example of how social media can inform.

 

New Learning Express Content

New and Updated Online Practice Exams New practice exams will be available to users preparing for the NCLEX-PN®, ISEE®,  and SSAT® Tests. We’ve also updated the Praxis II®: PLT Practice Tests and AP* Biology Practice Exams to meet the latest specifications for these tests.  Patrons will also have access to two additional Civil Service Practice Exams. New eBooks The inventory of vocational and instructional eBooks has grown with the addition of new test preparation guides for career certification exams, the GED® test, college placement tests, and health field entrance exams. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New and Updated Online Practice Exams NCLEX-PN® Practice Exams NCLEX-PN® Practice Exam 1 NCLEX-PN® Practice Exam 2 NCLEX-PN® Practice Exam 3 AP* Biology Practice Exams AP* Biology Practice Exam 1: Section I AP* Biology Practice Exam 2: Section II AP* Biology Practice Exam 1: Section I AP* Biology Practice Exam 2: Section II Additional Civil Service Practice Exams Civil Service Practice Exam 3 Civil Service Practice Exam 4 ISEE® Practice Tests ISEE® Practice Test: Lower Level ISEE® Practice Test: Middle Level ISEE® Practice Test: Upper Level SSAT® Practice Test SSAT® Upper Level Practice Test Praxis II® Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Practice Tests Praxis II®: PLT Practice Test: Early Childhood (0621 and 5621) Praxis II®: PLT Practice Test: Grades K–6 (0622 and 5622) Praxis II®: PLT Practice Test: Grades 5–9 (0623 and 5623) Praxis II®: PLT Practice Test: Grades 7–12 (0624 and 5624) New eBooks Professional Skills Civil Service Exams Power Practice Firefighter Exam, 5th Edition Health Occupations Entrance Exams, 3rd Edition Medical Assistant Exam, 2nd Edition Academic Skills GED® Test Flash Review College Placement Math Success in 20 Minutes a Day * AP is a registered trademarks of the College Board. GED is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education. ISEE is a registered trademark of the Educational Records Bureau. NCLEX-PN is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. PRAXIS II is a registered trademark of ETS. SSAT is a registered trademark of the Secondary School Admission Test Board. None was involved in the production of, and they do not endorse, this product.

Top GVRL in April

Travel continues to rule!  But it looks like there were some science assignments out there, too.

 

The Reproductive System 2012

Kentucky 2008

Bone and Muscle 2011

The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health, 3rd ed., vol. 1

Children’s Book of Art 2009

Experimenting with Chemistry 2009

American Museum of Natural History Birds of North America 2011

The Rough Guide to The Caribbean e3 2008

The Rough Guide to Turkey e7 2010

Achieving High Performance, 1st American ed. 2009