Thursday, December 25, 2008

What are some suggestions for putting together programming for seniors?

Programming for older adults can be great fun for both the audience and the presenter as long as we think about their information needs and are aware of a few key differences in communication.  Outreach to senior groups can be easily facilitated in locations like assisted living homes, adult day care centers, senior centers or in the library.  We simply need to prepare properly for this audience. 

Sure, there are a myriad of topics that can be presented.  We can arrange to bring in experts from the community to speak about health issues, Medicare, elder law, consumer protection and fraud, life and death issues.  I could go on and on.  Truth is these are great.  They educate the audience and, most important, get seniors into the library.  Your job is to supplement the information that the speaker imparts and provide ideas on library resources related to the topic.  Look at the program schedule for almost any public library system and you’ll see presentations on these topics.  If this is your charge and you need ideas on what’s topical with seniors today you need look no further than AARP for suggestions.

But seniors want to be entertained too.  Preparing a program for them need not just be something oriented toward ‘old’ people.  Isn’t gaming for seniors among the hot topics in library programming today?  Some of the most useful programs in the entertainment category are those that challenge the audience, make them think and are interactive.  It’s no scoop that the grey generation has had more life experiences and wants to share what they have learned.  Give them that opportunity and you will have a winning program on your hands.  It is a misconception that older adults equal retired persons equal people who lack energy and, therefore need to be programmed with kid gloves! 

Allow participants to talk about what they were doing or what life was like in the past. Try programs about the way things used to be, such as: 
  • Showing photos and images.
  • Having a discussion centered on an old telephone book (its amazing how much you can do with it!)
  • Talking about old television shows using a TV Guide from the past
  • Using the front page of newspapers that shows a historic event to start a discussion.
Here are a few suggestions:
  • Seniors like to share their expertise.  Allow them to interrupt so that they can speak - plan on it.
  • Be patient.  It may take a little longer for a senior to make their point.
  • Use a microphone.  A portable mic is great to that you can pass it those who have something to share.
  • Be sure the program is held in a quiet room away from noise.  Seniors may not hear as well, so reducing the amount of outside chatter and environmental noise helps.
  • Make sure anything visual is projected large enough for all to see.
  • If you plan to introduce books be sure they are available in large print or audio formats.
  • Allow a few extra minutes for the program.  It may take seniors a bit longer to enter and exit a room.
  • Do not use lengthy video presentations.  Senior groups tend to get bored very quickly.  They appreciate that you have prepared something special for them.
  • Interact with someone who participates.  Follow up their comment with a question-show you’re interested and that their thoughts matter.
  • Plan on a flexible room setup and leave plenty of space for those with mobility issues. Persons who use wheelchairs, walkers and canes should not be relegated to the back of the room or a designated area.
  • Expect movement from the group.  If someone has to get up to leave the room, take it in stride.
Just keep the simple differences in mind and you will find senior programming is among the most rewarding activities we can plan.  If we truly want libraries to become community centers we should include seniors in our plans - they make up one of our most reachable constituencies.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

How do you help someone get started in researching their family history in Maryland?

Finding information on a person’s family history, or genealogy, can be easy if they’re related to a prominent family whose history goes way back- but that frequently is not the case.  When a customer approaches and asks if you have files on family names, indexes of death notices or obituaries, or census records that should send a clear message to you that they are looking for genealogical information.

You need to determine what the customer needs as they may already have tons of information already and are looking for a specific fact that has eluded them or, they may be just beginning and do not even know where to start.  Likely they are somewhere in-between.

Begin by asking these three questions:
  • Where have you already looked?  This is important not only so that you do not duplicate where they have already searched, but it will give you some idea of how far along they are with their work.

  • How far back have you traced your family?  That is, chronologically.  If someone has traced their ancestors back to the Revolutionary War you don’t want to give them something that only goes back to World War II.

  • What part of the state does the family come from?  Really what you are getting at here is what County or area did they live?  Many resources for family history in Maryland are specific to a town or county.  Some counties have tons written about their families (e.g., Frederick), other very little (Cecil).  Frequently local sources will not only have information on the family they are seeking, but can also identify other relatives living nearby.
Need to provide some good Web sites?  The genealogy subject guide on the homepage of the Maryland Department at SLRC can get you started.  There you will find a list of basic genealogy sites like Cyndi’s List and the GenWeb Project that are useful in finding family history information for Marylanders and are great jumping off points.  The Maryland Department’s genealogy page also has a link to a useful how-to guide called Starting Your Own Genealogical Research that describes the resources and access to material in the State Library Resource Center.

If you want to direct a customer to a database, remember everyone with a valid Maryland library card can access HeritageQuest through Sailor.  You may also subscribe to Ancestry Library Edition in your library.  These two databases form a foundation for relevant genealogy information like census records, city directories and passenger arrivals.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

A student comes up to the desk and says that he needs two scholarly articles to write a paper for school. How do I help him?

You can see whether or not an article is scholarly by checking for footnotes or looking at the end of the article to see if there’s a list of references.  Another clue is to see if the author is affiliated with an institution such as a university.  Many scholarly journals have as part of their title the words journal, review, or research.  Check to see if the publication comes from a professional organization.  And if the article has either technical terms or vocabulary, that could mean it’s a scholarly article.

Many databases will make the task of searching for scholarly articles easier – they do the work for you.  When you enter your search terms, look at the display to see if there’s a place to check off for scholarly journals.  Sometimes this is called peer-reviewed or maybe refereed.  When you get your hits, the articles will be selected for scholarly articles only and you are on your way.

For more information and tips for finding scholarly articles, check out the Finding Scholarly Articles How-to Guide by the Periodicals Department.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

A customer wants information on starting a small business. What is the best starting point to answer the question?

Though simply stated, this is a pretty broad question, and in order to find out where to start, you need a little more information. Otherwise, you may take her down the completely wrong path.
  • Does the customer have an idea what kind of business to start, or is she still trying to figure that out?
  • Is the customer already in the process but needs help writing a business plan?
  • Does the customer need to know what kinds of licenses or permits are needed?
Looks like it’s time for a good old-fashioned reference interview with some open-ended questions. “Can you tell me a little more?” “Where in the process are you?”

If your customer is starting from square one and doesn’t even know what kind of business to start, there are a number of good books to recommend, such as Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash, Small Business Start-Up Kit, or Small Business Kit for Dummies. Your library probably has books like these if not the actual titles.

Also, the Small Business Administration Web site is full of information for people in every step of the small business process, from beginners to seasoned professionals.

Writing a business plan can be a pretty daunting task too. There are many general books on writing business plans, which your library may have, but an individual working on a plan will need specific information on industry trends, competition, and customer demographics that relate to her kind of business.
  • Hoover’s Industry Overview offers free information on dozens of industry sectors.
  • The Census Bureau has demographic information on people from the American Factfinder page and competition information from its Economic Census page.
The place to find license information is the Maryland Business License Information System, where you can type in the kind of business the customer wants to open and receive links to the appropriate state agencies that oversee possible permits they may need.

To find other useful information look at the Pratt Library’s Small Business Corner.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Is Google the best search engine for the Internet? What can I use other search engines for?

There are a number of search engines that you can use to help answer questions -- Yahoo, Ask, LiveSearch and Dogpile among them.  Most important is to be familiar with what you use regularly.

Assuming that you do use Google, try to know the basics and explore some of the advanced features. Google’s home page is very plain, but if you click on Advanced Search, there are many other options. You can search within particular domains (edu, org, etc.); kinds of files (Word, pdf, Excel, etc.); without certain words, and a variety of other possibilities. For reference you might use the translators, Google Books or Google Scholar. You can type a zip code, an area code, a currency conversion, a telephone number, and other common questions into the search box and find an answer. Google Maps and News offer good reference assistance also. Be sure to look at Advanced Search options when searching on each of the Google search.

Should you always use one search engine? If you’re looking for pictures or images, be sure to check others. Search engines process image requests differently so you might be surprised to see what results you get.

So regardless of which search engine you use, learn the features that will enable you to help your customers.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

What Resources are Available for Aspiring Musicians?

Music is a popular topic of interest for library patrons. A very common and often difficult reference question to answer is “How do I make it in the music business?” or “How do I copyright my song?”

To start, learn more about the patron’s information need. Do they just want to copyright one song? How familiar is the patron with the music business? After conducting a reference interview, establish the type of resource that will be best for this particular patron.

If a patron wants to know how to copyright their song or is wondering about licensing music; Web sites are usually the best resource as the information is current, and often includes forms and filing procedures.

The United States Copyright Office is very useful for music business questions. Copyright terms are explained and telephone help-line numbers are provided. Copyright forms can be printed from this Web site, filled out, and mailed to the Copyright Office.

If the information need of the patron is more general, such as “How do I make it in the music business?” or “How can I find a record deal?,” a book that gives an overview of music business may be the best option.  Some recommended books include:


For additional resources and Web sites, check the Music Business subject guide.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Top Ten Programming Tips for Children Age 8 - 12

We received this question from Jeannine Finton from Harford County Public Library who is an LATI participants:

"I read the SLRC “programming tips for children” and realized that these were tips for story times for young children (2 yrs to 7 yrs) But libraries also program to older children. What differences in approach are recognized?"

In response, we've come up with a list of top ten programming tips for children ages 8-12.

  1. Be friendly, warm, and welcoming. If you remember children by name, greet them accordingly. Engage positive emotions such as happiness, excitement, suspense, and surprise. Make sure everyone HAS FUN.

  2. Encourage participation; ask for volunteers to do something, such as trying tongue twisters or brain teasers. Create an environment that fully immerses participants in the program experience. Include movement if possible.

  3. Combine activities so that more than one sense is used. Utilizing many different venues recognizes that each child learns differently. Book reading, booktalking, storytelling, music, movement, and puppetry, are all effective with school-age children.

  4. Find a way to help children build a personal connection with topics; if you are booktalking, choose a subject that has some relevance to them. Give the children a realistic problem to solve or ask for their opinion by voting on something."

  5. Assess the interests and needs of the audience. Children who are 8 and children who are 12 have different interests. Keep spare books aside in case you attract an audience that is much younger or older than you expected.

  6. Provide enrichment through your programs. Add unique experiences that the children might not get elsewhere. For instance, try an activity with colored scarves (using them to be a pirate, an old lady, a Canadian Mountie). Sparks the imagination of your program participants.

  7. Schedule public programs for times when school-age children are in the library!

  8. Always mention library resources, including free online homework help.

  9. Have your supplies ready ahead of time. Books for booktalking should be set aside at least one week in advance to make sure they are still available on the day of the program. Preparing craft programs a week in advance ensures that there will be enough materials and that your supplies are in good condition.

  10. As long as you don’t think it is babyish, they won’t think it is babyish. For instance, if you want to use picture books, just add an introductory sentence such as: “Some picture books are meant for older children and adults. They have sophisticated humor and more complicated story lines, but because they have lots of pictures, older children don’t usually read them. Today I am going to read you some pictures books that I would never read to preschoolers, but I know you’ll enjoy them because you are the intended audience.”

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A student has a list of ten African American scientists and needs to find biographical information and a photo. Where should you direct them?

For a comprehensive list of African American scientists, Blacks in Science and Medicine is the recommended resource. It lists over 1500 biographies, which include birth and death dates, specialties, education, employment, and organizations. The range of coverage is wide, extensive and tremendously useful.

The Faces of Science: African Americans in the Scientists includes an extensive list of scientists, including biographical information and pictures. Scientists are organized by profession or name.

For research about African American scientists, Notable Black American Scientists contains a rich source of information from colonial time until present. The entry begins with basic information about each subject--name, year of birth and death (if deceased), and specialty. Additionally, it follows with biographical essay covering the subject's life and professional accomplishments as well as photos. And, the scientific explanation is easily presented for students with science and non-science background.

The African American Department has also created a How-to Guide called Researching African American Scientists and Inventors which would provide much assistance to librarians or customers. It covers additional Web sites and books that can provide biographical information and pictures of different African American scientists.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Sights and Sounds

The Sights and Sounds Department at the State Library Resource Center includes all of the audio-visual materials, covering CDs, audiobooks, DVDs, and videos.

Essential Resources

Roger Ebert’s Movie Yearbook and Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide are annual guides that are quick and reliable sources for patron’s seeking movie reviews.

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, written by film critics and historians, is a thoughtfully compiled list of movies selected for their historical importance and popular acclaim.   

501 Movie Stars: A Comprehensive Guide to the Greatest Screen Actors is filled with bios and filmographies, as well as an entertaining collection of quotes from the stars off-camera.

501 Movie Directors: A Comprehensive Guide to the Greatest Filmmakers profiles important film directors, including a discussion of their work and influences, their complete filmography, and listing of awards they have received.

Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, authored by jazz historians, features more than 14,000 reviews of CDs and 400 new artist entries. Entries include very brief descriptions of the artists and a list of their recordings, with reviews and ratings by the authors.

Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings surveys the recorded work of more than a thousand blues artists with crisp, expert, and witty reviews of almost six thousand recordings

Classical Music: Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion is an excellent guide to classical music which ranges over the entire history of recorded sound, with 50-plus contributors covering some 500 composers.

The New Penguin Opera Guide presents an encyclopedia of major operas, offering text sources, premiere dates, character names with voice types, synopses, and some critical remarks.

Books Out Loud: Bowker’s Guide to Audiobooks contains bibliographic information on over 120,050 titles, including more than 16,500 on CD.  Listings include reader's name, price, running time, number of cassettes or CD's, content summary, release date, abridged or unabridged version, and availability.

Other Sources

Bowker’s Complete Video Directory together with The Video Source Book are the most comprehensive video directories on the market.  They are good for tracking down hard-to-find titles and providing patrons with a definitive reference and selection guide to the video market.

AV Marketplace is a directory of companies that create, apply, or distribute Audio-Visual equipment and services for business, education, science, and government.

VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever is the most extensive single volume resource for movie reviews available, containing reviews of more than 22,000 movies written with wit and humor.

VideoHound’s World Cinema: The Adventurer’s Guide to Movie Watching is a highly subjective but always entertaining work of short critiques of hundreds of non-U.S. movies from all times and countries. Interspersed are short biographies of major directors and performers.  The book concludes with an excellent index

Animation on DVD is an extensive guide to animation and anime films available on DVD.  Entries include storylines, reviews, history, ratings, and technical data.

Schwann Opus is the primary consumer listing of classical, jazz and pop recordings, and is supplemented by a constantly updated Web site.

The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States is an authoritative resource on American film information for the years 1893-1972, containing plot summaries, full production credits, details of cast and music, and indexing by both subject and genre.

Film Index International to Film Periodicals is a major information resource for entertainment films and personalities. With a scholarly, inclusive approach to all film genres, this work provides international coverage, indexing films from over 170 countries.

The Encyclopedia of Television includes histories of major television networks as well as broadcasting systems around the world and is complemented by resource materials, photos and bibliographical information.

Encyclopedia of Documentary Film is a fully international reference work on the history of the documentary film that explains concepts and themes in the study of documentary film, the techniques used in making films, and the institutions that support their production, appreciation, and preservation.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

What are the five essential ready reference resources?

You can’t go wrong with these books:
  • World Book Encyclopedia – a 22 volume source which can help you answer anything from what are the dimensions of a horseshoe court? to what are the signs of the zodiac? Also has great biographies of famous people, country information and covers nearly every other subject you can think of.

  • World Almanac and Book of Facts 2008 – a great one volume resource for questions like: How many $5 bills are in circulation? What are the all-time highest rated TV programs? How many Triple Crown winners have there been?

  • American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language – not only the spelling and definitions of words, but also great usage notes like: When do you use a and when do you use an?

  • Chases’ Calendar of Annual Events – Answers such questions as: Is Thanksgiving always on the last Thursday of November? Who was born on August 18th? Is anything celebrated on September 7th? Or even when do they add leap seconds?

  • Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations – Who said what and where did they say it? For example, who said “Big Brother is watching you?” [George Orwell, 1984 pt I ch1]

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Maryland

The Maryland Department of the State Library Resource Center focuses on all things Maryland.  From historical records to legal information to genealogical sources, the Maryland Department is the best source for all things Maryland.

Essential Resources

The Annotated Code of the Public General Laws of Maryland (the Code, not annotated, is also available online) is necessary in a public library for customers to check up-to-date laws in force.

Maryland, a Middle Temperament, 1634-1980 is the most comprehensive and best history of Maryland written in the past half century.

File for Divorce in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.  A plain language reference for complicated family law questions that includes copies of the forms that customers need.

Directory of Maryland Church Records identifies where records from churches around the state are held, including records that pre-date official genealogical records.

The Place Names of Maryland, Their Origin and Meaning is one of the few books that identifies where Maryland locations got their name.

Maryland Business Directory (online as Reference USA) has basic information on every individual establishment and is arranged geographically and by type of business.

An Index of the Source Records of Maryland, Genealogical, Biographical, Historical.
Originally printed in 1940, this book contains citations to identify where information on people and surnames can be found.  An indispensible resource and a last resort when other genealogical information cannot be located.

History of Maryland, From the Earliest Period to the Present Day is a 3 volume set, published in 1879 and simply the most comprehensive history of the state written up to the late nineteenth century.

The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy is the one book to turn to when you need to learn about any type of genealogical record or method.

Maryland Practice Forms is the most useful book of legal forms containing blank copies of subjects like power of attorney, adoption, name change and various motions.

Other Sources

Maryland Guide to Local, State and Federal Laws Governing Tenant-Landlord Relations: Including Laws Prohibiting Discrimination in Housing breaks down renter’s law into terms everyone can understand but also cites the appropriate sections of the Maryland code.

How to Start a Business in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia an all-in-one guide for customers needing information on starting any form of business in the state.

Criss-Cross Directories are reverse telephone directories that are arranged by address rather than name.  They are invaluable for finding people and businesses in past years.

Black’s Law Dictionary is the most authoritative source when looking for definitions or synonyms for legal terms.  If you have law in your library, you must have Black’s. 

Motion Picture Exhibition in Baltimore: An Illustrated History and Directory of Theaters, 1895-2004 is an encyclopedic work on movie and stage theaters in the Baltimore area that provides historical information and photos.  There is a volume for the Washington area too.

International Building Code is a necessary reference as the state, counties and local jurisdictions are adopting these national standardized codes.

Maryland Operating Budget.  Aside from the obvious financial information the budget has information on personnel detail, salaries, departmental objectives and statistics.

West’s Maryland Law Encyclopedia: Based on Maryland Statutes, Case law, State and Federal; Attorney General Opinions and Law Reviews.  The savior for those who are not versed in the law, this encyclopedia has explanatory chapters for each area of the law and cites statutes in the Code as well as court precedents

What to Do About Personnel Problems in Maryland is an up-to-date digest of federal and state laws that relate to work and employment in Maryland. 

Maryland, a Guide to the Old Line State.  Published as part of the WPA state guide series in 1940, this is the definitive guide to places and historical locations in Maryland

Thursday, October 30, 2008

What resources are available for helping someone research religious topics?

For general research, The Encyclopedia of Religion is a wide ranging resource, including terms and names, well indexed. The Web site, Exploring Religions covers the five major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, with glossaries, timelines, and descriptions of the organization, texts, and other information for each.

Bible Study basic resources include The Anchor Bible Dictionary which includes names, places, items, events, and other Biblical information with detailed word origins and histories of events. A valuable Web site is Bible Gateway, an on-line concordance to the Bible covering many versions of the Bible. Languages available include Portuguese, Spanish, Hebrew, and Korean.

For the history of Islam, the Internet Islamic History Sourcebook has a chronology from pre-Islamic times to post-World War II and the present and histories of issues such as the Crusades and nationalism. The Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an contains detailed articles on the people, events, symbols, and places of the Qur’an.

For more information, check out the Religion subject guides.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Humanities

The Humanities Department of the State Library Resource Center covers such topics as religion, philosophy, theater, movies, TV, language, literature, and library science.

Essential Resources


The Essay and General Literature Index: Indexes books of essays on subjects including both philosophy, history, and literature.

Encyclopedia of Religion: Detailed articles covering religions from all parts of the world, religious figures, gods and goddesses, concepts, terms, and peoples.

New Catholic Encyclopedia. Information about all aspects of the Roman Catholic religion, other religions, saints, popes, and other figures of importance to Catholicism.

Benét’s Reader’s Encyclopedia. Information about literary works, fictional characters, authors and poets, literary terms, literary movements and trends throughout history.

A Handbook to Literature. Definitions of literary terms of all types, detailed explanations with examples.

Novels for Students. Analyzes individual novels with brief biographies of the authors, plot summaries, analyses of each character, themes, discussions of styles, excerpts from literary criticisms, and bibliographies.

Contemporary Literary Criticism. Offers literary criticism for current writers or those who died after 1960. Index at Reference desk.

The Columbia-Granger’s Index to Poetry. The standard work for locating specific poems in collections.

Oxford English Dictionary. The authoritative dictionary of the English Language, giving not only definitions, but also the history of each word.

Contemporary Authors. Bio-bibliographies of authors, including lists of works and brief biographies.

MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. Guide to the most commonly used style for language and literature term papers, including online and other electronic citations.

Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. Chronological listing of famous quotations dating from Biblical times to the present.

Other Sources

The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. In depth and highly detailed articles on philosophy including terms, biographies, histories of philosophical movements and eras.

Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an. In-depth historical and religious information about the Qur’an.

The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Location of each word used in the King James Version of the Bible, along with the use of word variations according to translation.

Anchor Bible Dictionary. Comprehensive information about the bible including etymology of names and words, descriptions of places plus maps, and histories of events from non-Biblical sources.

Shakespeare for Students. Analyzes Shakespeare's works including plot summaries, analyses of each character, themes, discussions of styles, excerpts from literary criticisms, and bibliographies.

Twentieth Century Literature Criticism. Offers literary criticism for authors writing in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

The Film Encyclopedia. Comprehensive listings of actors, directors, film terminology, producers, and other information.

The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. A very detailed series of volumes covering the years 1893-1950 and then 1961-1970, offering extensive plot summaries as well as various indices.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

How do I help library customers find a good novel to read?

Readers’ advisory is a term used to describe introducing readers to books they’ll enjoy. You’re making reading suggestions based on information received from readers about their reading tastes and moods, and matching the reader with the right books at the right time. All of those skills that make for a good reference librarian, skills like verifying, clarifying, paraphrasing, and asking open ended questions, are also vital to what’s known as the readers’ advisory interview.

A sure-fire opening question in a readers’ advisory interview is to say to the customer “Tell me about a book that you’ve read recently that you’ve enjoyed.” This encourages the customers to describe his or her reading interests so that you can provide the customer with novels that match those interests. Listen to what the customer tells you about what appeals to him or her about a particular book. Also probe for dislikes. Offer the customer several books as possibilities so that the customer can pick and choose among the titles that you’ve suggested.

To provide successful readers’ advisory service you should have a broad knowledge of the many genres of popular fiction. Use reviews, book jackets, customer and co-workers’ comments, Web sites, databases, and reference titles to help you gain familiarity with the universe of recreational fiction. Sample a variety of fictional genres and sub-genres in your own personal reading to increase your knowledge of the fiction collection that you’re working with. Keep a journal of what you read.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Fine Arts and Recreation

The Fine Arts and Recreation Department of the State Library Resource Center covers such subjects as art, music, architecture, dance, antiques, and sports.

Essential Resources

The Dictionary of Architecture and Construction offers comprehensive coverage of architectural and construction terms, with nearly 25,000 definitions and 2,500 illustrations.

Grove’s Dictionary of Art is a 34 volume encyclopedic reference set covering all aspects of art, including history, techniques, places, artist biographies and more.

Janson’s History of Art is considered one of the definitive reference sources on Western art, this book is arranged chronologically from ancient times to postmodernism, and includes a helpful glossary.

Maloney’s Antiques and Collectibles Resource Directory is a first source subject guide to identify collectors, dealers, experts, businesses and publications that assist in the location, authentication, replacement, repair, and valuation when and buying and selling antiques and collectibles.

The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia includes statistics, standings, and historical information on the history, growth and game of professional football.

ESPN Sports Almanac offers an in-depth look at the previous year in sports, updated annually.

Hoyle's Rules of Games contains rules and advice on how to play many different card games and board games.

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is, despite its name, a hugely comprehensive encyclopedia that informative entries about music, musical terms, composers and performers.

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music covers popular music from 1900 to today with entries about everything from Broadway musicals to heavy metal music.

The Harvard Dictionary of Music is great for shorter, easy to understand explanations of musical terms.

Other Sources

Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price List offers an alphabetically arranged price guide for collectors, with historical backgrounds of the items included.

Warman’s Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide is an illustrated, large-format guide that also refers readers to pertinent publications, museums, collectors, clubs and auction houses.

The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms is a concise dictionary containing over 2,000 entries on the subjects of painting and sculpture, architecture and photography, as well as the decorative, applied, and graphic arts.

The Artist’s Handbook of Materials and Techniques is an excellent resource for detailed information related to the technical side of painting, including descriptions of pigments, different paint media, a pigment catalog, and an extensive index.

Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport is a four volume set that covers the histories of world sport, as well as issues that affect and have affected the history of sports around the world.

International Encyclopedia of Dance set covers all forms of dance as well as biographical information about its most well known practitioners in a six volumes.

Martial Arts of the World contains a wealth of information on many forms of martial arts from around the world.

The Great Song Thesaurus includes information for over 11,000 popular songs from the 16th century to the 1980’s.

The Popular Song Index, now on it’s fourth supplement, is one of the best sources out there for finding sheet music.

This Business of Music is considered the standard text on music business, with information about recording contracts, copyright, performance rights and much more.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

How do I know if I can show a movie in a public setting without breaking copyright law?

Copyright law protects the copyright owner’s right “to authorize or prohibit” the public performance of a video recording. A “public performance” is defined as any screening of a film in any format outside of a group of family and friends in a home. Except for a small percentage of titles in the public domain, most videorecordings are protected by copyright law and require permission from the copyright owner to show the film publicly.

As a rule of thumb, you are prohibited from screening any “Hollywood movies” released by major film studios (Disney, Sony, Warner Brothers, etc.) and may have to purchase screening rights – even if you’re a non-profit institution and are not charging admission.

However, some vendors of educational videos sell institutional versions of titles that automatically come with public performance rights.

To see a list of these vendors as well as additional information about public performance rights and film clearance, see the How Do I Find Out if a Movie Has Public Performance Rights? guide.

Need more assistance determining whether or not a movie has public performance rights? Contact the Sights and Sounds Department at the Maryland State Library Resource Center/Enoch Pratt Free Library at (410) 396-4616 or e-mail us at sas@prattlibrary.org.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Childrens

The Children's Department at the State Library Resource Center serves children from birth to age 12 and includes materials on all non-fiction and fiction topics.

Essential Resources

World Book Encyclopedia: a must have for any reference desk, especially children’s where there is strong need for quick access info.

Basic dictionary (copies on reference and circulation): The Macmillan Dictionary for Children is a wonderful choice for children’s desks.

Grangers Index to Poetry (also available online) is great for those “I remember the first line of a poem…” moments.

A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children’s Picture Books is an amazing resource for non-children’s staff that may have a patron who needs picture books on a particular topic.

Best Books for Children: Preschool Through Grade 6 is a resource that is indexed thematically, but goes all the way through grade 6; useful for those students who need to read a themed book but don’t know where to start.

African American Biography is heavily used during February and throughout the year for famous/important African Americans.

New Book of Popular Science comes in handy when a young person (grades 5 and up) comes in and needs quick information on a specific science subject.

Other Sources

Something About the Author is often used when teachers or high school students do author study projects.

Children’s Literature Review is used when students (or professionals) are asked to find literary criticisms of major work of children’s literature.

Storyteller’s Sourcebook: A Subject, Title, and Motif Index to Folklore Collections for Children is an amazing tool for storytellers who need ideas or are trying to find different versions of stories to tell.

Using Picture Storybooks to Teach Literary Devices is a great tool for teachers who want a different perspective on teaching metaphors, foreshadowing, etc.

Characters in Children’s Literature “contains critical introductions to over 1700 characters from 230 works of children's literature from Canada, Great Britain, the United States, and Australia.”

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Where do I turn to find demographic information?

Demography refers to statistical information on population characteristics, such as the number, age, gender, and race of persons in a specific location. People looking for demographics often also want information on income, educational attainment, employment and other social or economic data.

The premier source of demographic information is the U.S. Census Bureau, using their Factfinder Web site. In addition to data from the count of all U.S. residents taken every 10 years, you can find data for areas like counties and larger cities from the most recent American Community Survey, which is updated each year. For smaller areas, like zip codes or census tracts (small geographic units that larger places are divided into), only data from the 2000 census is reported.

Some libraries purchase the Community Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics published by a private data company for more current estimates. Recent estimates or projections for other smaller places are sometimes provided on local government web sites, or you can contact an affiliate of the Maryland State Data Center for advice on how to find specific data, including older data and data for neighborhoods.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Business, Science and Technology

The Business, Science and Technology Department at the State Library Resource Center covers subject areas such as: business, science, technology, psychology, health and medicine, crafts, cooking, animals, computers, and military and naval sciences.


Essential Resources

Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science & Technology has concise biographical essays that span the entire history of science, from Imhotep (2980-2950 BCE) to Stephen Hawking (born 1942).

Consumer Drug Reference has information on more than 12,000 medicines, including vitamins, minerals and the newest drugs, full color identification chart of pills and tablets, drug precautions and side effects, and correct dosage information.

The Dictionary of Business Terms is a pocket-sized reference to some 7,500 terms used in banking, taxes, finance, and real estate.
   
Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary is a classic dictionary of medical terminology with numerous plates illustrating anatomy.

The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine has 1,750 entries covering diseases and conditions, common drugs, medical tests, treatments and procedures written on an easy reading level for consumers.

Hoover’s Handbook of American Business has profiles of 750 major U.S. companies that provide a brief overview and history, executives, contact information including Web site address, key competitors, and ten-year financials.

Johns Hopkins Symptoms and Remedies: The Complete Home Medical Reference  has two sections: the first includes over 200 charts of symptoms and commonly associated disorders, and the second section consists of one page articles on disorders.

The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology is written for people of high-school education and higher, and it contains more than 7,100 signed articles covering all areas of science and technology.

The Merck Manual of Medical Information is based upon the content of the professional Merck Manual and was rewritten using “easy-to-understand language” with illustrations added to assist the nonprofessional user. 

The Statistical Abstract of the United States is the authoritative summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other federal agencies and private organizations.

Other Sources

Published since 1937, Bowes & Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used provides authoritative information on the nutritional content of foods and beverages, including many brand name products.

The Business Plans Handbook is a compilation of successful business plans developed by actual small businesses, including a directory of Small Business Development Centers in the U.S., a glossary of small business terms, and a bibliography of additional resources.

Along with giving the basics of starting a business, How to Start a Business in Maryland has special sections relating to Maryland, incentives for doing business in Maryland, forms you'll need to get started, state and private agency contacts, and state loan programs.

The Joy of Cooking covers everything from healthy diets, entertaining, and ingredients, to beverages, appetizers, soups, breads, main dishes, and desserts and is a helpful source for all kinds of recipes, as well as history, nutritional content, and buying and storing food.

Using plain language, the Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business explains the main legal issues involved in starting and running a small business, including the advantages and drawbacks of various types of legal entities; obtaining licenses and permits; buying business insurance; hiring and managing employees; entering into contracts; and paying business taxes.   

Patent It Yourself takes users from the definitions of what a patent and a patentable invention are, through the application process, to post-patent issues such as maintenance and infringement.

The Patient’s Guide to Medical Tests provides information on the tests most commonly used by physicians. The entries include a definition, patient preparation, description of the procedure, normal values, and diseases associated with abnormal results.

The Physicians’ Desk Reference is a compilation for health professionals of drug information provided by the manufacturer. This book includes a drug’s description, clinical pharmacology, indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, adverse reactions, dosage and administration, how supplied, and references.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association gives readers all the information they need about the process of publication, from organizing, writing, keying, and submitting your manuscript to seeing the accepted manuscript through production and publication.

The Value Line Investment Survey is a popular investment advisory service that continuously analyzes and reports on 1,700 public companies. Reports are issued by industry with a one-page update and evaluation of conditions in the industry as a whole.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Why should you cite the source to your customers? How do I do it?

In our efforts to answer reference questions completely, we need to remember to cite the source of the information we’ve found. Why is this important and how do we do it?

First, citing the source assures the customer that the information we’re giving comes from an authoritative and reliable source.

Second, and this is especially important if you’re helping a student, citing the source gives the customer a way to verify and double check the information later on if necessary.

Third, sometimes there can be more than one ‘right’ answer to a question. Citing the source validates where the information was found.

Finally, citing the source is critical when working with customers electronically or over the phone since they can’t see the materials you’re using.

How do we cite sources? A lot depends on the type of source you’re using. A basic citation includes the author, title, publication date, and page or table number. If the source is part of a multi-volume set, mention the volume number, and, if it’s a particular edition, mention that, too. If you’re using a database or Website, give the URL. If the URL is a long one, another option is to tell the customer which search engine to use (Google, for instance), the words to type into the search box, and which document has the information (the third listing on the second page, for instance).  The Website Citation Machine gives examples of what elements to cite and how different types of sources should be cited.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Essential Resources and Other Sources: Social Science and History

The Social Science and History Department at the State Library Resource Center covers subject areas including: law, history, travel and maps, genealogy, sociology, politics, archaeology, politics, and education.

Essential Resources

For customers asking for definitions of legal terms, Black’s Law Dictionary is your standard source. It also contains a useful table of legal abbreviations.

The Complete Dictionary of Symbols gives you a one-volume source that explores the meanings behind many of our most familiar symbols.

Current Biography Yearbook is great for biographical articles on living leaders across the globe.

A customer planning a birthday celebration for her grandmother needs a source that will tell her events and popular books, plays, and songs for the year 1945. The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates will assist you in finding the answers.

If you’re trying to find information about any U.S. President, Facts about the Presidents: From George Washington to George W. Bush is, by far, the most comprehensive source.

Guide Book of United States Coins (or U.S. coin red book, as most of us think of it) is perfect for any questions your customers may have about U.S. coins.

Guinness World Records is fun to read as well as a useful reference tool. It provides thousands of records covering such fields as entertainment, geography, science, and sports.

The Official Congressional Directory is the place to go for any questions about a U.S. Representative, Senator, or Congress, in general.

Peterson’s Guide to Four-Year Colleges will give you recent information on financial aid, majors, student life, tuition, and athletics.

If you have ever wondered where to look for census, church, court, land, or military records, The Source: a Guidebook to American Genealogy is the perfect starting point.

Other Sources

Almanac of American Politics provides analysis of U.S. senators, representatives, and governors along with a look at their voting records and the districts they represent.

Europa World Year Book is great for customers looking for more detail on recent developments in economics, education, defense, and politics for specific countries.

Ever have someone ask you about the meaning of their last name? The Dictionary of American Family Names will tell you both the derivation of an American family name and the meaning.

The newly-revised Dictionary of American History provides users with an excellent resource on any question dealing with American history.

For students looking for details on daily life during a specific time, The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life: A Tour through History from Ancient Times to the Present is the perfect starting point for research.

The Handbook of Private Schools is the standard educational resource for information on private schools in the United States and Canada.

The Statesman’s Year-book is an excellent source for information on government, defense, economy, trade, communications, social institutions, and natural resources for every country in the world.

The United States Government Manual furnishes information on the various agencies of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government.

U.S. Laws, Acts, and Treaties is a great help for library customers seeking background information on a specific law or act such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the Family and Medical Leave Act.

West’s Encyclopedia of American Law explains legal issues and topics in a manner comprehensible to readers who are not attorneys. This is particularly useful for people looking for information on subjects such as civil liberties or habeas corpus.

Essential Resources and Other Sources

For the next eight weeks, Tuesdays will feature resource lists covering different subject areas.  Each resource list will start with the Essential Resources, ten books that can serve as go-to references for each subject area.  These essential resources should be found in most libraries or available in the region.

The second part of the list will include a second tier of books, called Other Sources.  These Other Sources will be some of the not-as-obvious sources that can help answer some of the more difficult and unusual questions in each subject area.

If your library doesn't have the sources we've listed, please feel free to give the State Library Resource Center a call (410-396-5430) with your reference questions.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Top 10 Tips for Putting Together Excellent Children's Programs

  1. Keep in mind that the main goal of library program is to build positive connections with the library, with books, and with you – the librarian. You are not a teacher and your job is not to prepare lessons. Your job is to give your audience such a wonderful literacy-based experience that they will want to come back to the library over and over, that they will want to read books, and that they will feel comfortable speaking with their librarian.

  2. Plan for your program to last 30 minutes as that is a typical length of a children's program. Know what age group you will be working with and plan accordingly.

  3. Always welcome people warmly as they enter into the programming room.

  4. Always introduce yourself.

  5. Start every program with a song, rhyme, or fingerplay.

  6. It is good practice to always start with the same song, rhyme, or fingerplay and end with the same song, rhyme or fingerplay. This helps define the space of the program and gives the children a sense of recognition and consistency.

  7. Read the longest book first.

  8. Plan some standing up activities in the middle of the program so the children have time to get some exercise. They will then be able to sit for the rest of the program.

  9. Only use books that you like. If you plan your programs based on themes but the books on that theme are not ones you particularly like, use books that you know are great instead and don't worry about the theme for that program.

  10. Don't rush away when the program is over! Take time to speak informally with parents and children.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

How do you help someone with a law question without giving legal advice?

How does a librarian working at a typical branch library develop confidence and expertise in handling law questions? Here are a few helpful hints:

Use the Model Reference Behaviors. Take some time and use your reference interview skills to make sure you understand what your customer is trying to find.

Be familiar with your legal resources, print, electronic, and web. Most libraries will have Black’s Law Dictionary, the standard dictionary of legal terminology. If your library doesn’t have Black’s, check your catalog. You might have another law dictionary that you can use for basic legal definitions. Another useful source for general legal information is a law encyclopedia such as West’s Encyclopedia of American Law. Some libraries have access to an online legal encyclopedia such as Gale’s Encyclopedia of Everyday Law.

Since it provides subject access to the laws of the State of Maryland, Michie’s Annotated Code of Maryland is in constant use in many public libraries. U.S. Government Depository libraries may have the U.S. Code, which provides subject access to the laws of the United States.

There are many legal resources available on the Web. The State Library Resource Center’s Getting Started in Legal Research guide serves as a useful introduction to some of the most useful websites. If you’re interested in learning how to use the Web version of the U.S. Code, look at our Using the U.S. Code Online tutorial.

Keep a current list of appropriate agencies for legal referrals. For example, you’ll want contact information for legal aid and local and state bar associations. It’s also useful to know which law libraries are available to the public in your area. These might be law schools or court law libraries.

Know what types of legal questions you can answer as opposed to those that require the services of an attorney. Here are examples of some legal questions that we can potentially answer:
  • Definitions of legal terms and expressions
  • How to use our legal resources
  • Find copies of specific U.S., state, or local laws
  • Locate a case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court
  • Basic information on attorneys
  • Legal forms (including where to find Maryland Circuit and District Court official forms)
Now that we know what we can do, what kinds of legal questions should we refer to other agencies or an attorney? Here are some examples:
  • A customer wants help writing his last will and testament.
  • A patron is having difficulty understanding a particular law and wants you to help her interpret it.
  • An individual is having difficulties with her next-door neighbor and wants to know what legal remedies are available.
In general, as public librarians, we can help people use legal resources and assist in finding specific laws and cases but we should always avoid providing legal advice or interpretation. When in doubt, consult with your supervisor or refer to your system’s reference service policy on legal questions.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Welcome!

Welcome to the Maryland Library Association Training Institute (LATI) Blog!

The librarians at the Maryland State Library Resource Center (SLRC) will be answering a wide variety of questions, covering suggestions on how to answer reference questions, reader's advisory, and tips for programming. We'll have a new question and answer each week for the duration of LATI.

If you have a question you'd like the SLRC experts to tackle, please send an email to the blog editor, Rebecca Immich Sullivan at rimmich@prattlibrary.org.