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.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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