This is a popular and frequent question for everyone. The answer is there are no grants.
I’ve heard this from an Small Business Administration representative. Another source for information to help back up the answer of no money here is the following Web site from the SBDC/University of Southern Idaho put this page together and provides additional information:
Is There Really FREE Money to Start Your Own Business
However, loans may be available from other sources. More information can be found in the Finding the Funds: A Guide for the Entrepreneur How-to Guide.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Review Thursday: Non-fiction
Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Vincent Bugliosi, 2007.
Okay, so you’re thinking, “Really? Another book about the Kennedy assassination? Is this necessary?” Well, yes. Acclaimed attorney and author of Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi sets out to crush any more speculation about who killed President Kennedy in November 1963. Although the book’s 1600 pages seems daunting for any casual reader, Bugliosi’s writing style brings the events to life in a way that only a great novelist could.
Painstakingly researched (the first section, slightly more than 300 pages, has more than 1500 endnotes alone), Bugliosi starts the book with a minute-by-minute account of the four days in November starting with the day of the assassination and ending with the funerals of both Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald. Following that are detailed accounts of the investigations, the autopsies, and the life of Oswald. The author then takes on every major conspiracy theory concerning the event in order to refute it in favor of what the actual evidence shows.
Anyone who thinks they know what happened between November 22 and November 25 doesn’t have the full picture until they’ve read this book. If you’re curious about what really happened, and didn’t happen, or even if you’re a fan of a good crime story, this book will not disappoint. Once you’re finished with this book, check out Oliver Stone’s JFK and compare notes. You’ll be glad you did.
Okay, so you’re thinking, “Really? Another book about the Kennedy assassination? Is this necessary?” Well, yes. Acclaimed attorney and author of Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi sets out to crush any more speculation about who killed President Kennedy in November 1963. Although the book’s 1600 pages seems daunting for any casual reader, Bugliosi’s writing style brings the events to life in a way that only a great novelist could.Painstakingly researched (the first section, slightly more than 300 pages, has more than 1500 endnotes alone), Bugliosi starts the book with a minute-by-minute account of the four days in November starting with the day of the assassination and ending with the funerals of both Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald. Following that are detailed accounts of the investigations, the autopsies, and the life of Oswald. The author then takes on every major conspiracy theory concerning the event in order to refute it in favor of what the actual evidence shows.
Anyone who thinks they know what happened between November 22 and November 25 doesn’t have the full picture until they’ve read this book. If you’re curious about what really happened, and didn’t happen, or even if you’re a fan of a good crime story, this book will not disappoint. Once you’re finished with this book, check out Oliver Stone’s JFK and compare notes. You’ll be glad you did.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I have a customer who wants to write a business plan. Where do I start?
Writing a business plan isn't as scary as it may seem at first. There are four areas where people need information for their business plan are:
There are also a lot of organizations that can help individuals with writing their business plan and small business start-up.
- Industry Trends
- Competition
- Demographics
- Marketing
- How-to tips/personal experiences
- Broad financial information (for example, industry sales grew from x to y in these years)
- How companies are responding to industry changes, demographic or marketing trends
- Statistics or other numbers for the industry
- Marketing information (for example, what other companies large and small may have done, what other companies have responded to)
- Industry information and trends
There are also a lot of organizations that can help individuals with writing their business plan and small business start-up.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Review Thursday: Fiction
Free Food for Millionaires (2007) Min Jin Lee
Amy Tan meets Lauren Weisberger in Min Jin Lee’s Free Food for Millionaires. Recent Princeton grad Casey Han is the child of Korean immigrant parents who work in a laundry in Queens. She’s a twenty-two-year-old first-generation American whose Princeton scholarships have catapulted her out of her immigrant background, and she’s acquired the expensive tastes and habits of her more advantaged, affluent classmates without the means to sustain them. Working in her first low-level job on Wall Street Casey quickly realizes that she lacks the opportunities of her trust-fund friends. She navigates 1990s Manhattan and struggles with jobs, lovers, money, cultural and intergenerational differences, and her family and friends.
This is not simply chick lit about a career girl in the big city. Instead, it’s an absorbing portrait of New York City and its world of have and have-nots, narrated by a protagonist who carries a copy of Middlemarch around in her bag, and who finally begins to realize what she really wants. Readers who enjoyed Juno Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao should be drawn to first novelist Lee’s complex tale of cultural friction.
Amy Tan meets Lauren Weisberger in Min Jin Lee’s Free Food for Millionaires. Recent Princeton grad Casey Han is the child of Korean immigrant parents who work in a laundry in Queens. She’s a twenty-two-year-old first-generation American whose Princeton scholarships have catapulted her out of her immigrant background, and she’s acquired the expensive tastes and habits of her more advantaged, affluent classmates without the means to sustain them. Working in her first low-level job on Wall Street Casey quickly realizes that she lacks the opportunities of her trust-fund friends. She navigates 1990s Manhattan and struggles with jobs, lovers, money, cultural and intergenerational differences, and her family and friends.This is not simply chick lit about a career girl in the big city. Instead, it’s an absorbing portrait of New York City and its world of have and have-nots, narrated by a protagonist who carries a copy of Middlemarch around in her bag, and who finally begins to realize what she really wants. Readers who enjoyed Juno Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao should be drawn to first novelist Lee’s complex tale of cultural friction.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
I know the government publishes a lot of information. When would you recommend seeking out government documents to answer a reference question?
United States Government documents are very useful in answering reference questions especially when the researcher is seeking primary sources (e.g., the text of federal laws and federal court cases), expert opinion (e.g., the testimony of expert witnesses at Congressional hearings), or the latest information on a given topic (e.g., current information on a particular country). U.S Government documents also offer demographic and statistical data as well as information useful for consumers. To get a sense of the variety and usefulness of these documents, take a look at our U. S. Government Documents Department’s Documents You Can Use. This will give you some idea of the breadth and scope of U.S. Government documents.
So how do I find these documents?
The U.S. Government Printing Office has created a Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP), which indexes documents from 1976 through present. The vast majority of references are to print documents. The U.S. Government Document can be found at your local Federal Depository Library. It’s worth remembering that the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is the finding aid for both print and electronic documents published by all three branches of government. In many cases, more recent documents are available electronically on the Web and you can easily locate them using this wonderful resource.
Another thing you’ll want to remember is that several of the most useful U.S. Government documents formerly available only in print are now also available electronically. These include the following:
So how do I find these documents?
The U.S. Government Printing Office has created a Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP), which indexes documents from 1976 through present. The vast majority of references are to print documents. The U.S. Government Document can be found at your local Federal Depository Library. It’s worth remembering that the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is the finding aid for both print and electronic documents published by all three branches of government. In many cases, more recent documents are available electronically on the Web and you can easily locate them using this wonderful resource.
Another thing you’ll want to remember is that several of the most useful U.S. Government documents formerly available only in print are now also available electronically. These include the following:
- United States Government Manual – the official handbook of the federal government containing information on all agencies of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches as well as independent agencies.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States – ready access to statistics on the economic, political, and social organization of the United States.
- CIA World Factbook – formerly available in both print and online formats, this useful source for information on the economy, geography, government, and people of every nation is now only available online.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Review Thursday: Children's Book
The House in the Night (2008) Susan Marie Swanson, Beth Krommes.
"Here is the key to the house." And so the story begins. Once you take the key, oh, what wonderful adventures you'll have! You will meet a book and the book will introduce you to a bird. The bird? She has a song! A beautiful song that she'll sing for you if you listen. Beth Krommes illustrated this 2009 Caldecott illustration award winner with black and white scratchboard with yellow highlights. This is a wonderful book for children who enjoy nursery rhymes. Also good for those readers who like cumulative stories; for example, “This is the House That Jack Built,” and “Hush Little Baby.”
The Graveyard Book (2008) Neil Gaiman.
Nobody Owens, Bod for short, lives in a graveyard. Yes, you read correctly, a graveyard. He lives among tombstones and the ghosts that inhabit the underneath of those stones. He is raised by a lovely elderly couple who never had children when they were alive. Bod also has a guardian, and he's a member of the "undead." All work together to help Bod solve the mystery of what happened to his family. Gaiman won the 2009 Newbery award for excellence in children's literature for this tale of the dead. This book bridges the gap between children’s and teen literature. Also, with vampire characters and the walking dead, this book serves as a light suggestion before readers consume the Twilight series.
The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale (2008) Willy Claflin.
A very uglified ducky in the piney woods of Maine suffers from a bad case of antlers. In addition, when it's time to make a proper ducky sound but instead goes "gronk aroo." Parents and doctor are baffled. Then, one day, the ducky meets a "magnifusent brown beasty" and he learns that he may not be a ducky after all. This story is great for those children with a sophisticated sense of humor. It could also be used with those readers addicted to Andersen’s “The Ugly Duckling” or fairy tales all around.
"Here is the key to the house." And so the story begins. Once you take the key, oh, what wonderful adventures you'll have! You will meet a book and the book will introduce you to a bird. The bird? She has a song! A beautiful song that she'll sing for you if you listen. Beth Krommes illustrated this 2009 Caldecott illustration award winner with black and white scratchboard with yellow highlights. This is a wonderful book for children who enjoy nursery rhymes. Also good for those readers who like cumulative stories; for example, “This is the House That Jack Built,” and “Hush Little Baby.”The Graveyard Book (2008) Neil Gaiman.
Nobody Owens, Bod for short, lives in a graveyard. Yes, you read correctly, a graveyard. He lives among tombstones and the ghosts that inhabit the underneath of those stones. He is raised by a lovely elderly couple who never had children when they were alive. Bod also has a guardian, and he's a member of the "undead." All work together to help Bod solve the mystery of what happened to his family. Gaiman won the 2009 Newbery award for excellence in children's literature for this tale of the dead. This book bridges the gap between children’s and teen literature. Also, with vampire characters and the walking dead, this book serves as a light suggestion before readers consume the Twilight series.The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale (2008) Willy Claflin.
A very uglified ducky in the piney woods of Maine suffers from a bad case of antlers. In addition, when it's time to make a proper ducky sound but instead goes "gronk aroo." Parents and doctor are baffled. Then, one day, the ducky meets a "magnifusent brown beasty" and he learns that he may not be a ducky after all. This story is great for those children with a sophisticated sense of humor. It could also be used with those readers addicted to Andersen’s “The Ugly Duckling” or fairy tales all around.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
I keep seeing news stories talking about Web 2.0 and new emerging technologies like Twitter and social networking. How can they be used in a library?
Web 2.0 technologies allow libraries to interact with users and non-users in new and exciting ways. Libraries can offer fast, updated library-related news and create a library presence far beyond the library’s walls. Twitter and other social networking sites can be another tool for promotion, gaining user feedback and participation, and helping the library create user-centered change and services.
What Pratt is doing with Web 2.0?
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, and Flickr
People can “friend” the library on these sites and receive updates on library news.
RSS Feeds
Another way to receive library news is through RSS feeds, which pulls information from many Web sites and displays it all together on one screen. RSS is especially handy for patrons who like to get news from several different web sites or enjoy reading weblogs.
Delicious (Social Bookmarking)
The librarians at the Central Library/State Library Resource Center have organized a variety of Web links using Delicious. Delicious is a social bookmarking Web service for storing, sharing, organizing and discovering Web bookmarks. Anyone can browse Delicious and see what other people find interesting -- you don't need to be logged in to explore.
Podcasts
Podcasts can also be subscribed to by users to receive automatic downloads of new content made available online. For libraries, this content may be recordings of programs or library tours, training, story times, local history, or anything else that the library may want to promote.
So what’s next?
Web 3.0 is now being thrown around as the new term, but what does it mean? How will the next round of technologies effect libraries? How can libraries keep up? Thankfully, librarians love to share ideas with each other. Blogs are a great way to stay on top of emerging trends in technology.
Here are a few that may be helpful
What Pratt is doing with Web 2.0?
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, and Flickr
People can “friend” the library on these sites and receive updates on library news.
RSS Feeds
Another way to receive library news is through RSS feeds, which pulls information from many Web sites and displays it all together on one screen. RSS is especially handy for patrons who like to get news from several different web sites or enjoy reading weblogs.
Delicious (Social Bookmarking)
The librarians at the Central Library/State Library Resource Center have organized a variety of Web links using Delicious. Delicious is a social bookmarking Web service for storing, sharing, organizing and discovering Web bookmarks. Anyone can browse Delicious and see what other people find interesting -- you don't need to be logged in to explore.
Podcasts
Podcasts can also be subscribed to by users to receive automatic downloads of new content made available online. For libraries, this content may be recordings of programs or library tours, training, story times, local history, or anything else that the library may want to promote.
So what’s next?
Web 3.0 is now being thrown around as the new term, but what does it mean? How will the next round of technologies effect libraries? How can libraries keep up? Thankfully, librarians love to share ideas with each other. Blogs are a great way to stay on top of emerging trends in technology.
Here are a few that may be helpful
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Review Thursday: Search Engine Features
Many librarians, not to mention our patrons, automatically go to a search engine, rather than consider databases or books. Many of us at service desks have experienced students who need help at a computer and it turns out they are using articles from Wikipedia. This is a perfect opportunity to let them know about databases, such as the Biography Resource Center. There are times when a number of books about a subject or reference books go into much more detail than anything from a web page.
Assuming you have considered other options and still think a search engine would serve your needs, there are a number of search engines that you can try. A search engine is your tool for finding information that your customer needs and you want to be able to use the best tools available. The University of California Berkeley Library maintains and updates a page on recommended search engines. This Web site touches on three search engines and their features.
Most people find a search engine with which they have their best success and use it consistently. We’ll always be alert to a better search engine and willing to try out new ones when they surface, but for now, since most librarians informally polled at SLRC tours say they use Google the most, each month we’ll generally be taking a look at features that might enhance your Google searching.
But before we focus more on Google, keep in mind that when you are searching for images, you will often find very different content depending upon the search engine you use. This is an opportunity to try out some other search engines. Choose a subject or two of interest to you. Take a look at images on Yahoo, Exalead, Ask, Bing, as well as Google, or any other search engine and you will usually see that the results of your image search vary widely from one search engine to the next. The filters will vary from one site to another (size, color, type, Flickr, etc.), but you will have a larger number of results to view.
Assuming you have considered other options and still think a search engine would serve your needs, there are a number of search engines that you can try. A search engine is your tool for finding information that your customer needs and you want to be able to use the best tools available. The University of California Berkeley Library maintains and updates a page on recommended search engines. This Web site touches on three search engines and their features.
Most people find a search engine with which they have their best success and use it consistently. We’ll always be alert to a better search engine and willing to try out new ones when they surface, but for now, since most librarians informally polled at SLRC tours say they use Google the most, each month we’ll generally be taking a look at features that might enhance your Google searching.
But before we focus more on Google, keep in mind that when you are searching for images, you will often find very different content depending upon the search engine you use. This is an opportunity to try out some other search engines. Choose a subject or two of interest to you. Take a look at images on Yahoo, Exalead, Ask, Bing, as well as Google, or any other search engine and you will usually see that the results of your image search vary widely from one search engine to the next. The filters will vary from one site to another (size, color, type, Flickr, etc.), but you will have a larger number of results to view.
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