1. Good Reads - http://www.goodreads.com/
Good Reads is a great resource. I subscribe to their newsletter, and am able to find out about new books, read interviews with authors and view gaggles of "if you loved this, read this" lists. They also have quizzes and trivia, which is a lot of fun.
2. Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/
It may seem silly, but I refer to Amazon several times a day, especially when a patron can't remember the exact title of the book, is unsure of an author, if I'm looking for a release date or to find the next book in a series. I find it especially helpful because, like google, it will automatically correct spelling errors or suggest "what you meant," unlike our library catalog.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Wrap Up - Library Institute Spring 2012
Discovery Exercise -
1. What was your biggest discovery? My biggest discovery was the widespread availability of the databases. While I knew that there was access from the public libraries, I did not realize that there were so many additional rescources avaialable through the state library. I came into this class as a new librarian with very little experience using electronic resources and feel like I now have a solid handle on what is out there and the confidence to dive in and find the information. The class guided me through the kinks, helped me understand how to restructure searches and troubleshoot and really narrow in on the desired information. These skills will be widely applicable as I navigate the resources available and work with patrons. Already, I have used the databases in some of my own research and am quick to jump to the online resources for patrons with research requests. Overall, the entire class has been a solid discovery process with a positive outcome. Thank you!
1. What was your biggest discovery? My biggest discovery was the widespread availability of the databases. While I knew that there was access from the public libraries, I did not realize that there were so many additional rescources avaialable through the state library. I came into this class as a new librarian with very little experience using electronic resources and feel like I now have a solid handle on what is out there and the confidence to dive in and find the information. The class guided me through the kinks, helped me understand how to restructure searches and troubleshoot and really narrow in on the desired information. These skills will be widely applicable as I navigate the resources available and work with patrons. Already, I have used the databases in some of my own research and am quick to jump to the online resources for patrons with research requests. Overall, the entire class has been a solid discovery process with a positive outcome. Thank you!
2. How will you promote or use the resources with your patrons, colleagues or students? Currently, our library website (which really does need to be updated) provides links to several of the electronic resources available through the state library. While this promotes quick access, I would say that most of our patrons are not aware of the scope and diversity of information available. To promote the resources, I will list them on our facebook page, direct patrons to them for research and provide more indepth information to the homeschool families and students of all age levels that regularly use the library. As a children's librarian, I will include the databases in challenges for students and encourage them to utilize the resources in their schoolwork.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Lesson 9 -- History and Genealogy Resources—Ancestry Library, Heritage Quest and Sanborn Maps
Discovery Exercise -
1. I spent quite a bit of time searching for myself in AncestryLibrary. I was not surprised that I did not find myself; I have a very common name and am fairly young, so I anticipated that it would not be an easy find. I did spend about 30 minutes refining my search and trying different search combinations. I did not end up finding myself. In the end, I searched for my mother's biological father, because I knew that she had done geneaology work in the same database and found him quite quickly.
2. As I said before, when I couldn't find myself I quickly searched for my mother's father and found his marriage announcement and several other records in city directories. I also found my father's mother in 1993 census data and found my father's parents's marriage certificate and was able to view an image of the original document. This was my favorite part -- the names and addresses were quite familiar, and I felt the satisfaction that so many people describe when using this database. I also found my grandfather's death record, which had a list of suggested documents in the right hand column. There, I was able to view an original copy of his birth certificate, link to my grandmother and view her birth certificate (hers is typed, his is handwritten) and link to my grandmother in Vermont's 1930 census (which lists her as two years older than she actually is) and view all of the original records. It was pretty fantastic. Logically, searching became easier with the more information I was able to provide. I searched for my father's father because I knew roughly his birth and death dates. This turned up a positive record and allowed me to link to the rest of the documents I found. You may not have to be dead to be listed in AncestryLibrary, but it does help narrow your search.
5. I searched Sanborn Maps for maps of Lead in May 1923. I was interested in finding the Homestake Opera House, also known as the Homestake Theatre or the recreation building. It took me a few minutes to get used to navigating the zoom and scroll features, but I was able to find what I was looking for in the index fairly quickly. Lead is a particularly challenging city to search because streets, buildings and entire neighborhoods were re-routed, picked up and moved, or entirely taken over to accomodate the needs of the Homestake Gold Mine. Orienting yourself on a handrawn map proves difficult. I found the opera house and was surprised by the amount of information listed directly on the map. Ironically, the fireproof sections of the theater are well marked -- the theater was partially destroyed by a fire that started in that area of the building in 1984. The building is currently being restored but is in regular use. I also searched for my own house, which was built by Homestake in 1890. As I suspected, it was located quite close to the large railroad tressel that ran over Lead and was much more downtown that it is today (Lead's Main Street has moved further up the hill as time passed and mining in the Open Cut expanded). The covered porch is denoted with dotted lines and the small addition is visible, as well as a small building with three entrances at the rear of the property. That building is no longer standing. The Sanborn Maps are a terrific resource and a lot of fun to browse.
1. I spent quite a bit of time searching for myself in AncestryLibrary. I was not surprised that I did not find myself; I have a very common name and am fairly young, so I anticipated that it would not be an easy find. I did spend about 30 minutes refining my search and trying different search combinations. I did not end up finding myself. In the end, I searched for my mother's biological father, because I knew that she had done geneaology work in the same database and found him quite quickly.
2. As I said before, when I couldn't find myself I quickly searched for my mother's father and found his marriage announcement and several other records in city directories. I also found my father's mother in 1993 census data and found my father's parents's marriage certificate and was able to view an image of the original document. This was my favorite part -- the names and addresses were quite familiar, and I felt the satisfaction that so many people describe when using this database. I also found my grandfather's death record, which had a list of suggested documents in the right hand column. There, I was able to view an original copy of his birth certificate, link to my grandmother and view her birth certificate (hers is typed, his is handwritten) and link to my grandmother in Vermont's 1930 census (which lists her as two years older than she actually is) and view all of the original records. It was pretty fantastic. Logically, searching became easier with the more information I was able to provide. I searched for my father's father because I knew roughly his birth and death dates. This turned up a positive record and allowed me to link to the rest of the documents I found. You may not have to be dead to be listed in AncestryLibrary, but it does help narrow your search.
3. When I searched "South Dakota" in locations and clicked on pictures, the first several images were of baseball teams. This is not what I expected to see, since the first record on the page was a 1940 census record for a nun. The baseball pictures were great -- I selected a baseball card for "Death Valley Jim" who was born in South Dakota and played in the Chicago American league from 1909-1917. This was a really fun search. I was excited to discover the depth and variety of data available.
4. I found HeritageQuest to be less user-friendly than AncestryLibray, but did find the content to be quite interesting. I searched the books section for "Connecticut" and found several results. I settled on a book titled Historic gleanings in Windham County, Connecticut, the county where much of my mother's family lives now and browsed through the first several pages. The second page is stamped by the Harvard College Library, and has a handwritten location number, which has been updated -- also by hand. I did a second search in PERSI for "how to write a book." The first article that came up is called "How to Write a Book Your Librarian Will Love." Perfect. To find the full text, however, I was prompted to fill out a request form.
5. I searched Sanborn Maps for maps of Lead in May 1923. I was interested in finding the Homestake Opera House, also known as the Homestake Theatre or the recreation building. It took me a few minutes to get used to navigating the zoom and scroll features, but I was able to find what I was looking for in the index fairly quickly. Lead is a particularly challenging city to search because streets, buildings and entire neighborhoods were re-routed, picked up and moved, or entirely taken over to accomodate the needs of the Homestake Gold Mine. Orienting yourself on a handrawn map proves difficult. I found the opera house and was surprised by the amount of information listed directly on the map. Ironically, the fireproof sections of the theater are well marked -- the theater was partially destroyed by a fire that started in that area of the building in 1984. The building is currently being restored but is in regular use. I also searched for my own house, which was built by Homestake in 1890. As I suspected, it was located quite close to the large railroad tressel that ran over Lead and was much more downtown that it is today (Lead's Main Street has moved further up the hill as time passed and mining in the Open Cut expanded). The covered porch is denoted with dotted lines and the small addition is visible, as well as a small building with three entrances at the rear of the property. That building is no longer standing. The Sanborn Maps are a terrific resource and a lot of fun to browse.
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