ONLINE LANGUAGE LEARNING

If patrons are looking for online language learning resources to replace Rosetta Stone, Librarian in Black has a few ideas:

A free online resource to be aware of is the new language-learning social networking site Livemocha. Livemocha lets you choose a language to learn, progress through learning materials, practice speaking and writing with native speakers or others learning the language, and then give back by helping out other users trying to learn your own native language. Oh yes, and it's FREE. F-R-E-E. Nice! To learn more, check out their site walk-through. Two other similar services are iTalki and My Happy Planet, though neither one seems to have the user base or resources that Livemocha does.

There is also Mango Languages, which is subscription-based, but patrons can have a free trial with registration. For more info, check here.

--Andrea

INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR : DAY 5

GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z. R.

On the last day we heard about FDsys, GPO’s Federal Digital System. FDsys is a digital content management system that will allow for the electronic submission and ordering of GPO documents for printing, publication, and inclusion in the Depository Library Program. It will also enable authentication and version control for government documents, and aid in their retrieval and preservation.

Representatives of Head Start talked to us about “Nuggets, Knowledge & News: Effective Strategies for Improving Quality Services to Head Start and Early Head Start Programs Through Online Resources”. In this presentation the speakers explained how they decide which information to make available online through resources like The Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center . When deciding what information is of value, they first look at what meets the standards, operations, and regulations of their organization and make sure to include information and resources that support families and professionals by offering toolkits, articles, information on regulations, stories, listings of opportunities for continuing education, financial assistance including grant opportunities, information on promising Head Start programs, and more. Head Start has made sure to identify relevant topics and subjects, consider the type and format needed for the information presented, decide how much information should presented on each page, and to submit their work to others for quality assurance. They also work to make sure that all information includes references and citations to show authenticity and validity and that the content and reading level of information included is appropriate for the intended audience.

The final presentation of the day and the seminar was “Answering Frequently Asked Trademark Questions” and “Answering Commonly Asked Patent Questions” . A trademark is a word, name, symbol, or device used in trade with goods to indicate the source of the goods and to distinguish them from others. In order to keep one’s trademark, you need to keep paying maintenance fees. The owner of a trademark is also responsible for monitoring others’ use of the trademark to make sure they don’t infringe and for filing section 8 every ten years to show that the trademark is being used. The presentation covers types of trademark protection, the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) and other ways to search for information.

A patent is a property right granted by the Government of the United State of America to an inventor to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States, or importing the invention into the United States for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted. The patent presentation covers types of patents and their expiration dates, the USPTO website, researching patents, filing for patents and patent/inventor scams, and instructions for handling patent questions: “Provide information not advice”.

Trademark and patent issues and questions, like those involving copyright, can become quite complex. Fortunately there are libraries designated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to receive and house copies of U.S. patents and patent and trademark materials, make them freely available to the public, and actively disseminate patent and trademark information. Minnesota’s Patent & Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) is the Central Library of the Hennepin County Library system. Feel free to contact them with questions or concerns and to refer customers to them.

This seminar went quickly and I was amazed at all the information we covered. I hoped what I have shared with you here is useful. Please contact me at Central if you have any questions about this summary or about using or finding Government information/documents.

INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR: DAY 4

GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.

Thursday we learned about the "Federal Register Publication System: What It Is and How to Use It”. The Federal Register is “the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents". It is updated daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. GPO Access contains Federal Register volumes from 59 (1994) to the present.. When a bill is passed and becomes a law or statute, it mandates that a federal executive office or agency writes regulations or rules to enforce the law. Having rules and proposed rules in the Federal Register lets the public know what Federal agencies and offices are planning to do, holding these offices and agencies and offices accountable, and giving the public a chance to comment. It also lets people know of opportunities for funding and Federal benefits (some notices are for Federal RFP and grants). The presentation has a nice comparison of laws and rules and discusses how the Federal Register is laid out.

A few weeks before the seminar Central staff had a question about someone wanting an interpretation of part of a bill that had been passed. I asked our speaker about finding this type of information and he said that it is best to go to the agency which is responsible for enforcing the rules mandated by the law. If it’s not known which agency or office is responsible for enforcing the law or if someone wants more information on the law, it is best to go to the text of the law and see what it mandates and of whom. Once you know this, you should contact the agency’s expert on the subject of the law, education, for example, to find out more about how it will be enforced and its potential impact.

Documents occasionally appear in the Federal Register. These documents describe official actions and functions that may affect the public or provide important information, but don’t amend the Code of Federal Regulations. Examples of documents that have appeared in the Federal Register are grant announcements and funding availability, environmental impact statements, meeting notices. I have a handout which describes the types of notices that appear (presidential documents including executive orders, proclamations, administrative orders and miscellaneous documents), their format, and research tools and finding aids in the federal register.

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is “the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year and is issued on a quarterly basis. “() The Federal Rules which appear in the CFR have general applicability to the public and current and future effect as of the date specified. They are always published first in the Federal Register as amendments to the CFR. I have a copy of the presentation if anyone would like more information on the CFR’s structure, how rules are codified in the CFR, how the public can participate in rulemaking, and how to use the CFR.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. It operates a hotline that people can contact to report safety hazards. Recordings of safety information and product recalls are available 24 hrs a day. People can also contact the CPSC on their website or by e-mail. CPCS also follows up on reports in the media. It conducts recalls, creates educational and informational programs, collaborates with industry and other stakeholders in the development of safety standards, establishes relationships with counterparts both nationally and internationally, and seeks remedies, fines, etc. CPSC also reaches out to consumers through its Neighborhood Safety Network. This is a program which allows organizations and individuals to register in the NSN database and then receive free safety information to share with its members. Other CPSC resources include publications and a wealth of safety information within its website. People can sign up for recall alerts to learn about recalls faster.

George Barnum spoke about a film he helped create on the history of the GPO. To view the film and/or read the transcript go here and click on “GPO-History Video”.

The last presentation of the day was “Planning the FDLP of the Future: What Shape Will It Take?” The presenter spoke about the principles of government information (access, authenticity, preservation), the mission of the Federal Depository Program and how it is achieved through FDLP’s activities including keeping up with and anticipating change.

INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR: DAY 3

GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.

This day was all about the census, the American FactFinder, the American Community Survey, and the Economic Survey. More and more census/statistical information is going into American Fact Finder and less into paper and online sources like cd-roms. The American FactFinder website has information located in several places so that there are many ways to find information.

The most often used section is “Data Sets” The “About the Data” link describes the many types of surveys and sets available.
When you open “Data Sets” you see a series of SF (summary files) labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4. A summary file is a group of tables. SF 1 and SF2 are from the short form, 2 contains more detailed information about race and ethnicity. SF 3 and 4 are from the long form (the longer survey that some people received) and 4 contains more detailed data about race and ethnicity. Whether one chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 depends on if you want basic race/ethnicity statistics or statistics about more specific racial/ethnic groups. Hispanic is not considered a race so if you are trying to find statistics regarding Hispanic populations you will want to choose a more detailed table than is in the basic datasets.


Detailed tables is a subset of data sets. Once you select the geography you are searching (The Census refers to cities as places, you should check to see if the customer wants data for a city or a metropolitan area as the Census is very specific on geographic areas.), then click on “next”. This takes you to a page where you can select a specific table you want to search. Before you add the table and click on “show results”, you can highlight the table name and click on “What’s this”, which is a button to the right. This will bring up a mock table with the data left out, to show you how the information would display if you were to use this table.

Questions from the 2000 Census can be found here . The 2010 Census will be different because the long form will be replaced by the American Community Survey. To see a list of the questions planned for the 2010 Census and American Community Survey, click here.

Thematic maps map statistical information by geographic area on a map. First you select the geographic area. If you want to search or display by county, you must choose state in the geographic section. Then you select your theme by choosing a table and then click “show results”.

The American Community Survey is a nationwide survey designed to show how communities are changing. It has been conducted since 2000 and includes estimates of demographic and economic characteristics of people, households and housing units for areas with a certain population size in certain comparison sites. The How to Use the Data tab on the top of the page takes you to a very useful page with links to information on when and how to compare the latest ACS with previous ACS’ and the Census: click on the link on the left hand side “Guidance on Comparing 2006 ACS Data to Other Sources”.

One important example of a difference is that before 2006 the ACS didn’t have statistics for “Group Quarters“ Group Quarters are defined as “a place where people live or stay that is normally owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. These services may include custodial or medical care as well as other types of assistance, and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services. People living in group quarters are usually not related to each other. Group quarters include such places as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, workers' dormitories, and facilities for people experiencing homelessness “. There are also links to information on “Accuracy of Data” and “Errata”. Another issue in ACS is that the American Community Survey (ACS) does not present data for all geographic areas if they are under the sampling size. Information on what areas are covered can be found by clicking on “Explain Missing Geographies” in the “Select Geography” section. This doesn’t mean that the data isn’t worthwhile, just that you need to be careful to check what the surveys measured when comparing different years.

Types of searches available in ACS include: Data Sets in which you first search by geographical area and information if brought up on social statistics. At the top of the results page there are links for economic, housing, demographic, and narrative statistical displays that you can view by clicking on the link, Ranking tables rank states by different categories, Selected Population Profiles offer detailed racial information, and Subject Tables contain pre-made tables.

The Economic Census (or see reports here) profiles American business every 5 years, from the national to the local level. This page has a FAQ link and an “Ask Dr. Census” link that can provide more information on resources. The census site also has information on where to find the latest business data since 2002 as it also conducts a number of other business surveys in addition to the Economic Census. One of these surveys is the Survey of Business Owners which is a consolidation of two prior surveys, the Surveys of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (SMOBE/SWOBE), and includes questions from a survey discontinued in 1992 on Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO).
Some annual surveys are the County Business Patterns , the Nonemployer Statistics and the Annual Survey of Manufacturers . Due to privacy reasons, the Economic Surveys don’t have statistics on particular companies, just the industry or type of business overall.
April 1, 2010 is the date for the 2010 Census Day . This page has links to information on the 2010 Census, promotional materials on its importance, a timeline, and history. The data taken will be used to see how people, money, and services are distributed and to develop policies on health, education, transportation, social services, and more. Personal information from surveys is not shared with anyone; census staff can be fined or jailed if they share private information. Information on the Census’ Bureau’s Data Protection and Privacy Policy’s can be found here. The 2010 Census will consist of the short form which asks for name, age, race, and whether a home is owned. The Census is a complete count with no standard error. 2010 data will be presented to the president on December 31, 2010 and on April 1, 2011 it will be released to states to work on reapportionment.
The American Community Survey will replace the long form in 2010. The ACS will take a larger sample this year which will make it more reliable and result in smaller margins of error. This survey measures economic, housing, and social data and helps set policy, spending, shows trends, helps determine legislative representation, and is used for research. Answers to some frequently asked questions about the ACS can be found here.
There are some nice training presentations on different Census resources available. You can get to this page also by going to the Special Topics area of Census.gov and clicking on “training”, then “topical seminars and workshops”, “current topical seminars being offered” and “PowerPoint presentations”. The Special Topics area also has a link for teachers and students. Feel free to contact Melissa or me with census questions and if we don’t know the answers, we can contact or refer you or the customer to the Census Bureau or the Minnesota State Demographic Center .

INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR: DAY 2

GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.

On the 2nd day we received a tour of the Library of Congress and then visited different departments of the library. Ken Drexler of the Digital Reference Team spoke to us about the Library of Congress website. Thomas is an online database that seeks to make federal legislative information available to the public for free. It has full text bills and laws from 1989-present, summaries of bill and laws from 1973-1989, and the Congressional Record from 1989-present. The Congressional Record can be used to show what a representative said on a particular topic. Thomas can be used to look up bills by representative, see summaries, co-sponsors, and related billS. You can specify which Congress you want to search or search multiple congresses. Other search capabilities include finding which bills were debated, seeing what happened on the floor on a particular day, looking at roll call votes from 1989-present, and seeing which bills became law (public laws). Thomas shows which days the House and Senate met and links to the House and Senate’s website where their calendars and schedules can be found as well as committee calendars. There are many other resources on Thomas that you’ll want to explore like this section where you can find information on the legislative process and a Congressional glossary.

Another resource on the Library of Congress’ website is “A Century of Lawmaking” which contains legislative information from 1774-1875. The “Using the Collection” link toward the bottom of the page takes you to information on how to search. Some resources can be searched full-text and others only have descriptions which can be searched. At present there are not any free full text online resources for legislative information from 1876-1988.

American Memory is a multimedia web site of digitized historical documents, photographs, sound recordings, moving pictures, books, pamphlets, maps, and other resources from the Library of Congress’s vast holdings. This Collection is especially strong in materials from the Revolutionary War-World War II. It includes a map section and films from around the turn of the century through 1920. The Browse Collections page allows you to search American Memory by topic, place, time period, and format.

The Library of Congress has an “Ask a Librarian” page which is an e-mail/chat reference service for people seeking more information about using their Collections. Be sure to see their Reference Correspondence Policy for the types of questions that can/can’t be answered.

We also visited the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room. This room has 2 years worth of periodicals in it and there are 70,000 stored alphabetically by title. Some are bound and some are on microfilm. Due to changes in cataloging serials, it’s sometimes difficult to keep holdings lists complete and accurate, so the staff recommends e-mailing or calling before coming in to make sure the desired publication is there. This collection includes comic books, current mainstream newspapers (not college newspapers), UN documents from the beginning to present, and government documents from 1993-present and Federal Advisory Committee documents from 1972-present.

The Library of Congress has one of the largest collections of newspapers in the U.S. and the world. One staff member spoke to us about how government documents can be traced back to early newspapers where one can find reaction to politics and legislation in editorials, articles, editorial cartoons. During Colonial times there were discussions in newspapers about the need to take up arms and the Declaration of Independence and the 1st Federalist Papers appeared in newspapers so that they would be available for public review. Another staff member spoke to us about the National Digital Newspaper Program . Chronicling America is a prototype of this project where you can search and view newspaper pages from 1890-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. The Minnesota Historical Society is a 2007-2009 Awardee and is digitizing papers from 1880-1910.

The next presentation was on the U.S. Copyright Office. Mr. Fernandez-Barrial spoke to us about what may and may not be copyrighted. Examples of some items that can’t be copyrighted are works that haven’t been fixed in a tangible form, names, titles, short phrases, slogans (these can be trademarked if associated with a product), familiar shapes, symbols, designs, coloring, lettering, fonts, calligraphy, ideas, methods, systems, principles, discoveries, devices, inventions, U.S. Government works (if they were contracted; if done by a private agency they may be protected), Government edicts and official legal documents, blank forms, formulas, historical facts, and works consisting entirely of information that is common property and has no original authorship. Works that can be copyrighted have copyright automatically upon creation. However, it is recommended to register one’s work with the Copyright Office as this confers benefits (i.e. possible coverage of attorney’s fees and statutory benefits). More information can be found in the publications found on the Copyright Office’s web page like “Copyright Basics” and in their FAQ. Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright is a fun and informative presentation designed for teachers and students. Information on searching copyright records can be found here. There is also information on how to register one’s work for copyright. Electronic registering is highly recommended as it is less expensive ($35 vs. $96) and faster processing time (2 months vs. about 9 months).

STAT-USA/Internet, is a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce , and is a “single point of access to authoritative business, trade, and economic information from across the Federal Government”. The website/database is in the process of being redesigned. It is only available at Central where customers must be logged in order to use it. Through STAT-USA users have access to “State of the Nation” though which they can obtain current and historical federal economic data like the Gross Domestic Product, Consumer Price Index, selected interest rates, and more. They also have access to Globus NTDB (National Trade Data Bank) which allows them to obtain historical trade-related releases, international market research, trade opportunities, country analysis and STAT-USA’s trade library. STAT-USA contains calendars with release dates and times for specific economic reports.
The State of the Nation library includes over 4,700 current federal and private economic and financial reports including Consumer Confidence, Treasury auction reports, Current Industrial Reports. You can sign up for e-mail notification of changes and new reports. Older reports are archived. State of the Nation also includes travel statistics like top 20 countries generating travel, international visitor spending.

Globus/NTDB offers trade leads and procurement information (a lead is a request made by a U.S. or foreign government or agency for a business opportunity like making uniforms, etc.), market and country research (country commercial guides contain contact information and information on how to do business in other countries, international market insight reports are market overviews of what’s hot, but not available for every market or country, and industry sector analysis reports), more country reports (Country Background Notes produced by the State Department, and Global Agricultural Information Network Reports from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service that include information on agricultural production trade tends, foreign legislation and regulations, and trade policies affecting US agricultural trade).
The International Trade Library, which replaces the NTDB cd-rom, contains current and historical reports and resources like the CIA World Factbook, World Bank Commodity Price Data Sheet, This Year in Trade, Small Business Guide to Exporting, Department of Energy’s Country Analysis Brief (international reports on energy production and consumption), Country Studies Programs Country Profiles (these are the most recent version of the Army Area handbooks produced by the Library of Congress).

Another part of STATS-USA is USA Trade Online which is a joint venture between STATS-USA and the Foreign Trade Division of the Census Bureau. It is the official source for U.S. merchandise trade data. Trade statistics are provided using the Harmonized System (HS) and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) based commodity codes. Reports can be browsed and users can also create customized reports, charts, receive monthly updates, download reports, and highlight values of interest. They can also sign up for updates, training materials and other STAT-USA news.

The final presentation of the day was from DTIC (Defense Technical Information Center), which is in the process of changing its website. “DTIC is the central source within DoD (Department of Defense) for acquiring, storing, retrieving and disseminating scientific and technical information to support DoD research, development, engineering and studies programs. The Center also provides information tools and systems to support Pentagon executives and managers. DTIC hosts, develops and maintains more than 100 of DoD's major Web sites.” DTIC stores military information which is categorized as unclassified/unlimited, unclassified/limited, and classified. Only certain groups are eligible for DTIC services, and others can order DTIC documents through NTIS or may be able to find them on OAIster or Science.gov. Types of information gathered included technical reports and memos, theses dissertations, studies and analyses, test results, journal articles, conference proceedings, patent information, command histories, and DOD directives and instructions.

INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR: DAY 1

GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.


I had the privilege of attending The Interagency Depository Seminar in Washington D.C. Presentation materials can be found here. At this seminar representatives from a variety of federal agencies presented training and updates on their information products and activities as they relate to Federal Depository libraries. As you may know the Saint Paul Public Library has been a partial depository since 1914 and the Central Library has a large collection of Federal documents in a variety of formats. I had originally hoped to post each day of the seminar, but found that at the end of each session I was pretty tired so I have summarized what I learned each day.

Day 1:

On the first day we learned about the history and role of the Government Printing Office and met members of its management team who talked about their work. GPO is the Federal Government’s primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing, authenticating, and preserving published information in all its forms. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including hosting websites like Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government (GPO is looking at updating this site so if there are features you like or would like to see added/changed, let me know and I can pass this on when comments are requested) , databases, forming partnerships to make information accessible, managing an online bookstore, etc.

Projects GPO is involved in include authenticating online documents with digital signatures to show that they have not been changed, FDLP Desktop, an online information resource for depository libraries, digitization, online learning (OPAL-is Online Programming for All Libraries, and is a collaborative effort to provide web based training and programming to library staff and customers), marketing, training, and outreach.

GPO works to provide free access to government information, but also makes money for its operations by contracting for printing and other publications and promotional pieces needed by federal agencies and by training agencies in printing and publication technology and trends.