Webinar: Library Spaces; Future Needs

Earlier in March, I viewed a webinar featuring 2 architects and a public library director. Here are some highlights from the webinar, Library Spaces; Future Needs:

When planning for library space, think about "zones" — Welcome Zone , Living Room Zone, Civic Zone (courtyard)
Flexibility is foremost — reconfigurable furniture, exhibit/gallery space, etc.
Teen Zone should feature gaming space as well as homework center.
Programming suite includes cafe, meeting rooms, cultural event spaces. Each library needs to maximize programming space.
Support services zone consolidates functions and supports collegiality.
Services are constantly changing — models include bookstore, convenience store, shopping mall etc.
When merchandising the collection, use mobile display units, specialized lighting
Historic libraries should consider grand hotel ambiance (fireplace, views) enticing people to linger.
For a multi story building, concierge (Greeter) service is important. This includes escorting customers to specific place in building
Future is distributed self-check (throughout building) including mobile self check
Mobile compact shelving is a growing trend.
Reference should be transparent, approachable, friendly — no barrier desks.
Patron to patron collaboration should be supported (active collaborative space in center, quiet spaces off to side)
Express visit vs. sustained visit to library — these two are completely different. Important to make the express visit efficient.

The presenters' slides can be found here.

--Barb S.

CENTRAL GOALS 2008

CUSTOMER DRIVEN SERVICES:

• INSTALL CHANGE MACHINE IN CIRCULATION CENTER
  
  
  
  
  • This will address a communicated customer need to have readily available change for
    

    parking meters.
    

    
    
  
  
  • 2^nd quarter
    
  
  


• SHIFT REFERENCE COLLECTION TO READ FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
  
  
  
  
  
  • Customers and staff will have greatly improved access to and use of paper
    

    reference collection.

    
    
  
  
  • 1^st quarter
    
  
  


• INVESTIGATE USE OF PARKING VOUCHERS, PUBLICIZE AVAILABLE FREE PARKING (MACY’S)
  
  
  
  
  
  • Customers will be offered additional parking options when using Central Library.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• EXPLORE “POPULAR LIBRARY” CONCEPT IN CIRC. CENTER USING MOBILE
  

  CART

  
  
  
  
  
  • Increase access to new collection materials; implement as part of “Central as
    

    a destination” strategic plan team.

    
    
  
  
  • 2^nd quarter
    
  
  


• INVESTIGATE, PURCHASE AND INSTALL NEW SHEET MUSIC SHELVING
  
  
  
  
  
  • Provide improved shelving options for valuable part of the collection; increase customer access to sheet music.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  

NEW AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES:

• INVESTIGATE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY TO INCORPORATE MAP AND PROMOTIONAL KIOSK IN ELEVATOR LOBBY
  
  
  
  
  • Customers will navigate building and collections more easily; promotion of programs and events will be enhanced.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• NEW FICHE/FILM READER
  
  
  
  
  • Implement available technology to provide improved resources for customersand staff; improve access to St. Paul Collection materials such as newspaper microfilm and city directories.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  
  

COLLABORATION:

• WORK WITH ARTS HIGH SCHOOL/ARTS ORGANIZATION TO HAVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PAINT A MURAL ON THE PREMISES (IN CIRC CENTER)
  
  
  
  
  • Increase collaborative efforts with area high schools; increase opportunities for teen volunteers
    
  
  
  • 3^rd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• PROMOTE CIVIC AWARENESS PRIOR TO REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
  
  
  
  
  • Implement programming, displays, collection and staff involvement to highlight upcoming political convention and election.
    
  
  
  • 1^st-3^rd quarter
    
  
  

COMMUNICATION:

• INCREASE USE OF CENTRAL BLOG FOR STAFF COMMUNICATION
  
  
  
  
  • Implement Web 2.0 skills; improve staff communication options
    
  
  
  • 3^rd quarter
    
  
  


• INCREASE USE OF READER’S ADVISORY TOOLS SUCH AS BOOKLISTS ON LIBRARY WEBSITE
  
  
  
  
  • Improve staff skills in passive readers advisory; promote collection through use of library web site
    
  
  
  • 3^rd quarter
    
  
  

SERVICE TO CHILDREN AND YOUTH:

• CREATE EARLY LITERACY AREA IN YOUTH SERVICES
  
  
  
  
  • Follow through on Strategic Plan initiative to promote early literacy.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• PLAN AND EXECUTE FIVE PUPPET SHOWS
  
  
  
  
  • Follow through on Strategic Plan initiative to implement more staff produced programming and promote Central as a destination.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• INVESTIGATE, PURCHSE AND INSTALL SYSTEM FOR STORING STEIFF PUPPETS
  
  
  
  
  • Will provide more secure environment for valuable Steiff puppets that are currently exposed to dust, light; Promote Central as a destination
    
  
  
  • 3^rd-4^th quarter
    
  
  

April 1, 2008

NEW DATABASE TRIAL: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Powered by Gale's What Do I Read Next? series, Books & Authors combines both browseable menus and visual search technology to guide readers from every level of reading proficiency to books that match their interests.

Information Sheet (PDF)

Try it out and tell us what you think.

(No username or password required).

21st Century Library Design

One of the best sessions that I attended at PLA was called 21st Century Library Design. It was presented by Kim Bolan, Pam Vander Poeg and Cathy Hakala Ausperk.

Kim Boland is a library design consultant and author of Teen Spaces. She promised to post the images from the presentation on her blog soon after her wedding (which was Sat.-Congrats!).
Why is 21st Century Library Design important? Our population is changing. There are increasing numbers of baby-boomers using libraries, as well as increasing numbers of teens. Libraries are also the last free public space. So what is 21st Century Library Design? It is design that enables services that make the library a community space (the third place); it is built around the customer; it is comfortable, multi-functional and adaptable; and use by the community makes it successful. Specifically, the design should have a comfortable space, meeting rooms for group and quiet study, supported service (self-checkout, more interaction, portable service points, food service, drive up book-drops, etc), multi-functional children's spaces, a separate teen space, retail oriented merchandising, technology that is unobtrusive and promotes interaction, good way-finding (understandable signage!), and sustainable healthy environments.

Pam Vander Poeg is the Assistant Director of Kent District Library in Michigan. They have a system wide initiative to peer review or mystery shop at each of the branches. This initiative is grant funded and each library has a friends group that matches the grant amount. They are focusing on 4 areas of library design including Early Literacy, Teen Space, making it easy to find, and the Library Living Room. Early Literacy spaces should be playful and interactive, making the library a place of fun and learning. The Teen Space should have varied seating, snacks, computers and input from teens. The Library Living Room should be a cozy place with comfy furniture, books, reading lamps, art, plants and a view or a fireplace. Each of the branches was provided with a materials directory with suggested items, prices, and vendor information so the research didn't have to be done more than once.

Cathy Hakala Ausperk is the Deputy Director of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library in Ohio. They renovated the largest library and here are some of the innovations that I found to be exciting: They had artistic signage that was integrated into murals, moveable displays, roving reference, self service that includes pick-up lockers for holds, help phones, office supply vending, and healthy food vending.
--Katrina

Puppetry Workshop

Back in February I had the opportunity to go to the puppetry workshop presented by Circus Minimus. Shari and Chris, who make up Circus Minimus showed us examples of various types of puppets including glove puppets, stick puppets, sock puppets, shadow puppets and open-mouth puppets. We discussed the strengths and limitations of all these and got to practice with our own open-mouth puppets.

They also demonstrated how, with only hands as puppets and a lot of imagination, a concept such as "spring" can be conveyed. As groups we practiced creating city streets, a seashore and a farm using only our hands and imaginations.

After that, we all got a chance to work with a stick puppet. We did some exercises to "bring the puppet to life" like finding the ground and posture for the puppet, finding its focus or gaze, giving it breath, showing gestures, giving it action and finding its voice.

The second half of the class was devoted to story boarding. Chris and Shari used Little Bo Peep as the basis of the story. They created images for the beginning, middle and end. Then we discussed various ways the characters could have gotten from one point to the next. These became other images that told the story. Again in groups, we story boarded our own fairytales, showing how the characters worked through plot points. This part of the workshop really demonstrated how important it is be creative and to have a well planned out story for the puppets to really come alive.

--Katrina

TAX TIME INVESTMENT REFRESHER

At this time of year, people often need information on stock and other investment prices on a certain day for their tax returns. This is just a refresher on some sources that we don't use very often, but when you need them, you really need them.

Bigcharts and Yahoo! Finance. These free Internet sources have historical stock prices, but you won't find anything if the company has changed its name, merged with another company, or dissolved.
Daily Stock Price Record. This print reference source has daily stock prices going back to 1962 (New York Stock Exchange), 1967 (American Stock Exchange), and 1968 (NASDAQ). If you don't know the exchange it was traded on, you have to check all three. The NASDAQ book also has mutual funds in the front part, industrial stocks (what we call just "stocks") are in the back. The DSPR is located in the front of Nicholson by the park.
Capital Changes Reports. Sometimes patrons will ask for information on "stock splits". This resource lists these and any other history that effects a company's stock, such as mergers, name changes, and dissolution. It goes as far back as the beginning of the company's existence. This history can be helpful background information when you're having trouble finding a stock price. Capital Changes Reports is located on the Financials shelf in Nicholson. For fun, check out the extremely long entries on Enron and Worldcom.
Directory of Obsolete Securities. What if you are having a lot of trouble finding a stock price and you think the company might no longer exist? You can't prove a negative, right? Well, with this resource, sometimes you can. We recently had someone ask for a stock price for a company a month after the company has ceased to exist. You don't need this book often, but when you do, it's a lifesaver. It's kept in the Phone Room.
Investment Statistics Locator. What if you are asked for a more unusual type of financial statistic, such as bonds, silver, pork bellies futures, or foreign currency? Well, this handy book tells you where to to go for all these and more. Each entry has abbreviations that indicate where to look and if the information is daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. The abbreviations are explained in the front of the book. The Investment Statistics Locator is shelved in call number order in Nicholson.


--Andrea

PS. If stocks are worthless as securities, they still can be worth something to collectors if they are interesting or beautiful. This is called scripophily.

IT PLAYGROUP, MAR. 3, 2008

IT PLAYGROUP, MAR. 3, 2008

For this IT Playgroup, John L., Melissa and Pioneer Press technology reporter Julio Ojeda-Zapata discussed their experiences with the Kindle e-book reader. Ojeda-Zapata also brought in a Macbook Air and John discussed the free screencast software Jing.

The Amazon Kindle is an e-book reader that uses the Mobipocket format and e-paper. E-paper is easier on the eyes than a computer screen, but it is not back-lit. You can buy a night light for an extra charge. The Kindle costs $400, but that includes free cell-phone style Internet access that works anywhere and with no monthly fee. As a web browser, it is clunky. The controls are clunky too, especially compared to an iPod, and it is easy to hit the "back" button by accident while reading. The Kindle is not compatible with older e-book formats, but many publishers are offering e-books in the Kindle format. It is easy to use the software on your computer to buy books, or to buy them online using the device, and you can save your whole e-book library on the computer while only having some items on the Kindle. You could save money by downloading free public domain e-books from sites like Project Gutenberg, but buying on Amazon is so easy that consumers may prefer it, as they do with iTunes. The Kindle also can be used for e-audiobooks. Whether libraries can loan out Kindles is currently unclear.

The MacBook Air is a notebook with a normal-size screen and keyboard, but very, very thin. It can fit into an interoffice mailing envelope. Because of the lightness, it is slower than other notebooks and there is very little hard drive space and no CD/DVD burner. The owner is expected to have external storage of some sort. It seems like it would be best for a second computer for people who travel a lot, or for students with limited space and access to networked storage. If the MacBook Air or similar notebooks take off, web-based applications may become more popular.

Jing is free software for creating screencasts. It captures video and sound of what you are doing on a computer screen. You can also draw on the screencast for for emphasis. This would be great for making instructional videos that staff could watch when and where they wanted. Previous screencast software was quite pricey. Jing will upload screenshots at screencast.com (there is a monthly fee for hosting), or you can host them on your own Internet server for free.

--Andrea

March is Voting Month for MN Book Awards' Readers' Choice Award!

SPPL library staff and all Minnesotans have the opportunity to vote for the Readers' Choice Award, sponsored by the Pioneer Press. Vote anytime during the month of March. In addition to voting, you can hear the finalists read from their work at 9 MELSA events from March 13th through April 11th. Details are at melsa.org and in the "Chat It Up!" Rake insert. Central will host the Poetry finalists on March 30th at 2 PM in the Magazine Room. All the winners will be announced at the Book Awards Gala emceed by Cathy Wurzer on the evening of April 12th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Saint Paul. Consider celebrating Minnesota authors at this event! Gala details including ticket information are available at thefriends.org.

The Minnesota Book Awards is a Capital City project of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, with the Mayor's Office of the City of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Public Library.

--Barb S.

TOP TEN OBSCURE GOOGLE SEARCH TRICKS

We all know the basics of searching Google, but check out these advanced tips from the Lifehacker Blog.


Submitted by Lori L.

CREATIVITY AND AGING

On January 29th I had the opportunity to attend a MELSA sponsored event held at the Ridgedale Hennepin County Library. The guest speaker was Dr. Gene Cohen and he presented a Creativity and Aging workshop and also discussed highlights from several of his books, such as The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Mind and The Brain in Human Aging. Dr. Cohen is a Harvard graduate and the Georgetown University School of Medicine and currently serves as the director of the Center of Aging at the National Institutes of Health (an agency he founded). He also holds the positions of Professor of Health Care Sciences and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University.

Prior to the 1960’s images on aging was regarded as negative and scientists offered little research; common views held by the young were that “you can’t trust anyone over 30.” Psychoanalytic and cognitive development theorists (Freud & Piaget) stressed that development was complete by the end of adolescence or early adulthood. Such theorists have focused more on the negative inner forces holding one back then on the positive. However, changes in the late 1970’s began to appear as social responsibilities were redefined along with the transformation of geriatrics in the 1980’s. It was also widely accepted that brain cells do not regenerate and research in early 1998 disproved and changed this myth. Dr. Cohen discussed that people are able to sprout more dendrites and such sprouting of dendrites allows for greater brain activity and quicker firing at the synapses. Reading also contributes to more dendrites, but only reading of challenging material. Sudoku number puzzles were also mentioned as games that allow for mental thought-provoking ability. It was also mentioned that 95% of the people over 65 are not living in nursing homes.

Children’s views on aging are rather disapproving. Most children seem to view the aged as weird or weak and fairy tales help contribute to negative beliefs. Grimm’s and other fairy tales have left the perception that old seems to be directly related to wicked, as with the “wicked old witch” or the Old Woman in the Shoe.

Dr. Cohen said that individuals go through (4) phases later life that compliments early theorists beliefs.

1. Reevaluation / Exploration / Transition (Quest for more than crises)
Midlife Revolution Phase .+40 - +65 age group

2. Experimentation / Innovation (If not, why not or when?)
Liberation Phase .+55 - +75 age group

3. Recapitulation / Resolution / Contribution (Unresolved conflict resolution giving back)
Summing up Phase .Late 60’s - +90

4. Reflection / Celebration / Continuation
Encore Phase .+80 on

Q. How can libraries better assist the aged population?
A. Develop a resource section in the library pertaining to the 50+ that focuses on:

• Tapping into their latent talents
• Developing a social portfolio
• Job or volunteer placement
• Staying sharp (mental/physical abilities)

Submitted by Terry G.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AND FLICKR

The Library of Congress is making over 3,000 photos available on the photo-sharing web site Flickr. Anyone can create tags, make comments or add notes. It seems to be pretty popular already.



--Andrea

CENTRAL EVENT CALENDAR FEED

A feed from the Central Library Events Calendar has been added to the Centralloop blog. It's on the left, just below the seal of the library. If anyone is interested in having the events calendar on Bloglines or another RSS reader, the feed is:

http://freecal.brownbearsw.com/sppl-central-calendar?Op=RSS

Although SPPL web page doesn't have am RSS feed, you can create one with the web site Page2RSS if you are interested in seeing what has been updated.

--Andrea

NEW FROM THE FOUNDATION CENTER

Foundation Directory Online now has country, zip code, and metro area searches. Trend Tracker, a new addition to the Foundation Center web site, lets you compare foundations and quickly create charts, graphs and tables. Here's a .pdf I made comparing 3M Foundation to the McKnight Foundation.

A new free e-course, Introduction to Fundraising Planning, has also been added to the web site. More info on these developments here.

PROGRAMMING IS NOT A NEW THING . . .

According to the new biography Schultz and Peanuts, Charles Schultz was inspired by this exhibit at the St. Paul Public library in 1934:

"Having peered at every panel in the exhibition, [Schultz] went home, eager to test himself against his predecessors."

Maybe someone who went to the graphic novelist panel last October will be similarly inspired.

--Andrea

BASIC MEDIA TRAINING FOR COOPERATING COLLECTIONS

This teleconference was about how to promote the Foundation Collection and how to talk to the media. The instructors were from Fenton Communications, a public relations firm that specializes in non-profits.

The press release is the standard form for new products or events which the media is used to receiving. The Foundation Center has templates that libraries can adapt for their own use. Here are some tips:

• Remember to think of your target audience and localize the information.
• Using a quotes about how the collection helps people is good. Press release authors often create a generic quote and submit it to the relevant person so that they can put it in their own words.
• Avoid jargon that members of the general public wouldn't understand.
• Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the best days to send out press releases.
• Don't send press releases as attachments or spam filters may block them.
• Calling a reporter and "pitching" a story to them makes it more likely that they will print it.
• Do research on which reporters cover similar stories.
• If you have public relations staff, approach them with an idea and they can refine it.

When speaking to the media, here are some things to remember:

• Write what you want to say first.
• Do a "practice interview" with staff.
• Be concise.
• If the interviewer goes on a tangent, bring the conversation back to what you want to talk about.
• Remember, you are providing a service and giving them important information.

Schedule meetings with Doodle

Have you ever tried to schedule a meeting or get a group of colleagues together by e-mail?

Did you just end up with zillions of e-mail messages routed around and still not know what available time everyone had in common?

I just learned of a better way: Doodle. It worked great with a Minnesota Digital Library meeting, and that group is planning to keep using it to schedule its meetings.

Create a list of potential dates and times, direct attendees to a web page, check back, and schedule your meeting. Take a look and give it a try the next time you have to schedule a meeting!

Here's an example of what the scheduling table looks like:

-- John L.

PROQUEST NEWSTAND COMPLETE

ProQuest Newstand Complete is a database of over 500 local, national and international newspapers, 350 of which have full-text. Content is continually being added, including some obituaries and letters to the editor. The Star-Tribune is included, but not the Pioneer Press or the Duluth News-Tribune.

New features of ProQuest Newstand Complete include: smart search, search alerts, citation options, saving a search as a web page, and permalinks. Smart search is accessed under the “topics tab”. If your patron is finding it hard to get the right subject, smart search will suggest topics, compare search terms to index terms, and suggest options for narrowing the search such as additional terms, date, or publication. The patron may have to click on “next” or “view all” to see all the topic suggestions.

The “My Research” folder lets you save search results in order to manipulate them in different ways. This folder only lasts for the duration of the session, unlike MyEBSCOHost in EBSCO MasterFILE Premier, however registration is not required. Clicking in the “mark” box will automatically save records to the folder, no additional “save marked records” step is needed. Search results can be emailed, printed, or saved as a web page. The web page can be saved to a floppy or flash drive on a public terminal. A bibliography can be created which can be emailed, printed, saved, or exported to citation software such as RefWorks. The default citation option is the one ProQuest uses, but it can be changed to MLA, APA, AMA, or Chicago/Turabian.
Search alerts can be set up from the results screen. A pop-up window gives the option to search daily, weekly, or monthly on a topic and sends results to the email provided. It can be set up to stop after the project is completed. The default subject of the email is the search string, so the patron may want to change it to something snappier that they will remember.

One other thing I didn’t know: ProQuest has a “select multiple databases” option in Basic and Advanced Search. Unfortunately, historical databases and non-historical databases can’t be searched together, so you can’t search ProQuest Newstand Complete and Historical New York Times at the same time.

Supplementary materials are available in the “FYI” box in Cube City.

Plant Information Online

Plant Information Online, a database managed by the University of Minnesota Libraries, is now free and available to anyone with access to the internet. It is one of the world's largest resources for botanical and horticultural information and contains several databases of interest to plant and gardening enthusiasts as well as professional botanists, horticulturists, and plant scholars.

--Erin

Greetings. I have something for you to keep in mind when planning library programming for 2008.

On May 11, 2008, Minnesota celebrates its 150th year as the 32nd state of the United States of America. The Minnesota Legislature, in 2005, formed a Minnesota Statehood Sesquicentennial Commission. The four themes of the commission focus on: Education, Innovation, Arts and Cultures, Health and Wellness. In the Commission's own words, "Beginning in January 2008, the Sesquicentennial will be a yearlong, statewide commemoration and a catalyst, to learn from our past and connect all of us as Minnesotans in creating a thriving, innovative future. "

The Minnesota Historical Society has it's "Minnesota 150" exhibit open and there will be a number of events centered around the Sesquicentennial.

St. Paul Library has the book titled, "Minnesota 150" by Kate Roberts on order.

On January 23, I will be doing a book chat centered around 150 years of Minnesota history. Then, closer to May, I'll dedicate one month of the nonfiction display table to Minnesota history.

Here's some links to MHS activities:

http://www.mn150years.org/

http://events.mnhs.org/calendar/Results.cfm?ParentID=2168

Deb

WET MATERIALS RECOVERY WORKSHOP

What would you do if when you came to work you found out that some sort of emergency had occurred at the library and damaged materials were strewn about the floor in dirty water? This is what faced fifteen MPL employees and two librarians from SPPL who attended a Wet Materials Recovery Workshop led by Bob Herskovitz, MHS Outreach Conservator, at the Central Minneapolis Library. This was just a scenario but it tested us on whether we knew what to do. Most of us didn’t. We rushed to try to save the books, many not knowing exactly how to do even that. We later learned that this step was only to be taken only after several assessments for safety and peoples’ and the collections’ needs had been completed. It showed the need to have thought out emergency preparedness ahead of time by creating documents like a Disaster Management Plan. This plan should include internal and external contact information, plans for teams and the recovery directory to handle the emergency and different areas of the collection if needed, questions to answer for a disaster initial situation report, checklists for assessing people’s and the building’s safety and needs, as well as checklists for equipment and supplies, disaster re-entry, collection assessment, and recovery efforts.

We then discussed how to assess damage to collections in the wake of a disaster, how to determine collection salvage techniques, which salvage techniques should be used on each type of material, and appropriate safety garb when salvaging. We then reconvened in the loading dock where we had first encountered the damaged materials. Discarded books, cds, dvds, photos, newspaper clippings, and other items had been soaking in water and dirt for days. Working in teams of two, we were assigned the task of identifying the items, determining the best treatment, and then documenting what we had done. We also learned and practiced how to wrap monographs in freezer paper and pack them to be sent to a commercial freezing facility. This workshop helped us learn what to do and not to do in a library disaster, made us familiar with recovery methods and techniques, and taught us to work smarter and safer in an emergency.

--Erin

TCART 25TH ANNIVERSARY SYMPOSIUM, PART TWO

The second session was on Technological Solutions to Archival Issues.

Shawn Rounds of the Minnesota Historical Society talked about preserving the records of the E-Legislature, the electronic records of the Minnesota Legislature. She explained that when pursuing a project, collaboration and partnerships were necessary for sharing responsibilities, external skills, and infrastructure and that it was crucial to have a business plan which would show the value of the project to potential partners. She also said that projects needed to be built on practical business cases like helping with disaster recovery or enhanced access. Ms. Rounds recommended using standards for digital storage and making sure there were established routine processes as part of the work flow. It is also necessary to understand users’ needs and expectations and to justify why funding should be received.

Jason Roy from the U of M’s Digital Conservancy
talked about capturing University Web sites for preservation through the U of M’s institutional repository program. The goal of this project is to create access to digital scholarly and administrative works of U of M staff, departments, faculty, and centers. Mr. Roy spoke on how they were working to do this, the issues they encountered, and their need to pursue ongoing stewardship of online resources. He also spoke of trying to meet the needs of younger researchers as they transition through life by keeping up with and ahead of technological advances.

Heather Lawton of Minneapolis Public Library’s Special Collections
talked about using digital preservation for access when coping with a small staff. In 2003 when Minneapolis faced large budget cuts it meant a smaller staff and shorter hours and this was affecting researchers’ ability to use Minneapolis’ Special Collections. As the lone staff person in Special Collections (there had been 7), Ms. Lawton decided she needed to digitize in order to create better access. One project she has worked on is with the Minneapolis Department of Inspections. Both were interested in digitizing building permit cards and were able to work together to make this happen. They should be online in 2008. Minneapolis has also made some of its more popular photos and pre 1923 maps and plat books available through the Minnesota Digital Library (http://www.mndigital.org/). In the future Ms. Lawton will look at digitizing yearbooks in the public domain and pre 1923 city directories. She feels that digitization is becoming a core part of archives’ work. Ms. Lawton also stressed that it is important for archival collections to talk with each other so that there isn’t any duplication of digitization efforts. It was discussed that the Minnesota Digital Library is looking at how to create some sort of clearinghouse that would allow for this to happen.


--Erin

TCART 25TH ANNIVERSARY SYMPOSIUM, PART ONE

On October 30, 2007 in honor of its 25^th Anniversary, TCART (Twin Cities Archival Roundtable-a group of archivists, records managers, librarians, manuscript curators, and historians from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota) held a symposium on pressing issues for people working in archives.

The first session was on Legal, Privacy and Proprietary Issues in Archives.

Charles Rodgers from the Minnesota State Archives spoke to us on Managing State Institutional Records at the Minnesota Historical Society. Minnesota had many state hospital facilities now called regional treatment centers) most of which have closed, are closing or downsizing now. The type of records the State Archives tries to save for these institutions are those that show how the organization was governed and run and gives insight into patient and employee life. They don’t usually collect case files. Restrictions to records vary by type and agency, but generally those with private data are closed for 50 years from date of last entry. Mr. Rodgers spoke about the reasons for restrictions, means of maintaining physical and intellectual control of records, and how people may request access. (I have a handout from this presentation.)

David Klaassen of the U of M’s Social Welfare History Archives
spoke on the confidentiality of Social Service Records. Access to these archives is not directly controlled by legislation, but staff works to make others aware of privacy laws and bases its policies on the professional code of ethics such as being sensitive when individual names are mentioned in documents. Their collection contains some adoption records and these have restrictions on them if they are fewer than 50 years old and 50-100 years old.

Tony Jahn of the Target Corporation
spoke of the management of proprietary records and service in a corporate setting. Mr. Jahn also talked of the differences between corporate and public archives and access to corporate archives internally and externally. He advised that people seeking for information from a corporate archive should always try to ask for permission, remembering that it helps to show how giving access would benefit the corporation, but to know that there may be reasons why the corporation may not be able to give access.

--Erin

Minnesota Newspaper Database Available from Home!

Hello!

The Minnesota Newspapers database is now available to patrons from home. The announcement is on the homepage.

Melissa.

Government Publications You Should Know

Hello!

Here're a couple of new Government Documents you should know about.

"Be Food Safe During Emergencies: Power Outages, Floods & Fires," USDA, A 110.2:F 73/10. Here's the electronic equivalent, though there's no link in our current record (that may change): http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp

This is a little flipbook that gives good information on temperatures and times and food safety; for instance, "Discard opened mayonnaise, tarter sauce, and horseradish if they were held above 50 F for over 8 hours," removing odors from the fridge, and ways to tell if food is safe after a flood or fire.


"Digest of education statistics," National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Previous to 2005: ED 1.326:, 2005 and later: ED 1.140:. We own 1995-2006, minus 2004. 1990-2006 on website: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS6878 (link in record)

If you have a question relating to education in the US, this is a very good source packed with information, including some you might not expect.

"It's primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). ... The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends provides background for evaluating education data."

The 2006 edition is a large book - 703 pages - so it offers some information down to a local level - the Undergraduate section has tables by state, by educational institution (U of M Twin Cities enrollment figures are there - 4th biggest in the nation at over 51,000), and by degree program, for instance. There are also less obvious statistics like violence in schools, teacher salaries, and grades and test scores.

Check them out!

Melissa

Copying Scores on Letter-sized Paper

Hello!

I think I've figured out how to copy scores onto letter-sized paper relatively painlessly.

Hit the following buttons:

Application
Image Adjustment
Center Zoom
Enter
Basic

Once you put the score on the copier, it should read the size of it and reduce automatically. (This might happen after you ask it to copy once. I don't really remember.) The last score I copied reduced to something like .964. I did have to figure out how to place the score on the glass to get everything, but there is a handy ruler on the side of the glass which you can use to duplicate the placement, and this at least takes the guess work out of the reduction.

Finally, I think we've figured out the proper purpose of one of those mysterious and annoying extra functions! Yay!

Melissa.

FOUNDATION CENTER NETWORK DAYS

The Foundation Center is located in New York, NY. They also have five regional offices (ours is in Cleveland). Their mission is “to strengthen the nonprofit sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. philanthropy”. They connect grantmakers and grantseekers, but do not give grants themselves. I attended their annual conference in New York. They also have training events at the regional centers, at library conferences, and will sometimes train staff on-site.

If a patron is just starting out in the area of grants and foundations, the Foundation Center’s web site is the place to start. It contains resource guides for different type of grantseekers, short online courses (some free with registration), grant application forms, grants and grantmakers statistics,foundation-sponsored reports, their e-newsletter Philanthropy News Digest, and their catalog of materials at their libraries, the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature. Some searching of foundations can be done, but the online database has more information. The frequently asked questions section has useful information such as the difference between a grant and a business loan. If that doesn’t work, a question can be submitted by email.

Foundation Directory Online is four databases in one: grants, grantmakers, companies and 990s. When you enter a database, it is best to click on the search field heading to bring up the index on the left-hand side and browse through those. Browse by alphabet, then click on the most relevant one to have it appear in the search box. Clicking on more than one type of support or field of interest will create an “or” search, not an “and”. You can add a term to the keyword box to create an “and” search. One thing to note: “Grantmaker State” may not be the same as “Geographic Focus”. They may be located in one state and give to another. 990s are forms that nonprofits are required to file by the IRS. They list who they gave to and how much. If you are not having success with your search in the other databases, try a full-text search of 990s. What the foundation’s profile says they support may not match what their past giving says they support, or there may not be a complete profile in the database yet. Search results can be printed, emailed, or saved as an Excel file.

Foundation grants to individuals are a very small percentage of grants (5,000-6,000 out of 90,000). Most of these go to artists or higher education. Most foundations prefer to give to nonprofits rather than individuals because of the paperwork involved. In a few cases, nonprofits will make a legal contract with an individual to help them receive grants. This is called “fiscal sponsorship”, and the nonprofit receives a fee of 5%-10%. In the future, the Foundation Center will allow Foundation Grants to individuals Online to be available at all branches of a cooperating collection. For more on inflated claims of free money to individuals, see this web site .

CCNet is a special web site for institutions with cooperating collections. It contains scripts and presentations for classes, sample brochures and logos, a link you can put on your web page, online ordering of materials at a 40% discount, an events calendar, archives of past training materials, registration for free courses, and an online message board to which one can submit questions. If you are doing training at a remote location, you can ask for a temporary (one week) password for the databases.

The Foundation Center itself has an impressive library which uses its own cataloging system. Most of the books are familiar, but what I noticed was the enormous collection of periodicals. The Foundation Center will fax articles and chapters of books, but they do not lend out whole books or videos. Anyone can go to the centers to do research, but staff will only do research for fee-paying members, and then only to a certain extent. One of the librarians has a blog describing new titles added to the library.

Handouts, notes and other supplementary material are available in the FYI basket in the fourth floor workroom.

TEEN READ WEEK 2007

In spite of the rainy weather and parking issues, Central’s Teen Read Week 2007 was a rousing success, with a total attendance of 107 people for 6 programs. Our team of Karen, Jennifer, Carl and me created two themed days of 3 programs each.

Thursday was “Scary Day”, with a make-up effects professional, a forensic scientist, and the movie Poltergeist. The teens really enjoyed doing the hands-on portion of the “CSI Teenstyle” where they viewed evidence and solved a fictitious crime. Our new DVD and TV set-up and projector really made the movie experience more “theater-like”. Books and booklists on the topics were also displayed.

Friday was “Graphic Novel and Animation Day” , with teens from the Open School showing how to make animation with free software, a panel of 4 graphic novelist and artists talking about their work, and the anime Naruto the Movie : Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow. The teens really hung on the words of the graphic novelists and some even brought their art for the panelists to look at! They also enjoyed the authentic Japanese treats like Pocky, which went fast. Some of the movie crowd had seen the movie before and chuckled at familiar scenes and lines. They even dressed up as the characters, rather like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but fortunately not as rowdy. Two lucky teens got gift certificates for the best costumes.

All in all, we had a lot of fun, and we made contacts for future programming. The presenters said they had a good time and would be interested in future events, whether teen or adult. We also created booklists which could be used by other branches or for future displays.

Thanks to everyone who assisted us, especially Therese, Sheree, Paul, Phyllis, Marcus, Alayne, John L. and Doris.

More pictures here.

--Andrea

2008 Proposed Goals for Central

In order to give our collective genius a jumpstart for the 2008 Goals discussion on Staff day, we have compiled a list of ideas that have been suggested. Some of the suggestions so far have been:

I. Customer Driven Services:
a. Approach our potential customers outside the building, i.e. going to
businesses to talk about how to use our databases; going to the Senior HiRises to discuss starting a book club; taking our booktalks "on the road"

b. Create an outreach plan to identify downtown groups that might be
interested in our services and develop strategies to meet their needs.

c. Get a change machine in our lobby

d. Find a place for, and begin using, the concept of a "Popular Library"

e. Could we do some sort of "curbside service" since we cannot change the
parking situation

f. Move (Shift) the reference collection so that it "reads" from left to right

g. Develop a consistent outreach program with the Latino community

II. New and Emerging Technologies:
a. Find a projector or flat screen tv or other means to publicize events of the
day in the lobby and outside

b. Investigate a touch screen map/guide kiosk in the elevator lobby

c. Install new shelving for the songbooks on the mezzanine in the NIC room

d. Install and train staff and the public on the new self check units and
investigate a way to have patrons check in their own materials as well



III. Service to Children and Youth:
a. a graphic novels panel or festival? Bring in some big names to attract
teens to the program

b. movie festivals for kids

c. Get a Wii playstation for Skinner room? Or other technology for games

d. Work with teens to re-energize/decorate/reconfigure the Skinner Room.

e. Promote Blastoff to Kindergarten program.

IV. Collaboration:
a. Contact all cultural institutions in the downtown St Paul area; we should
have at least 2 cultural programs per month at Central

b. Collaborate with local arts organizations or an arts high school to have a
mural painted on the premises.

c. Collaborate with appropriate agencies to promote the resources of the
library and to promote civic awareness prior to and during(?) the
Republican National Convention.

V. Communication:

a. Use our existing public address system to notify staff of events of the day
prior to opening each day

b. Use passive reader's advisory (on the web, in bookmark form) to suggest
titles to patrons

Look over the 2007 goals and marvel at the success we achieved with them. So, what do you think of these goals for 2008? Let us know by replying to the posting which will appear on the Central Loop blog. Please choose 3 of the above goals that you believe should be implemented, and feel free to comment on them.
AND, if you have other ideas, let us know about them as well.

Zingerman Experience (Condensed)

The workshop was called: The Zingerman’s Experience Seminar (Chef’s sampler version). And indeed, it was condensed from what is normally a 2 day workshop. It was taught by the co-founder of Zingerman’s, Ari Weinzweig, and the managing partner of Zingtrain, Maggie Bayless.

We began the day getting an overview of what is now referred to as ZcoB, a community of businesses which began with Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1982. The community now consists of 10 related but separate businesses, all based in the Ann Arbor area.

The trainers then described how they had gone from 1 small deli to 10 very large and productive businesses. In a word, vision. Follow up that vision with a mission statement, systems that cater to that mission statement and point toward the vision, create a culture that values the principles espoused by the people leading the company (which need to be written down, by the way), and work incredibly hard. That’s all. Right. (I was confused about the difference between a mission statement and a vision, until it was clarified. A “vision” is what you want down the line at a specific point in time in the future, a picture of what success looks like. A “mission statement” is a statement of what your company aspires to do on a daily basis. As a working definition, those two are actually quite good, and utterly distinct.)

When your guiding principles are shared by the workforce, ( through judicious hiring and training,) you hope to end up with a group that is pulling in the same direction. For Zingerman’s, their guiding principles include great food, great service and a great place to shop and eat. After those three come solid profits, a great place to work and strong relationships. The final two are a place to learn and being an active part of their community.

TRAINING:

By the end of the first orientation meeting for new employees, the Zingerman employee knows about the mission, guiding principles, the three bottom lines (Great Food, Great Service, Great Finance)and their impact and has agreed to the Zingerman training compact, which entailed several interesting innovations. While we already do the first part of the training, I found the compact and their ways of using that tool very interesting.

The compact itself is that the trainer agrees to

a)document clear performance expectations,

b)provide training resources,

c)recognize performance, and

d)reward performance.

The trainee agrees to take responsibility for the effectiveness of their training.

This is broken down into 4 training plan questions;

1. what is expected of the trainee-and by when,

2. how the information will be made available,

3. how will each party know if the expectations are being met, and

4. what the rewards/consequences for success/failure are.

While we are doing much of this, the one new component that I believe we should consider adopting is what the trainers referred to as a “Training Passport”—a booklet which is carried by the trainee and can be signed by other employees/supervisors when an action has been taken or an idea has been grasped.

It is the trainee who is responsible for maintaining and getting those signatures. I have a copy of the one used by Zingerman’s in the notebook, which would need to be modified for use by us, but might be an idea worth pursuing.

CUSTOMER SERVICE:

To begin the discussion on great service, the trainers asked us “why we should give great service” and conversely “why is it so hard to find?” Many of the answers provided were the standard, eg because it feels good, and happy customers come back for the first question, or because of lack of competition or poor feedback for the second one.

Zingerman’s has formulated their own three step guide to great service. First, figure out what the guest wants, second get it for them accurately, politely and enthusiastically, third go the extra mile.

In order to find out what the guest wants, you need to engage that customer in conversation. Pay attention to what they are asking about and listen actively. Ask questions to ensure that you are getting to the heart of the matter.

While getting them what they want, do so accurately (no fudging on amounts or sizes), politely (with a smile on your face) and enthusiastically (no mental eye rolling). And, when possible, go that extra mile, do something that will put a smile on the guest’s face. The expectation of the company is that the customer should leave believing that they were the best thing that happened to you (the server) that day.

Zingerman’s uses a couple of interesting forms, which might be useful in our line of work as well. They are called the code green and the code red. These are not incident forms. They are more casual, and are filled out by the employee who first makes contact with the person who is either complaining or complimenting the staff. While the staff at Zingerman’s was slow to adopt these forms, they are now a regular part of doing business in all of ZcoB.

Copies of the forms are in the notebook as well, along with the five steps they use to effectively handle customer complaints. While the steps are mostly common sense (an attribute which Ari doesn’t actually believe exists…he calls it rare and unusual sense)

they do cover all the bases. First acknowledge the complaint (do not excuse or explain…listen). They recommend either “oh” or “wow” (or both if called for) as replies when first notified of a complaint. Secondly, sincerely apologize for the mistake with a clear and unqualified “I’m sorry” or “I’m really sorry”. Third, take action to make things right for the guest (each employee at Zingerman’s is empowered to do exactly that---including refunding money, and replacing product if necessary). Fourth, thank the guest for giving you the opportunity to correct the problem, and finally document the complaint.

IN the question and answer session that followed, a question was asked about motivating existing employees, and getting them to accept changes. The Zingerman trainers also do an all day seminar on Bottom Line Change and they believe that commitment to each other =success in the workplace and that caring confrontation is necessary when there is serious resistance they outlined for us what their steps are to implement change in the workplace:

1. Document reasons for the change (these must be honest and compelling)
2. Get the leadership to “vision” what success will look like if the change is implemented.
3. Get a microcosm of the company (all affected players) together to plan out
1. who needs to know?
2. how should we tell them to get them on board?
4. Officially role out the vision and create and action plan to implement the change.
5. Create a positive setting in order to make the change the “path of least resistance”.

If anyone would like to see their handouts, they are residing in the FYI basket in Ref - 4^th floor.

--Doris

Some Federal eGovernment Websites

Hello!

I got this from my Government Documents mailinglist, and it looked like something that might be generally useful.

Melissa.


1. Forms - forms that can be e-filed or forms that can be filled out online then printed

a. FEMA
Apply for assistance online.
http://www.fema.gov/assistance/register.shtm


b. IRS
All online tools with the exception of E-file.
http://www.irs.gov/help/article/0,,id=143687,00.html

To e-file taxes.
http://www.irs.gov/efile/index.html


c. FAFSA
Online tools within boxes #1, #2, #3 include online PIN, saving and working on saved forms, checking the status of a submitted form, and others.
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/


d. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
To register for a customer account with the USCIS.
https://efiling.uscis.dhs.gov/efile/

Links to forms that can be e-filed.
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=f3fe194d3e88d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=9059d9808bcbd010VgnVCM100000d1f1d6a1RCRD

Links to forms that can be filled out online (need to download first).
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD
To make an appointment with local USCIS offices.
http://infopass.uscis.gov/index.php

To check the status of a case online.
https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/jsps/index.jsp

Electronic filing for immigration benefits.
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=9059d9808bcbd010VgnVCM100000d1f1d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=9059d9808bcbd010VgnVCM100000d1f1d6a1RCRD

To change your address online.
https://egov.uscis.gov/crisgwi/go?action=coa

Naturalization Self Test.
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.010cab8025677e19631ef89b843f6d1a/?vgnextoid=9ff98424f8304110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=9ff98424f8304110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD
On USCIS website in subject tab "Education and Resources."


e. Department of Veterans Affairs
To register for a customer account with the DVA.
http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp

Links to forms that can be e-filed.
http://www.va.gov/onlineapps.htm

Forms that can be filled out online; will need to know form # or do a search first.
http://www.va.gov/vaforms/


f. Social Security Administration
To register for a customer account and password with the SSA.
https://s044a90.ssa.gov/acu/IPS_INTR/main.jsp

Links to all online services.
http://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/


g. Forms.gov metasite
Links to forms that can be filled out online for most federal agencies (their goal is to provide 100% of forms for all federal agencies, so this is a good website to know regardless of e-government needs).
http://www.forms.gov/bgfPortal/citizen.portal


h. Bureau of Economic Analysis ASTAR system
This is an example of an "online business transaction" tool that business owners use to communicate with government agencies. There are others. The majority of the links listed in this handout are "online personal transactions" tools; this is an exception.
http://www.bea.gov/astar/


i. U.S Department of State
Passports applications and renewals, current status of applications, forms.
http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
NOTE: website does not work properly in Netscape.


2. Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Finder
http://www.medicare.gov/MPDPF/Public/

Formulary Finder
http://formularyfinder.medicare.gov/formularyfinder/selectstate.asp

Lower your Costs During the Coverage Gap
http://www.medicare.gov/bridging-the-gap.asp

Learn More about Plans in Your Area
http://www.medicare.gov/MPDPF/Public/Include/DataSection/Questions/SelectState.asp?version=default&browser=Netscape%7C7%2E2%7CWinXP&language=English&defaultstatus=0&ViewType=Public&PDPYear=2007&MAPDYear=2007&MPDPF%5FMPPF%5FIntegrate=N


3. Post Office
"The Postal Store" to buy stamps and other mailing supplies.
http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10152

"Shipping Tools" - see online "Tools" on right of screen.
www.usps.com/business/shippingtools/welcome.htm?from=home&page=shippingtools

"Mailing Tools" - see online "Tools" on right of screen.
www.usps.com/business/mailingtools/welcome.htm?from=home&page=mailingtools

"Receiving Mail" - see "Change of Address" and "Mail Forwarding" and others.
www.usps.com/all/optionsforreceivingmail/welcome.htm?from=home&page=receivingyourmail


4. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's "Electronic Business Centers"; and Library of Congress' Copyright Office
For patents.
http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/index.html

For trademarks.
http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/index_tm.html

Copyright Office's "Public Catalog"
http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First

"How to Register a Work" leads to forms that can be filled out online
http://www.copyright.gov/register/


5. GLOBUS (and NTDB) – Your Comprehensive Source for Credible Trade Leads and Timely Market Research
Although there may be some non-FDLP libraries in your service area, chances are that only your FDLP library will have access to GLOBUS and its national and international trade leads. So you should do your best to make the most of this resource! Some of the features of GLOBUS that your e-business customers should find useful include "Today's Global Business Opportunity Leads," "Current and Historical Trade Leads," "Contacts," and others.
http://www.stat-usa.gov/tradtest.nsf


6. E-government quick tools (note that according to some definitions of E-government these are not E-government tools at all; you decide)

a. NCHS "Where to Write for Vital Records
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm

b. Census "Population Finder" & Census "Find an Area Profile"
www.census.gov (both on right side of Census homepage)

c. Census " AFF Address Search"
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/AGSGeoAddressServlet?_lang=en&_programYear=50&_treeId=420

d. NCES "Search for Schools, Colleges, and Libraries"
http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/

e. USA.gov
http://www.usa.gov/index.shtml

Spanish-language GobiernoUSA.gov
http://www.usa.gov/gobiernousa/index.shtml

"Other languages" from Pueblo's "Federal Citizen Information Center"
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/multilanguage/multilang.htm?urlnet99

Downloadable Audiobooks from NetLibrary

Hello!

Bill and I will be training everyone the Downloadable Audiobooks from NetLibrary in the next few weeks. I've included links to training materials below so you can get a sneak preview of what's coming.

Training accounts have been created in NetLibrary; Central's account is:

username: cetrain
password: ebooks

Downloadable eAudiobooks from NetLibrary
http://intranet.sppl.org/reference/eaudiobooks.html

Using Flash Drives
http://intranet.sppl.org/is/usb-tips.html

Have fun!

Melissa.

TOLL-FREE NUMBERS

Looking for toll-free numbers for businesses? Is their official web site giving you nothing but email addresses and online forms for contacting the company? Is it not listed in the ReferenceUSA or Business and Company Resource Center databases? Well, here are some other options.

Toll-free Phone Book USA. This reference book is owned at Central. It has helped me find numbers no other source had.

Gethuman. This site lists numbers by subject, then alphabetically. There is no search box, but it does gives information on how to get to a person immediately without going through a long voicemail tree.

Hard to Find 800 Numbers. This site also has no search function, just an alphabetical list, but contains some hard-to-find listings such as Amazon and Yahoo! Found via the excellent Lifehacker blog.


--Andrea

New York Times to Stop Charging for Parts of its Web Site

The New York Times is opening up its entire site to all readers, and will also make available its archives from 1987 to the present without charge, as well as those from 1851 to 1922, which are in the public domain.

There will be charges for some material from the period 1923 to 1986, and some will be free.

Of course, we can also get to those articles through ProQuest and Historical New York Times.

Here's the story about the change.

- John L.

Nifty Source

Hi all,

Today I discovered a very interesting source at the Queens library. Their link covers access to informational sources in 11 languages (French is included, German is not; Chinese covers Mainland, Hongkong, and Taiwan). The spectrum covers aspects of all of the social sciences. Please check it out!

Thanks,

Barb M.

NEW YAHOO! MAIL OUT OF BETA

The new version of Yahoo! Mail came out this week. The problems patrons have been having with the beta version should in theory be resolved, but we know things don't always happen that way. One nice feature is that the "print" button is easier to see, so we may have less problems with patrons printing using the browser "print" button and getting text cut off.

If patrons don't like the new version or are having trouble with it, they can go back to the old version by clicking on "switch back" in the upper-left-hand corner. On the upper-right-hand corner, click on the down arrow to the right of the word "options" to get "switch to original Yahoo! email".

--Andrea

History Day 2008

With the majority of schools starting after Labor Day, I thought this would be a good time to check the Minnesota Historical Society site and see if the new "theme" is posted. It is indeed on the site, and is: "Conflict and Compromise in History"

Here is a link to the page: http://www.mnhs.org/school/historyday/program/index.htm

Please take a moment to read the page so you know what History Day is all about. Notice the links at the bottom of the page. If parents or young adults are asking particular questions about the process, or even the difference between primary or secondary resources, guide them to look at the National History Day contest rule book. Of course, questions are always welcome at the MHS too. There is a "contact us" on that same linked page. If you have any questions, I would also be happy to help with answers.

Deb

Global Warming Presentation

Sue Roegge will discuss global warming with highlights from Al Gore's book, An Inconvenient Truth on Sunday, September 16th at 2:00 PM in the 4th floor Meeting Room. Roegge was personally trained by Al Gore.

-Terry

St. Paul and Minneapolis City Directories are indexed in the Ancestry Library database

I just discovered that some St. Paul and Minneapolis City Directories are indexed in the Ancestry Library database. Here is a sample entry:

St. Paul, Minnesota City Directories, 1889-91
Name:Archibald McDonaldLocation 2:rooms 382 N Exchange Business Name:N P R R Occupation:clerk Year:1890, 1891 City:St. Paul State:MN Source Information:Ancestry.com. St. Paul, Minnesota City Directories, 1889-91 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Original data: St. Paul City Directory, 1889-1890. St. Paul, MN: R. L. Polk and Co., 1890. St. Paul City Directory, 1890-1891. St. Paul, MN: R. L. Polk and Co., 1891. Description:Directory listing for some residents of St. Paul, Minnesota between 1889 and 1891

Pretty slick!

--Barb P. (I don't work at Central anymore but I used to!)