Spring/Summer Database Updates 2010

Reference database publishers often update their products in the spring and then provide that information to their customers. Here are the updates for some of the databases we subscribe too.

EBSCO NoveList and NoveList Plus . Effective July 2010, a new interface incorporates the use of appeal terms for elements such as pacing, mood, writing style, and tone. For browsers, new genre pages feature book that are well known in the genre along with immediate links to NoveList content and articles as well as award lists specific to the genre. An expanded "Teaching with Books" section supports school librarians and teachers.

Fact on File Science Online. New essays on subjects within the physical sciences as well as new color illustrations.

Gale, part of Cengage Learning Grzimek's Animal Life. New biomes map with Google integration allows users to select a biome and see an overlay of it on the world map. New content includes the Encyclopedia of Biomes (2d edition.)

World Book Enciclopedia estudiantil hallazgos. Relaunched with a new design, a search engine, updated content, and new interactive features.
Advanced Differentiated feature offers read-aloud capability and translation into 30 languages for World Book Kids, World book Online Reference Center, and World Book Discover.
Time line feature on World Book Discover now allows students and educators to add their own images.

New Features and Content for Science Online

Science Online has recently added new features and content to their database. These updates includes many exciting new features that make Science Online even more accessible and user-friendly for students and researchers. Check out their useful new "Did You Mean...?" feature and other search enhancements. The new easy-to-use conversion calculator, the handy new site map, more than 150 new or newly colored illustrations, and more than 500 new entries on a variety of topics, from artificial intelligence and robotics to hot issues such as climate change will help in all areas of science and nature.

Science Online has been enhanced with several powerful search features that help users navigate the extensive range of material in the database. For example their new "Did You Mean...?" feature suggests another search term ("did you mean...?") when a user's search does not yield results. In addition, users are now able to sort the search results for news articles and Today's Science articles by either relevancy or date from the Science in the News page or the Advanced Search page. Search results for videos can now be filtered for those with closed-captioning only. The new site map easily accessible at the top of the page offers quick navigation to the key browse pages in the database, and the Science Standards link--which allows users to search for science education standards and then find entries in Science Online related to those standards.

Click here to enter Science Online and view these new features.

Getting the Most Out of Google

Google Translate offers a package of free, online language tools that can assist in daily use and in your online research. Translations are produced by state-of-the-art technology, without the intervention of human translators. Automatic translation is also often referred to as machine translation. You can translate phrases or Web pages in over 30 languages; search in your native language and find results in others; and use the multitude of language dictionaries.

These tools are great for students, researchers and travelers. Find out more about Google Translate.

Getting the Most Out of Google

With the holidays coming fast upon us, wouldn't it be nice to track all of our packages from one place?

You can track packages by typing the tracking number for your UPS, Fedex or USPS package directly into the Google search box. They’ll return results that include quick links to easily track the status of your shipment.

New in Oxford Reference Online

The latest update to Oxford Reference Online includes four superb titles, containing plenty of fascinating and scholarly content, focusing mainly on quotations and world history and politics.
There are two new titles — The Oxford Companion to Australian Politics and The Oxford Dictionary of American Quotations — which both contain outstanding content, boasting comprehensive and authoritative coverage of Australian political life and thought, and a rich array of American quotations.

There are also two new editions — The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations and A Dictionary of Contemporary World History.

Three fantastic new Timelines have been added to Oxford Reference Online as well --Settlements of North America, The American Revolution and The American Civil War. These provide a chronological account of events in North America from 1200 BCE to 1877, with each moment linked to an entry in a trusted Oxford reference titles.

You can find Oxford Reference Online as part of the library's collection of Databases & Websites on the library's Website - hcplc.org.

The Top 10s of 2007

How about some information fun to finish out the year?


Here are some top 10 and best of 2007 lists from around the Web:

• Top 10 Quotes of 2007 from the Yale Book of Quotations.
• New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2007.
• Billboard Magazine’s 2007 Year End Charts covering all genres of music.
• How about the Top 10 Baby Names of 2007 from the BabyCenter. (You can also get previous year's names from the Social Security Administration.)
• CNET’s Top 10 Games of 2007. See all of CNET's year end lists and reviews.
• Time Magazine's 50 Top 10 Lists of 2007 - the year in news, entertainment, science, business and pop culture.
• Lifehacker’s 2007 Guide to Free Software & Webapps.
• Teens’ Top 10 ( books chosen by teens, ALA)
• The Top Internet Searches of the year courtesy of Google's year-End ZeitGeist)
  

Didn't get enough of 2007? Hungry for more?

Try ResourceShelf's Lists and Rankings Section or your can do a Google Search for "Top 10 of 2007".

Government Statistics - Hot Off The Press!

Several new editions of major US Government statistical handbooks have been released:

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2008: The National Data Book

The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.

Use the Abstract as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to sources of more information both in print and on the Web

Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations.

This year’s Statistical Abstract includes 64 new tables covering a variety of currently relevant topics, including:

-Components of Population Change by Race and Hispanic Origin
-Estimated Unauthorized Immigrants
-Public Schools Reporting Crime Incidents
-Selected Security Measures in Place in Public Schools
-Internet Service Providers
-Tobacco consumption by Country and Sex
-Top 20 U.S. Gateways for Nonstop International Air Travel
-Life Expectancy at Birth and at 65 Years of Age, by Sex
-Percent of Household Final consumption Expenditures Spent on food, alcohol, and Tobacco

Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), 2008-09 Edition

For hundreds of different types of jobs—such as teacher, lawyer, and nurse—the Occupational Outlook Handbook tells you:

-the training and education needed
-earnings
-expected job prospects
-what workers do on the job
-working conditions

In addition, the Handbook gives you job search tips, links to information about the job market in each State, and more.

Ways to use the Occupational Outlook Handbook site: (1) To find out about a specific occupation or topic, use the Search box that is on every page—enter your search term in the box. (2) To find out about many occupations, browse through listings using the Occupations links that are on the right side of each page. (3) For a listing of all occupations in alphabetical order, go to the A-Z Index and select a letter.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years.

Career Guide to Industries (CGI), 2008-09 Edition

For dozens of different kinds of industries—such as educational services, health care, and motor vehicle and parts manufacturing —the Career Guide to Industries tells you about:

-occupations in the industry
-training and advancement
-earnings
-expected job prospects
-working conditions

In addition, the Career Guide gives you links to information about the job market in each State and more.

Ways to use the Career Guide to Industries site: (1) To find out about a specific industry or topic, use the Search box that is on every page—enter your search term in the box. (2) To find out about many industries, browse through listings using the Industries links that are on the right side of each page. (3) For a listing of all industries in alphabetical order, go to the A-Z Index and select a letter.

The Career Guide to Industries is a companion to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which provides information on careers from an occupational perspective.

PC Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites of 2007

Here is PC Magazine's list of the Top 100 Classic Web Sites in 2007. You'll see a lot of familiar URLs on this list, and we hope there are also quite a few that you haven't heard of before. These sites are established and generally best-of-breed in their respective categories.

Also get their picks for the top new or under-the-radar sites of 2007. You may not know many of the sites on this list, but you should! See the full list of Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites of 2007.

Check out some of the top Info & Reference sites.