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Written on: June 9th, 2010 by: in Blog Posts
Click on the links below to get lists of new items available from the Delaware Library Catalog in various formats:
You can sign up to receive a weekly reminder of new items via email- visit our catalog homepage and go to the “connect with us” section in the lower left of the page and click on “other new item feeds”- enter your email address, look for a verification email, and you’ll receive a reminder when new item links are posted.
Written on: June 8th, 2010 by: in Blog Posts
The U.S. Army War College recently published this selected bibliography of books and journal articles published within the past 5 years, dealing with the subject of terrorism. The document was made available through the Homeland Security Digital Library, an incredible resource operated by several government and Department of Defense institutions- the HSDL has been a subscription only site for a while- with eligibility for a subscription quite tightly controlled- but the site has recently opened up some of its holdings and reports to wider public view (click here to see their recent newsletter announcing the changes to access). You can read the Terrorism Bibliography below, or click to download it:
While many of the publications listed in the full bibliography are specialized resources that public libraries don’t typically select for their collections, the Delaware Library Catalog does have a good number of they key titles and resources listed, in part because of our partnerships with many of the state’s academic libraries. Among the titles listed in the Army War College bibliography that are available to you through the Delaware Library Catalog are:
Subscription resources available from the Delaware Library Catalog include access to a number of the journals and periodicals cited in the bibliography, including Foriegn Policy (click here to view the publication’s 2008 Terrorism Index, the most recent listed in the War College bibliography.)
Serious topics require serious information- public libraries prize their role as distributors and presenters of the information citizens need to create their own fully-formed point of view- independent of bumper-sticker slogans and second-hand (second-rate) opinions parroted by pundits and partisan websites and news media to further their own commercial and ideological agendas. From the elusive government of North Korea, the ideology of the suicide bomber, to the technology and impact of deep-water drilling, your library can be a place for you to find facts, figures and commentary from all sides of the policy spectrum and make up your own mind about the issues that matter most!
Written on: June 8th, 2010 by: in Blog Posts
EBSCO’s Auto Repair Reference Center contains information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles, with repair information for most vintage makes starting as far back as 1945- the content is licensed from the former publisher of the very popular Chilton’s repair guides, which are a mainstay of most public library reference collections in this area. You can save yourself a trip and time spent standing around the photocopier by connecting to your public library subscription resources and downloading at home (or from your garage.)
Database content includes more than 34,000 vehicles covered from 1945 to present, nearly 850,000 drawings and step-by-step photographs, approximately 86,600 technical service bulletins & recalls issued by the original equipment vehicle manufacturer, over 158,600 enhanced wiring diagrams for easy viewing and printing, specifications & maintenance schedules, Labor Time Guide & Estimator, AutoIQ, Quick Tips (a complete guide to vehicle ownership & maintenance), unlimited remote access and much more.
You can access the database at this link (you’ll be asked for your library card ID and PIN). You can see other databases and subscription resources at the Delaware Library Catalog e-resources page.
Written on: June 5th, 2010 by: in Blog Posts
The publisher Harper Collins made this presentation at the recent Book Expo America, promoting upcoming titles for this fall and winter seasons. These are sure to be books that you are going to hear a lot about over the next few months! I haven’t seen any of these personally as yet, but fingers crossed I will be able to pick up some of them as promotional copies at the forthcoming American Library Association conference in Washington D.C. Which of these will YOU be wanting to see in your Delaware public library? Let us know in the comment section!
There was also a much-buzzed about panel discussion at BEA with included John Stewart, Condoleezza Rice, and John Grisham, amongst others. Reports suggested that Rice was so charming that Stewart pleaded with her “don’t make me like you!” The breakfast is being rebroadcasted this weekend on C-SPAN’s BookTV. Click here to see the schedule.
Written on: June 3rd, 2010 by: in Informal learning, Learning Journeys, Reading
Confession time. I do not read every book that I check out of the library or buy at the bookstore. Yes, there are cases where the title and I just don’t match up…the voice of the character or the format of the writing puts me off for some reason. But more often than not, I wind up returning/donating unread books to the library because I have gone into a sort of feeding frenzy. [What?] When serendipity steps in and I am faced with shelves and shelves of new releases or piles and piles of must-have bargain buys, it’s a feeding frenzy. I can walk out with two full bookbags.
I do feel badly though; I picture those titles on a kind of Island of Unread Books. To give them another chance to be enjoyed, my most recent returns include The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food & Friendship, Game Change: Obama & the Clintons, McCain & Palin and the Race of a Lifetime and Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. Won’t you give them a try? And, why not share a few of your Island dwellers with us here?
One last thing…a special thank you for the recommendation to request a copy of Defend the Valley: A Shenandoah Family in the Civil War by Margaretta Barton Colt. To walk through those years with this family via their journals and letters made the unique, convoluted tragedy of civil war truly visible…and made clear the resilience of the human spirit. My learning is richer for the read. I appreciate it.
Written on: June 2nd, 2010 by: in Blog Posts
In this blog post from last year, I summarized some findings from a Book Industry Study Group report about book buying habits of the general public, which discussed online impulse buying of popular titles as a significant driver of commerce- with my note that several tools exist to expedite your ability as a consumer to check library holdings before spending the average $10/book for an online purchase.
This most recent BISG report shows the dramatic shift in consumer behavior toward “pure” ebook purchasing. Last year, this was barely mentioned and the main issue at hand was online purchasing of ink-and-paper books. In the past year, ebook purchases have risen from just over 1% to more than 5% of the entire market- and a significant percentage of ebook buyers purchased their first ebook within the past year:
(more…)
Written on: May 31st, 2010 by: in Blog Posts
The week before the observance of Memorial Day John Finn, the last living survivor of the 15 men awarded Congressional Medals of Honor for their actions at Pearl Harbor, died at the age of 100. Admiral Chester Nimitz cited Finn for “magnificent courage in the face of almost certain death.” The New York Times published this obituary earlier this week, a lengthy and moving tribute an extraordinary warrior.
You can read about his, and other stories of heroism in Medal of Honor: Portraits of Bravery Beyond the Call of Duty, available from your public library. My Memorial Day reading will be the astounding Matterhorn: a Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes
Most libraries will be closed on Monday in observation of Memorial Day. You can read more about the history of the day and how it is observed across the nation on this USA.gov website, and the President’s weekly address, honoring service members and the fallen, is available online at the White House website. Sunday’s News-Journal also published this powerful article about the daily work of Mortuary Affairs at Dover Air Force Base, where fallen warriors are received and given back to their loved ones in scenes of incredible dignity and respect.
Written on: May 30th, 2010 by: in Blog Posts
Another prize moment from librarians in popular culture, courtesy of the University of Washington’s iSchool:
This was originally posted on the boingboing website (caution, some of the comments include strong languate!)
Written on: May 27th, 2010 by: in Blog Posts
The Delaware Library Catalog has offered eBooks and eAudiobooks to Kent and Sussex County public library users for a few years now, and with last year’s successful integration of the Wilmington public libraries and this fall’s upcoming addition of New Castle County’s public libraries to the stateside library catalog, everyone in Delaware can access this increasingly significant media and take advantage of the educational and entertaining content that is included in our subscription to the eBook vendor NetLibrary.
In an effort to respond to users’ increasing interest eBooks and eAudio books, we recently revised the way that these titles display in the online library catalog, and added more options for users to discover both the NetLibrary site directly and the titles held by Delaware libraries. In Kent and Sussex counties and Wilmington, library card numbers and PINs are now the only credentials needed to log in and download these items- replacing the earlier system where users needed to establish a personal account on the website.
Now, with the implementation of library card login, you can select “Delaware Public Libraries” as a login option on the Netlibrary.com site, or you can check one of the “Have You Read” reading lists for new ebooks and new eaudio books that are available in the online catalog, and then connect directly to an title that looks interesting to you. For more information on how to discover and explore out ebook holdings, you can view an online tutorial here which gives an overview of where you can find links into the site and for individual titles, and how to access the content.
Written on: May 27th, 2010 by: in Blog Posts, Informal learning, Learning Journeys, Reading
Our Learning Journeys program at the Hockessin Public Library yesterday left me so energized…the conversations were insightful; the people connected…that I dove into one of our Next Steps this morning. Our Train-the-Trainer component for the public library staff. As we create this cornerstone of Learning Journeys for public library staff, we wonder what sites, books, movies can help us convey the power that is informal learning? Well, that power – my power – vaulted me from place to place to place to TED. TED gives us “riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.” Once there I listened while Mihály Csíkszentmihályi explained the mental state of Flow and Dan Pink analyzed motivation or Drive, his trademark stage presence intact. The notes from these talks fit into my “workforce learning” for sure but will I come back on my own. Count on it. Why don’t you drop in on TED? And if you have additional suggestions to help communicate about informal learning, please send them our way.
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