Rewarding Resources: Discover Earth

In honor of the opening of the Discover Earth exhibit appearing in Ephrata from May 18 to July 11, I thought it would be good to look at some of the sources out there for looking at wildlife in Pennsylvania.  These are resources that are available to the general public that will lead you to the wonderful world of science.

First place I would highly recommend to start is the Discover Earth @ Ephrata Public Library.  This is a great start to find all of the activities and resources available through the Library.  Discover Earth is a traveling exhibit that is only visiting 10 libraries in the United States in 2012 and 2013.

If you have an interest in Pennsylvania wildlife, I would strongly suggest the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website.  It has resources related to Pennsylvania wildlife and birdwatching.  They have a surprisingly large amount of material available.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission operates the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in northern Lancaster County.  It is world renown as an excellent place to watch migrating birds, particularly Canada geese, snow geese, and tundra swans, as they travel the Atlantic Flyway.

The Pennsylvania chapter of the National Audubon Society is also a great place to find birding information for Pennsylvania.

I consulted an 8th grade science teacher, who suggested the following links for general science resources:

Science articles:

• Science News for Kids – http:// www.sciencenewsforkids.org
  • Offers a variety of different science articles or a variety of different topics.  The articles are current and deal with what is going on now in science.
  • Science News – http://www.sciencenews.org
    • The adult version of science news for kids.

Periodic table of element websites:

• Periodic table of elements by WebElements – http://webelements.com
• Periodic table of elements – http://www.chemicool.com

Biomes:

• World biomes – http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm

Random:

• National geographic for kids – http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
• National geographic – http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
• The Story behind the science – http://www.storybehindthescience.org/index.html
  • Articles about different scientists and their discoveries.  Website has articles as PDF files.  Cover topics like astronomy, biology, physics, geology and chemistry

Science fair projects:

• Science buddies – http://www.sciencebuddies.org/

Visual dictionary:

• Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary Online – http://visual.merriam-webster.com/index.php
  • Great for looking up and seeing science terms.  Can be used for other things.

These are just a place to start and do not nearly begin to cover all of the opportunities to get outside and experience wildlife this summer.  Of course, while you are out stop by the library and see the Discover Earth exhibit!

Keith L Greenawalt, Public Services Librarian

Rewarding Resources: Legislative Information

It is actually fairly easy to find Legislative information for the federal and state governments online.  The federal government had offered a number of resources available through the Library of Congress THOMAS database.  THOMAS went live in 1995 and the platform needed to be replaced with some a little more current and user friendly, hence that is being replaced by the new Congress.gov.  There are things that are not yet on Congress.gov that are still on THOMAS, so search both depending on what you are looking for.  Congressional biographies, the Congressional Record, legislation, and information on how the legislative process works can all be found at these sites.  Currently, Congress.gov only has legislative information going back to 2001.

Legislative information for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can be found at the General Assembly’s website.  They have information on bills dating back to 1969-1970.

 

Rewarding Resources: LibraryThing

LibraryThing is an online tool that allows you to catalog your own book collection. I use it to keep track of my personal collection.  It is free to use for up to 200 books, after that there is a membership fee (either annual or lifetime).  I have an annual membership that is very affordable, especially that it allows me to see what I have anywhere!

I had run into a problem over the years that I would go to a bookstore or used book sale and would see a book that looked interesting.  I would sometimes not be sure if I had a title or not.  At one point I think I had three copies of the Warren Commission Report, which is probably three more than I needed.  If I am not sure, I just hit up LibraryThing!

It is some work to enter your collection, although it is fairly easy.  You can use ISBN numbers to import records from various sources (including Amazon and WorldCat).  If the book isn’t out there somewhere you can enter information manually, as much or as little as you want.  You can have collections and subject headings and tags!

So check out LibraryThing.  I think you will find it to be very useful!

Keith L Greenawalt, Public Services Manager

Rewarding Resources: Library of Congress Digitial Collections

One place that has a constantly growing collection of free digitized resources available is the Library of Congress.  The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library and holds some of the world’s treasures.  They also function as the de facto national library of the United States.

The Library of Congress has a wide range of resources digitized.  I pointed out LOC’s newspaper archive last month, but they have excellent resources in many other areas as well.  Their American Memory Project collection is particularly awesome.  They also have resources related to history, sports, music, art, and the environment, among many others. You can access their digital collections here.

I encourage you to look around and see what America’s Library has to offer!

Keith L Greenawalt, Public Services Manager

Rewarding Resources: More Online Newspapers

This month I am going to double up on the RR column.  I’ve previously discussed online newspapers, but I was made aware of a few more interesting sources for local papers.  Specifically, the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer and Lancaster Farming.

Lancaster Farming is one of the largest agribusiness publications in the country.  It is actually published right in Ephrata.  It is available through Penn State University Libraries: http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/lancasterfarming/Client.asp?skin=lancasterfarming&AppName=2&AW=1362009719304.  

It is available from 1955 to 2003.

The Lancaster Intelligencer and many other papers are available through the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America newspaper archive: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83032300/.  It is available from 1864-1922.

As always, remember the local history LibGuide: http://ephratapubliclibrary.libguides.com/localhistory

I hope you find these resources very rewarding!

Keith L Greenawalt, Public Services Manager

 

Rewarding Resources: What Do I Read Next?

I am picky about what I like to read.  I also do a lot of my “reading” via audiobooks.  I really like medium sized (5-7 disc/7-9 hours long) audiobooks, preferably non-fiction.  I want to learn and be intrigued and then move on.  So, now that I have exhausted the vast majority of the Ephrata Public Library’s collection historical audiobooks, plus the greater part of several other libraries’ collections as well, I have a question.

What do I read?

Well, I can suggest a few resources that can help you find your next book!

First of all there is the Ephrata Public Library’s YouReview Book Review Blog.   YouReview’s tagline is Book Reviews from the Cocalico Valley.  I mean that.  These are book reviews that are largely from patrons and staff of the Ephrata Public Library.  We’re always taking submissions and you can submit anonymously!  There are over 620 reviews of all types.

The Ephrata Public Library’s Readers Cafe is the best resource I have ever seen for readers advisory!  Looking for award winners?  Looking to join a book group?  There suggestions of  podcasts and apps and rss feeds that are all devoted to reading!

Two resources the staff uses heavily are fantasticfiction.com and shelfari.com.  Both are excellent sources.  I use fantasticfiction.com all the time to find out the order of series or what an authors latest book is.  Other staff swear by shelfari.com!

Many libraries have read-a-like lists that will suggests authors based on authors you may already like.  For example, if you like James Patterson you might like Jeffery Deaver or John Sandford.  Just google the authors name and “read-a-like” and you will find all sorts of things!

As always, you can ask the staff at the desk for assistance.  Sometimes the best resource is the one standing in front of you!

Keith L Greenawalt, Public Services Manager

Rewarding Resources: LibriVox Audiobooks

Public Domain Audiobooks

You probably all heard of places where you can find free books online (Googlebooks, Project Gutenberg, etc), but did you know that there are places where you can find free audiobooks online?

My favorite is one called Librivox.org.  LibriVox has been around since 2007 and contains approximately 6000+ titles.  All free and all volunteer.  Approximately 90% of the collection is in English, although over 30 languages are represented.  Since the titles are in the public domain in the US, you are unlikely to find modern titles.  So while you won’t find James Patterson there, you will find Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, Great Expectations, and The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn.  You can also find various books of the Bible.

I found a copy of Ernest Shackleton’s South available.  Downloading was not complicated and I was listening on my computer within minutes.  The readers were all very solid and made no really noticeable mistakes.  It’s a great resource available all the time!

Keith L Greenawalt, Public Services Manager

Using MindMeister to Brainstorm!

MindMeister is a great product that we’ve been using at the library for years. If you want to try it out, the free version gives you three mindmaps. If you find that you like it, a personal account is $4.99/month.

If you are a visual learner, or a visual thinker, mindmaps are a great choice to spark creativity and organize your thoughts. In addition, MindMeister allows you to collaborate with others and get the best product remotely. There are so many meetings in our lives that anything that saves time and has the same outcome is a welcome change. MindMeister also has apps so that you can work on the go and jot down your ideas immediately. How many times have you had a great idea and forgotten it by the time you’re sitting at your desk?

The MindMeister website claims you can start within 60 seconds, so I tried it. This is a very accurate claim! So give it a try and collaborate with others on anything from large project management to personal tasks like planning a wedding or a family reunion!

Penny Talbert
Executive Director

Rewarding Resources: College Guide

Recently I have been working on a new learning guide using the LibGuide format that the Ephrata Public Library subscribes to (ephratapubliclibrary.libguides.com).  The topic of this guide is getting into college, from finding a school to studying for tests to financial aid.  I tried to make this as comprehensive as I possibly could.  Visit ephratapubliclibrary.libguides.com/college to access this guide.

Keep in mind that the Library has access to some excellent resources that are included as a part of the LibGuide and I have touched on them in a prior blog post.  Learn-A-Test and Tutor.com are EXCELLENT resources for test prep.

There are a lot of good things out there, so as always I take suggestions on any resources I might be missing!

Keith L Greenawalt, Public Services Manager

Keith

Rewarding Resources: Online Genealogy Part II

I wrote a post about online genealogy back in July where I highlighted the online genealogy resources that are available online and through the Library.  There are other resources that I overlooked at the time, but have since added a new tab to the Library’s local history LibGuide on vital records.  Vital records are “records of life” held by a government authority, so these generally include birth and death certificates and marriage licenses.  For the sake of ease I have also included links to land and court records on this tab as well.

Most vital records in Pennsylvania are held at a county level.  The Lancaster County Archives publishes two outstanding resources on finding genealogical records and house and land records within county government.  That is a great first place to start.

The state Division of Vital Records maintains all birth and death certificates since 1906.  They have a very limited index (currently only 1906 for births and 1906 to 1961 for deaths) of vital records currently available.  Recent state law mandates that these records be made available 105 years after birth or 50 years after death.  Birth and death records prior to 1906 are held at the county level, but are very limited.

Keith L Greenawalt, Public Services Manager