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SOLIC News Vol. 12 No. 4, November 2002The bimonthly newsletter of the Southern Oregon Libraries Information Cooperative providing reference assistance for Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lake, and Lane counties. 413 West Main Street SOLIC News is written by Jackson County Library Reference Librarians and produced by the Library's Business Office. JCLS is a regional reference center for Oregon Reference LINK. The newsletter is published with funds granted by the Oregon State Library under the Library Services and Technology Act. Inside... Women in World History Collaborative Reference I am constantly reminded of the changing nature of our job and how we find answers these days. We’re always lucky when the person standing next in line knows just what the one in front wants, usually a restaurant recommendation, but sometimes it is that movie title you can’t dredge up in an instant. More often we start a search, but may still benefit from the advice and help of other people. A patron was looking for information on the Hessians who settled in New Jersey after the Revolutionary War, and intermarried with the Native Americans thus beginning a new race. Where are they now and what are they called? The question became even more involved with this patron’s memories of a friend in World War II. I browsed many American history sources, encyclopedias, did Google searches, and eventually was led to a site developed by the New Jersey Historic Commission. I e-mailed them my question. They not only replied quickly, but put my question out on the New Jersey History Listserv and others also sent in their ideas. Some consider it in the category of local legends, others gave sources. All gave me much more than I had before. Communication - ah, it’s wonderful. -Amy Blossom Book Review When a patron requested a sample letter to help her compose her resignation from her current job, we discovered that the books we had were dated and incomplete. A quick check of Amazon and some other sources led to the acquisition of some newer letter compilations. The first to arrive is the pretentiously titled Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters (revised and expanded) which promises the lucky reader "never again worry about what to say, or how to say it, with this lifetime treasury of 981 model letters for virtually any business or personal occasion!" To give the book by Harold E. Meyer its due, it does cover over 600 categories of letters arranged in 15 logical chapters. Our patron would have been happy to see that an entire chapter is devoted to "Termination and Resignation." Besides the usual types of letters, and there are many examples of those, this book will help you write a letter of apology to your boss after demeaning him at the company party or to write a letter to the spouse of your best friend on his demise. In addition, the author recognizes that no matter how many example letters are given, the one you need may not be there. To deal with this problem, each chapter begins with a "how to do it" section providing a step-by-step outline for the letter being considered. While somewhat obvious, these outlines would definitely help a patron compose his letter. Another aid in composing ones own missive is the collection of over 300 suggested beginning and ending sentences. The Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters has a detailed table of contents, and a useful index. It is a very complete book for the price and highly recommended. -Howard Levitt Book Review Medford and Ashland Reference just received this wonderful set, which will be of immeasurable use to students and the general public. The editors, Anne Commire and Deborah Klezmer, have included approximately 10,000 women from about 3100 BCE to the 20th century, worldwide. Reading the Introduction was fascinating enough, learning how they researched many of the women who were often just mentioned as “wife” or “daughter” of some male historical figure. Reading what they have put together for each of the entries is even more fascinating! Entries vary in length from a paragraph to several pages, and include photographs when possible. Each essay includes an introduction of the woman, then goes on to the main biographical information. The long biographies are signed, and include sources used as well as suggested reading or media to look at. There is nice cross-referencing within the text of an entry, with an asterisk denoting women mentioned who have their own complete entry. Some entries also include sidebars for women associated with the subject of the entry, but who do not have their own entry. Included are 90 genealogical charts, and indices for Era, Geographic area, Occupation/Experience, and Name. The Name Index includes others who are mentioned in the pieces, so it can be used as a cross-reference with known men and women. The Occupation/Experience Index is very interesting to look through, but in some instances you need to see the biography of the woman to find her listing(s) in this Index. For instance, Belle Starr is listed under “Horse thief (accused)” (the only entry in this category) and “Rancher”, but my first thought was of ‘outlaw’ since she is known as the Bandit Queen. I had to look at her biography to see the Occupation categories. I like using Belle Star as one test case for a women’s biographical source, since she often proves hard to locate. I use her as a test of the “sensibilities” of the compilers/ writers of various biographical sources - whether they will include “outlaw” women or not. My main test for international and historical women biography sources is Ethelflaed, my favorite historical woman. She lived in the 9th and 10th centuries in Anglo-Saxon England and ruled Mercia with her husband and alone after he died. She was the eldest daughter of Alfred the Great. Not much is known about her, unfortunately, but her entry in this set is four pages long! The price may put this out of many libraries’ budgets, but it is definitely worth buying if you can afford it. I recommend it to any library as a general biographical source, particularly if your library has scant coverage on women in history. - Julie Drengson Education and Re-training for Adults With the growing unemployment rate, many adults looking for work or better jobs may be considering returning to school or re-training in another field. They may want to learn a new trade, gain or finish a degree, or just keep learning. There are many local, print, and online resources for continuing education as well as books and materials to help people decide what’s right for them. University For information on universities in Oregon, visit the Oregon University System Web site at <www.ous.edu>. This site offers information for all public Oregon Universities. The state of Oregon Web site also has links to all colleges, universities and technical schools in the state. Choose the “education” link on the left-hand side of the page at <www.oregon.gov>. Community College Community Colleges are a great option for those seeking retraining and continuing education. Rogue Community College <www.rogue.cc.or.us> serves both Jackson and Josephine counties. Information for other community colleges in the state can be found at the Oregon Community Colleges Online Advisor <www.oregoncomcolleges.org>. This very detailed site provides information on all the community colleges in Oregon as well as tips on choosing a college, transferring, and financial aid. Try also the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development Web site <www.odccwd.state.or.us>. In addition to community college information, this site also contains information about technical schools and a very helpful online community college handbook. Distance Education Distance Education is becoming increasingly popular for those who cannot easily attend traditional classes because of logistics, disabilities, or schedules. The Oregon Network for Education (ONE) <www.oregonone.org> provides information for all distance education programs in Oregon. Oregon Colleges Online <occdl.chemeketa.edu/home.cfm> contains distance education information specific to community colleges in Oregon. GED For those seeking a GED, there are many online resources. Information and practice tests can be found at <www.gedtest.org>. State information about the GED can be found at The Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development Web site <www.odccwd.state.or.us/ged> as well as the Oregon Department of Education <www.ode.state.or.us/cifs/ged>. Local GED information is offered through Rogue Community College <www.rogue.cc.or.us>. Other Resources The Oregon Labor Market Information System (OLMIS) <www.olmis.org> has a great section for education information. This site provides articles about trends and issues affecting the labor market in Oregon. Check Your Shelves for These Career Resources in Print What Color is Your Parachute? (2002). Bolles, Richard. “A practical manual for job hunters and career changers” this classic helps determine career choices with information and quizzes. Occupational Outlook Handbook (2002). US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. This handbook gives updated statistics for various job markets. Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance (2002). Editor, Hopeke, W. E. Includes comprehensive outlines of many occupations including duties, education needed, and expected salary. - Lori Moore Reader’s Advisory Sites from Webwatch I was browsing through the current Library Journal at my usual breakneck speed and happened to look a little closer at Neal Wyatt’s column “Webwatch.” We all stumble upon Internet sites, but sometimes we aren’t sure if this is the best site in that subject area or if there is something better. I was interested in this issue’s topic of Reader’s Advisory because I had just updated our Reading List Notebook . I was familiar with the first Internet site that Mr. Wyatt reviewed <www.bookbrowser.com>. I had been using it for years as a way to get the names of books in a series, but I hadn’t used it for Reader’s Advisory. I explored this site again and realized that it has some great features. Reading Lists provides you with categories like: “If you like this author, try these.” You’ll also find award winners, and books grouped by Time (when a novel occurred) and Place (if you want fiction that took place in a specific locale).There is a nice link for author pseudonyms. The Forthcoming book category is useful, but is only for 2002. I had never used Wyatt’s suggested site <www.overbooked.org> but I was impressed with the starred reviews section that Mr. Wyatt pointed out as one of Overbooked’s best features. The starred lists are books that received at least one starred review (indicating a work of unusual merit) from the following review sources: Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus, and Library Journal. The starred list is broken down in year order and then in categories: fiction, mystery, thrillers, speculative fiction, selected nonfiction, and YA stars. Overbooked has an advantage over Bookbrowser because it tells you which books will be released in 2003 (under the “new books” link). The new book’s Hot List is arranged alphabetically by author, and includes title, publication date, type of fiction, and selected links to authors’ Web sites. These are the two sites that impressed me most in this Webwatch article and it reminded me that I really need to take more time to read those review tools that seem to zing across my desk. Find this particular Webwatch article in Library Journal, September 1, 2002 or on the Library Journal Web site. Go to the main page <http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/> and find the “Webwatch” link on the left. - Maureen Schroeder November 11 Veterans' Day - SOLIC and JCLS closed 28 Thanksgiving - SOLIC and JCLS closed December 25 Christmas - SOLIC and JCLS closed
Book and Web site Review Here are two handy resources by the same author, one print and one online, that are great first places to go for everything related to geography. Mathew Todd Rosenberg’s The Handy Geography Answer Book was published in 1999. Rosenberg is a Geographer and a Disaster Manager for the American Red Cross, and the “guide” for the <geography.miningco.com> Web site. The Handy Geography Answer Book is an inexpensive ready-reference resource, covering all aspects of both physical and human geography. True to the title, the book is laid out in question and answer format. The questions are straightforward: Who are the Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims? What are the world’s newest countries? When was January 1st chosen as the beginning of the year? Where is Timbuktu? How can I measure how much rain falls where I live? How many tectonic plates are there? Which city has the most taxis? And the answers are short, readable, and interesting (“Congested Mexico City is home to more than 60,000 taxis among its 3.5 million automobiles.”) The questions are arranged in 21 chapters. The first eleven chapters cover geographical themes such as climate, hazards, water and ice, and exploration. World regions are covered in chapters 12 through 20 (North America, South America, Western Europe, etc). Chapter 21, really an appendix, breaks from the question and answer format and lists 19 key facts for all the world’s countries. These facts - such as location, capital, government type, currency, population, and climate - could easily be found in an almanac, atlas, or encyclopedia, but it is useful to have them all in one place in a compact and uniform format. The table of contents is thorough and the index is detailed - which is essential because how would one know to look up “Where is Gaul?” in the chapter on Western Europe if one didn’t know where Gaul was? Between the index and the chapter layout, this book will serve both specific fact seekers and browsers. Keep in mind that this is a short-answer fact book: in-depth analysis is out of the scope of coverage. Wars and invasions get summed up in a few sentences, while controversy (in topics such as immigration, religion, and infanticide) is avoided. Still, Rosenburg covers a lot of ground while sticking to the easy-to-use question and answer format. This book would be an especially nice addition to any school library because it manages to be succinct and authoritative while still being lively. Geography.miningco.com is an extensive geography site under the umbrella of the about.com folks. Rosenburg’s love and knowledge of his subject area really comes through as you wander through the articles and links he has assembled. Great care has been put into selecting, writing, and arranging the content of this site. Topics include (but are not limited to), cartography, time, climate, rivers and streams, census and population, cities, and transportation. The site is a mix of original content by Rosenburg and links to other useful geography sites. All links, both internal and external, are briefly annotated. You will know if you are staying in the about.com realm because the link will say “from your about.com guide.” Otherwise you have chosen a link to an external site. Where should one start? The site is divided into three sections. There is an inset on the left called “Basics,” a main column entitled “Spotlight,” and a list of links by subject down the left-hand side. The spotlight will lead you to new or timely features, and always has a link to the monthly geography quiz (beware, you might spend hours here). “Basics” is your stop for atlases and maps, and a glossary of terms. Also in the Basics box, the “Geography Answers” section most closely resembles the Handy Geography Answer Book format. After that, just choose your link and start exploring. - Anne Gruel The California Library Systems Cooperative Song Index Before you read another word, go to <www.sjvls.org/sjvis/songs/>. Now, save this site into your Bookmarks or Favorites. The California Library Systems Cooperative Song Index has bailed me out on several occasions recently and I’ve become a real California fan! Of course I use the Jackson County Library database of songs in our collection first but if we don’t have it, I head south to the California Song Index. And I like it because, like California itself, it is so big. And for a person with very little music background it is very easy to use. Remember, this is an index to the songs, not the recorded music, in seven large California library systems. It can be searched by title, or title keyword. Results include the title of the book, magazine, or other collection which has the material and the name of the California library that owns it. Your search may lead you to a book right in your own collection! The statistics for this song index are impressive: over 135,000 song titles, over 1,300 items indexed. In addition to this enormous song index, there are links to other excellent Web sites and searchable collections, making it very easy to pursue hard-to-find titles. The other collections include: Los Angeles Public Library California State University, Fresno Center for Popular Music (American popular music from pre-Revolution to the present) Hal Leonard Online (especially good for collection development) Other links make it easy to do a thorough search in very little time: Web Directories (Librarians Index to the Internet and The Center for Popular Music) Sheet Music Online (by time period) Sheet Music Retailers (two good ones) Song Databases (several databases which are good for song identification, reviews, copyright dates, etc.) If you don’t have the song in your collection, remember to call SOLIC. We have a large songbook collection, too. Also, as a regional reference center, SOLIC can tap into Multnomah County Library’s extensive song collection for you. The California song site is simple to follow, and the collections and selective links are excellent. Highly recommended for libraries of all sizes. - Amy Kinard Book Review The book is organized by the various rooms in the average home, with chapters on bathrooms, bedrooms, and so on. Each chapter provides detailed information in a well written and very readable fashion. There is a lengthy section on basements and attics, including heating and air conditioning systems. Other chapters discuss renovations, new construction, and housecleaning. A most interesting chapter called "Away from Home" provides information on cars, schools, and workplaces. There is a glossary, a list of resources including Web sites, and a detailed index. My House Is Killing Me! is a fascinating "read" - this is a book that could work for both reference and circulation, and in fact we have copies in both areas. May is an excellent writer and his case histories are very well written. As someone who is very allergic to mold, I found his comments useful and plan to check out a few things in my own basement! I would recommend this book to any patron who has questions or concerns about indoor air quality. Definitely a worthwhile purchase at a reasonable price. - Jan Gorden Q. A writer preparing a book for publication needed book sales statistics for two published books that were similar to the writer’s own book. A. These were known books but not best-sellers and we had a hunch these statistics might be hard to track down. We contacted the publishers of the two novels by phone, e-mail, fax, bicycle messenger, and mail-carrying owl, but received no reply. We queried the experts on the Stumpers Listserv: Many librarians, writers, and editors wrote to tell us that book sales information is proprietary information that is very difficult to get, even from the publisher (maybe particularly from the publisher.) When the public does see book sales numbers, even for best-sellers, what they are usually seeing are the number of copies of a book that have been printed, not necessarily sold. We suggested that the patron write to the individual authors, in care of the publishers. We hope that works. A Stumpers respondent that used to be a grievance officer for the national writers union told us he had heard numerous complaints from writers who could not get accurate book sales numbers from the publishers for their own books. Q. A woman wanted an historical stock quote for 1985. She knew the company had changed names at some point, and she had two ticker symbols to check. A. Yahoo Finance gave us an historical quote for 1985. However, we had found out from the Directory of Obsolete Securities that this company had changed its name in 1987. The Yahoo quote for 1985 was given for the ticker symbol for the new name of the company. It didn’t quite make sense that Yahoo Finance was listing the stock in 1985 with the ticker symbol that corresponded to the new name of the company, changed in 1987. Was it a merger, not just a simple name change? We called the investor relations department at the company (a good source of investor information for any company) and were told that the company did change their name in 1985 and that this was not a merger with an already existing company. We were given a stock quote for the day we wanted in 1985, and it was the same as the Yahoo Finance quote. Investor relations also told us to make sure to tell our patron that there had been a reverse stock split in the company’s history. Q. A patron’s mother wrote an article about cooking on an African safari in the late 30s or 40s, possibly for Good Housekeeping. The patron wanted a copy of the article. A. The patron gave us a copy of a response he had received from Good Housekeeping after he had contacted them for help. The director of Consumer & Reader Services said that they had searched the table of contents of the magazine for three years in the 30s and did not find the article. They suggested that he “search for the specific publication and issue date through the Library of Congress under your mother’s name.” We are not sure what they meant by that, but they did wisely suggest he contact his local library for assistance. We found the article listed under his mother’s last name in the 1935-1937 volume of Reader’s Guide. The article appeared in, yes, Good Housekeeping. Q. Prompted by George W. Bush’s scheduled visit to Medford in August, a patron asked which presidents have visited southern Oregon. A. An August 9, 2002 article in the Medford Mail Tribune satisfied our patron’s curiosity. The article gave the names of presidents who had visited the city of Medford. President Ford visited Medford on May 22, 1976. Rutherford B. Hayes visited in September of 1880, and the other George Bush came to Medford in 1992. Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan all visited Medford, but not while they were in office. Teddy Roosevelt “may have passed through on a train once,” and Jimmy Carter was scheduled to come to Medford in 1976, but he didn’t make it because his plane had mechanical trouble. Q. A county worker needed some historical natural disaster information. One of the things she needed to know was the dates of tsunamis that might have affected her county, from the present back to the 1940s. A. We called the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska <http://www.wcatwc.gov/main.htm>. This is the agency, under NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), that issues official warnings for tsunamis in the west. The two scientists we spoke with were friendly and informative, giving us four dates for tsunami warnings from 1946 through 1996 that would have likely impacted counties in Oregon. They also led us to the National Geophysical Data Center’s online, downloadable Tsunami Event Database <http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/hazard/tsu.shtml> to search for the effects of tsunamis by location. This database contains information on “tsunami events from 49 BC to the present in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, and the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.” The Mythical Zoo: An Encyclopedia of Animals in World Myth, Legend, and Literature What fun - an academic reference book with illustrations, poetry, and even words of wisdom. A recent question about Bast, the Egyptian goddess with the head of a cat and the body of a woman took me to this new resource and because the book had "personality" I found myself browsing long after the patron had gone. Organized in broad categories (Ape and Monkey, Bull and Cow, Cat, Horse, Pigeon and Dove, etc.) the author has researched the historical symbolism of animals "not only for use as a reference but also to document how profoundly animals and their symbolism are integrated into human values". Each section begins with a quotation or poem. The author then proceeds to describe the animal in myth and folklore throughout history, concluding with his observations about the animal and its relationship with modern man. He presents the dialogue between Old Monkey and the Buddha, Aesop’s fable about bats, and explains why the cricket is the symbol of the hearth. We read several religious views about pigs, and about the trickster figure of the hare from Africa to Brer Rabbit. The chapter on horses begins naturally enough with centaurs and Greek mythology, then continues on to the story about the Russian witch, Baba Yaga. Other references about the horse are from the Bible, Mohammed, the Chinese zodiac, Lady Godiva, and Black Beauty (by Anna Sewell). The section concludes with the metaphor of the Trojan Horse as a symbol for anything from internal subversion in a government to a computer virus. At the end of each entry are Selected References listing 5 to 15 other literary resources making this a valuable place to begin a research project. The Mythical Zoo is arranged alphabetically with see references and also has a detailed index with many literary references. This hardcover book with black and white illustrations (many from Dover’s Pictorial Archive Series) seems like it will be used for years and years to come. Enjoy. -Amy Kinard New Ashland Branch
If you are planning a visit to the Jackson County area, please drop in and visit the beautiful new Ashland Branch Library. We have moved out of the 7,000 square foot 1912 Carnegie - with its leaky plumbing, no electrical outlets, and very cramped conditions - to a beautiful, clean 17,000 square foot addition. (The Carnegie is being renovated and will become the children’s library, hopefully by the end of the year.) There is a tremendous amount of learning in the building process as many of you know. Architects don’t always have the same concepts or practical nature of librarians. Yes there have been some problems, but the bottom line is that it’s a beautiful space, well lit, beautiful wood ceilings, gorgeous views, and windows that open! The reference desk had to be tweaked, actually raised up one and a half inches. Don’t assume anything is standard. We had to make decisions that represent our service. Do we want a sit down desk, lower and more accessible to the patrons - but then we bob up and down a lot - okay, yes that works for us. Do we want to put in high shelving to maximize growth of the collection (and lose those wonderful shorter shelves that act as tabletops) but also block the view? We compromised. Of course color choices were the most fun and the hardest to do. How will it be to have fiction downstairs, reference upstairs, and children’s in a connecting building? We’re still working that out. If you’re planning any buildings or redesigning any areas, please call with any questions you have. We may have some insight on how we dealt with those issues. -Amy Blossom Former Congressman and Southern Oregon University Professor Les AuCoin recently visited the new Ashland Branch Library. He reflected on what libraries mean to the communities they serve in a recent Jefferson Public Radio program. Excerpts from his commentary on August 21, 2002 follow: “The perch from which I'm writing yields a panorama view of Grizzly Peak, an Ashland signature for which some property owners pay hundreds of thousands of dollars. But here I am in this easy chair, enjoying the scene for a few dollars a year. It's what I pay in property taxes for the brand spanking new Ashland Branch Public Library. As the library nears its first month of operation, I've come to try it on for size. (It fits like a fine pair of leather slippers, supple and comfortable even though they are right off the shelf!) I'm also reminded that a library is not only a repository of art and thought but also a shrine to egalitarian democracy. No matter how much wealth into which you were born or have earned, no matter your age, creed, politics or ethnicity, no matter your occupation or fame, a library gives equal access to its riches. At it's best, it is a rare place where disparate people can learn about each other even if they don't converse. For instance, when I see that scruffy man over in the corner go home with an audiotape entitled "American Short Stories," it rearranges the way I think about people. When we set foot in a public library, we've entered one of the rare institutions in modern life that do not treat us as commercial functionaries. Here, we are treated as learners, creators, discoverers, adventurers. In short, we're valued as humans; with a capacity for growth, love, imagination, and beauty. (You don't get that at the local shopping mall!) ” See Les AuCoin’s full commentary, and post comments if you wish, on Jefferson Public Radio’s Web site <http://bb.jeffnet.org/phpBB2/>.
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