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Fast Facts — Current US motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Current US motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws

Twenty states and the District of Columbia have motorcycle helmet laws that require all riders to wear a helmet. Twenty-seven states have a motorcycle helmet law that only require some riders to wear a helmet. Three states (Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire) do not have a motorcycle helmet law.

Low-power cycle (LPC) is a generic term used by IIHS to cover motor-driven cycles, mopeds, scooters, and various other 2-wheeled cycles excluded from the motorcycle definition. While state laws vary, a cycle with an engine displacement of 50 cubic centimeters or less, brake horsepower of 2 or less, and top speeds of 30 mph or less typically is considered an LPC. Twenty-two states have motorcycle helmet laws that cover all low-power cycles. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia have laws that cover some low-power cycles.

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have bicycle helmet laws that require some young bicyclists to wear a helmet. Local law may require helmet use for some or all bicyclists.

+ Helmet use laws overview
+ History of US motorcycle laws and changes in coverage

Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Posted in Fast Facts, Legal, Reference Tools, Source File | No Comments »

Resource of the Week: Sloan Work and Family Research Network

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Resource of the Week: Sloan Work and Family Research Network
by Karen Corday, Information Services Specialist (corday@bc.edu)

The Sloan Network is the premier online destination for free work and family information. We serve a global community interested in work and family research by providing resources and building knowledge. Current, credible, and comprehensive, the Network targets the information needs of academics and researchers, workplace practitioners, state public policy makers, and interested individuals. It is the place to find high-quality research and reports, easy-to-read summary sheets and briefs, work-family topic pages, a work-family glossary, a work and family encyclopedia, and a literature database featuring over 10,000 bibliographic citations— all in one location. The Network is a project of the Graduate School of Social Work at Boston College and has been funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the past 12 years.

We offer multidisciplinary, credible teaching resources and access to the world’s foremost work-family academics and researchers, evidence-based information on cutting-edge workforce issues, talent management, and the impact of work and family issues on business outcomes, and unbiased policy data about work and family trends, legislation, and statistics.

Topics featured on the site include:

We have a monthly award-winning newsletter, The Network News, featuring interviews with work-family experts as well as literature updates in the field and international work-family news. Subscribe for free. You can grab our RSS feed, and find us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. We update our Work and Family Blog at least three times a week; please get in touch if you have similar interests and would to guest blog.

Editor’s note: We think this is truly an outstanding website that provides continually updated information on topics of interest to almost everyone — researchers, policymakers, human resources professionals…and working parents. We are amazed — time and time again — by the high-quality resources created, maintained, curated, supervised, etc., by our readers. Do you work for an organization that offers high-quality, free content? We’re always looking for Resource of the Week contributors. Don’t hide your light under a bushel. Thousands and thousands of people read our content by blog, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook…

Posted in Business and Economics, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Glossaries, Government Documents and Political Information, Legal, Reference Tools, Resource of the Week, Resources for Educators, Source File, Statistics | No Comments »

New Online Databases from the State of Louisana and State of New Jersey

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

1) Louisiana: State Contracts Database Now Searchable Online (via New Orleans Times-Picayune)

More than 18,000 current state contracts are now available for public inspection through a new online database unveiled today by Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration.

Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis, the governor’s chief financial adviser, said Louisiana is one of four states to make all state contracts available online, after California, Texas and Georgia. The contracts feature is part of the LaTrac online portal, which also allows anyone with Internet access to track state spending.

Access the Louisiana State Contracts Database

2) N.J. Broadens Web Database on Campaign Aid (via Philadelphia Inquirer)

New Jerseyans now have enhanced Internet access to a listing of people and companies who have helped fund their local leaders’ political careers.

The state Election Law Enforcement Commission introduced this week a searchable database of campaign donations to municipal candidates. The information previously was available only on paper or in document files, which are difficult to analyze.

The database contains 2009 fund-raising activity for municipal primaries. The commission hopes to make general-election data available early next year.

Access the New Jersey Database of Campaign Donations to Municipal Candidates

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Government Documents and Political Information, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »

Investing — Research Pays Before You Lay Money Down (Databases and Resources)

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Research pays before you lay money down

Most people put a lot of faith in their broker, and that often works out well. But in the age of Bernie Madoff, wary investors may be looking for some reassurance.

The truth is they are largely left to fend for themselves. With a bit of time and widely available tools, many legal experts say investors can improve their chances of choosing wisely when selecting a financial adviser or broker.

+ Resources for background on your broker

Source: Washington Post

Posted in Business and Economics, Reference Tools, Source File | No Comments »

Another Database of Asked and Answered Questions from the Library of Congress

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Yesterday we mentioned to searchable databases, one from the U.S. Census and the other from USA.gov with thousands of asked an answered questions about the federal government and the U.S. Census. Excellent ready reference tools to know about.

Today, another database of asked and answered questions This time it’s a Library of Congress resource.

The site is both browsable and searchable.

It’s name: Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress.

The home page allows you to browse all of the questions or search with keywords.

+ Agriculture
+ Astronomy
+ Biology & Human Anatomy
+ Botany
+ Chemistry
+ Geography, Anthropology, Recreation
+ Home Economics
+ Meteorology, Climatology
+ Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics, Astronautics
+ Physics
+ Technology, General
+ Zoology

Both answers and the service itself come from Science Reference Services at LC.

Here’s a quick sample of five asked and answered questions from the collection. A link on the home page allows users to submit questions.

1) Does your heart stop when you sneeze?
2) How did the grapefruit get its name? It doesn’t look like a grape.
3) What is “freezer burn?”
4) Is it true that no two snow crystals are alike?
5) Who invented the TV dinner?

This is a great resource for the reference desk as well as for school media specialists and teachers.

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Reference Tools, Resources, Resources for Educators, Science | No Comments »

LTCFocUS.org — Long-term Care: Facts on Care in the US

Monday, November 16th, 2009

LTCFocUS.org — Long-term Care: Facts on Care in the US

LTCFocUS.org is a product of the Shaping Long-Term Care in America Project being conducted at the Brown University Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research and supported, in part, by the National Institute on Aging. The website hosts data regarding the health and functional status of nursing home residents, characteristics of care facilities, state policies relevant to long term care services and financing, and data characterizing the markets in which facilities exist and, in the future, we plan to expand to include information about other sectors of the long-term care system. These data will allow researchers to examine the relationship between state policies and local market forces and the quality of long-term care. Researchers can use this website to examine care processes and resident outcomes within the context of their local markets and regulatory practices. Policymakers can use the information to shape state and local guidelines, policies, and regulations that promote high-quality, cost-effective, equitable care to older Americans.

Source: Brown University Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Reference Tools, Source File, Statistics | No Comments »

Google Launches Flu Shot Locator Lookup Database

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Danny Sullivan on Search Engine Land reports and documents the new Flu Shot Locatorfrom Google. The locator itself comes via Google Maps and shows both locations to get seasonal flu shots as well as the H1N1 shot in the U.S.

Locations are marked with the icons that look like syringes and needed. Red shows seasonal flu shot locations while blue identifies H1N1 shot locations.

Sullivan writes:

Unfortunately, you can’t tell at-a-glance if a particular location is out of stock on flu vaccine.

He goes on to say that you’ll have to look at the list of locations in the left column to find out if the location still has the vaccine in stock.

Finally, we learn that the Google Flu Shot Locator will be added to both Flu.gov and the American Lung Association Flu Clinic Locator.

Direct to Google Flu Shot Locator Database

Source: Search Engine Land

An Impressive Selection of Free Financial Related Reference Resources from the QFINANCE Web Site

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

The QFinance: The Ultimate Resource web site is part of the 2,000 page reference book from Bloomsbury in partnership with the Qatar Financial Centre Authority. Content on the web site is free.

Included on the Web Site (Free) Are:

+ A Financial Dictionary

+ Financial Related Quotes

+ Financial Information Sources (Very Impressive)

+ Country Profiles

+ Sector Profiles

Much More on the QFINANCE Web Site

Learn More about QFINANCE: The Ultimate Resource in this Article from Publisher’s Weekly:

At a luncheon at the 21 Club last week, Boomsbury publisher Kathy Rooney introduced QFINANCE: The Ultimate Resource, a desk reference volume produced in partnership with the Qatar Financial Centre Authority that was officially released November 3. The 2,000+ page book, a two year project, with essays by over 300 financial experts (investors, economists, professors) includes a glossary, financial sources and even finance-orientated quotations, aiming to position itself as the premier financial resource. The plan is to update the book yearly, while the Web site, www.qfinance.com, on which the entire content is offered free, will be kept current. Price for the print edition, which Bloomsbury is distributing in the U.S. and U.K., is $250.

The book received a positive comments from PW.

Sources: QFINANCE, Publisher’s Weekly

Posted in Business and Economics, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »

Reference Resources: The Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

An excellent use of multimedia.

From the Glossary:

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) created the Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms to help everyone understand the terms and concepts used in genetic research. In addition to definitions, specialists in the field of genetics share their descriptions of terms, and many terms include images, animation and links to related terms.

Linked information explains how to cite a term from the Glossary in a reference paper. Another link allows you to suggest a term currently not in the glossary that you feel would be a valuable addition. And there is a link to email any of the 200+ terms to a friend.

Source: National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Posted in Glossaries, Reference Tools, Resources, Science | No Comments »

Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales Sits Down for an Exclusive Interview with Silicon.com

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Access the Complete Interview (via Silicon.com)

The interview runs three pages. Here are a few points that we found to be most interesting. However, the entire interview is a “must read.”

+ “One of the things that’s important to know about Wikipedia is that the entries that are edited by hundreds of people are really anomalies.”–Jimmy Wales

+ This small group mentality can be a blessing when editing articles but it is also one of the site’s biggest weaknesses: Wikipedia’s pool of contributors can tend towards the homogenous – or “a certain type of person”, in Wales’ words.

+ “Right now a lot of the Wikipedia editing is done by people who are very technologically savvy,” he says. “What we see is 20s and 30s computer geeks, mostly male – tragically 85 per cent male.

+ “We know there are geeks who aren’t computer geeks,” he adds. “We know there are people who are really knowledgeable about poetry, who might not really feel comfortable editing a template or figuring out our table syntax… but who have a tonne of knowledge that they would be happy to share with people, and they would love to meet other people from their community who are interested in discussing and putting up some knowledge and we sometimes aren’t addressing their needs very well so that’s one of the things we’re focused on.”

+ To this end, there will be a small grant of almost $900,000 from the US-based Stanton Foundation to improve Wikipedia’s writing and editing processes for first time users to help boost usability and accessibility.

Access the Complete Interview (via Silicon.com)

Source: Silicon.com

Posted in Reference Tools, Resources, Social Media, Web 2.0 | No Comments »

The Age of Mega Content Sites-Answers.com and Demand Media

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

The ReadWriteWeb article (via The New York Times) provides an overview of Answers.com and their WikiAnswers service from a business angle. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not of value to the info pro.

“Answers” has been around for years. Remember Atomica? Remember Gurnet? These companies became Answers.com. WikiAnswers launched in February, 2007. and allows users to have questions asked and answered. Answers.com also provides the definition of search terms at the top of a Google results page.

Let’s begin with an important question that the author, Richard Macmanus, asks near the end of the article:

…if you search Google for a reference article and the first page of results is littered with Answers.com and Demand Media (eHow.com) articles, is that crowding out the real topic experts?

Takeaways from the Article:

+ Answers.com has moved from 26 to 13 in comScore rankings in only two months.

+ The growth in traffic on Answers.com is largely due to WikiAnswers.

+ Most of Answers.com’s revenue comes via Google AdSense.

+ According to Google page estimates (not always accurate totals), show Answers.com and WikiAnswers have a total of 38 million pages in the Google database. For comparison sake, Wikipedia has 56 million and NY Times offers 13.2 million.

Ed. Note: Even more reason to 1) Use than more than one search engine 2) Learn a few concepts that can help you narrow and focus a search 3) Know about and use specialty databases and search tools. Trying to build a virtual reference shelf with key resources before you need to use them. This is similar to the print model.

Source: NY Times / ReadWriteWeb

Ed. Note: The actual Answers.com database offers content from many excellent sources from respected publishers when you search the “reference topics” portion of the service. However, a visit to the Answers.com home page shows that the site is really focusing on the WikiAnswers (as noted in the article, inexpensive content). Just accessing (searching or browsing) “reference topics” can be a challenge. You can also get to some of these well-known sources by browsing the Answers Library. In just a few minutes browsing the Answers Library we accessed content from Oxford University Press and Gale.

Also, are information professionals and educators are aware of WikiAnswers just like they know about Wikipedia? This doesn’t mean not to use WikiAnswers but rather to have your critical information skills on high alert when using it.

Posted in Information Industry, Reference Tools, Social Media | No Comments »

Resource of the Week — Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Resource of the Week: Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States
By Kirin K. Kalia, Editor, Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute

Our just-published article, Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States, covers everything from Mexican immigrants to health-care coverage to government budgets and backlogs. A few interesting numbers:

Of the 46.9 million people in 2008 who identified themselves as having Hispanic or Latino ancestry, nearly two-thirds (62.0 percent) were native-born US citizens. The remaining 38.0 percent were immigrants.
Immigrants, who in 2008 made up 12.5 percent of the US population, accounted for 29 percent of the 46.6 million working-age adults and children under 18 with no health insurance in 2008.
According to a Mexican survey, 14.2 percent of Mexican migrants who headed toward the United States in 2008 came from the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico.
Funding for the US Border Patrol increased 519 percent between 1986 and 2002, from $268 million to $1.6 billion. The Border Patrol budget was more than $3.5 billion in 2008, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
In 2008, there were about 16.3 million children age 17 and under with at least one immigrant parent. They accounted for 23.2 percent of the 70 million children age 17 and under in the United States.

This article is available on the Migration Information Source, an online journal of the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. that studies immigration issues, trends, and policies in the United States and around the world. The MPI Data Hub provides instant access to the latest immigration statistics, maps, and numbers for the United States and other countries. For US state-level immigration data, see the ACS and Census Data Tool.

Also, if this is a subject area of interest to you, be sure to sign up for the free twice-monthly Migration Information Source email newsletter, which offers interesting, smartly packaged articles and data on immigration-related developments in the United States and around the world.

Posted in Fast Facts, Reference Tools, Resource of the Week, Source File, Statistics | No Comments »

Ready Reference: Online Meteorological Calculator from the National Weather Service

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

Using the Calculator on this Page you can:

+ Convert Temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius and Celsius to Fahrenheit

+ Calculate Windchill
See Also: Windchill Chart

+ Calculate Relative Humidity

+ Calculate Heat Index
See Also: Heat Index Chart

+ Wind Speed Conversion (mph; knots; m/s; ft/s; km/h

+ Station Pressure

Source: National Weather Service, Peachtree City, GA

Posted in Reference Tools, Resources, Science | No Comments »

Daylight Savings Time Ends This Weekend: Saving Time, Saving Energy

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Saving Time, Saving Energy

Spring forward…Fall back….

It’s ingrained in our consciousness almost as much as the A-B-Cs or our spelling reminder of “i before e….” And it’s a regular event, though perhaps a bit less regular than the swallows coming back to Capistrano.

Yet in those four words is a whole collection of trivia, facts and common sense about Daylight Saving Time.

In 2005 and 2006, Daylight Saving Time begins for most of the United States at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of April. Time reverts to standard time at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday of October.

Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time is extended one month and begins for most of the United States at:

2 a.m. on the Second Sunday in March
to
2 a.m. on the First Sunday of November.

The new start and stop dates were set in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Everything you ever wanted to know about daylight savings time.

Source: NationalAtlas.gov

Posted in Calendars and Special Events, Fast Facts, Government Documents and Political Information, Reference Tools, Source File | No Comments »

Database — Music — ACE Title Search

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

ACE Title Search
From the FAQ:

ACE is a database of song titles licensed by ASCAP in the United States. For each title, you can find the names of the songwriters and the names, contact persons, addresses and, in most cases, phone numbers of publishers to contact if you want to use the work. For most of the titles, you’ll find some of the artists who have made a commercial recording.

Source: ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)

Online Database: European Union Bookshop Historical Database (Free) Now Ready to Search

Friday, October 16th, 2009

The other day ResourceShelf posted about a new database from the EU containing over 14 million pages of content dating back to 1952 from the EU Bookshop.

Access to the database and its content (primarily PDF files) is free.

Instead of reposting, simply head to our post from Wednesday and get all the details and links. It’s likely that the site will be busy (slow) so be nice.

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Government Documents and Political Information, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »

Ready Reference: U.K.: Telephone Lookup Databases

Friday, October 16th, 2009

The first online database allows users to find area codes in the U.K.

Three options are available:

1) Enter an Area Code and See The Area it Covers

2) Enter an Area and See What Area Codes are Available

3) See a List of All Area Codes

The second database allow users determine the mobile broadband coverage for a specific postal code by selecting a carrier and then entering a postal code.

Access the UK Area Code Database

Access the Mobile Broadband Database

Source: Ofcom

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Reference Tools, Resources, Search Tools | No Comments »

The Adversity Index: Measuring the Economic Health of 381 Metro Areas in All 50 States

Friday, October 16th, 2009

An entire package of resources from MSNBC.

The current headline: Recession ends in 79 metro areas

+ How the Adversity Index detects trends in local economies

+ Main Article
Contains an interactive map.

The Adversity Index, from msnbc.com and Moody’s Economy.com, measures the economic health of 381 metro areas and all 50 states. Each area is in recession, at risk, recovering or expanding. On this map you can explore changes in the four components of the index: employment, housing starts, housing prices and industrial production, each shown as a percentage change from a year earlier. (The change in housing prices will be updated at the end of the quarter.) Roll over a state to see its numbers. Click on a state to see details for its metro areas. Slide left or right to see data for different months. Click play to see all the months. Use the forward and back buttons to step a month at a time.

+ When the Downturn Hit, Month by Month

+ Recession-resistant areas
Map at bottom of page

+ Boundaries of metro areas in Adversity Index

+ The Areas Rarely Suffer a Recession
Map.

Posted in Business and Economics, Geographic, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »

Archive for the ‘Reference Tools’ Category

Fast Facts — Current US motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws

Resource of the Week: Sloan Work and Family Research Network

New Online Databases from the State of Louisana and State of New Jersey

Investing — Research Pays Before You Lay Money Down (Databases and Resources)

Another Database of Asked and Answered Questions from the Library of Congress

LTCFocUS.org — Long-term Care: Facts on Care in the US

Google Launches Flu Shot Locator Lookup Database

An Impressive Selection of Free Financial Related Reference Resources from the QFINANCE Web Site

Reference Resources: The Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms

Resource of the Week — Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States

Ready Reference: Online Meteorological Calculator from the National Weather Service

Daylight Savings Time Ends This Weekend: Saving Time, Saving Energy

Database — Music — ACE Title Search

Online Database: European Union Bookshop Historical Database (Free) Now Ready to Search

Ready Reference: U.K.: Telephone Lookup Databases

The Adversity Index: Measuring the Economic Health of 381 Metro Areas in All 50 States

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