Archive for the ‘Reference Tools’ Category

« Older Entries

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

See Also: Rankings: Top 10 Countries by Engagement (Average Minutes Per Visitor Spent on Wikimedia Foundation Sites)

See Also: Complete List of Wikimedia Foundation Sites

See Also: Jimmy Wales Interviewed by Yale Daily News (October 9, 2009)

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)

See also: BMI Repertoire Search

The BMI Repertoire is a BMI song title database, which means that you will only find songs licensed by BMI. In some cases, songwriters may have started their careers with another performing rights organization and affiliated with BMI sometime later, or may have affilated with BMI at the start, and then with another organization sometime later. In either case, the songwriter’s songs may or may not have followed the songwriter. As such, BMI may license songs for songwriters who are not currently affiliated.

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

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 »

Legislation Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to Make CRS Reports Available on the Internet

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

From the Blog Post:

Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD) recently introduced a bill, H.R. 3762, into the House of Representatives to make published Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports available to the public via the Internet.

[Snip]

This recent House activity complements Senate Resolution 118, introduced by Sen. Lieberman (I-CT) in April 2009.

Source: District Dispatch (ALA)
Hat Tip: LibraryStuff

See Also: Read and Track H.R. 3762 using GovTrack.US

See Also: Read and Track Senate Resolution 118 via GovTrack.US

See Also: At the Present Time, OpenCRS is a Excellent Resource to Access Some Congressional Research Service Reports

Posted in Government Documents and Political Information, Reference Tools | No Comments »

ERIC News: CSC Wins $29 Million Contract From Department of Education to Operate Education Resources Information Center

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

From the Article:

CSC will operate an online digital library for the Education Department under a new five-year contract worth up to $29 million, the company announced today.

CSC will support the department’s Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) under the contract. The new agreement has one base year and four one-year options.

Source: Washington Technology

From the News Release (via CSC)

“We recognize the importance of providing our country’s educators and others with easy access to educational resources that will improve learning, teaching, decision-making and research,” said Tom Anderson, president of CSC’s North American Public Sector Civil and Government Health Services Group. “CSC is honored to support this crucial system and continue our 36-year working relationship with the Department of Education.”

See Also: Access the ERIC Database and Thesaurus

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

Available this Friday: Online Database: European Union Bookshop Historical Database (Free)

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Update (Friday, October 16, 2009)
We’ve been told by an EU spokesperson that new content has now been loaded into the database. The search interface remains the same. More about “what” and “how much” has been added to the database in the articles linked below.

Database Overview:
You can access the database here (left column). Once, you get a feel for what’s available you can created direct links to various interfaces. For example, this link goes directly to the advanced search interface.

Three searching options:
+ By Words

+ Using Identifiers

+ Advanced Search
+ Advanced Search Options
+++ Select Fields to Search
+++ Theme
+++ Language
+++ Format
+++ Publication Year Range
+++ Target Audience
+++ Digital Archive (3 options)
+++ Price
+++ Select only Key Publications

You can also browse content several ways:
+ Just Published
+ Key Publications
+ By Theme
+ By Author

On both the regular and advanced interface make sure to select the “Digital Library” (Archive) box if you want to search the entire range of EU publications.

Also, the database does not allow for a full text search. You can search the publication title, abstract, and table of contents.

Finally, materials are often available in multiple formats. Printed documents are (fee-based) but all PDF’s are free.

While reviewing an article about the EU and digitisation, we came across a bit of info about a new database (free) going live this Friday. Their motto, “All the EU publications in one place.”

From a EurActiv Article:

A new service is set to make the last sixty years of European history available free of charge in its digital EU bookshop. [Our emphasis] The European Commission’s Publications Office has scanned more than 110,000 EU publications including speeches, treaties and publications from the EU institutions, agencies and other bodies dating back to 1952. The initiative was borne out of a saturation of the Publications Office’s PDF-on-demand service wherein users could request publications to be retrieved from the archives and scanned as needed. Total PDF downloads jumped from just 65,000 in 2008 to an expected 230,000 per month for 2009.

More in this News Release from the Publications Office:

Scanning 12 million pages makes more than 110 000 EU publications available free of charge for download in the EU Bookshop Digital Library. It offers all publications ever edited by the Publications Office on behalf of the EU institutions, agencies and other bodies since 1952.

The EU Bookshop is a valuable information source for citizens, journalists, education professionals, students, librarians, publishers, and anybody interested in Europe, in 50 languages, including the possibility of ordering printed copies.

See Also: Official News Release (PDF)
See Also: Examples of what can be found in EU Bookshop (PDF)
See Also: Frequently Asked Questions about the Publications Office Digital Library and the EU Bookshop

Note: In the FAQ we learn that 5% of the documents are fee-based but that the PDF will always be free.

Access the EU Publications Office

Sources; EU Publications Office, EurActiv

Posted in Government Documents and Political Information, History, Reference Tools, Resources, Search News | No Comments »

Eldercare and Aging: Online Information for Librarians and Caregivers

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Eldercare and aging: Online information for librarians and caregivers

News of the growing elderly population can actually be viewed as good news for the academic library’s reference desk. In addition to positioning ourselves as a resource for eldercare with our teaching faculty and campus administration peers, we are also in the best position to facilitate a smooth transition of older adult students onto our campuses. The American Council on Education’s 2007 report “Framing New Terrain: Older Adults and Higher Education” suggests that older adults’ interest in “encore careers” (careers pursued and developed after retirement) will lead many of them back into higher education. Our responsibility is to ensure that we are prepared to understand and address the unique concerns of older adults that may or may not be course related.

However, the cost of lost work-related productivity due to eldercare can become economically devastating for employers. U.S. businesses lose an estimated $17.1 billion to $33.6 billion per year in lost productivity from employees with caregiving responsibilities. A large portion of this lost productivity is linked to individuals seeking eldercare information and resources during their working hours.

Some of us understand from first-hand experience how eldercare impacts our ability to perform at work. As a part of the “sandwich generation,” we share with colleagues our struggle in balancing job performance, marriages/partnerships, childcare, requirements on the tenure track, and active participation in professional associations with caring for elderly family members. On top of that, many of us are our families and friends “personal librarian” and have (or will in the future) field questions about eldercare resources. In that respect, creating this list was deeply personal.

This compilation was written and edited by Alexia Hudson, a reference and instruction librarian at the Pennsylvania State University Abington College,

Source: Association of College & Research Libraries (College & Research Library News)

Hat tip: Sloan Network

Posted in Bibliographies, Webliographies, Reference Tools, Source File | No Comments »

Best Free Reference Web Sites 2009: Eleventh Annual List from RUSA Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS)

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

From the List:

This is an annual series initiated under the auspices of the Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of ALA to recognize outstanding reference sites on the World Wide Web.

Over 25 resources are listed.

Selection Criteria

See Also: Best Free Reference Web Sites Combined Index, 1999-2008 (RUSA/MARS)

Hat Tip: P.W.

Source: Reference and User Services Association (ALA)

Posted in Lists and Rankings, Reference Tools | No Comments »

New Online Database: The Book of Odds

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

NOTE: The Book of Odds site is now live. Registration is free. You can access the Book of Odds database here.

From the NY Times Article:

What’s more dangerous: a playground jungle gym or your office chair? As it happens, one in every 3,759 fatal accidental falls starts from a piece of playground equipment. You’re 85 times more likely, meanwhile, to fall to your death from a chair. That’s one of the many odd pairings waiting to be discovered in The Book of Odds, an online statistical encyclopedia launching Wednesday.

[Snip]

The Book of Odds is a searchable online database of “odds statements,” the probabilities of everyday life. You can search it by keyword or by the odds themselves — for instance, how many things stand a 1 in 142 chance of happening to to you.

[Snip]

The site’s founder, Amram Shapiro, says he wants to create a reference tool for better understanding the endless stream of odds that confront us…

Much More in the Complete Article

Direct to Book of Odds Database

Source: New York Times

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

Online Database: How Much Cell Phone Radiation Does Your Phone Produce?

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

From the Web Site:

Scientists are exploring the health implications of cell phone radiation. Meanwhile, buy smart. Use Environmental Working Group’s new interactive database to find wireless devices with the lowest emissions. Learn how to limit your family’s exposures

On this page, in the lower right corner, you can search for phones by name and limit by provider and/or manufacturer.

Source: Environmental Working Group

Posted in Consumer Issues, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Reference Tools, Resources, Science | No Comments »

OpenMoko Releases a Hand-Held Wikipedia Reader

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

From the Blog Post:

OpenMoko (Om), a company that previously created an open source smartphone, has just launched The WikiReader, a dedicated reader device with an offline copy of the entire English Wikipedia (without images) stored on a small chip. With two AAA batteries, the WikiReader will run for several months, as it’s been optimized for low power consumption. The device has a simple LCD touchscreen and three buttons for searching, viewing random pages, and looking up previously viewed pages.

More in the Complete Blog Post

See Also: Take a Look at the OpenMoko “Wiki Reader”
It costs $99/U.S. and you’ll also need to pay $29 for two updates per year.

Source: Wikimedia Blog

Posted in Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »

Two New Lists/Rankings: Best Places to Launch a Small Business & Best Jobs in America

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

CNN/Money.com is online with three new lists that might be of interest to you and potentially business researchers you work with.

1) 50 Best Places to Launch a Business 2009

+ Direct to Complete List
Click on city name to access a profile of that location.

++ Users can Narrow the list to Top Large Places, Top Midsize Places, Top Small Places, Top Metro Areas

+ Clicking the “Near You” Option Lets You Sort the List by State or Cities

+ Selecting “Find Loans” Allows You to See Where SBA 7(a) Loans are Being Made
View Lending Hot Spots ||| Cities

+ Clicking Business Climate Provides Five Options
Fastest Small Business Growth ||| Educated Workers ||| Low Crime ||| High Income ||| Growing Economy

+ Clicking Areas that Have the Highest Wages Provides
Low Wages ||| Best Tax Climate ||| Affordable Rents ||| Fewest Foreclosures

Finally, note that 2008 data is also available. Look for the drop down menu on the top right of any page.

2) Best Jobs in America 2009

Again, several lists are available along with 2008 rankings. Data is provided by PayScale.

+ Full List
Narrow by Top 50 ||| All 100 ||| Top Sectors

+ High Paying (Click on a job for a complete profile)
Sort by Median Salary ||| Top Pay

+ Job Growth

+ Quality of Life
Sort by Low Stress ||| Security ||| Flexibility ||| Future growth ||| Satisfaction ||| Benefit to Society

+ Sectors

Source: CNN/Money

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

Wikipedia Co-Founder Jimmy Wales Interviewed by Yale Daily News

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Jimmy Wales recently visited Yale University. While he was in New Haven, CT he sat down with the Yale Daily News for a Q&A interview. Here are two exchanges.

Q At the recent annual Wikimania conference, you expressed concern that Wikipedia contributors were mainly a homogenized group of “male computer geeks.”

A A majority, yes.

Q What is Wikipedia doing to try to get a more diverse group of contributors?

A We’re very global; there are people all over the world editing Wikipedia, mostly in their own home language. But there’s a certain geek culture that transcends national cultures; there’s a homogeneity in that. The main thing we’re doing is the useability project. We have a $950,000 grant from the Stanton Foundation that’s specifically targeted at finding the points in the software that are off-putting to people that aren’t computer geeks. There are lots of people that are geeks, but not computer geeks. I always give the example of a stay-at-home mom with a master’s degree. So, this is a very educated person, someone who is already on the Internet and sharing information, but probably not participating in Wikipedia, because she’s not a computer geek.***

The interview continues on to discuss the “flagged revision” policy, favorite Wikipedia pages, celebrities he’s met (and those he wants to meet), what he thinks of students spending three hours a day working on Wikipedia, and criticisms of his own page.

Much Much More In the Complete Interview

Source: Yale Daily News

*** In July, Wikipedians visited the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD to promote the project to NIH employees.
See: National Institutes of Health Refers to Wikipedians for Help
ResourceShelf, July 28, 2009

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

Reference Resources: EmmyTVLegends.org Adds Encyclopedia of Television to Its Library (Free)

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

From the Announcement:

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation announced today that EmmyTVLegends.org, the new web portal offering free, public access to the Archive of American Television video collection, has begun integrating the text of the definitive Encyclopedia of Television authored by Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC).

[Snip]

The MBC Encyclopedia of Television includes over 1,000 original essays from more than 250 contributors and examines specific programs and people, historic moments, trends and major policy disputes related to television. The full Encyclopedia is available at Museum.tv, and relevant articles can be found on EmmyTVLegends.org alongside interview videos from the Archive of American Television.

Here’s our ResourceShelf overview post about EmmyTVLegends.org (September 17, 2009)

Access the Full Text (Free) of the Encyclopedia of TV, 1st Ed.
A second edition is also available for purchase.

Access EmmyTVLegends.org

Source: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation, Museum of Broadcast Communications

Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Media, New Websites and Resources, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »

« Older Entries