Archive for the ‘Reference Tools’ Category
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
An excellent post to share with searchers!
Here’s a Portion of a WorldCat Blog Post:
This post graciously comes to us from Gary Perlman, a Consulting Research Scientist at OCLC who works on WorldCat searching, improving user interfaces and analyzing the overall user experience for WorldCat.org, among other sites.
It’s 2010, and thousands of books have already been published: fiction for kids, fiction for adults, biography, nonfiction for kids, nonfiction for adults, as well as new music, and DVDs.
The links above are for generic types not on particular subjects. Tens of thousands of WorldCat catalogers have added subject headings to millions of records, primarily using the Library of Congress Subject Headings. These are the hotlinked subject headings you see under “More Like This” and “Related Subjects”. They are chosen from a controlled vocabulary by cataloging experts and ensure that items with the same focus use the same terminology.
Unlike the general keyword index, which matches terms anywhere in records, the subject headings index is much more precise, while at the same time, less forgiving.
The remainder of this post discusses:
+ Using Subject Hotlinks to Initially Find Subject Headings
+ Liming Your Search to One or More of the Many Limits (format, language, etc.)
+ Nine Example Searches to See these Capabilities in Action
+ Searching for Fiction (With Examples)
+ Refining Your Search By Using the Options in the Panel on the Left Side of a Results Page
Again, this is a very useful document that can not only be shared with searchers but also used as a quick refresher for those who have been using WorldCat for years. Plus, it was written by a person who is an expert in how to use WorldCat.
Kudos to Gary Perlman for putting it together.
Source: WorldCat Blog (OCLC)
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
From the Announcement
Since 2001, the National Library of Medicine has supported Go Local web sites across the United States. The goal of Go Local was to connect users to health services in their local communities. This seemed like a natural extension to MedlinePlus, which provides health information. In 2001, Go Local was a unique service.
Over the past nine years, the Internet has evolved. Search engines that people use daily, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing, bring health services listings to users. These sites include provider-level directory information and can collect user reviews that Go Local cannot. Health insurance sites give insured users local practice details, such as hours, fees, parking, and quality ratings based on provider or facility performance measures. To include this granularity in Go Local would not be feasible.
The changed Internet environment, coupled with declining use, has led to a decision by NLM to phase down and end its support for the MedlinePlus Go Local program. Resources are tight throughout our profession and as the internet has moved forward, it no longer makes sense to use scarce resources to compete with machine-based indexing used by the search engines.p[our emphasis]
Source: NLM (via Sea Currents)
Posted in Libraries and Librarianship, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Last night we posted that Google was going to donate $2 million to the Wikimedia Foundation (parent of Wikipedia and MANY other projects as you can here).
This afternoon, official word of the donation was made public in this news release.
The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia, today announced that it has received a $2 million (USD) grant from the Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund of Tides Foundation. This is the Wikimedia Foundation’s first grant from Google. The funds will support core operational costs of the Wikimedia Foundation, including investments in technical infrastructure to support rapidly-increasing global traffic and capacity demands. The funds will also be used to support the organization’s efforts to make Wikipedia easier to use and more accessible.
“Wikipedia is one of the greatest triumphs of the internet,” offered Google co-founder Sergey Brin. “This vast repository of community-generated content is an invaluable resource to anyone who is online.”
Also, on Gabriel Weinberg’s blog you’ll find a new interview (audio) with Jimmy Wales. It runs about 30 minutes. Weinberg writes:
Jimmy explains how each project got traction over time. He also talks about press and vision.
This interview is ~30min. At Jimmy’s request, we did not record video, so I put his picture up throughout the audio. If you just want the audio, use the mp3 version. You can also get the video on your iPod/iPhone via iTunes.
You can access more interviews from Weinberg on the Traction web site.
Source: Wikimedia Foundation, Gabriel Weinberg’s Blog, Traction
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Info Management and Retrieval, Information Industry, Information Literacy, Reference Tools, Resources, Technology and Internet | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
From the TC Post:
According to a Tweet just sent from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Google has donated $2 million to the Wikimedia Foundation. Wales says the official announcement will be made tomorrow [Wednesday].
The Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit that focuses on the development of free, multilingual content to wiki-based projects. The Wikimedia Foundation operates Wikipedia, but has also helped develop Wikimedia Commons, Wiktionary, Wikisource, Wikiquote, Wikibooks, Wikinews, and Wikiversity.
Earlier this year, Wikimedia announced that it has raised $8 million for the 2009-10 fiscal, exceeding its goal for the year by $500K.
Source: TechCrunch
Posted in Reference Tools, Social Media | No Comments »
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Resource of the Week: Eurostat — Statistics Explained
By Shirl Kennedy, Senior Editor
Eurostat, for those who might be scratching their heads, “is the statistical office of the European Union (EU), based in Luxembourg (LU). It publishes official, harmonized statistics on the European Union (EU) and the euro area, offering a comparable, reliable and objective portrayal of Europe’s society and economy.” As with various U.S. agencies, it releases economic/statistical reports on a regular schedule. Here at ResourceShelf (and DocuTicker, our sister site), we are big fans of Eurostat, and we post their information from time to time, when something interesting catches our collective eye.
As with many sites like this — regardless of geographic location — the reader/searcher/user can be easily overwhelmed by the sheer volume of available information. Which is why we were quite taken with the “Statistics Explained” site, and felt it was worth sharing.
Statistics Explained is an official Eurostat website presenting all possible statistical topics in an easily understandable way. Together, the articles make up everyone’s encyclopedia of European statistics, completed by a statistical glossary clarifying all terms used and by numerous links to further information and the very latest data and metadata, a portal for occasional and regular users alike.
Statistics Explained currently features 711 articles. To find the information you need, use the hierarchical theme tree, the categories or the search function (alt-f).
And that about sums it up. It’s a straightforward, easier-to-use, gateway to Eurostat. A caveat on the page explains that it’s currently a “beta version,” and user comments and suggestions are welcome. What we particularly like about this page is that it highlights new and especially “meaty” statistical reports, such as:
We noticed that an RSS feed is available if you want to keep tabs on this page.
If you click some of the links in the vertical navigation bar on the lefthand side, you’ll soon realize that what you’re dealing with here is a wiki – which can be edited/updated rapidly. What an interesting way of presenting new information!
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Reference Tools, Source File, Statistics | No Comments »
Saturday, February 13th, 2010
From the Article:
At £15, this 200-year-old set of Encyclopaedia Britannica seemed a snip.
And more than 30 years later it has become clear just how much of a bargain it was – as it has emerged that it’s really worth £9,000.
The 18 volumes were printed in 1797 and are thought to be the oldest privately owned set.
But owner Charlotte Hampson has no plans to sell them, because they are still in regular use by her family.
[Snip]
Mrs Hampson’s father bought them from a friend in the 1970s, but she believes they originally came from a stately home in Suffolk. She said a worker on the estate was given them when they were no longer needed, and they have since been passed on several times.
[Snip]
The founders of Encyclopaedia Britannica – Colin Macfarquhar, Andrew Bell and William Smellie – were reportedly the first writers in the English language to systemise knowledge and enlighten readers about the latest discoveries in the arts, science and literature. Copies of the first two editions are found only in libraries and museums.
Source: Daily Mail (U.K.)
Posted in Books, History, Reference Tools | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco Unveil Landmark Climate.Gov Portal to Climate Information
In a press conference earlier today, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco unveiled a new Web site that will serve as a single point-of-entry for NOAA’s climate information, data, products and services. This climate portal will provide information about the impacts of climate on nearly every aspect of our lives from agriculture and energy to transportation.
…
Known as the NOAA Climate Service Portal, the site is designed to address the needs of five broadly-defined user groups: decision makers and policy leaders, scientists and applications-oriented data users, educators, business users, and the public.
Highlights of the site include:
- An interactive “climate dashboard” that lets users see a range of constantly updating climate datasets (e.g., temperature, carbon dioxide concentration, and sea level) over adjustable time scales;
- A new Web-based climate science magazine called ClimateWatch, featuring videos and articles of scientists discussing their recent climate research and topics that cannot be relayed in charts and graphs;
- Explanations and exploration of data products available from NOAA and partner agencies, with direct links to the sources of the comprehensive datasets;
- Educational resources for students and teachers, including lesson plans for the classroom and laboratory, educational games and interactive media; and
- Easy-to-understand fact sheets and presentations for professionals and the public about climate science, research and climate impacts.
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Posted in Access to Information, Government Documents and Political Information, New Websites and Resources, Portals, Reference Tools, Resources for Educators, Science, Search News, Source File, Technology and Internet | No Comments »
Monday, February 8th, 2010
Resource of the week: Guardian (UK) — Gateway to Government Data Around the World
We actually posted about this resource from The Guardian last month, but we figured it was worth highlighting here because it’s a work in progress that is bound to grow more and more useful over time.
From The Guardian:
Data, data, data. There’s loads of it out there and more coming your way as governments open their statistics vaults around the world.
First the US with data.gov, then Australia and New Zealand followed suit. Now it’s the UK’s turn with data.gov.uk.
And that’s in addition to the cities and US states that have made government data available too: London launched very recently – you can get the full set of links for government data sites around the world here.
Ever since the government appointed Sir Tim Berners-Lee as its open data Czar (working with Prof Nigel Shadbolt from Southampton University) it was obvious the issue was going to be big for the government, but what does it mean for you?
You now have tens of sites around the world providing you access, but how do you find them?
Well, this is now the place. To coincide with the launch of data.gov.uk, we have created the ultimate gateway to world government data.
At World Government Data you can:
- Search government data sites from the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand and London (this comes under United Kingdom, if you want to browse) in one place and download the data (more sites to come)
- Help us find the best dataset by ranking them
- Collect similar datasets together from around the world
- Browse all datasets by each country
+ Direct to world government data
Source: guardian.co.uk
Hat tip: J. T. Johnson, Institute for Analytic Journalism
And here’s a related resource you might find useful, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Statistical Sites on the World Wide Web. Includes links to both U.S. and international statistics agencies and offices.
Posted in Government Documents and Political Information, Reference Tools, Search Tools, Source File, Statistics | No Comments »
Friday, February 5th, 2010
A new 3 page Q&A interview with the co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales. Here are a couple of exchanges we found most interesting.
Q. Would you recommend Wikipedia as a reference work to students?
A. Yes, but as long as some precautions are taken. Wikipedia is an excellent starting point. It is a comprehensive encyclopedia, written in a simple language and easy to access, but Wikipedia is not the best final point for research.
One has to deepen the investigation and consult other sources of information. The reader might find these sources at the footnote of the entries, where there are good references about the subject, such as books, newspapers, magazines and other websites.
What else can be done to improve Wikipedia?
The most important step we have taken in the last few years is the system of highlighted reviews.
The idea is to guarantee the public is reading an entry that has been reviewed by a trustful member of the community.
This system was tested as a pilot project in the German version of Wikipedia and the result was quite good. We are close to reaching an agreement with the volunteers of the English version of Wikipedia to implement a similar project. This is the kind of thing we are always doing to improve the content of the encyclopedia.
Access the Complete Interview
Source: goldcoast.com.au
Posted in Reference Tools, Social Media | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
From the Article:
One of the world’s most trusted references was busy double-checking its facts on Ireland tonight after giving a grossly inaccurate account of the country’s civil war.
A concise version of Encyclopaedia Britannica which was first published seven years ago wrongly described the 1922 conflict over partition as a war between Catholics in the south and Protestants in the north.
Editors worked through the night to ensure the extraordinary mistake has not been repeated in online versions used by 4,000 schools in a special e-learning programme.
Ian Grant, Encyclopaedia Britannica managing director, said the offending article may have been wrongly compiled by an editor attempting to condense complex history.
“This is very rare,” he said.
[Snip]
He could not explain for definite how the error had been made.
But he suggested an inexperienced editor may have attempted to explain the civil war in a very small article and confused history with a current mistaken perception about sectarianism and the Troubles.
Source: IOL News
See Also: British encyclopedia sorry for Irish history goofs (via AP)
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, History, Reference Tools | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
The fascinating world of forgotten information
There’s a fascinating world of all but hidden information out there waiting to be tapped. A growing number of news organizations are beginning to mine and manipulate that information, which in many instances rests in government records files that while public are, for practical purposes, obscure. The conversion by government units to electronic record keeping has not, in many instances, made it easier for the average reporter, let alone the average citizen, to get access to that information. And even when agencies post records online, the data is frequently difficult to find.
Media Web sites that have found ways to cull or link to this data are helping regular readers get information they want and need, and bringing new readers to their Web sites It’s a fresh way to deliver “news” that holds enormous potential to increase site visits and time spent, and to build a new allegiance as a source of essential information about neighborhood and community.
Some months ago, ASNE’s Freedom of Information Committee began a survey of newspaper Web sites, exploring their use of public records data. The initial goal was to establish a baseline of available records and make that report available so news organizations could use the information to push for greater online transparency in their communities and states.
…
The survey found enormous variations among media Web sites. On some sites, we were unable to locate a single database feature utilizing a public record or any other database presence. But many are doing highly innovative and exciting work, putting up database pages that offer scores of information searches that could be enormously helpful, intellectually satisfying, and sometimes just plain fun.
The databases permit both critical and trivial pursuit of information, and a lot of simply useful searching in between.
+ Full Report (PDF; 6.6 MB)
Source: American Society of Newspaper Editors
Posted in Access to Information, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Government Documents and Political Information, Media, Reference Tools, Source File | No Comments »
Monday, February 1st, 2010
Facts for Features: Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV will be played Feb. 7 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., a Miami suburb. To commemorate this occasion, the Census Bureau has compiled a collection of facts examining the demographics of the host city, as well as the cities represented by the contenders, in this year’s edition of our nation’s most celebrated sporting event.
With the mail-out of 2010 Census questionnaires slightly more than a month away, the Census Bureau will run three ads promoting census awareness during the Super Bowl telecast — two during the pregame show and one during the third quarter.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Posted in 2010 Census, Fast Facts, Reference Tools, Source File | No Comments »
Monday, February 1st, 2010
Budget of the U.S. Government – Fiscal Year 2011
ssued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Budget of the United States Government is a collection of documents that contains the budget message of the President, information about the President’s budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications that have been issued throughout the fiscal year. Other budget items, such as related publications and supporting materials, are included, which may vary from year to year.
GPO has signed and certified the PDF files to assure users that the online documents are official and authentic. The digitally signed PDF files should be viewed using Adobe Acrobat or Reader version 7.0 or higher.
Source: GPO
Posted in Government Documents and Political Information, Reference Tools, Source File | No Comments »
Monday, February 1st, 2010
New One-Stop Source for Scientific Information about U.S. Oceans and Waters
A one-stop source for biogeographic information collected from U.S. waters and oceanic regions is now available from the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Program.
The OBIS-USA website offers a unique combination of tools, resources, and biodiversity information to aide scientists, resource managers and decision makers in the research and analyses critical to sustaining the nation’s valued marine ecosystems.
OBIS-USA was established in 2006 in cooperation with the U.S. National Committee for the Census of Marine Life a committee composed of renowned marine community leaders. OBIS-USA – a partnership of state, federal and scientific organizations — is the United States’ contribution to the International Ocean Biogeographic Information System, an effort led by the Census of Marine Life to provide “open access” to global biodiversity data on the myriad of marine life that inhabits the ocean.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Hat tip: Craig Pittman
Posted in Portals, Reference Tools, Resources for Educators, Science, Source File | No Comments »
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
From an Article:
The FDA has launched a new,searchable database that includes 971 recalls since January 1, 2006. (The database only goes back four years. If you have pet food from before then, I urge you to throw it away now for reasons completely unrelated to recalls!)
The number 971 sounds quite scary indeed. If you’re thinking of circumventing this problem by making your pet’s food, remember that recalls of human food are stunningly common as well…
Access the New Pet Food Recall Database
Access the Human Food Recall Database
Source: Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM (Dogster/Catster)
Other Human Food Recalls Can be Found Here
Also, More RecallsHere No Food But Many Other Products, Some Data Back to 1973.
Posted in Consumer Issues, Databases, Directories, and Guides, Government Documents and Political Information, Reference Tools, Resources | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
From the Blog Post:
Sharing in the sum of all human knowledge requires us to go to the sources. Beyond citations to books, journals, and websites, knowledge comes alive through images, video, and audio footage. We can travel to the beginnings of human history and admire the beauty of the Venus of Brassempouy carved from mammoth ivory 25,000 years ago. We can marvel at 2000-year-old mummy portraits that capture the dead in vivid colors. We can immerse ourselves in an Easter procession of the 19th century painted in incredible realism by Ilya Repin. We can listen to the earliest sound recording of a human voice, which could only successfully be played back two years ago for the first time.
Galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (a collective we refer to as “GLAM”) document, showcase, preserve and protect our cultural treasures. The Internet gives us the opportunity to share digital entry points to the fuller experience that cultural institutions can offer. With more than 340 million unique visitors every month, Wikipedia is the central entry point for research in the Internet-connected world.
The international Wikimedia volunteer movement is therefore naturally aligned with the public service mission of cultural institutions. Over the last year, we have seen an acceleration of partnerships to bring content online. This is also a result of the emergence of Wikimedia’s world-wide presence through chapter organizations founded by volunteers, which exist in 27 countries.
For the first time, we now have compelling data that shows the success of these partnerships, and the virtuous circle they can inspire. We also can use the same metrics to track the success of Wikimedia’s other content outreach initiatives.
The post continues on to include a large amount of stats.
Source: Wikimedia Blog
Posted in Reference Tools, Social Media, Statistics | No Comments »
Monday, January 25th, 2010
From the Careercast.com:
When launching their careers, many job seekers had a simple method of choosing the best job for them: They guessed. A job might “feel right” or “sound cool” or be considered successful according to the media, conventional wisdom or the advice of others. However, as many realtors and autoworkers will tell you, conventional wisdom can change. And with fierce competition for jobs making it tougher than ever to get a “do-over” if you make the wrong choice, guessing is not a smart approach to career management.
So if the lesson of the past year is that you need to determine the best career path for you the first time around, how exactly can you do that? For starters, having a few facts will help. CareerCast.com’s 2010 Jobs Rated report offers a comprehensive analysis of 200 different jobs – from Accountant to Zoologist – giving each a unique ranking based on factual analysis and hard data, not guesswork. If you’re entering (or re-entering) the job market and want to avoid selecting the wrong career, our rankings can help you make a stronger, more informed decision, both for today and the long-term.
How does Jobs Rated determine which professions rank better than others? Data on each job is broken down into five key categories: Physical Demands, Work Environment, Income, Stress and Hiring Outlook. Jobs receive a score in each individual category, and when these are added together, the career with the best overall score is ranked 1st, while the one with the worst overall score is ranked 200th.
Of course every employee is different, and what you consider a “dream job” might be someone else’s idea of a career nightmare.
Make sure to read the complete introduction. Important info at the conclusion
Access the Complete List
In case you’re interested, a librarian is #46 on the list. That’s one below a Market Research Analyst at #45 and one above a Anthropologist at #47.
Source:Careercast
Posted in Business and Economics, Lists and Rankings, Reference Tools | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
All Things Census: 2010 U.S. Census methods, findings and research
Welcome to All Things Census, a gathering place for postings about census methodology, findings and resources.
As the 2010 Census revs up its engine over the coming weeks, this site will look closely at its machinery. After the actual count gets underway – beginning with enumeration in remote Alaska this month and ramping up with delivery of census forms in March — All Things Census will explore how well it is going. When the data come out, starting late this year, it will feature reports on what the numbers say and mean.
Source: Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project
Posted in 2010 Census, Access to Information, New Websites and Resources, Reference Tools, Source File, Statistics | No Comments »
Monday, January 18th, 2010
From the Summary:
This guide provides information on locating military unit histories and individual service records of discharged, retired, and deceased military personnel. It includes contact information for military history centers, websites for additional sources of research, and a bibliography of other publications. This report will be updated as needed.
This version of the report is dated: December 16, 2009
11 pages; PDF.
Source: Congressional Research Service (via Open CRS)
Posted in Databases, Directories, and Guides, Reference Tools | No Comments »
