I've Got What?

Have you ever gotten a diagnoses from your doctor that was filled with words you're lucky to spell let alone pronounce? What about that funny looking growth on your hand? Wonder what it might be? I don't know about you but at my last doctor visit I spent more time in the waiting room then I did in the treatment room. I know doctors are over booked and the personal time spent with patients can sometimes be too short. Often times I walk out of the doctor's office with more questions then before I went in. Why is it you can't think of a single question when the doctor or nurse is standing right in front of you?

Perhaps you're a high school student needing to draw and label all the parts of the brain or the digestive system and it's due tomorrow! Maybe you're a psychology student and you need definitions for terms before class. If you can relate to any of these scenarios then I may have just the answer for you.

Armstrong Library has a wonderful resource both in print and online called the Magill's Medical Guide published by Salem Health. The 1,178 entries in this 6 volume encyclopedia set describe major diseases and disorders of the human body, the basics of human anatomy and physiology, and common surgical and nonsurgical procedures. The articles are written by nearly 400 authors from the fields of life science and medicine.  There are over 400 illustrations and photographs providing visual context for entries about diseases, research, surgery, and human anatomy. For each disease and disorder one can find an information box listing causes, symptoms, duration, and treatments, acting as a quick reference tool for the reader.

Virtually all of the content in the Magill's guide is available online through your Library website.  The electronic resource includes extremely flexible search and browsing capabilities. Students and patrons can save articles and searches to personalized logon areas for later retrieval. It even provides citation information for every article written.

Now, if you're like me and tend to think you have every symptom in the book, I suggest you use this resource after your visit to the doctor. I have found it to be a great tool for gaining more insight and understanding of my medical problem, and it also helps me come up with good questions to ask my doctor at my next visit about treatment or prevention.

BUT, and I say it in caps because this is an Important Notice. The materials presented  in the Magill's Guide is intended for broad informational and educational purposes only! These resources are not meant for self diagnosis, if you have a medical problem get to your doctor.

Magill's Guide reminds its readers that they are not to be considered definitive on the covered topics, and readers need to be reminded that the health care field is characterized by a diversity of medical opinions and constant expansion in knowledge and understanding. In other words, talk to your medical professional first, then use Magill's as a tool for better understanding or to get that homework assignment finished.

To access Magill's Medical Guide, go to our website. On the orange bar to the left, click on Resources, and then select Online Research. Scroll down to the orange button that says Magill's Medical Guide. That will take you to Salem Health, where you can select Magill's Medical Guide.

Be Careful Before You "Like" Something on Facebook

If you're on facebook, you've seen tons of these posts. "Like" if you hate cancer - or if you hate bullying. If I get X number of likes, my dad will quit taking drugs. Name a city without an R in it. Find a word in this puzzle. Cute pictures of animals asking you to "like" them. Posts that say something magical will happen when you click on the picture. Pictures of famous people with quotes they never said. Guess what? Most are scams.

You may have worked hard to get rid of junk mail, put yourself on the "do not call" list, and are careful not to open suspicious links in your email. But if you responded to any of these posts, you may have been victimized by a scam called Like Farming. Remember how you laughed at people who responded to the email from the Nigerian promising millions? Well, you may have just done something very similar.

Here's how it works. Someone creates a facebook page called something like Support Our Troups. Then they post heroic pictures, telling you to "like" if you support our troups and ignore if you don't. How do you ignore that without feeling guilty? When you like or share it, it goes to all your friends - who then like it and it goes to all their friends. Suddenly this page has hundred of thousands of likes - and their associated facebook identities. There are experts who tell marketers how to do this - here's an example of one.

Some of these may be legitimate. Some may be from someone who doesn't have a life and gets thrill from having a bunch of likes. Some may take you to unwanted websites. But more and more are in it just for the money. How do they make money?

It might just be a clever marketing scheme for a legitimate company. CafeMom is a website for mothers (started by 2 men, which makes me immediately suspicious) that is quite profitable. They put up a facebook post that said "Like" if you love your kids and got 1.3 million likes. Very valuable to their advertiser supported site!

But it may also just be spammers who build up their collection of facebook identities and sell them. They usually work together in loose networks who post each others photos, so they can quickly gain tens of thousands of names and facebook addresses. Then they sell them to a facebook advertiser.

This is perfectly legal and very profitable. Aside from feeling creepy, you might think it's harmless. Terri, the mother of Katie, the child used in this scam, certainly didn't think so. 3.5 million people liked this photo, and their identities were sold for big bucks.

"This is my sister Mallory. She has Down syndrome and doesn't think she's beautiful. Please like this photo so I can show her later that she truly is beautiful." 


What can you do to prevent your identity from being sold? It's not easy. When I went on facebook this morning, I spotted 15 spammers from those who are friends with the Library on facebook - before I quit counting. The most important thing is to Think Before Clicking. Ask yourself: Do I really have to like or share this? Remember, you are not only exposing yourself, but your friends as well. You should be able to notice the most obvious ones. However, these scammers are becoming more and more clever.  Look at the page that originated the post - not your friend who shared or like it. If it's not one you recognize, don't click. If you have friends who keep sending these, send them a link to this post and suggest that they be more careful. If they ignore your advice, you may want to unfriend them.

What Does a Reference Librarian Do?

In addition to being the Teen Services Librarian, I am also the Reference Librarian. You might be wondering just exactly what does a Reference Librarian do. Basically, I answer questions. They come from patrons, either in person, by phone, or through email.

It's always been satisfying helping high school and college students find materials needed to write their research and term papers, using books or through our huge database, MAGNOLIA.

I also answer simple questions, such as finding phone numbers and addresses, facts about states, how to spell or define an obscure word, etc. However, I do receive more challenging questions or requests for research from all over the country - especially from genealogists.

Since moving here from Ohio almost ten years ago, I have decided every person in the United States must have some kind of connection to Natchez. My cup runneth over with requests for obituaries, birth records, any mention of "my great-great grandfather who once owned a store downtown back in 1898." As I rattle my brain looking for informaion or go nearly blind reading old microfilm, I keep telling myself that this is job security.

Just when I want to throw my hands in the air from frustration, I get a gem of a question from one of my local patrons that puts a smile on my face. It reminds me that my job is different every day, and I'm always learning something new, whether I want to or not.

Here are a few questions that came across my desk or were asked of other librarians across the country.

• Do you have the book,  How to Kill a Mockingbird?
• Can you help me find a book I checked out several weeks ago? I can't remember the title but the book was blue with gold letters!
• Can you send me a list of all the local criminal lawyers in town? (Letter sent from inmate at local jail.)
• I need a photograph of Jesus. No, not a painting or picture, but a photograph!
• Don't you have any Shakspeare in real English?
• I'm trying to find the words to a song, if I hum the tune can you figure it out?

Never a dull moment. I love my job!

Searchasaurus: The Dinosaur with All the Answers

I'm not sure about anybody else out there, but I remember learning my letters and colors and numbers when I started kindergarten. Now I had the gist of how it all worked, but it was Mrs Malhew who taught me the fine art of smooth round little a's and straight pointy capital A's.  Today the kids are learning these things long before they see the traditional classroom.  And kids in elementary school are expected to do much more detailed reports with pictures included.

As I noted in my last blog post,  I was really impressed with the Reference database CREDO. So I just had to look for more great nuggets of knowledge. This time I went to the EBSCO Database and found 45 database titles that covered Academic Journals, Business Journals, Health and Nursing,Teacher Reference Center, Humanities, Hospitality and Tourism and much more. I have used a few of these on a regular basis helping high school and college students find sources for their research papers.

This time I wanted something for the little people and sure enough there it was, Searchasaurus.  Searchasaurus is an exciting and easy way for young students to experience online searching.  It is an animated interface with a dinosaur theme that encourages students to enhance and develop basic searching skills.  Students will be riveted by the colorful animation, complete with erupting volcanoes and a dinosaur guide, as they gather information on a wide range of topics.  Searchasaurus offers reading level limiters making it easy for students to read and research appropriately challenging materials.  Searchasaurus has a Dictionary, Encyclopedia, Pictures, Biographies and Teacher Resources.  Searchasaurus offers a tutorial to help parents and students navigate their way through the site and make research a pleasant endeavour rather than a task.

Did you know earth is not the only planet where lightening can be seen?  Scientists think that lightening can also be found on Venus, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune! Go check out Searchasaurus and other useful databases through MAGNOLIA which is totally free through your Library.

Happy Hunting!!

Annual Gathering of Friends

Every September, the Friends of the Library gather together to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and announce the goals for the upcoming year. Usually we meet at the home of a member, but this year we decided to have an Open House at the Library to show it off to the community.

So please join us on Monday, September 17, 5:30 - 7 pm for this special Open House @ your Library, 220 South Commerce Street. Refreshments will be served. It is free and open to the public, although we hope you will become a member of the Friends of the Library. Be sure to bring your children - no one benefits more from a Library than children.

Most people have NO idea of all the services the Library provides. What better way to find out than to visit and see for yourself. Staff will be available to demonstrate all services and answer any questions. Here's a sample of what you may see:

• Of course, we have books! And magazines, newspapers, audio books, DVDs. It's all listed in our online catalog which you can access from anywhere - to search, renew, request materials. And if we don't have what you're looking for, we can probably get it for you.
• You can find out almost anything at your Library. Ask our Reference Librarian and she'll either answer your question or tell you how to find it. Although we have a large assortment of printed reference materials, most resources are online now. Many of these expensive resources are available for free through your Library.
• One of the most valuable resources is Learning Express Library, which has over 770 practice tests and tutorials for ACT/SAT, GRE, certification and licensing exams, and just about anything you need. We also have a special online course to learn a new language.
• We have lots of computers - including 3 that are just for young children, 2 just for teens, and 2 that are designed for reading newspapers online. We have copying and fax machines. We even have a typewriter!
• We have a genealogy and local history section that people from all over the country come to visit, including our microfilm collection and free access to expensive genealogy databases.
• The Children's section is wonderful and includes furniture and other fixtures designed for kids. There's a special section just for the very young child with a much used rocking chair. Of course, we have unbelievable programs for kids.
• Teens have their very own room that just has to be seen. Take a teen in there, and she may never leave!
• We also want to show off all the renovations. Our HVAC renovation is complete, so for the first time in years, we can guarantee it will be comfortable in the Library. You can see the progress of the exterior renovations, which is being funded by contributions from the community.
• Of course, there is much more, but you really have to come and see it for yourself. Even long time library users find stuff they never knew we had.

All you need to access all this is an absolutely free Library Card - and we'll happily give you one at the Open House.

See you @ your Library on Monday, September 17, 5:30 - 7 pm!

Creatures of Habit

Last night after work I plopped myself down exhausted from a long day at work, and there were my two dogs sitting in front of me staring, waiting anxiously for me to take them on their daily run. I told them I was tired and there would be no run today. The 90 pound shepherd put her big paw on my arm and looked at me with those big brown eyes as if to say,"but we do this EVERY day, same time, same place!" My little terrier just kept jumping up and down trying to get me up out of my chair. I was determined to stand my ground. I was tired and didn't want to go for a walk. I was prepared to just give them their dinner and go take a bath. I opened the back door to get their food, and zoom, out the door they flew. They were going for their run regardless of how I felt about it. But I fooled them. I went straight for their food dishes, and they just looked at me with confusion. Then I added a little gravy to the dry chunks of food. They slowly returned to the house with their heads hanging. But once they tasted the gravy laden chunks, they were happy dogs, wolfing down their dinner. The daily run was forgotten. They are creatures of habit, they have a routine, and they don't like change, even if that change might provide a tastier outcome.

We are all creatures of habit. I remember a few years back when students came to the library to do internet research, they went immediately to Wikipedia. Now it's Google. Sure, its easy to search these sites, but how reliable are they? Who put these sources out there? How credible are they really? I must admit I am guilty as well of rushing to these sites when I'm in a hurry or need a quick answer. However, when it comes to research or term papers, it's my job as a reference librarian, to provide students and patrons with good reliable sources.

There are so many reference databases available that it can be overwhelming. I love Ebsco. I eagerly send college students to Academic Search Premier for journal articles. I send high school students to Masterfile for general interest articles, and I run to Novelist for readers advisory to help someone find the perfect book to read. All of these are available through MAGNOLIA, an extensive online research tool provided to public libraries by our State Legislature. When school started this month, I went back into MAGNOLIA to refresh my memory and see what's new in this HUGE database. I caught myself heading right back to the old tried and true Ebsco. However, I looked just below and saw Credo. I knew it was a reference database but never really spent much time in there. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. After seeing what it had to offer. All I can say is WOW, I never knew!

Now, this may not be something a reference librarian should be admitting, but I am a creature of habit and don't like stepping out of my comfort zone. But I did, and I found a great source that I plan to use and recommend to my students as another resource tool to help them succeed in school. So let me tell you a bit about what I found.

CredoReference provides an online reference collection that includes hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, biographies, quotations,and even a crossword solver. All information is provided by reputable associations and research libraries, and it's easy to use. There are over 3 million full text entries in 601 reference books. You can search for images as well. The best part of all; Credo also provides proper online database citation for all the major formats. These are just a few of the tidbits of exciting information I was able to glean in the short time I spent in CredoReference.

Well, I certainly learned my lesson, and I intend to step out of my comfort zone and be less of a creature of habit and enjoy the tasty rewards it provides. If you would like to know more about Credo, Ebsco, or the other useful research tools found in MAGNOLIA stop by the library and ask for the new and improved reference librarian.

By the way, my dogs still got to run, after my bath!

Answers to Questions about Christmas Symbols

Not long after Thanksgiving the phone at my reference desk began to ring and my email box began to fill with questions about the symbols of Christmas. What's a busy librarian to do? Go check out a reference book about Holidays and Traditions, and thats just what I did and here is what I found. By the way these are actual questions.

Q: Is Santa Claus the same person as St. Nicholas?

A: Yes and no. The original Santa Claus was Nicholas, the legendary saint who was bishop of Myra (Turkey) in the fourth century. He was usually shown wearing the fur-trimmed robes of a cleric, with a beehive (symbolizing industry) and a bulldog (fidelity) at his side. He was a gift giver but also a disciplinarian, bringing switches and rods for children who misbehaved. December 6 was his feast day, and in many countries, it is on this day, not Christmas Eve that St. Nicholas arrives to hand out his presents and punishments. It wasn't until the December of 1823 when Clement Moore's wrote the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" that the American Santa Claus was transformed from a tall, slim bishop to a jolly, overweight fellow who wore a red suit and entered the house via the chimney.

Q: Are reindeer for real and can they really fly?

A: Again, yes and no. More than 600 years after the death of St. Nicholas, Russians carried his legend back from Constantinople, and he became Russia's patron saint. From there his story spread to Lapland, home of the reindeer, which may explain why the modern Santa lives at the North Pole and gets around in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. It was again Clement Moore's poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" that popularized the names of Santa's reindeer: Now Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen. On Comet, Cupid, Doner and Blitzen! Rudolph is a whole other question!

Q: Are Luminarias more than just a pretty way to light your path?

A: Yes, Luminarias mean "lights" or "illuminations" in Spanish. The word also refers to the small bonfires that illuminate the dark nights of the Christmas season throughout the American Southwest. These bonfires are made from pinon pine logs that have been stacked in log cabin style to form a box about three feet in height. Some believe that luminarias can be traced back to the fires that warmed the shepards to whom the birth of Jesus was announced. Today luminarias acn be seen on Christmas Eve in front of churches, homes, and public plazas.

Q: What is the history of the Christmas carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"?

A: This popular secular 16th century English carol is from West Country of England. It is one of the few traditional holiday carols that make mention of the New Year's celebration. This song actually reflects the Christmas tradition of showering gifts on the people who wandered from house to house (known today as carolers), singing these Christmas songs to please the wealthy people of the community.

Q: Why do we send Christmas cards?

A: In Ancient Rome, it was the custom to exchange greetings and gifts on the first day of January. With the advent of Christianity , the giving and receiving of such tokens continued in some European countries, often taking the form of New Year cards. These contained no reference to Christmas and were sent out after December 25 so they would arive on New Year's Day. The first printed Christmas card was produced in England in 1843. Designed by John Calcott Horsley, it sold for a shilling and looked like a postcard. It wasn't until the 1880s that cards became folders of four, eight, or more pages. Cards became more elaborate throughout the Victorian period, with "frosted" surfaces, fancy cut edges, layers of lace-paper, and other forms of decoration. Now, in the twenty-first century the christmas card is still out there, I saw them in Walgreens. There were religious ones and some with cute little penguins and little forest friends dancing around the decorated christmas tree. There were even some for those who enjoy a little "wicked" fun. I love Christmas cards. To me, it's more special whem someone sends me a hand written card with a scene that warms my spirit. After looking at ten different designs and still not making up my mind as to what I wanted I decided to rebel against my own tradition and send everyone a Christmas E-Card... So now you know a little bit about some of our more famous Christmas traditions

HoHoHo...Happy Holidays to All!

Back to School Tools

It's that time again, summer is coming to a close and students are headed back to school. WalMart and KMart have been swamped with parents and kids buying school supplies. I walked past a cart filled with pencils, pens, folders, notebooks, and other school supplies. I heard the mother say that they were finally done shopping, and they should have all the tools they need to do well in school this year. I walked by, smiled, and began to think about tools for school and what other tools the kids will need to help them succeed.

The Armstrong Library believes in partnering with our school system, and we are always looking for better ways to provide educational resources to help both teachers and students  - whether they are in kindergarden or college.  Here are some of the tools we have in our library toolbox. All are available for free and from home on your computer, although you might have to come into the Library for a username and password.

MAGNOLIA is an extensive online research tool provided by the Mississippi State Legislature. It is filled with nearly one hundred different databases that can be searched for reliable information. The key point to remember is this is NOT information you could find with Google. The magazines, newspapers, television, and radio transcripts are all in pdf format giving them the look of the actual article. This tool is provided to us free from the state, and if we don't use it we could lose it. Cuts to library funding makes this tool even more valuable as we try to provide the best for our students.

Learning Express Library is an online learning site with over 800 online courses, tests, and ebooks to help you improve your reading, writing and math skills - for all ages. It can also help you with job search and workplace skills improvement, career certification and licensing exam preparation, college entrance and graduate school admissions exam preparation, GED exam preparation, and more. You'll get immediate scoring, complete answer explanations, and an individualized analysis of your results.

World Book Online is a premiere online reference source, with thousands of articles, state of the art multimedia, editor reviewed websites, periodical content, and more. Plus, there are more than 1.3 million pages of primary source documents – books, documents, selections – fully integrated with the encyclopedia content. Research and teaching tools include timelines, citation builder, and saved research. Thanks to the D A Biglane Foundation, we are able to provide this tool for another year.

New Resources in Print and Online.We purchased five new printed reference materials from Salem Press that also come with online access. Some subjects include, Encyclopedia of American Immigration, Great Events from History from Middle Ages to 1600, Psychology and Mental Health, and the Solar System.

Get more details on the Online Research Tools page of our website. While you're there, check out our In House Research Tools as well.

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Are Libraries Really Neccessary?

If you pay any attention to the news, you know that state and local governments are suffering from serious budget problems. Many desperate politicians are drastically cutting funds for public libraries, causing cutbacks in hours and services. Some communities are losing their libraries altogether. Mississippi is no different. There was an article in many state newspapers this week discussing the cuts to state funding of libraries. Local governments are being asked to make up the difference, but most simply cannot afford it. All across the state and country, people are asking "Are libraries really necessary?"

After all, with the internet, do we really need books and libraries? First of all, not everyone has access to the internet, especially in poor, rural areas. Secondly, libraries are so much more than just books. Communities that cut their library budgets are only making matters worse. Libraries remain one of the best economic engines available and probably do more than any other government service to help people and communities survive hard times.

There is overwhelming data showing the value of libraries in a bad economy -  library usage increases significantly during these times. Why? Because libraries provide needed services. When budgets are tight, people frequently quit buying books and subscribing to newspapers and magazines. So they come to the library to read them for free. (We even offer coffee for only $1 while reading that magazine.) Instead of paying for movies, people check them out for free at the library. When people lose their jobs, they come to the library for help with resumes and job searches - or to start a new business.  Children can be entertained for free with books, storytime, and special children's computers. Free use of computers at libraries is very popular. Come into the library any time, and you'll see people using the computers.

There is no better place for research than a public library - which helps people with all manner of problems related to a poor economy. Learn how to do things yourself rather than hiring someone to do it for you. Find out how to avoid foreclosure or increase your credit score. Look for scholarships for school or training. Whatever you need to know, you can probably find the answer at your library.

So are libraries really necessary? You bet! Investing taxpayer money in a public library in a no brainer.

Help with School Work Online

It's that time again. Everybody is busy with back to school shopping, retraining the alarm clock to wake you up at 6 am, and dreading all the research papers that will be due all too soon.

Never fear! The Armstrong Library has been working all summer on building up our collection, so we can better help this year's students with their homework and research. Here are some helpful online resources for all students from elementary to college level.

Learning Express Library is an interactive online learning platform featuring over 770 practice tests, tutorials, and ebooks related to job search and workplace skills improvement, career certification and licensing exam preparation, college entrance and graduate school admissions exam preparation, GED exam preparation, and basic skills improvement in reading, writing, and math, for all ages. You'll get immediate scoring, complete answer explanations, and an individualized analysis of your results.

World Book Online is the premier online reference source, with thousands of articles, state of the art multimedia, editor reviewed Web sites, periodical content, and more. Plus, there are more than 1.3 million pages of primary source documents – books, documents, selections – fully integrated with the encyclopedia content. Research and teaching tools include timelines, citation builder, and saved research.

MAGNOLIA, provided courtesy of the Mississippi State Legislature, is the most extensive online research tool. Close to a hundred different databases can be searched for reliable information. It includes searches in magazines, newspapers, journals, business information, biographies, literary criticism, and much more.

New Online Reference Resources.This past summer we purchased new printed reference materials from Salem Press, which includes online access. So you have a choice of print or online.

• Encyclopedia of American Immigration
• Great Events from History: The Middle Ages, 477-1453
• Great Events from History: Renaissance and Early Modern Era, 1454-1600
• Psychology and Mental Health
• The Solar System

All these online resources are currently available to our patrons and can be accessed using Library computers or on your home computer. (You need to call the Library first regarding how to do this from home.) Let us help you or your student make this a successful school year! We will be presenting an informational talk and demonstration on how to use our online resources this fall. Details coming soon.