Wednesday, 18 November 2009

  • Inventors and Inventions

     A new 4 volume set titled Inventors and Inventions is available in the Reference section.

    gl_inventors

    This publication features 413 inventors throughout history, both nationally and internationally renown, detailing their life and works in 3-4 pages.  Each entry also includes the impacts of their inventions (useful for History Day research) as well as an annotated bibliography (to track down additional sources). 

    Available in print in the Reference section at 609.22 GRE or access online from the Parkland Community Library homepage following this path:  Reference Services > Research Databases > Inventors and Inventions

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

  • U.S. News & World Report Best Universities

    In late October, U.S. News & World Report released their compiled list of the top 200 universities worldwide.  Check the rankings and the methodology for their compilation at World's Best Universities.

    Doing your own research at PCL?  Our selection of tools includes:

    The college blue book (2009)

    BusinessWeek guide to the best business schools (2003)

    Campus visits & college interviews: A complete guide for college-bound students and their families (2002)

    Early entrance to college:  A guide to success (2007)

    How to pay for college: A practical guide for families (2005)

    PCL also has publications available on local Lehigh Valley colleges and universities, just ask at the Reference Desk. 

     

Monday, 09 November 2009

  • Understanding poetry

    Author of the book The Art of Poetry:  How to Read a Poem, Shira Wolosky says that "Poetry is language that always means more."   She writes "word and word order, sound and pause, image and echo is significant."

    Explore some of these poetry titles at PCL:
    The poets' corner:  The one and only poetry book for the whole family/poems selected by John Lithgow. (2007)

    The 100 best poems of all time/edited by Leslie Pockell. (2000)

    The best poems of the English language:  From Chaucer through Frost/selected and commentary by Harold Bloom. (2004).

    The best American poetry, 2009/ David Wagoner, editor; David Lehman, series editor.  (2009)

    The poem I turn to: Actors and directors present poetry that inspires them/ edited by Jason Shinder (2009).

Thursday, 05 November 2009

  • Reducing power used by computers

    Global warming is happening because of a buildup of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, most of them produced by power plants that burn fossil fuels to generate electricity. Information and communications technology consumes a good deal of electricity, much of which is wasted as heat, consumed by computers and monitors needlessly left on, or used to cool hardware that is not running efficiently.

    Did you know?
    • Electricity generation alone is responsible for 40% of carbon dioxide emissions in the US.
    • IT around the world generates 2% of all greenhouse gases, roughly equivalent to all the world's airlines
    • The average desktop PC wastes nearly half of the energy it consumes as heat.
    • Letting your computer sleep can save approximately $60 in electricity costs per year!
    It is very easy for you to make small changes that will have a significant positive impact on both the environment and your wallet. Suggestions from Climate Savers Computing.
    1. Use computer and monitor power management.
    2. Don’t use a screen saver. Screen savers are not necessary on modern monitors and studies show they actually consume more energy than allowing the monitor to dim when it’s not in use.
    3. Buying a new computer? Make energy efficiency a priority while shopping for your PC and monitor. Look for the ENERGY STAR label.
    4. Turn down the brightness setting on your monitor. The brightest setting on a monitor consumes twice the power used by the dimmest setting.
    5. Turn off peripherals such as printers, scanners and speakers when not in use.
    6. Fight phantom power; plug all your electronics into one power strip and turn the strip off when you are finished using your computer. When feasible, we also recommend unplugging the power strip from the wall to avoid high voltage surges which may occur during an electrical storm.
    7. Use a laptop instead of a desktop. Laptops typically consume less power than desktops.
    8. Close unused applications and turn off your monitor when you’re not using it.
    9. Use a power meter to find out how much energy your computer actually consumes and to calculate your actual savings.
    information taken from TechSoup and Climate Savers Computing.

Thursday, 29 October 2009

  •   

     

    HOT RESEARCH TOPICS

    Check the  newsbank database for current information from newspapers nationwide.  Some recommended searches based on recent events:

    NASA Launches New Rocket

    TOPIC:  NASA has launched its new experimental test rocket the Ares I-X.  What is the purpose of this prototype rocket? 

    SEARCH TERMS: NASA AND Ares IX

      

    HISTORY: John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry

    TOPIC:  It has been 150 years since John Brown raided Harper's Ferry in protest of slavery.  Who was John Brown?  What were some of his previous acts against slavery?

    SEARCH TERMS: John Brown

     

    SOCIAL ISSUES: President Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize

    TOPIC:  President Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  What was the response to President Obama and others to this choice?  What was the reason behind the choice, and how does it compare to past recipients?

    SEARCH TERMS: Nobel AND Obama AND Peace

     

    SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Pliosaur Discovered

    TOPIC: The eight-foot-long skull of a pliosaur was found off the coast of England . The size of the head leads to estimates that the creature would have been more than 50 feet long. What were pliosaurs? When did they live?

    SEARCH TERMS: Pliosaurs

     

    SPORTS: Golf Added to the 2016 Olympics

    TOPIC:  Golf has been added to the Olympics for the 2016 Summer Games. Rugby sevens is the other new sport added. Will Olympic exposure broaden the appeal of the Games? How will the golfers who will compete be chosen? What is Rugby sevens?

    SEARCH TERMS: Olympic Games AND (golf OR Rugby sevens)

     

    FILM AND TELEVISION: New Michael Jackson Film

    TOPIC: Footage taken before Michael Jackson's death of rehearsals for his planned 50 concert tour is being released in a film called Michael Jackson's This Is It.  The film includes the posthumously released song of the same name.  Who co-wrote this song with Michael Jackson? What is the reaction to this film from Michael Jackson's family, and why? What do you think the producers of this film wanted to accomplish in the making of this documentary?

    SEARCH TERMS:  Michael Jackson AND "This is It"

     

    FINE ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE: Egypt and the Louvre Museum

    TOPIC: Egypt briefly severed official ties with the Louvre Museum claiming it has refused to return stolen artifacts. It has also demanded back the bust of Nefertiti from the newly re-opened Neues Museum in Berlin . What are the reasons Egypt wants these artifacts returned? What other artifacts is it pursuing? What convention covers these museum pieces?

    SEARCH TERMS: Louvre AND Egypt AND artifacts

     

    LITERATURE: The Lost Symbol

    TOPIC: Dan Brown's latest book is The Lost Symbol.  What themes in this thriller are consistent with the author's other work?  What controversial group is central to the plot of this book?

    SEARCH TERMS: Dan Brown AND Lost Symbol

     

     

     

Photos

Monday, September 21, 2009

PCLreference

  • Visit PCLreference's Xanga Site
    • Name: PCLreference
    • Member Since: 9/21/2009

About Me

  • The Parkland Community Library Reference Staff is: Lisa, Janet, Dan, and Gina

Archives

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Book Review of the Moment...by Dan

Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle by Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Tom Howes This is the true story of three American civilian contractors - Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Tom Howes, whose plane crash-landed in the mountainous jungle of Colombia in February 2003. It traces their five and a half years as hostages of the FARC, a Colombian terrorist and Marxist rebel organization. Their story is harrowing, gripping and amazing. It recounts their tale of survival, friendship, and ultimately rescue after such a grueling long time. They were chained up, tortured and starved as they were moved from camp to camp with the FARC guerilla soldiers. Among such conditions , they still worried about how their families were doing without them, hoping to get back to them someday. Despite the odds and the conditions, they forged a bond that allowed them to cope with the horrific conditions of their confinement. The book is a great intense read. It’s hard to put down and highly recommended.

Book Review of the Moment...by Lisa

This book review is in conjunction with our Back to School Resources display decorating the reference area. Raising a Gifted Child: A Parenting Success Handbook by Carol Fertig. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press, 2009. Just in time for back to school, a wonderful resource for parents of academically talented children. Raising a Gifted Child: A Parenting Success Handbook, by Carol Fertig, empowers parents to make informed decisions while facing the numerous challenges in educating their children. Fertig, a veteran educator, offers helpful tips for working within the public and private school systems. In addition, the book provides creative enrichment opportunities outside the classroom. The reader will find a wealth of useful information in this powerful resource.

Book Review of the Moment...by Janet

The art of tile: designing with time-honored and new tiles by Jennifer Renzi. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, c2009. The art of tile is a wonderful source book if you are contemplating using tiles (ceramic, glass, wood, stone etc.) for a room update. Floors, walls and countertop applications are all explored. Included are 169 pages of pictures detailing both simple and exotic tiles. For your fall fix-up projects!

New Arrivals

New reference materials: 2010 Encyclopaedia Britannica Chase's Calendar of Events 2010 Consumer Reports Buying Guide 2010 Dun & Bradstreet Regional Business Directory (Philadelphia region) Guiness Book of World Records 2010 J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 2010 Leonard Matlin's Movie Guide The official 2010 Price Guide to Basketball Cards Peterson's four-year colleges Peterson's graduate schools in the US Peterson's nursing programs, 2010 Peterson's two-year colleges Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Rand McNally 2010 Road Atlas 2010 Artist's and graphic designer's market 2010 Children's writer's and illustrator's market 2010 Guide to literary agents 2010 Novel and short story writer's market 2010 Poetry writer's market 2010 Photographer's market 2010 Standard catalog of world coins 4-year colleges 2010 Non-fiction and biographies: Anne Frank: The book, the life, the afterlife by Francine Prose......Half the Sky: Turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn...... Machine: A hot team, a legendary season, and a heart-stopping World Series : the story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds by Joe Posnanski.....Shakespeare Encyclopedia by A.D. Cousins...... Trump Card: Playing to win in work and life by Ivanka Trump......Women, work, and the art of savoir fair by Mireille Guiliano......Hollowing out the middle: The rural brain drain and what it means for America by Patrick J. Carr & Maria J. Kefalas...... How to raise the perfect dog: Through puppyhood and beyond by Cesar Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier......Mennonite in a little black dress: A memoir of going home by Rhoda Janzen...... Mrs. Astor regrets: The hidden betrayals of a family beyond reproach by Meryl Gordon...... Now or never: Why we must act now to end climate change and create a sustainable future by Tim Flannery...... Retail hell: How I sold my soul to the store: Confessions of a tortured sales associate by Freeman Hall...... Superfreakonomics: Global cooling, patriotic prostitutes, and why suicide bombers should buy life insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner The Templars: The history and the myth by Michael Haag......Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell