Find Legal Answers - our eResource of the Month

Congratulations Jacqui - the winner of last month's competition on Britannica. The answers to last month' s competition are as follows:

1. The online database is a superior product to the old printed version, because it has more features (such as access to magazines, websites and videos) and the information is constantly updated.
2. Britannica is a general knowledge encyclopaedia. It's great for finding difficult information on school assignments.
3. If a young customer wanted easy-to-read information on the Burke and Wills expedition, you would direct them to use the Britannica Junior or Britannica Student sections of Britannica (depending upon their age).
4. To view a video clip of the Large Hadron Collider, type the search term into the search box. On the right-hand side, there is a link to a video clip.
5. To find primary source material on Franz Liszt, type the search term into the search box. Then look under the 'Additional Content' tab and click on 'Primary Sources and Ebooks'.
6. To create a Workspace, click on the 'Workspace' tab on the homepage. Type in a username and password. Then enter an email address and click OK.

The Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC) is a specialist information service of the State Library of NSW. It provides access to information about the law for all the members of the community in NSW.
LIAC coordinates the 'Find Legal Answers' service, which is available in all public libraries in NSW and online. This service provides access to online legal resources such as online pamphlets, fact sheets and online legislation and case law, as well as the books in the Tool Kit and Hot Topics collections, either online or in print.

Think you know how to find legal resources? Answer these questions using LIAC resources, to go into the draw to win a prize (You only have to say how you would find information on each question - not give the answer) :
1. A customer comes in and says that he has a traffic fine that he thinks is unfair. He would like to find information on how to challenge the fine. Where would you look for this information?
2. A customer is worried about her Chinese neighbour. She wants information on domestic violence in Chinese. Where would you look for this information?
3. A customer comes in and tells you that her marriage is breaking up and she is worried about what will happen to herself and her two children. She has already found some online information, but she now wants some more detailed information. Where would you look for this information?
Send your answers to Rayyan.

If you don't know the answers to these questions, you might benefit from a Legal Resources Training Session, which will be held on the 29th November, 2012 at 2.00-3.30 pm and the 11th December, 2012 at 2.00-3.30 pm. Contact Ann if you would like to attend a session.



     

Britannica - Our eResource of the Month

Congratulations Julie - the winner of last month's Overdrive competition! The answers to last month's competition are: 1. You cannot transfer Adobe eBooks to an Amazon Kindle in Australia (although it is possible to do so in the United States). 2. eBooks/audiobooks cannot be downloaded to a USB device. 3. To download /read eBooks customers need to download Adobe Digital Editions and to download and listen to audiobooks, customers need to download Overdrive (both are available free of charge from our website). There are exceptions to this rule, for example if a customer has an Apple iPad or iPhone, they only need to download Overdrive. Check the 'Device Resource Centre'  in the 'Help' section of eLibrary collection. 4. Customers can reserve eBooks/audiobooks - they click on the 'Place Reservation' link and enter their library card number and pin. An email/SMS message will notify them when the item has been returned and they will have three days to check out the item before it is returned to the collection. 5. Customers can't renew their eBooks/audiobooks. However, once it has been returned to the collection they can go back to the LMG website and borrow it again. 6. Customers can borrow up to five eLibrary items. The items are automatically returned to the collection when the loan period expires.

Encylopaedia Britannica

The Encyclopaedia Britannica is a well-known general knowledge encyclopaedia. The first edition was published in 1768, while the last printed edition was published in 2010. The Online Library Edition allows a customer to search across all the content at once (to see results for students of every level) or to search individual sections, such as: Encyclopaedia Britannica for adults; Britannica Student for secondary school students; and Britannica Junior for primary school students. The Online Edition also includes a dictionary and thesaurus, as well as access to magazines, web sites and videos. A special feature of this database is the ‘workspace’ area, where customers are able to save their information, photos etc. Answer the following questions to win a prize:

1. A customer tells you that they prefer the old printed version of Britannica. What would you say to convince them that the online database is a superior product?

2. What sort of information would you be likely to find in this database?

3.  A young customer asks for some easy-to-read information on the Burke and Wills expedition. Which section of Britannica would you refer them to? 

4. A customer has been reading about the 'God particle' and would like to find out more about the Large Hadron Collider. The customer would like to view a video clip if possible. How would you find this information?

5. A music student has been asked to find some primary source material on Franz Liszt. How would you find this information?

6. How would a customer set up a 'workspace' account?

Send your answers to Rayyan to be in the running to win a prize!

Start searching Britannica here....

   

                                                  

Overdrive - our eResource of the month

The joint winners of last month's competition were Ying and Joan - congratulations! This month we are focusing on OverDrive, which is a global distributor of ebooks, audiobooks and videos. Library customers can access OverDrive through the HCL website.

To download eBooks, audiobooks and videos, library customers must have a valid library card (with no outstanding fines), internet access, and a computer/device that meets the system requirements for the type of material that they wish to download (see supported audio and ebook device section on website). Customers then download and activate free software (available from our website) - Adobe Digital Editions for Adobe eBooks and Overdrive Media Console for Overdrive Audiobooks (N.B. For iPad and iPhone, customers just download the Overdrive Media Console, which works for both ebooks and audiobooks).

Later in the year, OverDrive is initiating major changes to its services, which include: OverDrive Read, which will provide instant access to eBooks on any device with a modern browser; and OverDrive Media Station, which will enable in-library access to eBooks on touchscreen monitors and existing public Intenet workstations.

Answer the following questions to go into the draw to win a prize:

1. Is it possible to transfer Adobe eBooks to an Amazon Kindle?
2. Can a customer download to a USB device?
3. What software does a customer need to download for audiobooks/ebooks? Do they have to activate this software?
4. Can customers reserve eBooks? How do they do this?
5. Can customers renew their eBook/audiobook loans?
6. How many eBooks/audiobooks can customers borrow and how do they return them?

Please send your answers to Rayyan. If you are interested in OverDrive training on the 26th September, 2012, please let Rayyan or Ann know.

Ancestry Library - Our eResource for August

The winner for last month's database ANZ Reference Centre was Nicola. Congratulations Nicola!

This month's database is Ancestry Library. It is the world’s largest source of genealogical records with over ten billion records from all over the globe. Ancestry LIbrary is only available in Hurstville and Penshurst Libraries. It contains access to records from all over the world including UK Census 1911 and earlier, Australian BDMS, electoral rolls Australia 1920 - 1980, immigration records.

The main difference between Ancestry Library and a private subscription is more personal information can be searched and uploaded onto member trees and there are a few extra databases to encourage people to subscribe.

How do you access the database?

1. Log on from the library home page: Research Databases /Scroll down Ancestry Library in Biography and History

2. Ancestry Home Page – access all the database records and often gives you many, many names. As it is American based they will come up first if you search from the home page.

3. Search by Country - easier to find a relative if nationality known.Click – Search from home page – Scroll down to the map and click on country then state e.g. Australia then New South Wales

4. Recording information: Once you have found your ancestor you may like to save the record. Ancestry has 3 options: Print - always check in print preview as may have to change to landscape, smaller margins. Record the source which is important as may need to check later.Save- use a USB to save the original record and the download to your own PC later.Share- send a digital copy to your email or relative. Will list a promotion for Ancestry and will only stay in your inbox 2 weeks. Only limited number can be sent.

Have a go at answering the following questions and email your answers to Julie by the end of the month for a chance to become our online expert for August !

1. How many English censuses are available on Ancestry?

2. What year did James Oatley come to Australia as a convict?

3. Donald George Bradman’s Rockdale address in 1930?

4. Are there Italian records on Ancestry?

5. Can Ancestry be accessed at Penshurst ?

ANZRC - Our eResource of the Month

The winner of the last month's Choice competition was Joan, who won 2 movie tickets. Congratulations Joan! The answers for the Choice competition were: 1. The corresponding online article was 'Organic Baby Food Review', which was dated 30th November, 2011. Note the discrepency between the publishing dates of the online and hardcopy article. Sometimes the articles are published at slightly different times and both the title and the contents may vary. 2. If a customer was looking for information on a recalled product, you would direct them to the 'Media and News' section and then look under the sub-heading of 'Product Recalls'. 3.Customers will only be able to access full reports if they sign in with the email and password logins. 4. To quickly browse recent articles on baby food, you would direct the customer to go to 'Reviews and Tests', then scroll down to 'Babies and Kids' and select 'Food for Kids'. You can then view the Top 10 Popular Articles and Top 10 Recent Articles.

This month's database of the month is the Australian/New Zealand Reference Centre (ANZRC). ANZRC is a full-text database that covers Australasian newspapers, magazine, refernce books, biographies and an image collection of over 592,000 photos, maps, and flags. If you would like to participate in a training session for the ANZRC database, please contact Ann. TO HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE AT WINNNG MORE MOVIE TICKETS answer the questions about the ANZRC database below: 1. What subjects would the ANZRC be useful for? 2. How would you find some photos of Julian Assange arriving at the High Court in London for his extradition hearing? 3. A customer wants to browse through articles that were published in the Australian Geographic, Issue no. 84, October-December, 2006. How would you find this information? 4. How would you find Leo Shanahan's article on Gina Rinehart that was published in The Australian on the 14/9/2011? What is the title of the article? 5. A customer wants some information on Sue Fear, the Australian mountaineer who fell to her death in 2006, whilst descending the summit of Manaslu in Nepal. You type 'Sue Fear' into the search box, but the articles that are returned have nothing to do with Sue Fear (instead you are getting articles that are relate to 'fear' or 'Sue'). What would be a good strategy to use to get more acurate 'hits'? If you can't answer these questions, you definitely need training in the ANZRC database! Even if you don't know all the answers, have a go at answering the questions anyway, and be in the running for more free movie tickets. Rayyan.

Choice Online - Our eResource of the Month

Choice Online  database provides consumer information on various products and services. Choice can only be accessed within the library, with a maximum of 10 concurrent users allowed at one time. To access a full report, customers need to login with the email address and password. Staff can access these by locating the Choice database on the Databases page of the library website, clicking on ‘Password required', and entering the password'infos'. Do not give the password/email address to the public.

Choice Online has five sections:
• Reviews and Tests – containing in-depth reports on consumer products and services 
• Blogs – where consumers can interact to discuss various topics 
• About Us – information on Choice, including how the company is run and how they test products
 • Campaigns – information on the various campaigns that Choice is involved in
• Media and News – media releases, consumer news and product recalls.
* Choice Online also features Web 2.0 features, such as Videos, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Searching Choice:

*Current reviews/tests and news/features are featured on the homepage.

*Browse subject areas by scrolling to the bottom of page and viewing hyperlinked subject categories or by passing the cursor over the tab labelled ‘Reviews and Tests’. Alternatively, utilise the A-Z guide, as it provides lists of all of the topics that Choice covers. The A-Z guide mainly lists current reports (or reports that are only a few years old); for older reports, use the search box. The 'Popular Searches' link lists the most common/popular topics that are regularly searched.

*If a customer is looking for a specific subject or article, use the search tool, which indexes articles by title and keywords.

*The search engine doesn’t use wild card symbols, so it is unnecessary to use a search term such as ‘child*’

* Single search words work better on this site than long phrases.

* Use quotation marks when searching for the title of a report or to narrow search results.

* When a search is returned, further refine results by clicking on the hyperlinked categories/sub-categories section or by utilising related hypelinked search tags.
* Don't forget the sitemap! This is a guide to specific pages on the website and may help if you are having trouble locating a certain feature of Choice.

Be aware that there are differences between the hardcopy Choice and the online Choice:
* While all of the reviews/tests are featured in both versions of Choice, not all of the news/features in the hardcopy edition are found in online Choice. On the plus side, the online Choice may contain fuller, more up-to-date reports.
* If a customer wants to find a certain article in online Choice (that has appeared in the paper mag.), the title and date of publication may slightly vary. Do not attempt to find the article using the title headlining the story; instead, use the title found in the Contents (and even then, it may slightly vary). The content of the online article may vary slightly from that in the hardcopy edition.

Answer the questions below, email Rayyan and win a prize! (most correct number of answers wins)

1. A customer has read an article in the paper-version of Choice and wants to find the same article in the online version, so that she can email it to a friend. You check the hardcopy Choice and find that the article is published in Dec/Jan. 2012. The title in the Contents is "Baby Food" and the headline of the article is "Hey Baby".Can you find the corresponding online article?

2. A customer has just heard that a certain product has been recalled and is worried because her family has been using this product. Where would you direct her to look on the Choice website?

3. A customer has been reading the introduction to a report on Camcorders, but when he tries to go into the section on "Camcorder Tips", a sign is displayed that says "Member-only content". He is annoyed and asks you why he can't access that part of the report.

4. A customer wants to quickly browse recent articles on baby food. List some of the ways that you could look for this information, without being overwhelmed by search results.

Latest Books..for Libraries & Museums May 2012

If you think any of the following books would be of interest for the professional development collection email Sue or Ann. Sometimes we can borrow the books from other libraries.

Open Conversations : public learning in libraries and museums David Carr,2011
This is a provocative book that is designed to offer courage to cultural institution administrators and staff even as it opens their eyes to the possibility that their facilities can offer more than they are. Rather than offering prescriptive answers, the author invites readers to consider museums and libraries in fresh ways.



Marketing your library : tips and tools that work
Carol Smallwood (Ed) et al, 2011
Concise, how-to case studies from practicing public, school, academic, and special librarians provide proven strategies to improve brand management, campaign organization, community outreach, media interaction, social media, and event planning and implementation. 

Bite-Sized Marketing: Realistic Solutions for the Overworked Librarian  Nancy Dowd Written and designed to reflect the way people read today, this book is structured to quickly impart simple and cost-effective ideas on marketing your library.

Defusing the angry patron : a how-to-do-it manual for librarians
Rhea Rubin,2011
To help librarians know how to react in the face of patron anger, Rubin adds five new coping strategies to the 20 basic ones she introduced in the first edition. All of them have been updated them in light of key changes, including virtual reference service and the Web 2.0 phenomenon.

 
Lean library management : eleven strategies for reducing costs and
improving customer services    John J. Huber , 2011
This new book shows you how to apply lean principles and practices--how making small, simple changes in everyday routines will reap large time- and money-saving results.

Listening to the customer   Peter Hernon ,2011This book explains how a voice-of-the-customer program for libraries can give customers the opportunity to make their opinions known, enabling libraries to develop services that meet or exceed their patrons' changing expectations.

 The Cybrarian's Web: An A-Z Guide to 101 Free Web 2.0 Tools and Other ResourcesA great starting point for learning about Web 2.0 tools that can be used to innovate and improve library services.

Do You Web 2.0?: Public libraries and social networking . Linda Berube
The author not only reviews these tools and provides practical advice and case studies on how they can be applied in the public library setting, but also recommends the policies and business cases that begin to create a new strategy for public libraries.

And in the Press..

National Library of Singapore To Open World’s First Green Library for Kids

Dogs make good listeners at the Public Library
Dwayne,the library dog visits the Bella Vista Library for scheduled appointments for children to read to him and  for monthly storytimes. This program is helping kids overcome their fear of reading aloud and fear of dogs.Dwayne is very popular and an excellent listener!