ALSC ChildTech Wiki
http://wikis.ala.org/alsc/index.php/ALSC_ChildTech_Wiki
Created by the ALA’s Association for Library Service to Children, this resource aids their mission “to educate and encourage youth librarians to be leaders on technology issues in their institutions.” Topics covered include: Activities and Programs for Kids, Gaming, Internet Safety, Legislation, Library 2.0 and Technology Issues.
The State of America’s Libraries
www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/march2007/SAL_AnnualReport-FINAL.pdf
This is the annual report issued by the American Library Association on the state of our libraries. The document covers public, school and university libraries as well as trends like e-books and alternative funding.
Encyclopedia of Life
According to the site, the “Encyclopedia of Life is a collaborative scientific effort led by the Field Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Missouri Botanical Garden, Smithsonian Institution, and Biodiversity Heritage Library, a consortium including the core institutions and also the American Museum of Natural History (New York), Natural History Museum (London), New York Botanical Garden, and Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew). Ultimately, the Encyclopedia of Life will provide an online database for all 1.8 million species now known to live on Earth. When completed, [it] will serve as a global biodiversity tool, providing scientists, policymakers, students, and citizens information they need to discover and protect the planet and encourage learning and conservation.”
See also:
The Encyclopedia of Earth
According to the site, this is “a new electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society.” Use the Browse the EOE box on the right hand side of the page for navigation.
Memphis City Council: Easy Contact Page
Thanks to Jessie Marshall (Business/Sciences) for passing along this site!
http://memphistn.gov/framework.aspx?page=696
Often, I have had customers ask for an easy way to get in touch with a city official. The City Council has created this simple portal to allow citizens to contact one or all of the council members with comments, suggestions or questions.
Intute Timelines
From John Lloyd (Business/Sciences):
www.intute.ac.uk/timeline.html
Intute, a reference site created by a consortium of British universities, has created this page of historical timelines. Multiple subject areas are covered, including: Arts and Humanities; Health and Life Sciences; Science, Engineering and Technology; and Social Sciences. Users can browse by theme or subject or search by keyword or date.
PlantFacts
From Philip Williams (Cordova):
http://hcs.osu.edu/plantfacts/
“Developed at Ohio State University, PlantFacts is an international knowledge bank and multimedia center that provides a wealth of information on plants. Its Internet Search Engine is the most concentrated in existence that deals strictly with plants. In addition to information on plants there is information on academic programs relating to plant science. There is also a searchable database of high quality images of plants. Also included are 200 gardening how-to videos, as well as illustrated answers to over 800 commonly asked gardening questions. Also very helpful is the Plantfacts glossary which includes illustrated definitions of commonly used horticultural terms.”
Boat Safety
www.uscgboating.org/safety/metlife/metlife.htm
While I’m on the summer theme… The Coast Guard offers a resource guide for boating safety information, sponsored by MetLife. Includes information on Boating Accidents, Water Skiing Safety Tips, Boating Under the Influence, etc.
Skin Cancer and Sun Protection
www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/chooseyourcover/qanda.htm
The CDC has created a question and answer guide for information about skin cancer, uv rays, sunscreen, and alternate methods of coverage. Just in time for summer!
US Military Academy Digital Library
From the Scout Report:
http://digital-library.usma.edu/collections/
“The United States Military Academy Library is the oldest federal library in the United States. Recently, they have placed hundreds of rare items online on their very well-organized site. The site includes over twenty thematic collections, and visitors can also browse the collection by document type, such as books, manuscripts, maps, and photographs. There are some real gems here including an eighteen-minute silent movie on Army football, a collection of college yearbooks from the academy (the yearbook is appropriately named the ‘Howitzer’), and audio lectures from the West Point Distinguished Lecture Series. Finally, the site also includes 40 Civil War maps and a 21-minute film titled, ‘The MacArthur Story’.”
Top Books for Boys
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1794683.ece
Britain’s Times Online has compiled a list of their picks for the 160+ top books for boys. Their top 5:
1. The Top 10 of Everything 2007 by Russell Ash
2. Strange Powers of the Human Mind (Forbidden Truths) by Herbie Brennan
3. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
4. I Know You Got Soul by Jeremy Clarkson
5. Guinness Book of Records 2007
Patents & Trademarks
New resource guides on Patents and Trademarks have been added to the Resource Guides page.
Many thanks to Christina Barnes (Business/Sciences) for sharing these pathfinders!
[Don’t forget, if you have a pathfinder or resource guide that you would like to share, I’d love to post it! Thanks! -Sarah]
International Children’s Digital Library
According to the site, “the ICDL Foundation’s goal is to build a collection of books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world. Ultimately, the Foundation aspires to have every culture and language represented so that every child can know and appreciate the riches of children’s literature from the world community.”
The organization has already placed numerous books online; Click on “Read a Book” and select a book by language, country of origin, length, reading level or a number of other criteria.
Red Cross: Safe and Well List
https://disastersafe.redcross.org/
From the site: “If you have been affected by a disaster, this website provides a way for you to register yourself as ‘safe and well.’ From a list of standard messages, you can select those that you want to communicate to your family members, letting them know of your well-being. Concerned family and friends can search the list of those who have registered themselves as ‘safe and well.’ The results of a successful search will display a loved one’s First Name, Last Name, an ‘As of Date’, and the ‘safe and well’ messages selected.”
Citizendium
According to the site, the Citizendium, “a ‘citizens’ compendium of everything,’ is an open wiki project aimed at creating an enormous, free, and reliable encyclopedia. The project, started by a founder of Wikipedia, aims to improve on the Wikipedia model by adding ‘gentle expert oversight’ and requiring contributors to use their real names.” Currently in a public beta phase, the site contains over 1000 articles.
BBQ History
In honor of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest:
www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/SciRefGuides/bbqhistory.html
From the Library of Congress’ Science Reference Guide series, this is a bibliography for materials on the history of BBQ. It includes books, articles and web resources.
Good luck to any and all who are taking part in this year’s competition!
(See also)
MPLIC Reference Highway 