From the All Things Google Dept.

The number one Russian Internet search in October 2004 was "pet therapy". Who knew?

Check out the Google Zeitgeist report for a regularly updated snapshot of internet use...

Citation Machine = Love Machine

As you bear down on your various research projects, check out the Citation Machine, a handy web-based bibliography builder for APA and MLA formats. The Citation Machine is a free service of David Warlick's Landmark Project. Users should be familiar with the basics of APA and MLA style to make adjustments for spacing, etc. Copies of these style manuals (and others) are available at the Reference and Circulation desks in the Library. A very basic citation guide is also available on the Library's web pages.

The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University is an excellent source for help... and don't overlook the help available to you through the English Department's Writing Lab right here on campus. Advanced researchers may want to check out RefWorks, a service to which the library subscribes.

Librarians, Avert Your Eyes...

Seems that students at MIT and the Boston Public Library have found a unique use for withdrawn books...visit the Building with Books exhibit to learn more.

Would you like some truffle gravy with your turkey?

The Pilgrim Hall Museum's Thanksgiving web site will tell you how to make this and other Thanksgiving delicacies from the past (think chestnut stuffing, succotash, and cranberry pie). You can also learn the history of this uniquely American holiday and discover some intriguing trivia from the first Plymouth celebration.

While Martha is Away...

May these internet links provide you with the Thanksgiving information and advice you seek.

Let's Talk Turkey
View Thanksgiving-themed trademarks and patents, such as turkey-calling devices, an apparatus for cranberry harvesting, mechanisms for turkey cooking, and a station for turkey carving. Also includes images of early U.S. patents, and a link to Halloween patent pages. From the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's children's pages.

Talkin' Turkey FAQ
Questions and answers about turkeys and the tradition of turkey dishes in holiday meals. Site includes related articles on safety tips for turkey preparation and vegetarian alternatives to the holiday turkey. Also provides quick facts and related links. From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

The Cranberry Institute
Find history, crop statistics, health research, news, a photo gallery (which includes pictures of cranberry bogs), and more. Searchable. From a nonprofit organization run by United States and Canadian cranberry growers.

Give thanks to the Librarian's Index to the Internet!

New Trial Database...

A new database is available for trial, Journal Citation Reports. To access JCR, go to the library web page --> Journal Articles --> Databases by Trial Subscriptions. Journal Citation Reports is a comprehensive and unique resource tool that allows you to evaluate and compare journals using citation data drawn from over 7,000 scholarly and technical journals from more than 3,300 publishers in over 60 countries. It is the only source of citation data on journals, and includes virtually all specialties in the areas of science, technology, and social sciences. Journal Citation Reports can show you the:
Most frequently cited journals in a field
Highest impact journals in a field
Hottest journals in a field
Leading journals in a field
Most published articles in a field Both two editions are included in this trail (1997 for trial purposes):
Science Edition: Contains data from over 5,700 journals in the areas of science and technology.
Social Sciences Edition: contains data from over 1,700 journals in the social sciences. What does JCR reports mean to you? As an author, JCR enables you to identify journals in which to publish, confirm the status of journals in which you have published, and identify journals relevant to your area of research.
For comments or questions regarding this database, please contact Lynn Hoffmann or your department library liaison.

National Book Award Nominees and Winners

Have a listen to these NPR interviews with National Book Award nominees...

Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
Our Kind by Kate Walbert

and view the winners announced on Wednesday, November 17.

National Digital Newspaper Program

The National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress recently announced a program that plans to digitize 30 million American newspapers published between 1836 and 1922. The papers will be freely available on the Library of Congress's American Memory site, where a pilot collection, "Stars and Stripes," is posted now.

From the All Things Google Dept.

Big announcement: Google Scholar, which professes to locate academic resources on the Internet, has been released in beta. Read more about if from Search Engine Watch and from a librarians' point of view, this review from the ResearchShelf blog.

Clinton Library Opens in Little Rock...

The latest of the presidential libraries opened today in Little Rock, Arkansas (see related New York Times story and slide show). For more information about presidential libraries....

A Disturbing Trend in Children's Literature...

Used to be they only put their names on fragrances and clothing lines, but recently we have been treated to new children's books by Madonna, Bill O'Reilly, Ed Koch, James Carville, and Katie Couric. John Gotti is rumored to have a children's book in the works! In observance of Children's Book Week (Nov. 15-21), check out this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about celebrities and children's books.

The Top 1000...

The Top 1000 books held by libraries, according to OCLC (Online Computer Library Center)--books purchased by 52,000 libraries in 95 countries around the globe. Garfield at Large is #18, no kidding! BOOKTIP: Check out the Other Lists link for more recommended reading...

K-12 Textbook Sale in IMC this week...

NOW A BUCK A BAG through Thursday and Friday! Withdrawn K-12 textbooks will be on sale in the Instructional Materials Center this week from Monday to Friday, November 15-19. Education majors, home schoolers, and others may be interested in obtaining these older textbooks and related materials, available for all subject areas. Hardcovers are priced at $1.00 and paperbacks at $.50. Proceeds go to the Friends of Bailey Library...

Contact Melba Tomeo with questions.

Search Engine Stuff...

An active week in search engine news:
1) Firefox 1.0 is available here;
2) A clever human creates a portable Firefox that can be installed on a flash drive (aka nerdstick) so you can carry your bookmarks with you;
2) MSN launches a new search engine in beta;
3) A new search engine seeks out source code--Koders.com;
4) Google indexing reaches 8 billion.

For your weekend pleasure...

Check out the new "Turning the Pages" project from the British Library! Read from Leonardo's notebook, Jane Austen's early manuscripts, and other precious treasures...

Nancy Drew Lives!

In honor of Children's Book Week next week (Nov. 15-21), enjoy this article on Nancy Drew's father from the New Yorker. Nancy has had a makeover for her 75th birthday, but those of a certain age will remember the roadster, George, Bess, Ned, and the convenient clues found in diaries, old mills, hollow trees, lockets, and secret drawers.

Totally Useless Web Information....

Unless you really, really need it...

http://www.toiletmap.gov.au/

Bailey Library Welcomes You to Attend...

John Nichols and Alison McNeal will present "The World of the Malaysians" from 3:30 to 4:30 pm in the Special Collections Room of the Library. The talk, the next in the Bailey Library "Encounters" series, will be a modern overview of geography, industry, politics, art, and religion of western Malaysia and Sumatra, Indonesia. Food and drinks to be served beginning at 3:00 PM.

Attention Education Majors

Many U.S. government agencies provide a wealth of resources for the classroom on their web sites. NASA, for example, has links to a "Solar System Puzzle Kit" that's appropriate for grades 5-8; the National Park Service's "Remember Pearl Harbor" focuses on the USS Arizona and can be adapted for use for grades 5-12. A partial list of potential sites is available as a topic page from GPO Access, a web portal to federal government information.

Veterans Day Links and Resources

Veterans Day is November 11. There are 24.9 million military veterans living in the United States today. Read more about it from the Veterans Affairs Administration (includes a teacher's guide and a gallery of commemorative posters); find more interesting veteran facts and figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Courtesy of the Librarian's Index to the Internet



BOOKTIP: You might also be interested in checking out The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, an ebook available through our online catalog, or the follow-up, The Greatest Generation Speaks, available in our Reading Room.

Happy Belated Birthday!

The Internet turned 35 last month... (but it doesn't look a day over 30, really!)

From the Reference Desk...

The State Library of Pennsylvania is now providing access to its databases to faculty and staff of the State System of Higher Education. Most of these databases are not available through the Bailey Library website-many are discipline specific. In order to take advantage of these resources, faculty or staff members must set up an account with the state library. To do so, visit the State Library online at http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us.

Follow these instructions:
1. Click on For State Government on the left side of the page.
2. Click on the link Online form to apply for a Library Card at the bottom of the page.
3. Fill in the applications using the following conventions:
Agency= State System of Higher Education
Bureau= Name of SSHE University (and branch if appropriate)
Office= Department

Within five business days, you should receive a state library card. The barcode on the back is your password.

Once you receive your card, you will be able to access over 50 online databases, including:
All Proquest databases
Congressional Information Service
America: History and Life
Statistical Universe

Check out this link for a complete list of available databases:
http://www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/cwp/view.asp?a=11&q=86222

Questions? Contact the Bailey Library Reference desk at (724) 738-2641.

Pundits and Predictions...

To while away the time as you wait for the presidential election results, visit the various web sites that offer electoral college vote calculators.

• National Archives and Record Administration. Electoral College Calculator.
• Jim Howard. U. S. Electoral College Calculator.
• Opinion Journal. Electoral College Calculator.
• New York Times. Election 2004.
• American Research Group. Electoral Vote Calculator.
• Avagara. The U. S. Electoral College Webzine.
• The Magic 8-Ball (no electoral calculator, but entertaining).

If you should somehow still be Undecided (!) , please visit the library's Election Pathfinder to locate unbiased, nonpartisan sources of information.

Meet Generation "M"...

You've probably heard or read about the millennial generation (or perhaps you are a member)--the current and future generation of students who were born with remote controls in their hands. "Meeting the Millennials" is the theme of a collection of articles in the October issue of SIDEBARS. Read more about the Millennials and how to reach and teach them.

from Steven Bell on Trends/Forecasts