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Online: Oh, the Places You Can Go
by Mary O. Fumento
January 2010
“I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking something up and finding something else on the way.” - Franklin P. Adams
Stumbling around the Internet truly is a favorite past-time of mine because there is no end to the information available, and I always find extra places to go. New free tools are constantly being developed and distributed via the Internet. Here are some specific resources you may be interested in using, whether for school, business or hobby.
Especially for anyone writing research papers, EasyBib at http://www.easybib.com/ is well worth discovering. It helps create bibliographies and citations, and it defaults to MLA format but also offers APA and Chicago/Turbian.
Thanks to Karen Funk for pointing out a neat author tool, Literature Map at http://www.literature-map.com/. If you like a particular writer, type in the person’s name and this web site automatically generates a list of other writers you may enjoy. It’s a terrific way to expose yourself to similar authors you may otherwise miss.
Have you ever needed to find Powerpoint presentations? A specialized search engine, SlideFinder at http://www.slidefinder.net/, helps you find them from universities around the world. Try searching any topic, like climate change or poverty, and scholarly slides arrive at your fingertips. This is a great site to search if you need to create a presentation, as well, because it has so many examples of how other people made slides.
When you need computer graphics and Microsoft clip art won’t cut it anymore, try Morgue File at http://www.morguefile.com/ or the Library of Congress: American Memory at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html. These are great places to find copyright-free images suitable for presentations or research projects.
If you’re an actor or a speaker, and you need some performance inspiration, check out http://www.actorama.com/ which has over 540 monologues and scenes from films, plays, televisions, and books. Out of respect for copyright the full material is not available for all monologues/scenes, but more than enough information is available for you to find the scene elsewhere.
The Center for the Book, in the Library of Congress, was established in the late 1970s to promote reading, literacy and libraries. The web site at http://www.read.gov/ offers many resources, including author webcasts and booklists. The "Books and Related Info For" menu has sections for "Kids", "Teens", "Adults", and "Educators and Parents". Within the "Kids" and "Teens" sections are classic books that have been digitized and put online to be read. In the "Educators and Parents" section you can find lesson plans, exhibitions, and online activities.
Do you need a place to store your electronic documents? Google has announced that Google Docs is set to become more than just a place to make presentations, spreadsheets, and documents. Over the next few weeks Google will be rolling out the ability to upload all file types to Google Docs. Find out more at http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2010/01/upload-and-store-your-files-in-cloud.html
Join Us for Upcoming Events
Please join Raising Readers in Wyoming for an evening story time in Worland on Tuesday, January 26 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for ages 0 to 12. We will provide books, activities, and a light dinner as we encourage parents to read to their children. Families who read together succeed together.
The Friends of Ten Sleep Library are hosting author Craig Johnson on Saturday, March 27. Save the date and watch for more details on this upcoming event in Ten Sleep!
Thank You for Contributing to Our Endowment
Thanks to our community for donating over $30,000 to our Wyoming Library Endowment Challenge. The state will now match with $90,000, benefiting the Ten Sleep and Worland libraries.
Your contributions will help provide:
• Capital expenditure
• Program funding
• Collections
• Computers
You can help us reach our goal. Donate once or make a pledge to the Washakie County Library Foundation. Your donation will be matched 3:1 by the State of Wyoming. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The library system works because people like you contribute in so many ways. Thank you for your belief in our community.
