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Smorgasbord
by Mary O. Fumento
September 2009
I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library. - Jorge Luis Borges
A smorgasbord is a luncheon or supper buffet that is a food-lover’s delight, but it can also be somewhat disconcerting, at least initially. Everything looks so good, “Where to begin?” The same question often faces library patrons. Once through the library entrance they see a cornucopia information sources: books, magazines, newspapers, internet resources plus local and state resources.
This article provides a brief overview of all of the resources so library users will have a better idea of how they may fill their plates, and, of course, they can always go back for seconds.
New in Your Neighborhood
The library system is always looking for new resources for you. We post what is new to our system on our web site at http://www.washakiecountylibrary.org/new.html Please indulge!
Watch for new events from us and save these dates.
On Sept. 17, we host the chamber coffee at the Worland library. We would like to share information about our vision for the library system and your ideas are welcome!
On Oct. 15, we host a public reception for authors Bill and Carol Wallace from 7-8 p.m. at the Worland library. Please join us. The Wallaces write children’s books and are touring Wyoming by visiting the public schools.
New from the State
Check out http://gowyld.net/dbases.cfm for the newest featured resources – databases that are specifically for young children. Now highlighted are Britannica for Kids, Searchasaurus and Bookflix.
Middle Search Plus at http://gowyld.net/list.cfm?AlphaName=M contains full text for 140 popular, middle school magazines. All full text articles are assigned a reading level indicator (Lexiles). Full text is also available for thousands of biographies and historical essays.
While on the state database site, look for the Learning Express Library which has wonderful learning centers assessments and Learning Centers, and not just for children. The “Job & Careers” section and related sections are especially relevant because of the current economic downturn.
The Learning Centers focus on:
• Elementary School
• Middle School
• High School
• College Preparation
• College Students
• GED Preparation
• Job Search & Workplace Skills
• Jobs & Careers
• Skill Building for Adults (math, reasoning, reading, writing, grammar)
• U.S. Citizenship
• Spanish Resources
On the Web
While Google’s search engine tends to dominate the news, there are others worth trying. Do your web searches on different search engines for different results. For instance, compare Yahoo search results to Google. Better yet, try the newest search engine, Bling: http://www.bling.com
While Google has plans for being the world's biggest online library, there are other players in the mass digitization of books. It is all happening as you read this. Go to
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/30/google-library-project-books-settlement to read about Google’s plans, and to Open Book Alliance at http://www.openbookalliance.org/ for a different approach book digitization.
Videos on the web are particularly hot right now. If you like the idea of browsing YouTube for kids’ content, but you don’t like the idea of your hair turning white all at one go, try the recently launched ZuiTube, which boasts almost 60,000 parent- and teacher-approved videos. It’s available at http://video.kidzui.com/
To use this site you can do a simple keyword search. There are also channels for videos, like cat videos, Sesame Street, etc. There’s a “Play All” mode that allows you to play all the videos in a particular channel, if you can take that many kitten videos at one time.
Ever wanted to know where audiobooks originate? An audiobook is an intense marriage of creative forces between author, narrator, director, and publisher. How does a book make it from a printed work to a CD, Playaway, or Digital Download? Get a peek into the surprisingly complex world of audio publishing. Author Julia Spencer-Fleming and Suzanne Toren, the exclusive narrator for her popular Millers Kill mystery series, will discuss these issues and more with producer Dan Hypes in a free web cast on Tuesday, September 15, from 2 to 3 pm EST. Sign up here: https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=157741&sessionid=1&key=B56E34122B03BA54E5DEC6B42EF755C1&sourcepage=register
With so many choices, our libraries will satisfy your appetite with a variety of interesting and pleasurable resources. We offer some thing that will appeal to everyone’s taste!
