Winter 2010
CONTENTS
- New How-To Guides
- The Travel Collection in the Social Science and History Department
- Chess Day: Celebrating One of the Oldest Games in History
- Regional Information Center
- Recent Additions to the SLRC Video/DVD Collection
- Recent Additions to the Job and Career Information Center Collection
NEW HOW-TO GUIDES
Because of the new documentary and book Soul of a People: The WPA Writers Project Uncovers Depression America, you may have customers interested in learning about the WPA, (Works Progress Administration). The Social Science and History Department has created a new Web guide, The WPA and America, about the histories of the different Federal Projects--for theater, music, art, and writing--along with great images to interest readers in discovering more. A section on the WPA and Maryland adds a local connection.
Genealogy’s most exciting development in recent years is undoubtedly the application of DNA testing to family history research. Genetic testing has been part of medicine since the 1950s, and its use in crime solving dates to the 1980s. But the availability of DNA home testing kits for genealogy is truly a twenty-first century marvel. Numerous DNA testing companies have sprung up, and hundreds of thousands of inexpensive test kits have been sold, strictly to trace family roots by using genetic sampling. The new Genetic Genealogy guide, created by the Maryland Department, provides an introduction to this topic, discusses what genetic testing will (and will not) do, and describes some commonly available tests. To help clarify, there’s a glossary of cell biology terms and numerous links for those who wish to dig deeper into this fascinating topic.
The newly revised guide, Starting Your Small Business Successfully, produced by the Business, Science, and Technology Department, improves upon the earlier one by discussing small business resources in greater detail. The guide features up-to-date listings of relevant Web sites and small business organizations that will help the entrepreneur get the information and assistance needed to start a successful business.
These guides—and many more—can be found on the main How-to Guides page
THE TRAVEL COLLECTION IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HISTORY DEPARTMENT
Tired of vacationing in the same places over and over again? Why not take advantage of SLRC’s travel collection, located within the Social Science and History Department? Our collection features many standard guides covering nearly all parts of the world. So you’ve already been to England, France, and Italy? Then how about considering a trip to Albania, Croatia, or the island of Cyprus? We have guides for those countries and more. Maybe you have customers interested in traveling to Asia. In addition to guides for China, India, and Japan, we have guidebooks for Bali, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. If you’re thinking about traveling to the lands down under, we can help with guidebooks to Australia and New Zealand. Looking for information on a U. S. travel destination? We can help there too. We have guides for every state of the union along with such specialized resources as The Insiders’ Guide to Civil War Sites in the Eastern Theater and The Official Guide to America’s National Parks. We also offer guides to cruise lines and bed and breakfast inns. Need advice on planning your next vacation? Check out our guide Travel Tips: Making Your Dollars Go Farther, available on the Pratt Library’s How-to Guides page.
CHESS DAY: CELEBRATING ONE OF THE OLDEST GAMES IN HISTORY
The Business, Science, and Technology Department hosted Chess Day on November 21st through our monthly chess club, Rooks and Books. In the morning, Charles Covington, Baltimore’s first African American chess master, played thirty games of chess at once, ending with only two losses and two draws. Devon Johnson was the “last one standing,” since he played Mr. Covington the longest. Though he eventually lost the game, he won a magnetic chess set donated by Fells Point Chess, LLC. In the afternoon, David “Pawnmaster” McDuffie of “Kidz Night Inn, Inc.” hosted Rooks and Books’ second chess tournament. Thirty chess sets were lent to the library for the day by the Maryland Chess Association, which helps support the game in Maryland. Rooks and Books meets on the second Tuesday of every month from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Business, Science, and Technology Department at SLRC.
REGIONAL INFORMATION CENTER
Any library staff member who has attended one of the tours offered by the State Library Resource Center knows that the library houses many special collections and hidden treasures. However, none of the tours have included the Regional Information Center (RIC).
The RIC is a special collection of materials that belongs to the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, a regional planning organization. Managed by SLRC, the Regional Information Center is located in the BMC’s offices in Baltimore’s Canton neighborhood.
The collection of about 10,000 volumes--which is open to the public by appointment--focuses on transportation planning, demographics, economic development, land use and development, environmental issues, and general urban planning topics. More than half of the materials are Maryland or Baltimore-related.
You may search the rudimentary online catalog of holdings or call 410-732-9570 for reference assistance.
One special service offered at the RIC is customized demographic reports for anywhere in the state of Maryland. Library customers who are developing a business plan or grant application may need to know the number and characteristics of people who live in a particular neighborhood or within a certain number of miles from a location under consideration.
These reports provide more up-to-date estimates than are now available from the Census Bureau; currently, the data are for 2009 and 2014 (projected). This service is one of the few for which SLRC charges a fee, but most people can afford the modest cost, which begins at $10.
For library staff involved in planning a new branch or needing profiles of existing branch service areas, all fees are waived.
Library hours are weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, please contact the RIC Manager, Mary Logan, at 410-732-9570 or mlogan@prattlibrary.org. Visitors should call or e-mail ahead for an appointment.
RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE SLRC VIDEO/DVD COLLECTION
Turning over a new leaf:
Now that the new year is here, it’s time to stick to those earnestly made resolutions. Changing old habits is hard, which is why HBO’s critically acclaimed documentary series Addiction has such timely resonance for so many people. Bringing together the nation’s leading experts with award-winning filmmakers (such as D.A. Pennebaker, Barbara Kopple, Albert Maysles, and Liz Garbus), this new SLRC title consists of nine separate segments on 4 DVDs that explain addiction and the best ways to treat it.
The new year isn’t just a time to think about making personal changes, but for resolving to improve the community and environment around us as well. SLRC has a number of new “sustainable living” titles to address these concerns. The eco-friendly TV series Building Green (13 episodes on three DVDs) illustrates how easy, healthy, and cost-effective it is for homeowners to go green, while the e2 TV series--e2 design (12 episodes on two DVDs) and e2 Energy (six episodes on one DVD)--address sustainable living, alternative energy sources, and green design in architecture.
If you are interested in these titles or any other materials in our collection, resolve to call the Sights & Sounds Department directly at (410) 396-4616, or e-mail us at sas@prattlibrary.org.
RECENT ADDITIONS TO THE JOB AND CAREER INFORMATION CENTER COLLECTION
Looking to help your customers with their job search? Try the following titles for job searching, resume writing, and interviewing help:
150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs. The Editors @ JIST and Laurence Shatkin. Indianapolis: JIST Publishing, 2009.
Includes 150 job descriptions as well as 75 different “Best Jobs” lists to help readers explore different career areas according to earnings, education, personality type, and more.
The Only Resume and Cover Letter Book You’ll Ever Need! Edited by Richard Walsh. Avon, MA: F+W Publications, 2007.
Need a sample cover letter or resume? Find 600 examples organized by occupation, covering such jobs as customer service representative, shipping/receiving expediter, and hotel clerk. Includes a CD with downloadable examples to print out.
Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You the Job. Tony Beshara. New York: AMACOM, 2008.
Preparing for an interview? This book goes over some of the commonly asked questions as well as providing the job seeker with questions to ask at the interview. Ideas on how to answer some of the toughest queries, such as “Why should we hire you?” are included to help the seeker get the job.
If you’d like more suggestions on resources in this area, contact the Job & Career Information Center at 410-396-5317 or e-mail job@prattlibrary.org.