Integrating Audio and Text on your Device

Do you like having text read to you? Many people have reasons for wanting words on a screen also play a recording. Some people who are learning to read or who have other learning curve needs do enjoy such features.

The audiobook and ebook craze has just begun, and there are hundreds of devices that are trying to provide access to audio and text.

Gale Virtual Reference Library which WCCLS provices, can be an app on your device, and it finds your location as long as GPS is on. If all your settings are a go, then you can click Listen in any of your search results and hear the text read along as you read.

Gale Virtual Reference Library is a huge reference shelf of books and encyclopedias.

You have to have other apps to make it work. You have to have Adobe Flash Player. By the way if you have a Galaxy 7, which is what I used to try this on, it might be set up so that it can't shop in any place other than Google Play. If that happens just change those settings -- Go to Settings. There are settings called Personal Settings, go under Security. then go under Device Administration. Then under that is Unknown Sources. Just put the check box into that setting and enable access to apps that are elsewhere on the web. Because Adobe Flash Player (on today 4-11-13) was not Google Play app store material.

Oregonian Historical Archive

I normally don't promote a database that is not owned by WCCLS member libraries, but because so many Washington County residents also own a library card from the Multnomah County Library, I wanted to let patrons know about this resource if they were not aware of it. 

I received a phone call from one of our patrons who requested information regarding an Odus Bales, the founder of Bales Thriftway in Cedar Mill.  Apparently Mr. Bales was involved in a robbery/shooting  in the 1980's and my patron needed information regarding the incident.  The Oregonian database owned by WCCLS doesn't go back far enough, so I whipped out my MCL card and started searching the Oregonian Historical Archive on the MCL website.   This database contains full text and full-image of every page of the Oregonian from 1861 to 1987, cover to cover, in downloadable PDF format.  Within just a few minutes, I had found several articles regarding the incident and was able to send the information to my patron.

My point on all of this is that back in my library school days (I hate to admit in the 1970's) we were always taught to try to get the needed information to our patrons.  If we didn't have the resource locally, then to refer the person to an appropriate agency or organization or to use the many resources that we had available to us, including the resources of other library systems from which a valid library card is obtained. I've always tried to follow that  principle, and as a result, I think that I have promoted library resources in general and have given patrons good service.

Alcoholism or Problem Drinking

Did you know that the diagnosis of drug and alcohol addiction will be revised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 2013? Here is a link to a blog about the changes. Apparently, it will be a lot easier to be diagnosed as an alcoholic or addict in the new edition. Will this mean: More books needed? More treatment center space needed? More professionals needed? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Meanwhile--here are resources for problem drinking:

Getting Money

PLANNING THE "BIG ASK"
Check out books ... at the library on writing a grant proposal
-or on writing a business plan for a new business
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE

Consumer Reports Does not Rank Everything.

To have a complete list of things that Consumer Reports hasn't ever ranked, or that they ranked four or more years ago, go here: http://tinyurl.com/3ptdjb . You will not find recent rankings of furnaces, hearing aids, automobile stereo equipment, herbal supplements, radar detectors, mattresses, tires, power blowers, power drills, golf equipment or many other very popular things in Consumer Reports. I say rankings. But you can find buyers advice.

Scholarly Articles

Patrons doing scholarly research here at the Beaverton City Library will often run into the problem that the library doesn't subscribe to the print version of the periodical that they need.  The next step to take is to search the A to Z Serials Access database which will tell the patron if the journal is available full-text online.  If that fails, the Internet is your next step.  Typing in the title of the article in quotations will sometimes lead you to the full-text version, but often it will guide you to one of the subscription services like JSTOR or just be referenced in the bibliography of an article.  But don't give up yet!  Authors submitting articles to scholarly journals are often associated with educational institutions and frequently have their own websites.  Searching the author's name with keywords from the article title will yield surprising results.  I'm not promising that it will work every time, but it is more than worth the effort to give this method a try.  If successful, I am guaranteeing that you will have a very happy patron.

For students or anyone who is interested in exploring careers, the Oregon Career Information System is one of the most helpful resources I have ever used. Although the database focuses on Oregon schools and programs of study, the user can expand their search to includes schools throughout the United States. It's a highly interactive site and what I have found is that the more you use it, the more you find with each new search. One of the most valuable aspects of the database is that it covers not only the two and four year schools, but also those institutions that offer short-term study programs or certificates for various occupations. Included in the detailed information:

• Overviews of individual occupations with details on specific work activities, common work activities, working conditions, physical demands, skills and abilities, knowledge, interests, preparation, helpful high school courses, hiring practices, wages, employment and outlook, advancement, and further resources. It then allows you to search schools that offer programs of study in that occupation.



• The program section addresses program admission, graduate admissions, typical course work, things to know, and other resources. The schools offering those programs are listed by geographical region in Oregon (or you can choose an out-of-state location) and then give detailed information about the school, student body, costs, financial aid, admissions, academics, student life, housing, student services, and career services. Website links are also given.



• If you aren't sure about a particular job title but are interested in a specific field of work like health care or business, the clusters index lists appropriate occupations within a variety of fields.



• The financial aid section is extremely useful in that it allows you to narrow your search to certain types of financial help like scholarships, grants and loans. The scholarship list is very detailed and there is a section specifically for Oregon residents.


• The exploration tools section is helpful in that it lets the user sort through various areas such as occupation, undergraduate or graduate schools, financial aid and one of the most interesting tools, the Reality Check which gives a very realistic picture of how much money you will need to live and which occupation will may for those needs.

Check it out!

NeighborhoodScout

Moving to another area of the country can be a daunting task and finding out as much information on your new home base can be overwhelming. A website that can help in determining which neighborhoods are best suited to your needs and dreams is NeighborhoodScout.com. The website uses the latest neighborhood statistics available from several leading government sources including the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the U.S. Geological Service, among others. The neighborhood profiles include school quality, housing costs, crime rates, income levels, the age, size and style of homes, the density of buildings, rental areas versus owner occupied, the proportion of families with children, the ages of persons in the neighborhood, ethnic and racial makeup, educational levels, languages spoken, types of careers of those living in the neighborhood and much more. Although you can subscribe to the database for more detailed information, the statistics that are available free of charge are substantial.

B

Looking for your next great read?

NoveList Plus is a wonderful database of fiction and nonfiction titles. With an advance search you have the ability to locate titles based on author's nationality and/or cultural identity (i.e. Native American).

NoveList Plus can recommend books based on your favorite author. Author Read-alikes.

NoveList Plus is so much more than a database of books.

You can access NoveList Plus from http://www.wccls.org/ under online resources/ literature.

Check it out today!

FREE eBooks!

Would you like to add to your eBook library without depleting your bank account? Check out these websites for FREE eBooks.

Baen Books: Science Fiction and Fantasy books from the publisher, Baen.

Book Lending: Not really free but this site matches lenders and borrowers of Kindle e-books.

Digital Book Index: provides links to full-text digital books.

E-Discover the Classics: 500 classics. This site was created by The Colorado Library Consortium and Douglas County Libraries.

Munseys: At this site you are able to find books based on your device type. 20,000 titles.

These are a few of the lesser known free e-Book sites. Google free eBooks to discover more, such as the original: Project Gutenberg.

Lipstick, Gold and more

If you are fascinated or intrigued by how things are made please be sure to check out the online resource: How Products Are Made: An Illustrated Guide To Product Manufacturing

There are 7 volumes so don't wait to answer that all time favorite question, "how is that made?"

You also have the option to listen as the entry is read to you.

Anatomy Illustrations online

Our human anatomy books are very popular and often checked out.  You now have access to human anatomy drawings and illustrations online through Science Online, a database provided by your Washington County Libraries:

Human Anatomy Diagrams without Labels


New versions of human anatomy diagrams without labels have been added to Science Online, providing valuable tools for reinforcing what students are learning in their lessons. Perfect teacher handouts, these diagrams will be useful for students to test themselves or for instructors to use as tests in class.

Just use your library card to logon!

(lf)

Finding Out about Doctors

Finding the Dirt about Doctors

Oregon medical board, www.oregon.gov/OMB, has put on their website every official act that they have levied against a doctor, the ones that have reached to a conclusion, but not the unwarranted accusations. At least the last 20 years is full text on line but for older orders, you may have to call the office to request the results and pay $10-$20 for each order. The website does have the status of their certification, but appears to not list their office address or phone any longer. It also lists Medical School and Residency graduation and dates.
A doctor’s standing will be listed on the OMB such as: Provisional ..or.. Good standing. Measures against a doctor can be a range-- from severe accidents to dull ones like a failure to send a chart in a timely manner, due administrative errors etc. And some things don’t even make it onto the OMB site. Some things that have nothing to do with malpractice yet if they have a judgment against them, for example a judgement from court that they have a substance abuse problem then that will be fully online. There is a link to recent (within the last 4 years) malpractice rulings (final judgments). If there are older cases, you would have to request a list from the Board and pay a fee (around $10-20).

State Medical Examiners--other states not Oregonhttp://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/education-careers/becoming-physician/medical-licensure/state-medical-boards.shtml is the link to the AMA list of state boards of Medical Examiners. Or, if long websites are hard to remember then Google -State boards of Medical Examiners. You will find this site, plus individual state sites. It appears that most states now have a fairly robust list of licensees. Two previous states where a known doctor held licenses back in the 70’s still lists his name, but not as an active physician. (Remember that physicians can be listed under M for Medical doctor or P for Physician and Surgeon.) Different states will include different specialties, such as acupuncturist, physician assistants, etc, and most states have a separate nursing board.

ABMS website http://www.certificationmatters.org/ is the website for ABMS searching as of Feb 2011 with a nice interface, in which search must be initiated, and then you are prompted to log in. It's free to register. Even without a subscription to the print volumes, ABMS.org will tell you which board-certification that person is certified with.
However some information lags ex: if they just got it in the last 6 months, if they moved, it might not be correct. Other examples: One known specialist isn’t even listed in ABMS yet he is board certified in addiction medicine. It is legal for a doctor to merely say that he specializes in xxx (anything within the realm of medicine and/or surgery). The question to ask is really, is he board-certified in that specialty.

The AMA-ASSN site. http://www.ama-assn.org/ Vast but sketchy - It has a “find a doctor” button. It lists physicians who are not always members of the AMA too. But it’s self-reported. So if someone responds that they are a surgeon then.. okay maybe they merely say they are but it’s not 100% a convincer that they are certified as a surgeon. What if a doctor’s profile is not in there? Maybe he’s not a member. Perhaps it’s not showing much for nonmembers.

Paying dot com sites (i.e., healthgrades.com)
Sites that make you pay $10 for this info has been incorrect there too. A known doctor did a search in it and reported back that it was not correct (the address was 8 years old). For fee sites do not generally provide more than the info on free sites.

What people really want
The depth of information that is available at the National Practitioner Data site is what people really want, but it is not often available to the general public. It’s only available to state boards of medical examiners who are trying to judge whether they are able to be licensed in a new state, administrators of hospitals who have paid a big fee, government agencies like the DEA, etc.


The Call and Confirm methodYou should be able to contact a doctor and ask them what state their license is in, what their specialty certification is and when, what their interest is (what are the last 2 conferences that the doctor attended). Then you can go to that board or the ABMS and confirm it. If you can’t confirm it it’s either really new or maybe something is actually fishy.

Learning Express Database

As a resident of Oregon you have 24/7 access to Learing Express. Learning Express is a database that can be accessed through http://www.wccls.org/ under Online Resources- careers.
"Whatever your goal, LearningExpress Library's resources will help you succeed. Each of our Learning Centers offers the practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, eBooks, and information you need to achieve the results you want—at school, at work, or in life. Looking to land a job? You'll find an entire Learning Center dedicated to helping you get the one that's right for you." ~Learning Express website.

The biggest secret is that there are downloadable exam ebooks. The list of available titles include:

• 501 Algebra Questions



• Pre-GED Language Arts Writing



• GED Math



• Air Traffic Control Test Prep

Log on today and get started!

Oregon Career Information System

For students or anyone who is interested in exploring careers, the Oregon Career Information System is one of the most helpful resources I have ever used. Although the database focuses on Oregon schools and programs of study, the user can expand their search to includes schools throughout the United States. It's a highly interactive site and what I have found is that the more you use it, the more you find with each new search. One of the most valuable aspects of the database is that it covers not only the two and four year schools, but also those institutions that offer short-term study programs or certificates for various occupations. Included in the detailed information:

• Overviews of individual occupations with details on specific work activities, common work activities, working conditions, physical demands, skills and abilities, knowledge, interests, preparation, helpful high school courses, hiring practices, wages, employment and outlook, advancement, and further resources. It then allows you to search schools that offer programs of study in that occupation.



• The program section addresses program admission, graduate admissions, typical course work, things to know, and other resources. The schools offering those programs are listed by geographical region in Oregon (or you can choose an out-of-state location) and then give detailed information about the school, student body, costs, financial aid, admissions, academics, student life, housing, student services, and career services. Website links are also given.



• If you aren't sure about a particular job title but are interested in a specific field of work like health care or business, the clusters index lists appropriate occupations within a variety of fields.



• The financial aid section is extremely useful in that it allows you to narrow your search to certain types of financial help like scholarships, grants and loans. The scholarship list is very detailed and there is a section specifically for Oregon residents.


• The exploration tools section is helpful in that it lets the user sort through various areas such as occupation, undergraduate or graduate schools, financial aid and one of the most interesting tools, the Reality Check which gives a very realistic picture of how much money you will need to live and which occupation will may for those needs.

Check it out!

ReliefWeb

ReliefWeb was launched in October 1996 and is administered by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This site contains reliable and timely information regarding humanitarian emergencies throughout the world. It is highly interactive in that it allows the user to see in-depth profiles, updates and reports on individual countries and disasters. For example, the latest information regarding relief efforts in Japan were listed and as I was creating this blog, several updates to the site were made. Jobs and training opportunities are also listed, letting the user focus on a particular country, type of job, organizational source, etc. This is an incredible resource for anyone interested in humanitarian efforts throughout the world.

Unemployed?

If you are looking for a new job or wishing to change jobs memorize one website, http://www.employment.oregon.gov/ . This is the State of Oregon's employment website.

This site offers quality information to assist Oregonians find work or improve their employment prospects. Information includes help on benefits, taxes, education, childcare, links to jobs and so much more.

This site has great resources and links to job fairs and events.

If you are a Veteran, there is a site dedicated to assisting Veterans.

The website is also available in Spanish.

Gateway to Science Information

As the website states, "Science.gov is a gateway to government science information and research results. Currently in its fifth generation, Science.gov provides a search of over 45 scientific databases and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to over 2100 scientific websites." We all have had the experience of trying to do an Internet search and coming up with less that stellar results, usually because someone wants to sell us something! This website is an interagency initiative of 18 U.S. government science organization within 14 Federal Agencies. It is an easy-to-use site which allows you to browse topics like agriculture & food, biology & nature, physics & chemistry and a number of other science related subjects. This site would be of interest to students, the layperson, or those within a science profession. All would benefit from this interesting resource.

Full-text Magazines Online

We have access to a number of different databases covering hundreds of magazines or periodicals but how do you know if the full-text of the articles are included or if only a short citation is given? Enter A to Z Serials Access (formerly Serials Solutions). You can search for a particular online journal by title or ISSN, or you can browse subject categories. So if you're interested in what we have full-text online on a particular topic like business, health, social sciences or a variety of other subjects, you will quickly see what is available and be able to peruse the magazine.

When I look at a title under Availability, what does STATUS mean?

Status
Description
Can I get on Hold for them?

In
Title is not checked out and is likely to be on the shelf
This can be placed on hold unless the type of material is listed as Not Holdable.

Held
This title is on the Holds Shelf waiting to be picked up by a patron.
This can be placed on hold.

In-Process
An On-Order title that has been received at the library and is being prepared to be added to the library’s collection.
This can be placed on hold.

In-Transit
This is on its way back to the owning library. May take 1-3 days.
This can be placed on hold.

On-Order
Title has been ordered.
This can be placed on hold.

Transferred
Item is on its way to a library to fill a patron’s hold request.
This title can be placed on hold.

Lost
This item is lost and currently unavailable.
You can't place this item on hold.

Missing
The item could not be found in the library after a recent search.
You can't place this item on hold.

Withdrawn
The item has been withdrawn from the library’s collection.
You can't place this item on hold.

Unavailable
The item is temporarily unavailable.
You can't place this item on hold.

In-Repair
The item is being repaired, replaced or discarded so it very well might go back into the collection.
This item can be placed on hold.