Reference Universe - Worth A Second Look

It is easy to overlook, but Reference Universe is vastly improved in content and searching. For example, a search on Irrigation was slow. Two years ago, this subject search allowed you enough time to 'go for a cup of coffee and come back to get results finally...' to now being WOW... I can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and get 10 citations on "irrigation" before getting to the "cious" part of the word -- Reference Universe is FAST.

There is a higher level of detail in Reference Universe then the regular ibistro catalog for hard to answer questions using print resources and it even has a few electronic resources we have access to.

Database content...
- 20,000 works from print and e-resource form with table of contents and index citations, 100's recently added just in June alone....
- Prominent publsher with the books in our collection from Gale, Greenwood, Springer and others..
- Patrons stumble upon seredipitous/useful facts to what they are looking for...

Keys to searching the database well...
- Use the browse searching if your unsure how to search. It functions similiar to catalog subject search.
- Use of phrase searching is the main way to use the databae.
- Use of "and" or "or" boolean searching in a strict sense does not work -- think phrase searching.

Things to watch for while searching...
- Each result should be checked for a title availability searching in Ibistro. Due to ISBN linking, format, and edition problems e-resources/books we do have in the collection say (prior editions) to links in database might not show up in Ibistro eventhough it is on the shelf or available online.
- AccessScience/GVRL direct full-text links within the database recently went down... we are hoping to restore these soon.
- If a title sounds to scholary for a public library, we probably don't have it -- try ILL or CofC if this is what the patron wants and it seems there is NO alternative for the needed info...

Database Updates: PowerSearch, RefUSA and others...

Spring is gone, and Summer is here. There are a few new and upcoming changes to the Resource Tools listings on the ccpl.org website.

- PowerSearch is getting a website refresh, with much of the same standard search as norml with new window dressing. The PowerSearch trial version is currently the featured product on SC Discus.

- RefUSA is scheduled to get a website refresh this Summer with new user interface.

- Salem Press e-resources based on the Magill's Medical Guide and Milestone Documents in American History were added recently to the Resource Tools section of http://ccpl.org/ website as Salem History and Salem Health.

- Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) books are being added with additional volumes such as Business Plans Handbook Volume 14, U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology and others in the Gale liturature for Students series are coming.

Also, we are in the process of dropping a few electronic resource tools as well due to budgetary reasons in the coming months. As changes are about to happen, notes will be posted to this blog and in other places.

Job Hunting Resource - Part 4 Furthering Your Education

This is the forth post in a series on Job Hunting and the South Carolina Pathways.org website. Previous posts on the topic are available in 1, 2 and 3. Are you looking at continuing your education in a degree or non-degree program? The Kuter “Considering Education or Training” section may help.

The education or training component covers degree and non degree programs for further areas of study you may want to consider. The schools profiled in detail are based on in person classroom settings or online throughout the United States, military installations and US territories. Various tabs such as “name and location”, “school and campus characteristics”, “programs and majors” and “admissions and costs” all allow a person to narrow there list of schools down by various criteria in one search list combined in a “see list” format.

Overall, the Kuter education component is very useful in considering furthering your education, tuition costs, application process and other preferences associated with selecting a school of your choice and desired education outcomes.

The Job Hunting Resource Helps Statewide...

A new resource is available for South Carolina residents looking for a job change, wanting directional help in their job search or returning to the workplace after an abscence. The SC Pathways website, which is powered by Kuder skills assessment testing and paid for by various state agencies/organizations, for SC residents is available to adults, students of all ages and businesses for people to find jobs that interest them and businesses to find employees. In the next series of posts, I'm going to cover the four main components of the Kuder resource. Keep in mind this product does require a registration process that takes a few minutes. SC Pathways is available for just SC residents and residents of other states who have paid access to the the following:

Skills/Interests Assessments Section

Occupational Interests

Education or Training Considerations

Getting Ready for the Job Search

= Creating Resumes Online

= Finding Employers

Note: SCOIS at this time is not available as part of SC Pathways for adults, but is available to most students state wide through individual schools.

Reference Universe - Need for Speed Answered...

Reference Universe in the past was a product you could go for a cup of coffee and still be waiting on search results... Recently, search result speed was greatly enhanced. The same general search strategies of using just one or two words in a phrase still works best and it will be nice to see possibly boolean searching become available some day. Bottom line, by far the faster retrieval time of search results is the best improvement to the database outside of content since we got it a couple of years ago or so...

Hathi Trust Ditigal Library - Great Ebooks Online

The Hathi Trust provides a combined collection of public domain/content restricted titles from primarily academic libraries in ebook form online. According to the Hathi website on November 8th, 2008, there are approximately 353,000 titles like Charleston Furniture 1700-1825 which are publicly available online, while approximately an additional 2 million are online with digital rights management restrictions. The Hathi Trust now has a beta ebook search website.

My Mother's Garden Film - Wed Oct 22nd 7PM Main Library

My Mother's Garden (reviews)

Wednesday, October 22, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Main Library

Join us for a documentary film about a woman whose hoarding disorder has entered a dangerous and life threatening stage. Please note that this documentary has adult language and is not suitable for all audiences. A film discussion follows hosted by Stressed.Pressed.Messed professional organizer Madeleine DeNitto. Additional resources: Children of Hoarders, National Study Group Chronic Disorganization, other CCPL resources within catalog such as Burried in Treasures

New: Gale Virtual Reference Library Ebooks

Recently, new e-books were added to our Gale Virtual Reference Library set. These are available individually by subject and by All A-Z listings individually on the website. Take time to browse the table of contents. Each of these e-books have something unique to offer...

• African American Almanac - African American history, society and culture.
• Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography - Collection of narrative and brief biographies of individual scientists.
• Everyday Finance: Economics, Personal Money Management and Entrepreneurship.
• Gale Encyclopedia of Diets - covering dieting concepts, historical approaches and public health.
• Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health - covers 150 mental disorders with entries concerning identification and treatment.

Nursing Resource Center

Behavior Management, Behavior Management: Overactivity/ Inattention and Behavior Management: Self-Harm may seem like excess wordy searches, but in the Nursing Intervention Classication (NIC) system these groupings may generate exactly what you or a patron is looking for in the new DISCUS Nursing Resource Center database coming soon.

There are three formal terminology or classification systems used in the Nursing Resource Center database. These three classification systems in which information is grouped by are the Nursing Diagnosis& Definintions (NADA-1), Nursing Intervention (NIC) and Nursing Outcomes (NOC) . If all these terms or classification systems seem intimidating, you still have the option to search by Gale Subject, Keyword, and Entire Document by text word although without the above term system you might miss something important.

Overall, this database is geared to nursing practicioners areas with periodicals and reference texts covering nursing. Note: when the new databases become available on http://www.ccpl.org/ website, I'll update the links.

Health And Wellness Resource Center : New Redesign & Features

Health and Wellness Resource Center has a database has a new design. The layout has also increased useablitiy and navigation. You can now type in a symptoms in a matching dialog box and get select articles in 2007 - PDR (Phsycians Desk Reference) Family Guide to Prescriptions Drugs on possible over the counter drugs, herbal remedies and medicines prescribed by a physician. Keep in mind that the sources within this database are generally geared to those students on a 10th grade reading level or higher with some on an 8th grade level. Overall, the enhancements make this database easier to use and find content.

Health Videos on Demand - Health & Wellness Research Center

Health videos on demand are now available within the Health & Wellness Research Center database. After you have logged in to the database, see access instruction in next paragraph if not sure of how to log on remotely or in library, these videos are searchable from within the Healthology portion of the database.

This article continues by selecting the Read More link that is a few lines down.



The Healthology section is found currently in lower right hand corner of the database screen after logging in to the resource. You may have to scroll down and over to the right to view the Healthology search and menu box options. Currently, the only way to retrieve these videos is by using the Healthology section of the website.

Keep in mind that these databases are not a tool for self-diagnosis or a substitute for professional care.

Instructions for Home Access
* Open up a separate browser window to access databases and instructions at the same time.
* Go to www.ccpl.org
* Click [Resources] option
* Click "Research Databases" link
* Click "Health and Medicine" link
* Select the Health & Wellness Research Center link based on your location

To access Health & Wellness Research Center, a Charleston County Public Library Card is required for remote access of most of these databases with the exception of Hands On Health or a person can access this and other resources at one of the many the public library branches located in Charleston County.



Searching For Content
A person can use keyword terms on the subject of interest in the Healthology section or can scroll through the list of subjects covered to retrieve a list of various video clips. The webcasts are not integrated into the main search box at this time. Results from a search conducted in the Healthology section when available provide related subjects, text articles, transcripts of webcasts, and the actual webcasts.


Additional Content in Health & Wellness Research Center
This is a consumer oriented resource on topics from athlete's foot to whooping cough... The database has medical encyclopedias like the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine ; 100's of magazines like Prevention, Men's Health, Nutrition Today and journals; pharmacy information, pamphlets, and other resources. You can also use some health assessment resources in addition to herb and or drug information.

Health and Medicine - Database Resources

Are you interested in medical discoveries, the latest in vision correction surgery, or just want some tips on toenail problems to dealing with high blood pressure? Your public library has numerous medicine and health resources available online and at home with a Charleston County Public library card. Health and Wellness Resource Center and Hands on Health SC are two databases geared toward consumers while Gale Virtual Reference and Health and Wellness Research Center databases may have more in-depth information in select health areas.

Keep in mind that these databases are not a tool for self-diagnosis or a substitute for professional care.

To access these resources, a Charleston County Public Library Card is required for remote access of most of these databases with the exception of Hands On Health or a person needs to be at one of the many the public library branches located in Charleston County.

Instructions for Home Access
* Open up a separate browser window to access databases and instructions.
* Go to www.ccpl.org
* Click [Resources] option
* Click "Research Databases" link
* Click "Health and Medicine" link
* Select the database of interest based on your location

Health and Wellness Resource Center -
This is a consumer oriented resource on topics from athleteÂ’s foot to whooping cough.. The database has medical encyclopedias like the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine ; 100's of magazines like Prevention, Men's Health, Nutrition Today and journals; pharmacy information, pamphlets, and other resources. There is also short to medium length video clips that cover various medical topics as well. Headphones or a sound card are required in addition software such as a recent version Real Player One or Microsoft Media Player. You can also use some health assessment resources in addition to herb and drug information.

Hands on Health -
Free and low cost health care providers in Charleston and over the state are listed in addition to general health care information. The resource also lists various services and sources of information that specialize in cancer, diabetes, heart resources, stroke, and AIDS. For further information, look at the previous post on Hands on Health

Health Reference Center Academic -
Our most comprehensive, scholarly, and informative database concerning health and medicine is Health and Reference Center Academic. Similar to Health and Wellness Resource Center, this resource contains more scholarly focused journals such as: American Journal of Law and Medicine, Clinical Diabetes, Diabetes, Human Biology, and other scholarly journals. The reference titles also include such works as: Physicians Desk Reference Family Guide to Prescription and Over the Counter Medicine titles, Clinical Reference Systems (series), and Care Notes are just a few of the resources in the database.

Gale Virtual Reference -
Specialized e-book encyclopedias on cancer, medicine, genetic disorders, alternative medicine, and nursing and allied health are contained in this database. It also contains e-books on other topics unrelated to health and medicine.

Steven S.