Using Your Library @ Home and @ Anywhere

The Questions:

1. It's 8:30 p.m. and your teen has just informed you that she needs 5 newspaper and magazine articles discussing global warming for her 1st period research paper, which is due tomorrow. All the libraries closed at 8. What can you do?


2. Your 8th grader can't understand his algebra homework - and neither can you! What can you do?


3. You have volunteered to host an exchange student from Japan for a month in January, and need to learn basic Japanese FAST! What can you do?


4. You want to find out whether experts think your company's healthy and would make a good investment for your stock options - what can you do?


5. You've been "downsized" and want to polish your resume and your interview skills so you can NAIL the next interview. What can you do?


6. You're stopping for lunch enroute to a faraway state and want to find the nearest Macdonald's for the kids' lunch. What can you do?

The answers to all these questions, believe it or not, are the same: use your library! Your library card is the key to information access wherever you are. We make information and services available online, by phone, and by text messages even when the library is closed, so you don't have to arrange your needs around our open hours.

The Answers:

1. Use our online magazine and newspaper databases - available 24/7 - to find full-text articles you can print and cite for that research paper. We have the Sacramento Bee as well as other newspapers, and over 5,000 online magazines.
2. On the Kids' and Teens' pages, students in grades 4-college can click Homework Help Now! to get help from credentialled tutors via live chat. Tutors can help with math, writing, social studies, and more!
3. Mango Languages provides an always-available, never-needs-to-be-returned language lab at home. You'll be fluent in Japanese in no time! Click the Mango link in the General Interests section of the database page.
4. Morningstar Online, in the Business & Personal Finance section on the Database Page, is the place to go for current, expert information about stocks, mutual funds, and industry information. Morningstar also provides free online tutorials for YOU, our public, in the use of this database.
5. JobNow, a new service, gives job-seekers tools to assess their interests, revise and polish resumes, get personal coaching on effective interview techniques, and links to career resources.
6. Info Quest: Txt4Nswrs - Use your cell phone to send your question to an Info Quest librarian. You will receive an answer in just a few minutes. Include the abbreviation SPL in your text, so the librarian who answers knows which library you belong to.

See? It's entirely possible to use the great resources your library provides without even stepping through the door. All it takes is an Internet connection and a library card.

Getting Carded

This afternoon, Central Library sent two librarians on a field trip to the Art Institute of California's new Sacramento campus. At the request of the Institute's librarian, we brought a laptop, a few promotional materials, and library cards, stealing a move on September's Library Card Sign-Up campaign. We were delighted to find that half the students and faculty that visited the school library already had library cards, but we signed up seven people for their first card!

We mentioned our broad database coverage, downloadable collections, the services we provide, and also our new Info Quest: txt 4 answers service. With schools gearing up to start around Labor Day, now is one of the best times to get or update your key to the free resources at your library!

What's It Worth?

Here's a fun little Library Value Calculator demo that may put a new spin on what library services are worth in the community. How much would you have to pay for services your library provides for free? Fill in the blanks and prepare to be truly surprised! (note: the demo is not customized for Sacramento prices ...)

California's budget, and by extension, the City's, County's and your personal budget, are being dissected hourly by the press and by government employees faced with the possibility of losing their jobs. In the library, we are also facing severe budget cuts, and are seeing more people using our services to find jobs and seek aid, matching a national trend.

If you are in jobsearch mode, here are some free library resources you can use:

• Books: Career information and practice tests - Some of these titles describe occupations; others are practice tests to help you pass employment exams.


• Knowledge Center Databases: Look at the databases in the College and Careers section for help with practice tests, resume building, preparing for interviews, and much more. For example, Learning Express Library also includes math tutorials and computer skills. (If you want to use these databases at home, you will need to enter your library card number for access. A library card is not needed if you use these databases in one of our branches.)


• The library provides free computer use. With your library card you can use Microsoft Office programs to type resumes and cover letters, and also also have Internet access. Visitors can check their e-mail and fill out online job applications. A library card or e-card is required.


• All branches also have free wireless Internet access - if you bring your laptop, you can connect for free, without a library card.


• Free programs at our branches for all ages, and the Get Money Smart programs are continuing through the fall.
  

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Words, Words, Words

When most people around the world hear the word "library", their immediate association is "books". But when asked why they come to the library, their immediate response is, "to use the Internet." So, what do you suppose are the most dreaded words in library land?

Yup. "The Internet is Down." Oh, man!

That happened at Central Library today. When we opened the building at 10 a.m., we discovered that a crucial connection was broken, and it affected all the computers on the third floor except one. No Internet! Not even at the reference desk. Lines for the one functioning Express computer were long all day. And will be long tomorrow, as well, because we hear the connection may not be restored until after the weekend.

It was interesting to see how many people, when they heard the news, turned right around and left the building. A little sad, too - the librarian in me really wanted folks to grab some newspapers, magazines or - yes - even a couple of books.

It did, however, give us a chance to show people some of the licensed information we provide as part of library service: for the person who wanted the Declaration of Independence, we found it in the World Book Online. For the person who wanted a list of churches in California, we created a list using Reference USA. For the person who wanted a study guide for a test, we showed her Learning Express Library. The best part: printing is free!

So ... the next time the Internet is down, and it will happen - just hopefully not too soon, talk to your information professional - your Information Banker, if you will - and see what other ways we can find to put you in touch with the information you need.

Try This @ Home: Morningstar Library Edition

The real estate market has tanked, American Express is concerned about defaults, the state budget is facing deficits, banks are hustling to mitigate risky loans.

An aphorism that was making the rounds a few years ago states, "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries." If the wise placement of your money is something you want to control better, you may be interested in learning about our newest database: Morningstar Library Edition. If you have an IRA, 401-k, or even just a savings account, you are an investor, and Morningstar has something for you.

Covering both stocks and mutual funds, Morningstar provides analysis, company reports, interactive stock charts, valuation ratios, and 10-year financial statements. It also includes an extensive help and education section for beginning and experienced investors. You can find it on the library's Database Page in the business section.

Online subscriptions, or "databases," provided by Sacramento Public Library make a wide range of information available free to anyone who walks into our branches and to patrons with computers at home. These subscriptions range from full-text magazine and newspaper articles to biographies, from auto repair to census records. Here's the full list of our current subscriptions. All but a couple are available to our cardholders from their home computers - all that is required is a current library card and a PIN.

Try This @ Home: Legal Forms Online

Our Telephone Reference Desk fields a number of requests from people looking for legal forms, from name changes to rental agreements, from sample letters to wills, and everything in between. To help them get those forms, the library subscribes to - ta dah! - Legal Forms Online!

This electronic collection includes official, California specific, federal, business, personal, real estate and general forms covering hundreds of legal subjects and issues. It includes forms drafted by attorneys, forms from public records and participating companies. It also includes a directory of attorneys, a legal dictionary, and tax forms.

Some forms can be filled out online and then printed; others must be printed first, and then filled out. All are free for Sacramento Public Library cardholders, because the library pays for the subscription.

To use this collection, point your browser to the library's web page, http://www.saclibrary.org/, and then click "Find articles/databases" in the Online Services section. ThomsonGale Legal Forms are in the "Reference" category. If you are at home, you will be prompted to enter your library card number and PIN. If you have questions, contact us by phone or e-mail and we'll do our best to help.

Got Homework?

School is back in session for most students now, which means ... homework!

Sacramento Public Library has some nifty homework helpers for students of all ages. They make doing research easier, because you don't need to sign up for an Internet computer to use them. They are also available using your home computer even when the libraries are closed! The library pays for them, and you can use them for free! Anyone can use these e-resources in the library, but to use them at home, you will need a Sacramento library card.

• Live Homework Help - Sign on after school to work with a licensed instructor if you are having trouble with your math, English, history or social studies homework.
• World Book Online - Click through to find all the articles from the print set plus magazine articles, images, and sound files.
• More online resources for students - Find information about countries, world conflicts, current news, accelerated reading lists, biographies and more!
• Research Guides on many topics prepared by librarians, with links to books in the library's collection and to selected web sites.
• Kids' and Teens' homework help pages.
• You can also call the reference desk to speak with a librarian (916-264-2920) [hours] or send an e-mail to the library (askus@saclibrary.org) for an answer within 2 days.
  

There's something for everyone - even adult learners! Click the "Library Home Page" link in the right column on this page, and then click on "Find Articles" to see the entire list of online research sources your library provides.

You're going to get an "A" on that report, right?

E-Resource: World Conflicts Today

World Conflicts Today. This new electronic resource gathers together current news and historical information on ten of the world's hotspots, such as Iraq, Darfur, Chechnya, Korean Peninsula, and the Basque Country. Unlike most free internet sites, these reports were developed independent of any narrow political agenda. The intent was to represent all the sides involved in the conflicts fairly. Minor updates are added about every four to six weeks, and substantive revisions are made as needed when the conflict situation changes.

The Library pays for this subscription so you can use it for free. If you have a library card, you may also use this resource at home, even when the library is closed. You can find it on the library's Database Page in the "Reference" and in the "Student Resources" sections. (http://www.saclibrarycatalog.org/screens/dbconnection.html)